Here at Fulham we often pay the most credit to that of our manager, who revolutionised us from relegation fodder to Europa League contenders in little over one year.
What about his understudies and work colleagues though? Surely, without them, it would not have been possible.
As part of an extended series of articles, I intend to highlight the work of our lesser-known staff who work alongside Roy and keep the machine that is Fulham, ticking.
And the first un-sung hero to receive some praise; Ray Lewington: First Team Coach.
Ray, rather ironically named similarly to Roy, was not brought in especially by Roy Hodgson himself and has instead been at the club for many years, with his latest stint beginning in 2005; Under the tutorship of Chris Coleman.
Lewington has many underlying connections with the club, first serving as a midfielder between 1980 and 1990, with a stint at Sheffield United conveniently placed in the middle. He appeared 234 times in the famous white of Fulham, with a fair proportion of those games involving him balancing between a player and manager role.
Under Roy though, Lewington has flourished as First Team Coach and has not received nearly as much stick as he did in managerial roles here at Fulham, and at Brentford and Watford. He goes about his job quietly and astutely, and it is also clear to see Hodgson pays the man a lot of respect.
His job brief is simple though, and the majority of his work is done on the training ground. He is there to prepare the players week in week out and ensure they are mentally and physically sound for up and coming matches.
When Roy Hodgson turned up, he would have had the opportunity to bring in his own staff as he so wished, however, he stuck by Ray, and, the proof is clearly situated in the pudding.
He has proven to me especially that he is a Fulham man through and through. So; Here’s to Ray!
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