Robbie Herrera on what Mohamed Al-Fayed's big-money Fulham takeover was like on the inside Mirror 2 days ago Fulham were on the brink of extinction in 1987. The club were in financial ruin and there was talk of a merger with rivals Queens Park Rangers in a bid to keep a remnant of London's oldest team afloat. An intervention led by chairman Jimmy Hill ensured Fulham staved off bankruptcy and all talk of a merger fell by the wayside. Hill paved the way for Mohamed Al-Fayed - a flamboyant millionaire who promised to turn lowly Fulham into 'the Manchester United of the south' - to purchase the club in 1997.