| Ara Bedrossian | ||
| ||
| Fulham info | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ara Bedrossian | |
| Nickname(s) | Harry | |
| Date of birth | 2 Jun 1967 | |
| Place of birth | Nicosia, Cyprus | |
| Height | 5ft 9in (1.75m) | |
| Playing position | Central midfielder | |
| Current player? | 
| |
| Debut | Bolton (a) (27 Mar 1993) | |
| Last Appearance | Leyton Orient (a) (18 Oct 1994) | |
| First goal | Blackpool (h) (12 Feb 1994) | |
| Last goal | Blackpool (h) (12 Feb 1994) | |
| Joined from | APOEL, loan - Mar 1993 / £25,000 - 27 Oct 1993 | |
| Left for | Released - 13 Mar 1995 | |
| League apps (gls) | 42 (1) | |
| All apps (gls) | 49 (1) | |
| Other clubs | Armenian Youth Association (youth) (?-1982) Kingstonian (1982-1985) APOEL (1985-1993) → Queens Park Rangers (loan) (1992-1993) → Stevenage Borough (loan) (1994-1995) (from Fulham) APOEL (1995-1996) → Olympiakos Nicosia (loan) (1995-1996) Anagennisi Deryneia (1996-1998) Ethnikos Assia (1998-1999) THOI Lakatamia (1999-2002) | |
| International | Cyprus (1987-1988) | |
| Apps (gls) | 2 (0) | |
Ara Bedrossian played for Fulham from 1993 until 1995 as a central midfielder. A Cypriot international, he made a name for himself in his home country playing for APOEL before his move to Craven Cottage where he became a cult hero.
Career[]
Before Fulham[]
Ara was born in 1967 in Nicosia, Cyprus to Armenian parents. His father Kegham was a Cypriot tennis champion who moved to England in 1974 with the rest of the family following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
In England, Ara played for the Armenian Youth Association as a youngster, before joining Kingstonian in 1984 as a 17 year-old where he spent time playing in the 1984-85 season.
The oppertunity arose to return to Cyprus as he signed for APOEL in 1985. The contract he signed would affect the rest of his career as it was a "life contract". That is to say, that he could only play for APOEL whilst playing in Cyprus and if he were ever to leave, would need the club's permission to release him from this contract.
Whilst at APOEL, he won the Cypriot League title on three occasions, earning caps for Cyprus at U21 level before earning two caps at full international level. He took part in the European Cup on two occasions - most notably playing against Bayern Munich in the first round of the 1990-91 competition.
Ara wanted to return to England and managed to gain approval from APOEL for a one-year release from his contract and joined Queens Park Rangers (who were playing in the inaugral Premier League), effectively on loan, for the 1992-93 season. However, he failed to make a first team appearance, and an oppertunity to switch post codes and play for Fulham arose in March 1993.
Fulham (1993-1995)[]
Ara joined Fulham on a non-contract basis in March 1993 and played out the rest of the season with them. He made his debut in a 1-0 loss away to Bolton Wanderers on 27 March 1993. He went on to play the remaining eight fixtures of the season and quickly became a fan favourite in his initial short spell with the club.
Despite Fulham wanting to retain his services for the 1993-94 season, Ara remained contracted to APOEL and was due to return to Cyprus. It was reported that a release fee of £25,000 was needed to sign him and the club did not initially have the funds. Ahead of interest from Gillingham, he had trials with Birmingham City and then Middlesbrough in July and August 1993 before he returned to train with Fulham.
During an era where the internet was in its infancy, the information of Ara's whereabouts was not commonly known by the Fulham fans, and such was his popularity with them that a fanzine was produced titled Where's Ara? that ran for a few months.
After nearly two months of contract talks, Ara signed for Fulham on a new temporary contract at the end of October 1993, with a view to sign permanently. Fulham had agreed terms with APOEL to pay the £20,000 release fee should he reproduce the form which had led to the club winning five of the last seven games the previous season. Ara had turned down contracts at both Gillingham and Middlesbrough, citing his enjoyment at Fulham. The deal also included a clause that meant if he returned to play in Cyprus, it would be with APOEL.
He would become a mainstay in the team throughout 1993-94, and made 35 appearances in all competitions, scoring his only goal for the club on 12 February 1994 in a 1-0 win over Blackpool at Craven Cottage.
When manager Don Mackay was sacked in 1994 and replaced with Ian Branfoot, Ara eventually fell out of favour as the no nonsense Terry Hurlock was preferred in his role. He then spent a time on loan to Stevenage Borough from December 1994 to February 1995. He then spent time on trial with Swedish top tier side Skövde AIK. It was here where he suffered a heavy concussion, and it meant he was out of action for three months. With this news, coupled with Fulham's poor finances, the decision was made to release him, though he was able to continue training until he found a new club.
After Fulham[]
Ara spent time on trial with Parma in Italy, before returning to APOEL in the summer of 1995. However, he was not with them for long after the return of manager Jacek Gmoch, with whom Ara had a falling out with back in the 1991-92 season. He then went on to sign for Olympiakos Nicosia on loan for a season, before moving to Anagennisi Deryneia. He remained in Cyprus, playing for other smaller Cypriot clubs until he retired aged 35 in 2002.
He then moved into the world of Futsal, and played in 2002-03 for AGBU Ararat before becoming assistant manager of the team. He would go on to become manager of the team, winning multiple titles in the process. Ara gained his UEFA coaching badges and would work as an academy coach for APOEL for six years.
He has worked for Arsenal and Liverpool among others as an international academy coach and scout.
Fulham Statistics[]
Appearances[]
| Season | League | League | FA Cup | League Cup | League Trophy | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 1992-93 | Second Division | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 1993-94 | Second Division | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 1 |
| 1994-95 | Third Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
Fulham Matches[]
| # | Season | Date | Comp | Opposition | Venue | Result | Score | Match Info |
Career honours[]
APOEL
• Cypriot Championship
Winner (4): 1985-86, 1989-90, 1991-92, 1995-96
• Cypriot Cup
Winner (1): 1995-96
• Cypriot Super Cup
Winner (1): 1986
Ethnikos Assia
• Cypriot Second Division
Runner-up (1): 1998-99
THOI Lakatamia
• Cypriot Third Division
Winner (1): 1999-00
Fulham squads[]
Template:1992-93 squad Template:1993-94 squad Template:1994-95 squad