Mohamed Al Fayed, the Fulham chairman, insists he is as committed as ever to the club after celebrating a decade in charge of the Cottagers.

Fulham were in the old Second Division when the Egyptian billionaire took charge of the club and, although many fans did not believe he would stay the course, Al Fayed is hoping to remain at the helm for as long as possible.

He also provided his full backing for manager Lawrie Sanchez who has spent around £24 million of the chairman's cash and won just one of their opening eight games.

Al Fayed said: "I take great pleasure in seeing the club move in the right direction. We've been in the Premier League now for nearly eight years. It's really a miracle."

"Lawrie Sanchez is doing a great job. I'm encouraging him, I'm behind him. He's spent a lot of my money this season, but I don't regret it because we have a good team now.

"He's intelligent, he's committed, and he wants to prove himself. I'm behind him and I hope we finish in the top 10."

Meanwhile, Clint Dempsey will face no punishment after his elbow left John Terry, the Chelsea captain, with a depressed fracture of the cheekbone in Saturday's goalless draw at Stamford Bridge.