How Long Do Usually Give A New Player

[White Noise]

Before deciding whether they will cut it at Fulham or not?
What has your experience of watching players come and go inclined you to think is the optimum time you need to make an accurate judgement on whether someone has got what it takes or not.
I know this is kind of a 'how long is a piece of string' question and there are always exceptions to any rule but in your head how many games do you generally give a new boy before you feel you can make a call on their quality or lack of it?

[TonyGilroy]

The message board tradition is to condemn a player as rubbish before they sign let alone play.

If Roy Hodgson perseveres with a player though you can reckon he's good enough.

[WhiteJC]

when we signed Chris Baird a Southampton mate of mine said we'd got one of the best players he'd ever seen, only now am I beginning to believe him.

the first game Nicky Storey played I thought that he was a 'natural' Fulham player, I'm disappointed that he didn't get a game on Sunday.

some people still don't rate Gera and I'm sure that when Booby hasn't scored for 2 or 3 games there will be people saying that he's reverted to type and that his current form is an aberration.

I'm still waiting for Davies to show the form he did in his first season, I believe that he'll return to his best in a few games now that he is over his injury and is getting back to full match fitness.

I think the short answer is it depends on the player

[Crede15]

Look at the list of players that were despised by large sections of the fan base for some time, weren't "prem quality", etc.

Chris Baird
Clint Dempsey-granted this may have had something to do with the backlash against all the American posters on the official website
Bobby Zamora
Zoltan Gera

All of whom sorted it out at some point. It just seems like the players gradually improve under Roy. Which is why I've decided not to make a judgment on guys like Kelly, or Greening, until next year. Guys like Duff and Paintsil and Hangeland who seemed to just fit right in immediately are not necessarily the norm.

[finnster01]

Lets not forget about Eddie "Cat Balloo Banjo" Johnson, Jari Litmanen, Andranik, Stoor, Kallio, and last but not least a very overpriced Andy Johnson.

Not everything Roy touches turn to gold...  :011:

[HatterDon]

I think a lot of it depends on which board you're reading. I couldn't believe the vituperation towards Baird, Hughes, and Davis when Sanchez signed them, nor the abrupt dismissal of all things Zamora and Paintsil when Hodgson signed them. I expected the anti-Dempsey rants and the almost universal condemnation of him as a CCC squad player at best [the exception being the lads over on Craven Cottage Newsround].

Regardless of the website, though, transfers in are a funny thing with Fulham. We know we can't outbid United, Citeh, Arsenal, Liverpool, or The Undead. We know we have to find young undeveloped talent, or squeeze a year or two more out of quality players on the downslide. We know we need players who can hit the ground running in the Prem, and we know we have to either sign lower league players or players who other established clubs can afford to let go. Having said all that, we still moan about Signing A being a squad player at best, and Signing B being not any better than what we have and Signing C being over priced, and Signing D being past it. We all celebrate Roy as the best manager in the world and then slate him over who he chooses to be in his squad.

It appears that the ONLY time a transfer in is really rated is when he leaves. Case in point: that indisciplined, West Brom, CCC nutcase Joe Kamara. Slated for a good year after he was signed, and only accepted when he was sent packing to Celtic.

I mean; I love you guys, but sheeeesh.  :007:

[White Noise]

Vituperation indeed HD.  :54:

Its probably easier to think of the small number of players who have been welcomed or greeted neutrally to Fulham over the years.

My original thinking was more in the sense that a lot of people you speak to say things like 'you can only judge a player after half a season' or 'I won't pass comment until he has played 10 games'. There seem to be a lot of people who set those mental staging posts and some seem to do it as a way of justifying the ferocity of their subsequent attacks - 'We'eve given him a fair shout but he is just not up to it' etc etc.