Without Mr Khan.........

[Twig]

Excellent original post Roger, we were lucky to have Maf when we did and when we  see the fruition of the careful infrastructure build some on here will need to reassess our Chairman.
Where we are on the pitch is not calamitous, every single poster has ideas on squad strengthening but we are quietly and at considerable expense getting things right around the club. Our Chairman is an absentee which we all would prefer he wasn't but his business acumen can't be denied.
Certainly, there are much worse examples of bad Chairmen, keep positive we will achieve promotion under his Chairmanship.

Fernhurst could you please explain to me what the considerable expense has been? 

[Fulham 442]

Great post and comments. Living abroad, I feel like an outsider looking in but it appears the improvements in infrastructure, the new stand etc are the best way forward for Fulham.  This dear old club needs to survive as long as there is football to watch. The premier league? mmmm. All of you lucky people (sorry couldn't resist that one) season ticket holders saw Fulham score 85 goals last season, beat Huddersfield 9-1 over 2 games etc etc. What's wrong with that? For everyone pining for the premier league, read the Guardian today. A division of 2 leagues, the top 6 and the rest. I have been saying this for some time. The divide is enormous. Where is the entertainment in that.?

I remember when we were a good team in division 2 in the 70s. Good times to watch Fulham. On my recent trip home I was at 2 cottage games, Derby and Millwall. Low scoring but Fulham totally outplayed their opposition. All over Derby in the 2nd half and Millwall should have been 3-0 at least but a win is a win. I thought they played very well and thoroughly enjoyed the games.

I think Fulham could now be on the right track and looking good for top 6. Promotion? It is possible. Careful what you wish for, do you  fancy a relegation battle next season?

I was just saying the other day about the Premiership being a league with two divisions.  I would rather see us winning in the Championship than getting hammered in the EPL any day.  Of course I would love us to get promoted.  When we did so last time MAF had invested heavily in the squad and we went up with a Premiership side already in place which stood us in very good stead.  Unfortunately I don't think that Khan is prepared to do the same, and unless he does we will not be able to compete if we do get there.  I am not impressed with his ownership or him apparently thinking we can forever slowly, and so slowly,  build blocks to get back there.  Football today simply doesn't work like that.  The worse thing for me about him though is being saddled with his son in charge of transfers.  How I wish Joca would simply be our manager instead of our head coach and buy the players he wants within agreed limits.  He knows his football and who he wants, why not trust him?  Too much control and not enough hands in pockets for me from Khan.

[YankeeJim]

Must be a non league week. Time to bash Khan.
:dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse: :dead horse:

[Fulham 442]

Its a discussion YankeeJim, although by your handle I presume you are more likely to be automatically pro our American owner?

[Lighthouse]

We were a failing enterprise who were being poorly funded for the last year or more of MAFs ownership, MAF had poured in money before that and had taken us from a struggling third tier team to a Europs cup runners up and a mid table success story.

Mr Khan then took over and acted like a complete amateur who had no idea what he had bought and was clearly advised by the same people who get paid money for creating absolute chaos. Giving his son the transfer responsibility has been hit or miss with some dreadful misses but the occasional hit.

We will as fans be patient and I am sure things could be worse. But there have been mistakes and while we can always be over critical and over estimate what the club was like when Khan took over. It is fair to say he brought an awful lot of problems on himself. 

[Fulham 442]

Well said Lighthouse!

[Facts Not Fiction]

My point in backing the appointment of magath was that we had a team destined for the drop. Hard work was probably the only avenue out, and Magath is know for his tough fitness regime.

After our relegation, I agree we should have replaced him.

Looking back, even if we had appointed Guardiola, we wouldn't have stayed up. We took a punt, it didn't work. But magath had a decent track record before us.

[YankeeJim]

Its a discussion YankeeJim, although by your handle I presume you are more likely to be automatically pro our American owner?

Cheap shot.
These same thoughts have been beaten to death on these forums ever since Khan bought the club. There is nothing new here. Had you been here since the beginning of FOF, you'd know that.

[Fulham 442]

No cheap shot at all. I stand by what I've said on this thread. If you want to talk about how long I've been " here" I was born and bred in Fulham and have been a supporter all my life.

[mrmicawbers]

This board is all about opinions. If we all agreed it would be pretty boring.I think we should all respect each others differences.

[toshes mate]

These same thoughts have been beaten to death on these forums ever since Khan bought the club. There is nothing new here. Had you been here since the beginning of FOF, you'd know that.

So please say what the point of your post was if not just a pointless use of some gifs?

[YankeeJim]

No cheap shot at all. I stand by what I've said on this thread. If you want to talk about how long I've been " here" I was born and bred in Fulham and have been a supporter all my life.

My bad. I didn't realize you were more pure. We all know you can't be a real fan unless your were born and bred in London.

[YankeeJim]

These same thoughts have been beaten to death on these forums ever since Khan bought the club. There is nothing new here. Had you been here since the beginning of FOF, you'd know that.

So please say what the point of your post was if not just a pointless use of some gifs?

That theses posts, of which you are always a part, are repetitive and pointless.

[Fernhurst]

Excellent original post Roger, we were lucky to have Maf when we did and when we  see the fruition of the careful infrastructure build some on here will need to reassess our Chairman.
Where we are on the pitch is not calamitous, every single poster has ideas on squad strengthening but we are quietly and at considerable expense getting things right around the club. Our Chairman is an absentee which we all would prefer he wasn't but his business acumen can't be denied.
Certainly, there are much worse examples of bad Chairmen, keep positive we will achieve promotion under his Chairmanship.

Fernhurst could you please explain to me what the considerable expense has been? 

Is that a serious question Twig or is your handle misspelt?


Do you really want a list starting at buying our club through Mitroglou to Hetherwick Design team and Populous Architects with all the varied and interesting stops in between (the purchase of the ground opposite Motspur would certainaly make my eyes water). 

''Tis a worry you shape the question in that manner, as surely it's hypothetical, otherwise you are really not paying attention to the outgoing ledger.

Loads of opinions on this thread but NONE are more valid than others.

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

I am ambivalent towards the Khans at the moment. So not in the anti Khan camp but Roger, what an error strewn OP.  Khan has not invested in the squad, his dealings to date roughly break even and in addition he has cut the player wage bill and one of his first actions was a round of redundancies cutting the non playing staff.  Neither has he invested in the Riverside, I go there every fortnight and trust me it hasn't changed.

Finally Roger you could equally imagine a successor to MAF who made better decisions and invested more heavily in the squad thus keeping us in the prem (or at the very least returning us more rapidly).  That scenario is just as likely as your doomsday version.

Sorry, mine is not a 'doomsday version'  read it again..
It is a point for discussion.
None of us will ever know the hypothetical result to this question of 'what might have been'
I just feel that we are more stable at the moment, are in the correct league at this time but there are plans to
get us to the PS but not at a 'poo or bust' pace.
This is not a built on sand regime, it is not a 3 little pigs scenario.
It's building a firm fiscal platform to move up if and when we're ready

[YankeeJim]

Statto, you are right of course. Sometimes the constant wailing and gnashing of teeth is just so bothersome. I should just expect it and ignore it. However, being an old fart, sometimes......... 092.gif

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

Its a discussion YankeeJim, although by your handle I presume you are more likely to be automatically pro our American owner?

Cheap shot.
These same thoughts have been beaten to death on these forums ever since Khan bought the club. There is nothing new here. Had you been here since the beginning of FOF, you'd know that.

FF442,
I've spent some time with this geezer and he's certainly not  "Khan is God' he also wants the best for our club

[aaronmcguigan]

-Only 3 players in our entire relegation squad went on to play more premier league football.

Stekelenberg 36 premier league games since relegation, currently a second/ third choice keeper
Hangeland  21 games before retiring
Richardson 33 games in 2 years picking up another relegation

Not the biggest indicator, but clearly highlighting either a poor or ageing squad.

-Also, as much as I hate the merrygoround of premier league managers where they go around swapping jobs etc, their experience is key and the new manager bounce is a real thing because of their reputation, their encouragement and different ideas. You are more likely to go the extra mile in a relegation dogfight for a Big Sam who knows exactly how to survive in the English premier league compared to someone who's making you run up a mountain and rubbing you with cheese just because that's what they do in Deutschland. We managed to change manager twice that season, both times appointing managers with 0 / nil/ zero / zilch management experience in the premier league. In the end , we only got relegated by 5 points, which is 3 draws turned into wins, or beating Hull instead of a 6-0 capitulation.

Odd how the only decent season we've had in the past 5 years has been where a manager has been in place who has had prior experience of that league.

[Fulham 442]

I wish people would lay off Yankee Jim, he strikes me as a proper Fulham fan and a reminder that we were once (briefly) a big enough club to get noticed in America.


Oh sorry I didn't realise we were supposed to feel grateful for his attention!!  I shouldn't have risen to the bait of his original, and pointless, post, as Toshe's Mate pointed out earlier, or of his "how long you have been here" question to which I got the answer I was expecting!!

[toshes mate]

These same thoughts have been beaten to death on these forums ever since Khan bought the club. There is nothing new here. Had you been here since the beginning of FOF, you'd know that.

So please say what the point of your post was if not just a pointless use of some gifs?

That theses posts, of which you are always a part, are repetitive and pointless.

But, if you seriously believe that why on earth did you start posting.  Even by responding to comments you are giving relevance and purpose even to posts you find 'pointless'.  Who care who reads what?  It is getting things off your chest that matter and that is what you did with your 'gifs' wasn't it? 

I have an opinion about Khan.  This is a Forum where I can express that opinion among friends and foes alike.