Next four pre season games

[Fernhurst]

Can't think any of the other teams are so far behind in development as us.

French trip bit of disaster, Can't see us getting win until Celta Vigo at home.

Anyone else more optimistic?

[Roberty]

To name but one - try Newcastle

They have the added problem of having an owner who's openly been trying to sell the club for more than two years and who has no interest in putting his hand in his pocket

[aaronmcguigan]

Tottenham- most the squad are and will be away on holiday, World Cup hangover
Cardiff- Stockpiling championship players doesn't indicate they're ahead in terms of development
Bournemouth- have only brought in David Brooks (?)
Burnley- Signed no one and they'll have europa to deal with
Chelsea- first signing yesterday, started preseason with a different manager
Palace- added a keeper, the only position bar Zaha they didn't need replacing
Everton- signed no one so far , focussed on selling

While we have been slow to assemble a squad this season , you can bet there will be plenty of moves ahead. Being a promoted team, a lot of our signings may come from knock ons of other moves, i.e. When Newcastle sign a striker or when Team A sign their new keeper to allow us to sign theirs etc

[kiwian]

French trip bit of disaster-they haven't played yet!

[Woolly Mammoth]

I think some of you are missing the point that Fenhurst is trying to make.
Bearing in mind that nothing is certain, we are the newest club with the smallest squad by far.
Apart from the two other clubs that came up with ourselves, all the other clubs are established in as much as they have had at least one year in the Premier League, and both Wolves and Cardiff have been active in the Transfer Window. Whether you agree with who they have signed is neither here nor there.
You cannot compare Palace to us, let alone Chelsea.
As has already been pointed out, we are so very much behind in development, and you cannot ignore that.
It is going to take a profusion of incoming players just to catch up, and they have to be the right ones.
It's easy to bury your heads in the sand, they did that with the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balacalava in 1854.
It's easy to say, in Joka we trust.
Well he may not be allowed to have much input, hence the reason he has not signed a new contract.
We cannot blame Kline anymore, only our Crack Recruitment Outfit, and Negotiations Unit can shoulder the blame.
However, suddenly we may get the players required, but they certainly have a different way of going about it.

[aaronmcguigan]

I know we should be doing more business, but I'd take late signings, a slow start but improving as we gel later in the season, (as is the Fulham way these days) . I'd take that over rushing out and signing the wrong type of player just because they're available. We're obviously signing players to both: make an impact, and be able to provide a financial return in a few years.

Yes it makes pre season tours a bit pointless but a lot of these guys we have need to be squad players even if we replace the majority. They'll need to be raring to go for the first game at least.

I don't see why comparing us to Newcastle is pointless. They got in the premier league and have built slowly and steadily. Teams like Sunderland and Middlesbrough etc have been in the premier since we've exited and have struggled due to bad decision after bad decision, rushed decisions not thought out, buying players because of the name and not the performance .

Obviously it'd be great to be in a position to go on tour with a full squad, but we aren't , but I don't doubt our club for a second to be able to be ready to put out a team to beat Palace and beyond

[Fernhurst]

French trip bit of disaster-they haven't played yet!

Well what's your predictions for the next three games?

[Deeping_white]

French trip bit of disaster-they haven't played yet!

Well what's your predictions for the next three games?

Why do pre-season games matter results wise to you? The whole point of them is to get players comfortable playing in our system and get fit, nothing more

[Woolly Mammoth]

French trip bit of disaster-they haven't played yet!

Well what's your predictions for the next three games?

Why do pre-season games matter results wise to you? The whole point of them is to get players comfortable playing in our system and get fit, nothing more

Yes, but what players ?

[filham]

Tottenham- most the squad are and will be away on holiday, World Cup hangover
Cardiff- Stockpiling championship players doesn't indicate they're ahead in terms of development
Bournemouth- have only brought in David Brooks (?)
Burnley- Signed no one and they'll have europa to deal with
Chelsea- first signing yesterday, started preseason with a different manager
Palace- added a keeper, the only position bar Zaha they didn't need replacing
Everton- signed no one so far , focussed on selling

While we have been slow to assemble a squad this season , you can bet there will be plenty of moves ahead. Being a promoted team, a lot of our signings may come from knock ons of other moves, i.e. When Newcastle sign a striker or when Team A sign their new keeper to allow us to sign theirs etc

That sounds like nail biting deadline day signing again for us then.

[Fernhurst]

Why would anybody get concerned by results from pre- season friendly's.....

Last time we began with a 0-0 draw with East Fife......... we got relegated.

Maybe Seri will sort out the first result on his Todd.

[Jamie88]

Why would anybody get concerned by results from pre- season friendly's.....

Last time we began with a 0-0 draw with East Fife......... we got relegated.

Maybe Seri will sort out the first result on his Todd.

So our cause for relegation was a 0-0 draw with East Fife?

It was actually 3-0 to us anyway

[Fernhurst]

Yes, wrong season - The season we played East Fife we lost 7 of the first 8 and eventually almost fell through the trap draw to League 1.

The point remains, achieving a solid start means such a lot especially in The Premier League and confidence going into first home game will be crucial.
We witnessed how Spurs and Southampton dealt with our existing squad. IMO many more quality additions required before a bottom 3 finish can be avoided.

Let's see how we get on, in these next 4 games and return to this conversation on our readiness for the difficult season ahead.

[Roberty]

I don't see why comparing us to Newcastle is pointless. They got in the premier league and have built slowly and steadily.

Newcastle never needed to build at all. They were only down for one season and kept a premier league team. They won the league without breaking sweat, with Mitrovic watching from the bench. We're in a totally different position.

I also seem to remember that the "premier league team they kept" lost to us home and away in their promotion season - probably a fulke though

[RaySmith]

The club has shown its positive intentions by the signings they've made, and I think it's safe to assume that we are trying to get more players in, though we shouldn't doubt too much the abilities of the core of players who went on that magnificent run to get us promotion, and  the man who managed them and our coaches.

That core of players, with a some quality additions, could surprise everyone. I will be getting behind them anyway, as always.

Well, we can choose to be positive or negative as Fulham fans pre-season, I suppose. I am usually positive and excited before a season starts, but others  on here are usually negative.

This is going to be one hell of a ride, anyway, and i hope that Fulham manage to keep their heads above water, at least - but I don't have a crystal ball, and don't know what's going to happen. As we all know, in football, anything can happen.

But I don't think pre-season friendlies mean much, if anything.