Grinding out this season

[Nightwind15]

Sitting back in the shadows and each week enduring the heartbreak of another nail in the demotion coffin has been very hard for everyone.  Here in the US when talking football my friends know I am a fan and follow Fulham. Most know nothing of the team but several follow the Premier league.  None understand why I love this club and honestly there is no tangible reason for it except knowing the people here and getting to know the players and history.  Fulham grows on a fan and it is, to me, the most unique club in the league.
Through the pain of being in the bottom, each week I hold hope for victory and escape from the bottom. 

Come on Fulham. 

[SuffolkWhite]

We are a unique team and if you realy want to win things support another team. I like to be an underdog and survival is in my blood stream. Most of our history is not in the top flight but thats life, and Fulhamish!

[Stoneleigh Loyalist]

I took my five year old grandson to football training at Carshalton Athletic's ground this morning.
A very small ground with a stand , terracing, turnstiles , and refreshments like any other ground , and I left out the vital ingredient , a regular small crowd of loyal Robins supporters.
They will probably never win anything and higher up the scale for the past 69 years I have hardly seen Fulham win anything except the Inter toto Cup.
I am not envious of the Blues or Plastic MU or Liv supporters as I have always been happy to come here win or lose.
Having said that I have waivered since Christmas caused by my despair and disappointment at what now seems to be a Fulham ship without a sail or rudder.
Hopefully the team will play with some pride rather than surrendering for the rest of the season and I can only hope that plans and money will be available to create a much changed Fulham team next season.
Trust me, many will be gone this Summer!

[SuffolkWhite]

Well Said Stonleigh.

[Twig]

It certaiinly is a grind this season. The worst of it is the walk to the ground before each home game. It is a walk I have always loved; the match anticipation, a walk by the side of Old Father Thames, occasionally a pint by the river, enetrering the historic stadium and the build up.  Not any more, this year I trudge rather wearily in antipation of almost certain defeat and now, even worse, the nature of those defeats. Dreadful, I cannot wait for the end of this wretched season.

Will my wife and I renew our season tickets? Probably not while Tony Khan is D o F.

[Nightwind15]

We are a unique team and if you realy want to win things support another team. I like to be an underdog and survival is in my blood stream. Most of our history is not in the top flight but thats life, and Fulhamish!
[/quote
Every player and ever team wants to win.  Even the current Fulham crop have not one player that is satisfied with mediocrity or losing.  Please do not drag Fulham into your state of loving walking the tight wire of relegation.  The previous years in the Premier league were wonderful and the Whites were always competing from the first to the last whistle.

[SuffolkWhite]

We are a unique team and if you realy want to win things support another team. I like to be an underdog and survival is in my blood stream. Most of our history is not in the top flight but thats life, and Fulhamish!
[/quote
Every player and ever team wants to win.  Even the current Fulham crop have not one player that is satisfied with mediocrity or losing.  Please do not drag Fulham into your state of loving walking the tight wire of relegation.  The previous years in the Premier league were wonderful and the Whites were always competing from the first to the last whistle.

Think your missing the point with me! I dont love losing, I love winning and when I play football I play to win. But I aint supporting a top 6 team because I crave to be a winner, I support us because we are unique.

[Nightwind15]

We are a unique team and if you realy want to win things support another team. I like to be an underdog and survival is in my blood stream. Most of our history is not in the top flight but thats life, and Fulhamish!
[/quote

There are myriad of reasons for supporting anything in life.  I played football until I was 57 years old and never once was I satisfied with mediocrity.  You can love a facility or the history of an organization for any number of reasons but it is the nature of mankind to love a winner and cheer for the underdog.  I support and follow Fulham because I watched Brian McBride give his all for the club each and ever Sunday.  The never say die attitude of the club and the American connection led me to be a fan.


Every player and ever team wants to win.  Even the current Fulham crop have not one player that is satisfied with mediocrity or losing.  Please do not drag Fulham into your state of loving walking the tight wire of relegation.  The previous years in the Premier league were wonderful and the Whites were always competing from the first to the last whistle.

Think your missing the point with me! I dont love losing, I love winning and when I play football I play to win. But I aint supporting a top 6 team because I crave to be a winner, I support us because we are unique.

[RaySmith]

I suppose none of us planned to follow a team that hasn't really won anything - when we began  following Fulham, most of us had dreams of us someday doing well. I know I did. I remember saying my prayers, and praying for Fulham to win he league, and thence to be in the European Cop, which they'd also win. But the reality of those 60's times was mostly battling relegation, despite the top names in the side, like Haynes, Leggatt, Cohen, Mullery, Robson, etc.

Our Chairman was a comedian, Tommy Trinder, and we were often the butt of music hall jokes. Whom did Only Fools and horses writer John Sullivan choose, when he wrote his sitcom about a young bloke with  dreams beyond his reality, Tooting dwelling Citizen Smith - Fulham, of course.

I doubt if there isn't  Fulham fan who doesn't want the team to do well, especially this season, when  levels of expectancy were very high, after our run to Wembley and promotion - hence the acrimony, frustration and sadness expressed on here.

Yes, we all were seduced by this unique club by the Thames, and who else could we ever support, but most of us yearn for Fulham to do well, and  our moments and periods of success throughout our history, make us really happy, and our moments of failure make us sad.

But, at least Fulham made it back to the top division, and there are a lot of teams far less successful than us, often with illustrious histories.
In fact, there are a lot more unsuccessful teams than ones permanently successful - the top six - and these teams, the great majority, all have dedicated, lifelong fans.  And these clubs and fans are the  bedrock of the game, unlike the top few, who attract a disproportionate amount of  media publicity and money, with fans who often didn't grow up  going to see them every week, and following them through thick and thin, but just follow them because of their glamorous image.

[hovewhite]

It certaiinly is a grind this season. The worst of it is the walk to the ground before each home game. It is a walk I have always loved; the match anticipation, a walk by the side of Old Father Thames, occasionally a pint by the river, enetrering the historic stadium and the build up.  Not any more, this year I trudge rather wearily in antipation of almost certain defeat and now, even worse, the nature of those defeats. Dreadful, I cannot wait for the end of this wretched season.

Will my wife and I renew our season tickets? Probably not while Tony Khan is D o F.

I'm feeling empty inside about the people in charge so if you add ticket hikes to make up for less fans next year then Take vision for my great club no thanks.

[Nightwind15]

I really would hate to be faced with the issue of not buying tickets if I were a local.  It has been difficult to watch the matches on the television here in the states especially early on in the season.  The past few weeks there have been glimmers of hope in the early match stages but squandered chances in scoring have put nails our coffin.  The one good thing evident is that I have not seen the boys on the pitch give up during the full 90. 

[toshes mate]

In fact, there are a lot more unsuccessful teams than ones permanently successful - the top six - and these teams, the great majority, all have dedicated, lifelong fans.  And these clubs and fans are the  bedrock of the game, unlike the top few, who attract a disproportionate amount of  media publicity and money, with fans who often didn't grow up  going to see them every week, and following them through thick and thin, but just follow them because of their glamorous image.

An evocative post, RaySmith, and I especially like this paragraph about the 'forgotten many' who have made and continue to make football what it is and yet are shunned by the big money crowd who only have thoughts about where that next additional profit will come from.  I always believed that my first love for Fulham was because it wasn't about money at all.  It was cheap, enjoyable and habit forming to the extent that if you could afford to follow the lads anywhere you would do so.  It was always about just being there, sharing the atmosphere and the common knowledge of most of the fans standing with you that there is something much deeper and more profound about watching professional football than can be explained away in notes and coins.

[MJG]

It certaiinly is a grind this season. The worst of it is the walk to the ground before each home game. It is a walk I have always loved; the match anticipation, a walk by the side of Old Father Thames, occasionally a pint by the river, enetrering the historic stadium and the build up.  Not any more, this year I trudge rather wearily in antipation of almost certain defeat and now, even worse, the nature of those defeats. Dreadful, I cannot wait for the end of this wretched season.

Will my wife and I renew our season tickets? Probably not while Tony Khan is D o F.

I'm feeling empty inside about the people in charge so if you add ticket hikes to make up for less fans next year then Take vision for my great club no thanks.

yet you have no evidence that this will happen but have peddled this view all year, what will you say if they don't go up?

[Baszab]

 :dead horse:

At least  we'll have a new stand to watch Luton at home

[Twig]

It certaiinly is a grind this season. The worst of it is the walk to the ground before each home game. It is a walk I have always loved; the match anticipation, a walk by the side of Old Father Thames, occasionally a pint by the river, enetrering the historic stadium and the build up.  Not any more, this year I trudge rather wearily in antipation of almost certain defeat and now, even worse, the nature of those defeats. Dreadful, I cannot wait for the end of this wretched season.

Will my wife and I renew our season tickets? Probably not while Tony Khan is D o F.

I'm feeling empty inside about the people in charge so if you add ticket hikes to make up for less fans next year then Take vision for my great club no thanks.

yet you have no evidence that this will happen but have peddled this view all year, what will you say if they don't go up?

They may not go up Mike but I am ready to bet they won't go down.  As a minimum I will therefore be asked to pay the same for an inferior product ie the Championship. I would call that a price increase wouldn't you?

[MJG]

It certaiinly is a grind this season. The worst of it is the walk to the ground before each home game. It is a walk I have always loved; the match anticipation, a walk by the side of Old Father Thames, occasionally a pint by the river, enetrering the historic stadium and the build up.  Not any more, this year I trudge rather wearily in antipation of almost certain defeat and now, even worse, the nature of those defeats. Dreadful, I cannot wait for the end of this wretched season.

Will my wife and I renew our season tickets? Probably not while Tony Khan is D o F.

I'm feeling empty inside about the people in charge so if you add ticket hikes to make up for less fans next year then Take vision for my great club no thanks.

yet you have no evidence that this will happen but have peddled this view all year, what will you say if they don't go up?

They may not go up Mike but I am ready to bet they won't go down.  As a minimum I will therefore be asked to pay the same for an inferior product ie the Championship. I would call that a price increase wouldn't you?

same happened on way down and if you bought before promotion you were gambling on championship or PL at same price.Works both ways.
My gut feel is price will be frozen for pre final tickets and they may go down Watford route of different prices depending when you bought last year. If it works the way I described then you would be pay exactly the same in championship as you would have done this season of we had lost at Wembley.

[filham]

Most of us have been through relegation seasons before and while none of them were pleasant none of them hurt quite as much as this one. It is the fact that we spent all that money and never recognised the fact that we were playing in the Premier league with a back four that was not as strong as the one we had in the Championship and that nothing was done about it in January.

Really we have been facing relegation since the beginning of the season, we have only had glimpses of good performances, it has been a long miserable season as bad as any that can be remembered.

[hovewhite]

It certaiinly is a grind this season. The worst of it is the walk to the ground before each home game. It is a walk I have always loved; the match anticipation, a walk by the side of Old Father Thames, occasionally a pint by the river, enetrering the historic stadium and the build up.  Not any more, this year I trudge rather wearily in antipation of almost certain defeat and now, even worse, the nature of those defeats. Dreadful, I cannot wait for the end of this wretched season.

Will my wife and I renew our season tickets? Probably not while Tony Khan is D o F.

I'm feeling empty inside about the people in charge so if you add ticket hikes to make up for less fans next year then Take vision for my great club no thanks.

yet you have no evidence that this will happen but have peddled this view all year, what will you say if they don't go up?

we will see,but the club playing management aren't fit for there jobs,you have constantly been the club mouthpiece ,I accept that you have the club like me and others at heart I  respect your opinion but will keep mine and if by chance prices don't go up feel free to slag me off which I'm sure you will that's your chioce you can quote me to Khan and son I don't care.
Shahid wants a sustainable club which is fine ,however Tony doesn't know or have a team that know what there doing.
Carry on and be critical of me I've got broad shoulders.

[MJG]

It certaiinly is a grind this season. The worst of it is the walk to the ground before each home game. It is a walk I have always loved; the match anticipation, a walk by the side of Old Father Thames, occasionally a pint by the river, enetrering the historic stadium and the build up.  Not any more, this year I trudge rather wearily in antipation of almost certain defeat and now, even worse, the nature of those defeats. Dreadful, I cannot wait for the end of this wretched season.

Will my wife and I renew our season tickets? Probably not while Tony Khan is D o F.

I'm feeling empty inside about the people in charge so if you add ticket hikes to make up for less fans next year then Take vision for my great club no thanks.

yet you have no evidence that this will happen but have peddled this view all year, what will you say if they don't go up?

we will see,but the club playing management aren't fit for there jobs,you have constantly been the club mouthpiece ,I accept that you have the club like me and others at heart I  respect your opinion but will keep mine and if by chance prices don't go up feel free to slag me off which I'm sure you will that's your chioce you can quote me to Khan and son I don't care.
Shahid wants a sustainable club which is fine ,however Tony doesn't know or have a team that know what there doing.
Carry on and be critical of me I've got broad shoulders.

well for a start I have my own opinion on this and I'm no mouthpiece for anyone. I take a look at things realistically without trying to use any hyperbole like some.
If they go that's a bad business/customer decision if we go down.
Why you extend these comments beyond the issue of prices I don't know.

[hovewhite]

It certaiinly is a grind this season. The worst of it is the walk to the ground before each home game. It is a walk I have always loved; the match anticipation, a walk by the side of Old Father Thames, occasionally a pint by the river, enetrering the historic stadium and the build up.  Not any more, this year I trudge rather wearily in antipation of almost certain defeat and now, even worse, the nature of those defeats. Dreadful, I cannot wait for the end of this wretched season.

Will my wife and I renew our season tickets? Probably not while Tony Khan is D o F.

I'm feeling empty inside about the people in charge so if you add ticket hikes to make up for less fans next year then Take vision for my great club no thanks.

yet you have no evidence that this will happen but have peddled this view all year, what will you say if they don't go up?

we will see,but the club playing management aren't fit for there jobs,you have constantly been the club mouthpiece ,I accept that you have the club like me and others at heart I  respect your opinion but will keep mine and if by chance prices don't go up feel free to slag me off which I'm sure you will that's your chioce you can quote me to Khan and son I don't care.
Shahid wants a sustainable club which is fine ,however Tony doesn't know or have a team that know what there doing.
Carry on and be critical of me I've got broad shoulders.

well for a start I have my own opinion on this and I'm no mouthpiece for anyone. I take a look at things realistically without trying to use any hyperbole like some.
If they go that's a bad business/customer decision if we go down.
Why you extend these comments beyond the issue of prices I don't know.

I will say it as I see it full stop .