Friends of Fulham

Given the level of investment this season, and still the lack of defensive quality, where do you think FFC will finish up?

Going foward, we will always score goals, but, defensively, we are still subject to letting in a few.

The aim is to win 12 games, and add a couple of faces in January, so based on this, let us know your thoughts.

I always thought that the object of the exercise especially when a team reaches the height of the Premier League. To survive, first and foremost make yourselves hard to beat.
Get the defence sorted first, as a unit, with depth, balance and shape.
Give yourselves a foundation, that way more clean sheets will come along, which inevitably means you only have to score one goal to win a game. Which is lot easier than having to score 3 or 4 to win a game.
It can be entertaining to look good going forward, but if your leaking Goals, we are not going to pick up my many points. Whether it's Man City or Watford, there are no easy games.
Picking the right starting line up helps.
But whether we like it or not you have to get the defence organised first, whereas we have done it the other way round it appears. So it is time to concentrate more on being hard to beat, that in itself will breed confidence, especially if we are picking up points.
We can still be flamboyant and play the football, but nobody will survive without a stout defence.
So we need to learn quickly, make ourselves hard to beat in every game, but our home form has to be the key, and scraping for points away, grinding out results, and winning ugly will all help to pick up precious points.
To think otherwise is naive and a recipe for disaster.
So on that basis I have not made my mind up.

We definitely need to become more solid at the back, but I feel it's still too early to predict how we will do, whether or not Slavisa's admirable footballing philosophy will pay off in terms of  good results against those teams around us, with the occasional top quality scalp, or whether we will struggle.

But obviously yesterday's result is somewhat sobering, though I actually thought we did quite well going forwards, but shot ourselves in the foot, getting closed down and losing possession too many times in midfield and defensive positions.
We wasted a lot of very good play by then  losing possession with a wayward pass, or being tackled, but we have to remember that this was Man City away.

So too early to judge yet, but i feel we could become a  good Prem team, but we need to get our defense sorted out. It can be fine margins at this level.

As long as it is 17th or above I am happy. I do however believe that there are 10 teams worse than us so

I think we'll improve defensively (we have to really!) so will be  much harder to beat as the season progresses. As things stand, I'll be happy with anything above 17th, but think top half will be well within our reach.

Swansea in 2011-12 was the last possession based attacking team I followed from the Championship. They finished 11th. I say we'll do 10th or better. We are building something very special here.

Still trying to find the bookie that offered 50/1 on Fulham obtaining 44 points or more.

On that basis I will go for 9th to 12th

Quote from: St Eve on September 16, 2018, 07:26:19 PM
As long as it is 17th or above I am happy. I do however believe that there are 10 teams worse than us so

:plus one:

I said around 15th before the start of the season and i've seen nothing to change my mind.

We'll certainly get better. The Prem is really two leagues. The top money boys and the rest. The same 5-6 will be on top and the rest we can compete with successfully.
9-12th

Wow - went for 13-16, and was going to put 9-12 but didn't want to hex it. Seems most everywhere on here and in general agree. I'd take it!

We are 11 points behind the leaders already, and that will take some catching up.

As the season goes on we will improve.how much? Who knows

The table is already taking shape at the bottom. I fear for us having already conceded the most goals. We need to sort the back 5 out and sharpish. Watford looked good on the tv so I can see us again dropping points. Live in hope but already fear the worst.

Yes the goals against is a concern, I know we have played Spurs and City away.
But we have conceded in all Five League games.
I can only assume they are concentrating on defensive drills this week, and then make a careful selection on who starts on Saturday, because Watford will be no picnic.

Once Slav finds his defensive line up then i feel we will be OK.
As it seems he's still trying to figure out his best back four.

This was always going to be the case, it was clear our defence starting this season was worse than the defence that finished the last, and considering the step up in quality we were bound to struggle.

I think we'll stay up, given that we strengthen our defence in January, going forward we look good.

Quote from: Chutney on September 17, 2018, 12:20:29 PM
This was always going to be the case, it was clear our defence starting this season was worse than the defence that finished the last, and considering the step up in quality we were bound to struggle.

I think we'll stay up, given that we strengthen our defence in January, going forward we look good.

Our defence starting this season is certainly not worse than last season though. Mawson better than Kalas, TFM better than Fred. MLM looking decent. Chambers on paper a decent acquisition. The step up in quality is clear but too say our squad isnt better is disingenuous to the recruitment team who played a blinder.

Championship...

We'll concede over 80 goals this season....and finish 12th.

well for what its worth, this is what the bookies think at the moment

https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/relegation

I'm in the 13th to 16th camp.

My goals:
- Premier league survival. The quicker we get to 40 points, the better.
- A good cup run.

Going by the bookies we should finish 5th from bottom.
But as Burt has quite rightly observed, indicated, emphasised and stated.
Reaching and accumulating 40 points ASAP is the initial Target.
That's 36 more to go minimum, to be able to sleep at night without beads of perspiration dripping from my brow.

12th and for me this will be more than excellent for our 1st season back.

Looking at the table as it stands I believe we are better than, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Newcastle,burnley and Southampton.
On a par with Brighton,palace,Everton,wolves.with that in mind reckon we need another 27 pionts at least from theese teams minimum  if we get those minimum pionts from those teams I think we will get some shock results not including man city and Liverpool but everyone else team wise we will do ok I believe for our first season back.