Just a view.

[General]

I love this club, it has been a big part of my growing up from my early years to now getting on to 30. I know it's not as significant as some of the old timers but it's 2/3rds of my life and I haven't looked back since I first went to watch a game in the old league two. I didn't have the option to watch us when we were doing worse and honestly I may not have had I been given the choice.

I sit around the same people I do now that've been there since I became a season ticket holder, they're a match day family and have added to my father son bonding moments with my dad immeasurably.. I cannot measure the value Fulham has given to my life at varying points. I even got around to watching us play in Germany - a great night and historic and watch us get thrashed by arsenal whilst in a refugee camp. It's also been a club I've loved introducing friends too and have done since I can remember. Fulham shirts in foreign countries whilst travelling independently in far places have also calmed nerves.

Maf was getting old I get that and he clearly loved the club, I do not doubt that one bit and I wish I could thank him for his colourful character and ownership of the club which has added as much colour to my life as a result of his passion.

Khan doesn't get football, he doesn't get Fulham and he doesn't get how much Fulham and football clubs are just as much about values as they are profit. You clearly get as much out of a club as you put in. He hasn't astutely invested in the club since he's been involved. He hasn't brought in quality and instead has gotten rid of a lot of what was great about the club whether it was directly or indirectly. I worry he's tearing apart years of history for something he sees as a toy he can dispense of when he wants. Not realising it's easy to go down but going up is far harder. He can't throw cash around but he should spend cash.

So far he's been throwing cash around, wasting valuable money on shocking decisions at management (within team and club) level and buying in players who have past it. If he buys a solid and very good championship team with a solid and very good manager then he can charge more, have higher gates and incomes. That's how simple it is to me. The fact this seems to be lost on him worries me about our future and his genuine care/interest levels in us. If it continues, irrespective of how amiable he is I'd rather see him be bought out and gone then see him around the club meddling with something that has so much affection towards it from the entire country and creating a host of problems which may take much longer to fix. He's too detached.

As a result whilst Fulham will always be my club, I cannot justify committing financially to this owner when I don't see his intentions being anything other than pie in the sky. I will remain this way until things change significantly. I believe he's just in it to collect the parachute payments a huge financial gain for any owner (and a messed up incentive for owners to buy a club). As a result I doubt I will be renewing my season ticket and subsequently lose that with my dad and those I've grown fond of, but I will keep an eye on the scores and go to games every now and then. Prices need to drop down drastically. It's been years now of horrific and disjointed football at this club and prices should reflect an empathy regarding what fans are forking out and what they're getting or not in this case.

I realise that this goes against the support of the club which if I were to stick with renewing financially strengthens the club but could worsen things not doing so but as al Fayed showed, when you invest in a good thing and make it better others (the fans) will too.

Khan - if you're reading this this club is a remarkable one and exceptionally unique globally revered too.  All I urge is that you make a decision if you're serious about the club commit to it mentally and fully and sort it out so we're competitive again or acknowledge this isn't for you and sell it on to someone who will look out for our best interests.

[JDH101]

Firstly, I want to say that I agree with you. Growing up on Harbord street, literally a 7 iron away from the ground, Fulham is more than just my football team. I've grown up in the community, I've been there in our darkest days right through to that European adventure 5 years ago. What we have witnessed the last 2/3 seasons may be the most pathetic, mis-managed running of a football team I can remember. At least in the dark days we had no money as an excuse.

My feelings are this: I'm prepared to give Khan this summer to sort it out. He would have had 2 full seasons to assess. No more excuses. No more 5 man panels. No more crazy germans. no more spending all our money on one player then getting freebies to make up the rest of the team.

It looks to me that this summer we will sell Mitrogolou, Steklinberg and Pat Roberts. Hopefully all will go for good money. I'm sure we will release or sell a lot more. But I think these are the three that we can expect some sort of cash for. Not what we paid for them, but still money to go against the FFP. We will also be getting our second year of parachute payments.

I posted this in another thread, but because of the above, this could really be our last chance to spend big and back a manager, all within the FFP to get promotion. After this season our hands will be tied.

So I'm giving Khan this summer to sort things out. Get in a good manager. Back him to the hills. Anything less than a proper attempt at automatic promotion and I'll be calling for his head.

[Jonaldiniho 88]

I agree with your sentiment. I'm 27 and have supported fulham for two thirds of my life. Never had a season ticket but my dad who refuses to pay the current rate to watch fulham gets 5 or 6 tickets from me a year and it's a great bonding experience when we go. Juve and hamburg included. (Great son haha)

I do however really like khan and although he is at fault for some or much of our problem I don't hold it against him. MAF didn't buy an established PL team who had a prolonged period of success for him to be com paired with. MAF made mistakes but didn't have to fight Ffp or the upper ends of English football to deal with as he cuts his teeth. I'm not saying I'm right about khan or that your wrong but I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that he's a really nice guy and he will get it right. I hope I'm proved right but don't think your wrong (currently) if that makes sense.

[Bradstow]

Keep loving our club - why it is so beautiful I do not know. Fulhamish we all are. FFC have been my love for more than 6/7th of my 70 years. If only owners loved it as much as the fans!

[VicHalomsLovechild]

Doesn't matter how long you've been a supporter. You take up the same amount of space, so have as much right to voice an opinion. Im not sure I agree with you about MAF though. He brought the club stating he was going to make it the Manchester United of the south. So clearly he didn't know his football. There were several episodes where managers came and went. Some given money others not. The ground share with the haha's and talk of turning Craven Cottage into luxury flats. However there's no getting away from the fact we had some of our best years under his Chairmanship. Khan faces a different set of problems so the juries still out on that one.
Still, supporting Fulham without the nagging feeling that everything was about to go tits up wouldn't be the same. It's part (a very big part) of our tradition.