When Will We See A Return For Our Money,From These So Called Big Money Signings.

[Angus Telford]

I see Berge and Charles have been omitted from the OP so it's somewhat cherry-picking.

Anderson was good for the first season or two, although I do think we overpaid given his age.

ESR, Kevin, Bobb and Garcia are all clearly good players, we just haven't had a manager that can get them firing on all cylinders.

For me the issue isn't so much the individuals signed, just the lack of long-term strategy. Most of them don't seem to suit Arbeloa and I'm not sure they were even Silva's choice, so what are we doing, just opportunistically signing a good player here and there and assuming at some point 11 of them will make a good team? With hindsight the last few years' business is looking a bit like summer 2018 in slow motion.

[Coastwalker]

Not cherry picking as you say,for the reason Berge and Charles are doing alright in my book.The listed ones aren't,couldn't you work that out.

[clarkey]

I don't think there is a metric in the world that would show Kevin as even promising. He is a dead loss for a load of cash. ESR is even worse, his body language is terrible, he never puts in a shift and always plays badly.They both make Frank Large look like a good bit of business.

The transfer business for us in recent years is at least consistent- it always disappoints and always is too little and TOO LATE. Why not bring in the players early in the window to give the manager a chance to integrate the new signings.

Why was our last window so late in confirming the manager and the Real Madrid players ?

Finally why are the new signings all so small and weak physically (Charles apart) ? We are frequently simply outmuscled.

It's like Berge and the seven dwarves.

[the nutflush]

Kevin. 20 EPL appearances for Fulham. 1 goal.
Oscar Bobb.  19 EPL appearnaces for Fulham. zero goals. 

Combined cost over 60 big ones. 

[St Eve]

I don't recall many, if any, posters claiming at the time what a waste of money our big signings were.
I was very excited about getting ESR. How wrong was I
Same about Andersen, but I don't think he is as bad as a lot of us are claiming.
Same with Bobb. The jury is still out.
I thought Berge was an uninspiring signing. Wrong again.
A lot of posters felt we overpaid for Charles. Wrong again.
As for Kevin and Garcia I knew nothing about them, but it seemed exciting that we could get 2 young, talented players.

As for the manager, I was in the Marco must stay camp. Probably in the minority. It wasn't to be and opinions on the new manager were divided. I probably leaned towards Frank or McKenna (Howe I felt wasn't an option), but I wasn't devastated that we got a young, ambitious manager from Real Madrid. Dyche, Ange, Potter, Poch, Rosenior, Lampard, Amorim, Ferreira, Slot were not on my list.

The point is we are no smarter than the powers that be. Win the next 2or 3 games and the outlook will be considerably different. Let's hope so

[the nutflush]

The Andersen price tag was ridiculous. 

[Whitestone]

I don't think there is a metric in the world that would show Kevin as even promising. He is a dead loss for a load of cash. ESR is even worse, his body language is terrible, he never puts in a shift and always plays badly.They both make Frank Large look like a good bit of business.

The transfer business for us in recent years is at least consistent- it always disappoints and always is too little and TOO LATE. Why not bring in the players early in the window to give the manager a chance to integrate the new signings.

Why was our last window so late in confirming the manager and the Real Madrid players ?

Finally why are the new signings all so small and weak physically (Charles apart) ? We are frequently simply outmuscled.

It's like Berge and the seven dwarves.

Small and weak players apart from Charles you say. The new players aren't small and weak. Have you forgotten about Larsson, Affengruber and Garcia who are 6'2", 6'1" and 6'0 respectively. Even our shortest player Manuel Angel is 5'7" the exact same height as Lionel Messi, yes Lionel Messi who is considered by many to be the greatest ever player. It's about time people stopped blaming the size of our squad as the cause of many of the current issues.

[C Block]

I don't think there is a metric in the world that would show Kevin as even promising. He is a dead loss for a load of cash. ESR is even worse, his body language is terrible, he never puts in a shift and always plays badly.They both make Frank Large look like a good bit of business.

The transfer business for us in recent years is at least consistent- it always disappoints and always is too little and TOO LATE. Why not bring in the players early in the window to give the manager a chance to integrate the new signings.

Why was our last window so late in confirming the manager and the Real Madrid players ?

Finally why are the new signings all so small and weak physically (Charles apart) ? We are frequently simply outmuscled.

It's like Berge and the seven dwarves.

Small and weak players apart from Charles you say. The new players aren't small and weak. Have you forgotten about Larsson, Affengruber and Garcia who are 6'2", 6'1" and 6'0 respectively. Even our shortest player Manuel Angel is 5'7" the exact same height as Lionel Messi, yes Lionel Messi who is considered by many to be the greatest ever player. It's about time people stopped blaming the size of our squad as the cause of many of the current issues.

There is a world of difference between a 5' 7" man and a 5' 7" kid, please don't confuse the two

[MickTheBeard]

Did someone mention an upgrade in player transfers it's time for a song ** Yes it's the great    Pretender **out with old sports director in with a proper DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL hip hip about time

[The Rational Fan]

ESR
Andersen
Kevin
Bobb
Garcia.

From what I've seen so far a lot of money spent on bang average players.

ESR, Kevin and Bobb are "bang average PREMIER LEAGUE players" and the price for young attacking like these is around £25-35 million, so we didn't overpaid for them. Kevin and Bobb could justify their price tags just as squad players provided their careers last long enough.

As for Garcia, he is 22 years old who has within his first six games an exceptional xG (i.e. lots of shots from good positions) and non existent finishing. If he maintains his xG and becomes an average finisher, then he is an absolute bargain.

As for Anderson, we paid too much for an older average defender, but when we had him on loan he was better than bang-average, but his lack of pace seems to be increasingly impacting his game.

[Whitestone]

I don't think there is a metric in the world that would show Kevin as even promising. He is a dead loss for a load of cash. ESR is even worse, his body language is terrible, he never puts in a shift and always plays badly.They both make Frank Large look like a good bit of business.

The transfer business for us in recent years is at least consistent- it always disappoints and always is too little and TOO LATE. Why not bring in the players early in the window to give the manager a chance to integrate the new signings.

Why was our last window so late in confirming the manager and the Real Madrid players ?

Finally why are the new signings all so small and weak physically (Charles apart) ? We are frequently simply outmuscled.

It's like Berge and the seven dwarves.

Small and weak players apart from Charles you say. The new players aren't small and weak. Have you forgotten about Larsson, Affengruber and Garcia who are 6'2", 6'1" and 6'0 respectively. Even our shortest player Manuel Angel is 5'7" the exact same height as Lionel Messi, yes Lionel Messi who is considered by many to be the greatest ever player. It's about time people stopped blaming the size of our squad as the cause of many of the current issues.

There is a world of difference between a 5' 7" man and a 5' 7" kid, please don't confuse the two

Messi was exactly the same height when he was a 'kid' as you put it. I think you missed the point. I wasn't comparing the players ability, obviously Messi is in another league. The point is we aren't losing games because of the height of some of our players.

[Woolly Mammoth]

ESR
Andersen
Kevin
Bobb
Garcia.

From what I've seen so far a lot of money spent on bang average players.

Yes an obscene amount of money has been spent so far.
I agree you are definitely right on 4 of them.

 ECR his body language alone would put me off, his lack of desire is there for all to see, has he ever broken sweat. Who would enjoy playing alongside a bloke like him, not good for team spirit, no genuine fight or hunger in the man.
A complete waste of money.

ANDERSON, yes his pace lets him down, and he isn't now gonna get any better, but he has been a warrior and in a tough game he will go toe to toe.
Not worth the money paid for him, but he can be a fighter when the going gets tough, and he is more of a leader than most.

KEVIN
Does not play within the framework of the team, plays for himself, does not pass the ball earlier enough, just keeps getting dispossessed as he tries to beat one too many players.
Leaving his teammates to waste more energy trying to win the ball back, he couldn't tackle a boiled egg, and doesn't punch his weight. He plays as though he has never been coached. A head down and run man.

BOBB
Another one who is too lightweight,and we are overstocked with lightweights.  He has potential but is he ever going to run through a brick wall for his manager and come out fighting on the otherside.
Maybe he will improve and be a good addition, but not worth his fee.

GARCIA
The jury is out for me with this bloke, he has shown glimpses and a better prospect than Muniz.
Coming from Real Madrid doesn't mean he can survive in the unforgiving jungle of English football. If he had come up
from our academy people would be saying loan him out to a lower club as if that is the answer to everything.
But because he is from Real Madrid he gets more leeway from the club than an academy player to try and justify his fee. It will certainly be an education for him playing in English football, and he has to learn quickly otherwise opponents will eat him for breakfast.
So the juries out for me at the moment, I would give him more time as he has the potential if he learns quick enough.

Summing up,
All managers have their favourites,that is human nature, but AA pushes it a too far with his bias towards players from RM.
He has to be careful, although he probably won't be there much longer if the owners have any sense at all left.

Over recent years the club have brought in more of their share of mentally weak players, and that is sheer incompetence.
They don't do their homework anywhere near enough.
You need to watch players live in a hostile environment away from home more than once.
Not look at stats, video recordings and hearsay, Fulham are not a Model Agency.
You watch these players away from home live when his club are losing on a cold winters night in a hostile noisy atmosphere where he can hear the comments from the crowd.
Watch his reaction and his body language, does he stand up and be counted, does he get stuck in and go toe to toe.
Does he lead from the the front and not afraid to eat dirt. Does he lay on the floor pretending he is injured to justify losing a 50/50 tackle, or does he bounce back quickly to show he can take anything they throw at him. Or does he hide under a blade of grass stay quiet whilst others do the hard work.
Is he a Door Mat or is he a Matador.
You will get the best picture to gauge his mental strength by watching him live close up preferably at pitch level.
Because without a strong mentality players always let you down.
You want players with the right strength of character to make an immediate impact from day one.
Not expect time to settle in, they are professionals. and adults not ten years old, and are well paid to do the job they are brought in to do. They have to take responsibility for  themselves not be mollycoddled. that just breeds more weakness.


Because for their own satisfaction and genuine commitment and pride they would show they want to by repaying the faith the manager has in them.
Not loafing around pretending he is carrying a knock waiting to be told what to do.
That will show you who has the soft underbelly and those that will stick their head where others would not put their feet.
It's all in their character and you have to watch them live in the flesh several times.
Otherwise you will get sold a pup.

[AnotherOldgit]

Next season when we loan them out!

[C Block]

I don't think there is a metric in the world that would show Kevin as even promising. He is a dead loss for a load of cash. ESR is even worse, his body language is terrible, he never puts in a shift and always plays badly.They both make Frank Large look like a good bit of business.

The transfer business for us in recent years is at least consistent- it always disappoints and always is too little and TOO LATE. Why not bring in the players early in the window to give the manager a chance to integrate the new signings.

Why was our last window so late in confirming the manager and the Real Madrid players ?

Finally why are the new signings all so small and weak physically (Charles apart) ? We are frequently simply outmuscled.

It's like Berge and the seven dwarves.

Small and weak players apart from Charles you say. The new players aren't small and weak. Have you forgotten about Larsson, Affengruber and Garcia who are 6'2", 6'1" and 6'0 respectively. Even our shortest player Manuel Angel is 5'7" the exact same height as Lionel Messi, yes Lionel Messi who is considered by many to be the greatest ever player. It's about time people stopped blaming the size of our squad as the cause of many of the current issues.

There is a world of difference between a 5' 7" man and a 5' 7" kid, please don't confuse the two

Messi was exactly the same height when he was a 'kid' as you put it. I think you missed the point. I wasn't comparing the players ability, obviously Messi is in another league. The point is we aren't losing games because of the height of some of our players.

It's nothing to do with height, a 28 year old 5'7" player will be a lot physically stronger than a 19 year old 5' 7" player
Ray Houghton and Ray Lewington were both wonderful players for Fulham, neither of them were very tall but both were physically strong,
Angel and Palacios are both as weak as pi**

[HobGoblin]

Most of the team are mentally weak, biggest issue, a soft captain for years, soft players recruited, a distinct lack of backbone.

See it over and over when backs to wall defending, side mentally fold.

As soon as Ipswich equalised I knew we'd concede again and lose.

Its through the club a losing mentality

[john dempsey]

Most of the team are mentally weak, biggest issue, a soft captain for years, soft players recruited, a distinct lack of backbone.

See it over and over when backs to wall defending, side mentally fold.

As soon as Ipswich equalised I knew we'd concede again and lose.

Its through the club a losing mentality

So True, been going on for a long time.

[alfie]

ESR
Andersen
Kevin
Bobb
Garcia.

From what I've seen so far a lot of money spent on bang average players.

Yes an obscene amount of money has been spent so far.
I agree you are definitely right on 4 of them.

 ECR his body language alone would put me off, his lack of desire is there for all to see, has he ever broken sweat. Who would enjoy playing alongside a bloke like him, not good for team spirit, no genuine fight or hunger in the man.
A complete waste of money.

ANDERSON, yes his pace lets him down, and he isn't now gonna get any better, but he has been a warrior and in a tough game he will go toe to toe.
Not worth the money paid for him, but he can be a fighter when the going gets tough, and he is more of a leader than most.

KEVIN
Does not play within the framework of the team, plays for himself, does not pass the ball earlier enough, just keeps getting dispossessed as he tries to beat one too many players.
Leaving his teammates to waste more energy trying to win the ball back, he couldn't tackle a boiled egg, and doesn't punch his weight. He plays as though he has never been coached. A head down and run man.

BOBB
Another one who is too lightweight,and we are overstocked with lightweights.  He has potential but is he ever going to run through a brick wall for his manager and come out fighting on the otherside.
Maybe he will improve and be a good addition, but not worth his fee.

GARCIA
The jury is out for me with this bloke, he has shown glimpses and a better prospect than Muniz.
Coming from Real Madrid doesn't mean he can survive in the unforgiving jungle of English football. If he had come up
from our academy people would be saying loan him out to a lower club as if that is the answer to everything.
But because he is from Real Madrid he gets more leeway from the club than an academy player to try and justify his fee. It will certainly be an education for him playing in English football, and he has to learn quickly otherwise opponents will eat him for breakfast.
So the juries out for me at the moment, I would give him more time as he has the potential if he learns quick enough.

Summing up,
All managers have their favourites,that is human nature, but AA pushes it a too far with his bias towards players from RM.
He has to be careful, although he probably won't be there much longer if the owners have any sense at all left.

Over recent years the club have brought in more of their share of mentally weak players, and that is sheer incompetence.
They don't do their homework anywhere near enough.
You need to watch players live in a hostile environment away from home more than once.
Not look at stats, video recordings and hearsay, Fulham are not a Model Agency.
You watch these players away from home live when his club are losing on a cold winters night in a hostile noisy atmosphere where he can hear the comments from the crowd.
Watch his reaction and his body language, does he stand up and be counted, does he get stuck in and go toe to toe.
Does he lead from the the front and not afraid to eat dirt. Does he lay on the floor pretending he is injured to justify losing a 50/50 tackle, or does he bounce back quickly to show he can take anything they throw at him. Or does he hide under a blade of grass stay quiet whilst others do the hard work.
Is he a Door Mat or is he a Matador.
You will get the best picture to gauge his mental strength by watching him live close up preferably at pitch level.
Because without a strong mentality players always let you down.
You want players with the right strength of character to make an immediate impact from day one.
Not expect time to settle in, they are professionals. and adults not ten years old, and are well paid to do the job they are brought in to do. They have to take responsibility for  themselves not be mollycoddled. that just breeds more weakness.


Because for their own satisfaction and genuine commitment and pride they would show they want to by repaying the faith the manager has in them.
Not loafing around pretending he is carrying a knock waiting to be told what to do.
That will show you who has the soft underbelly and those that will stick their head where others would not put their feet.
It's all in their character and you have to watch them live in the flesh several times.
Otherwise you will get sold a pup.

I think you are a bit wrong with ESR last season Silva had him leading the press which he done very well, he was everywhere doing it, it is a very hard job to continually do. In my opinion Silva just took the skill out of him.
As I say this is just my opinion

[Jims Dentist]

ESR
Andersen
Kevin
Bobb
Garcia.

From what I've seen so far a lot of money spent on bang average players.

Yes an obscene amount of money has been spent so far.
I agree you are definitely right on 4 of them.

 ECR his body language alone would put me off, his lack of desire is there for all to see, has he ever broken sweat. Who would enjoy playing alongside a bloke like him, not good for team spirit, no genuine fight or hunger in the man.
A complete waste of money.

ANDERSON, yes his pace lets him down, and he isn't now gonna get any better, but he has been a warrior and in a tough game he will go toe to toe.
Not worth the money paid for him, but he can be a fighter when the going gets tough, and he is more of a leader than most.

KEVIN
Does not play within the framework of the team, plays for himself, does not pass the ball earlier enough, just keeps getting dispossessed as he tries to beat one too many players.
Leaving his teammates to waste more energy trying to win the ball back, he couldn't tackle a boiled egg, and doesn't punch his weight. He plays as though he has never been coached. A head down and run man.

BOBB
Another one who is too lightweight,and we are overstocked with lightweights.  He has potential but is he ever going to run through a brick wall for his manager and come out fighting on the otherside.
Maybe he will improve and be a good addition, but not worth his fee.

GARCIA
The jury is out for me with this bloke, he has shown glimpses and a better prospect than Muniz.
Coming from Real Madrid doesn't mean he can survive in the unforgiving jungle of English football. If he had come up
from our academy people would be saying loan him out to a lower club as if that is the answer to everything.
But because he is from Real Madrid he gets more leeway from the club than an academy player to try and justify his fee. It will certainly be an education for him playing in English football, and he has to learn quickly otherwise opponents will eat him for breakfast.
So the juries out for me at the moment, I would give him more time as he has the potential if he learns quick enough.

Summing up,
All managers have their favourites,that is human nature, but AA pushes it a too far with his bias towards players from RM.
He has to be careful, although he probably won't be there much longer if the owners have any sense at all left.

Over recent years the club have brought in more of their share of mentally weak players, and that is sheer incompetence.
They don't do their homework anywhere near enough.
You need to watch players live in a hostile environment away from home more than once.
Not look at stats, video recordings and hearsay, Fulham are not a Model Agency.
You watch these players away from home live when his club are losing on a cold winters night in a hostile noisy atmosphere where he can hear the comments from the crowd.
Watch his reaction and his body language, does he stand up and be counted, does he get stuck in and go toe to toe.
Does he lead from the the front and not afraid to eat dirt. Does he lay on the floor pretending he is injured to justify losing a 50/50 tackle, or does he bounce back quickly to show he can take anything they throw at him. Or does he hide under a blade of grass stay quiet whilst others do the hard work.
Is he a Door Mat or is he a Matador.
You will get the best picture to gauge his mental strength by watching him live close up preferably at pitch level.
Because without a strong mentality players always let you down.
You want players with the right strength of character to make an immediate impact from day one.
Not expect time to settle in, they are professionals. and adults not ten years old, and are well paid to do the job they are brought in to do. They have to take responsibility for  themselves not be mollycoddled. that just breeds more weakness.


Because for their own satisfaction and genuine commitment and pride they would show they want to by repaying the faith the manager has in them.
Not loafing around pretending he is carrying a knock waiting to be told what to do.
That will show you who has the soft underbelly and those that will stick their head where others would not put their feet.
It's all in their character and you have to watch them live in the flesh several times.
Otherwise you will get sold a pup.

Woolly another absolutely spot on summing up.
Particularly the bit about players characters and watching them when the chips are down.
Those who think that our "so called" DOF can operate successfully watching highlight reels and churning stats can't see beyond their nieve rose tinted glasses.

[Jims Dentist]

If we wanted to get a financial return by selling those players on we would have to be prepared to take significant losses.
In the case of the Spanish players, I believe RM still own part of the players value.
I'm guessing that would mean them getting a slice of any sell on fees?

[Rj Fulham]

ESR and Andersen have at least produced something. Not consistent enough but they aren't total wastes.

Kevin is going to go down as a complete flop.

Garcia I am high on and its way too early to judge that. He finds himself in good spots, has fluidity to his game and trust he came come through.

Bobb is starting to get comfortable. He is starting to find some form and while that miss was big, I think he is close to some really good play. Him and King have a bit of chemistry and I am glass half full on him (was half empty coming into the season).

Garcia in particular needs to start scoring, last couple of games he has had the goal at his mercy and both times managed to hit the one defender in the goal. We are 8th on XG for expected goals, and that comes down to the forwards not converting. He also needs better service, but the same can be said for Muniz, who is the usual scapegoat when we arent going well.