Theoretically speaking....

[clintclintdeuce]

My thought process tells me that we should be included in the top 20 of the world rankings, and we should certainly be considered a big club, one the vast majority of footballers in the world would want to play for.

7th 3 years ago, 12th last year, 8th this year in the best league in the world hands down, which has been for a long while now.... Finals of Europa.... Quarters and other successes in the FA Cup. Getting results against the top 7 in the World at our place of business consistently for years now.

Hence, the normal 6-7 places above us are in this top 20. The top four in Spain. Two or three in Italy. Two in Portugal. Maybe one or two in South America, Ukraine/Russia and France/Netherlands.

I read through the boards and it still seems to me like this is 2001. All the other "big" clubs in England... surely they'll go to a bigger club.. this and that... where are they? It should now be considered a privilege and an honor to even be linked to our Club.

Maybe Im wrong, maybe its the American in me, but it sure doesn't feel like it in my mind.

[ron]

Rejoice in that Clint. I think we at FFC embrace the so-called  British quality of understatement better than most. If it keeps the glory seekers away, and allows us to celebrate achievements in our own way, then that makes them that much the sweeter......?

[Whiteroom]

I am not sure how comfortable I would feel supporting a 'big' club.

[clintclintdeuce]

Maybe Fulham's the difference between extremely high rated and big club.

[finnster01]

Its Fulhamish and it will always be like that. And you will never be able to throw it away. It is what it is, and love it or hate it, once Fulham always Fulham

[HatterDon]

I love being part of a club where a significant percentage of the supporters think only of 17th place, and there's some who think that we might really be only two or three seasons away from the Champions League. When you support a club like Fulham, every single match in every single competition is important. Makes for a lot of antacid abuse, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[nevzter]

I love being part of a club where a significant percentage of the supporters think only of 17th place, and there's some who think that we might really be only two or three seasons away from the Champions League. When you support a club like Fulham, every single match in every single competition is important. Makes for a lot of antacid abuse, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Well said - it's a heart / mind thing for me with regards to our beloved Whites.  My heart is always pushing  the club forward, whist my mind tells me to temper expectations.  D'oh!  What to do? What to do?  Anyhow, Fulham can do Europa and its proven...ask me next April if things aren't copacetic in league.  

And with that in mind, here's to Zolly staying on.

COYW

COYW

[clintclintdeuce]

Dont get me wrong, I love the way the support is, and I love being Fulham, and that will never change. I'm just trying to understand.... after the entire length of my football watching life (7 years) of trying to understand it.

[Blingo]

My thought process tells me that we should be included in the top 20 of the world rankings, and we should certainly be considered a big club, one the vast majority of footballers in the world would want to play for.

7th 3 years ago, 12th last year, 8th this year in the best league in the world hands down, which has been for a long while now.... Finals of Europa.... Quarters and other successes in the FA Cup. Getting results against the top 7 in the World at our place of business consistently for years now.

Hence, the normal 6-7 places above us are in this top 20. The top four in Spain. Two or three in Italy. Two in Portugal. Maybe one or two in South America, Ukraine/Russia and France/Netherlands.

I read through the boards and it still seems to me like this is 2001. All the other "big" clubs in England... surely they'll go to a bigger club.. this and that... where are they? It should now be considered a privilege and an honor to even be linked to our Club.

Maybe Im wrong, maybe its the American in me, but it sure doesn't feel like it in my mind.

110% CORRECT CCD. WELL SAID.

[Burt]

Punching above our weight?

Or settling in to what should be the natural order of things i.e. we are a top 10 club?

Discuss....

I still feel there's an element of punching above our weight, but that's because I've been following the club since 1974, and have seen more downs than ups.

[TonyGilroy]

If you followed the club through the long years in the lower leagues with the constant likelihood of imminent extinction and no hope of progress it's hard to think that where we are today is the natural order of things.

Add to that the fact that the media have long memories and the general perception (not inaccurate) that we are where we are solely because of MAF's money (which could be withdrawn at any time on a whim) and it's not unreasonable to think that as a club we're in a false position.

Plus there's our charming yet small ground and the proximity to several mighty neighbours (not QPR).

That's how it is and I suspect it will only be if we sustain this success after MAF's ownership has ended that this level will be perceived as natural for us.

To be honest I still expect us to implode. Every season.

[Oakeshott]

Tony

The real issue is, I think, whether, should MAF or his family after his demise wish to sell, there would be a substantive buyer. The recent history is mixed. Portsmouth seemed to have found some, but each in turn proved to be made of straw. Blackburn, a club not perhaps so very different in size to us, have found a buyer, albeit one with, on the face of it, poor football advisors. The rumour is that QPR may have found one.

We are an established Premiership side with, by today's standards, not huge personal funding by the proprietor, in the capital, which I think potential overseas investors would see as a plus. The downside is the level of our support and the fact that, even if that grew substantially on the back of success, the ground is not capable of substantial development to accommodate it. So there are pluses and minuses, but while the Premiership remains the most watched football across the world and tv revenues remain strong, I don't see why, in due time, another substantive investor wouldn't be forthcoming to take us on.

The other problem is the one that faces all clubs - the possibility of appointing someone as manager who flops. But we are at no greater risk than anyone else, and MAF and his advisors have a good record here, doing midway through the Lawrie Sanchez season what West Ham's owners must be kicking themselves for not doing last season, changing manager. A risky strategy, but one that fortunately came off for us, and provided Mark Hughes extends his stay not something we have to worry about at present.

[b+w geezer]

It's an interesting original post which, even if it overweights matters in an English prem direction is still on sound lines up to a point. That's to say that the "vast majority of the players in the world would wish to play for" argument stands even if one might reckon we're really in more of a top 40 than top 20 situation. (Top 30 on wages? All nitpicking really.) And if that's how it seems to a supporter of 7 years' standing, it will seem likewise to a 20-something footballer who will barely be conscious of Fulham as other than a Premier outfit.

Tony Gilroy gives the other perspective that I can't help sharing.  On the pitch we're well placed to stick around in this division, and geography helps. However, much bigger clubs than us have had a bad year and taken ages to return. Five years ago Charlton Athletic, a club with which we have a great deal in common, was a bye-word for solid prem respectablity and would have warranted a similar write-up. They are now third tier. Things can deteriorate rapidly for outfits our size, whereas for the clubs who really are top 20 in the world in a longer-terms sense, they tend not to.

[Scrumpy]

Things can deteriorate rapidly for outfits our size, whereas for the clubs who really are top 20 in the world in a longer-terms sense, they tend not to.

...except Leeds Utd!  :011: :005: :011: :005:

Seriously, as long as we have relegation and promotion from the Premiership based on merit, then we are just 2 bad board decisions away from oblivion.i.e. appoint 2 consecutive bad managers.

[Rambling_Syd_Rumpo]

all depends on what you class as a big club
it's harder for the non UK based Fulham fans to get hold of this because they don'y have access to the lower leagues but these lower league are littered with clubs "bigger" than Fulham,off the top of my head
Nottingham Forest-European Cup winners-1979/80-Super Cup Winners-1979/1980
Derby County-League 1 winners(pre premier league)-1971-1972/1974-1975
Sheffield Untied-FA Cup winners-1899, 1902, 1915, 1925
Sheffield Wednesday-League 1 winners 1902-03, 1903-04, 1928-29, 1929-30
Leeds United League 1 winners 1968/69-1973/74-1991/92,FA Cup winners-65,70,72,73

and there are others,also most of the above pull in as many fans as we do,and some pull in more!
this is why for "little" Fulham to stay in the Premier league is so important,because if we go down we may never make it back :001:

[jarv]

I, like Tony, feel like things are always going to implode. That is Fulhamish.
Suppoting Fulham is almost unique. I just have to think back to the 70s, 75, the cup final, some great seasons in div.2. I recall seeing a lot of good football back then and of one day, fulham end up back in div.2 so be it. On my trips home I will still look forward to my visit to the cottage.

As far as managers go, apart from Sanchez I think MAF has done exceptionally well. All have contributed to what is Fulham today. Even Coleman, without any experience, had his moments.