Delusions of Grandeur?

[Motspur]

We have now been in the premier league for 10 seasons and one of my pet hates is when we play the likes of Spurs, Liverpool, Villa etc. and their fans believe they have a god given right to beat us on every occasion be it home or away. Of course, there are reasonable supporters in every club who will appreciate that when we do win, they have lost to the better team but the overwhelming consensus between media and the average fan of these clubs is that the so called bigger club under-performed rather than being outhought and outplayed on the day. The fans of these clubs think that we will roll over for them and it will be an easy game. The truth is that no game in the premier league is likely to be easy whoever you play. 

So why do many of our fans now believe that we just have to turn up to beat the likes of Blackburn, Wigan etc. and when we don't, they start bellyaching and calling for an enquiry and heads to roll? We could and should have won on Sunday but we didn't. This happens in football and we should not panick.

Before anybody gets precious about what I am saying, it is a generalisation about the overall reaction to the draw and asking the question is our support in danger of becoming elitist with oversized egos? I'm not talking about those who recognised we are not playing flowing football, showing concern and discussing ways to remedy the situation - I'm talking about the people lambasting Jol for being an idiot 4 games into the new premier league season just after a number of new signings have arrived and need time to settle into their new environment.     

[FC Silver Fox]

Can't disagree with any of that, Motspur.  As an indicator of what you're saying, just look at what we all said about our forecast postion in the league this season. We based our assumptions on the fact that we're better than most teams and will beat them 80% of the time and will get points 10-15% of the time from top clubs. Very presumptious of us.

[The Equalizer]

No, it's about disapointment not necessarily expectation. The Premier League is a very tough league to play in. There are a lot of extremely good sides who we're unlikely to beat particularly often. Yes, we have half decent records against some (Man U), but we have appalling records against others (Them). Over the last 3 years we've set ourselves a pretty decent benchmark by finishing 7th, 12th and 8th respectively. Expectation at achieving the same or greater can be um, expected, and in order to achieve this we need to get points against those teams who are certainly 'weaker' than us: Blackburn, Wigan, Wolves, WBA, QPR, Newcastle and, dare I say, Aston Villa.

The fact that we're not achieving results against these sides, and at home to boot, means that there is added pressure on us to get results away from home, which we've never done since being in the Prem, and against bigger sides, which we've done very rarely since being in the Prem.

No, we don't have a gods given right to beat certain teams, but based on what we've achieved over the years, is it too much to expect to beat poor opposition when we're at home?

[Motspur]

No, we don't have a gods given right to beat certain teams, but based on what we've achieved over the years, is it too much to expect to beat poor opposition when we're at home?

As I said, disappointment is one thing but another is bitching about it, calling for heads and generally acting like brats.

[aFFCn_Fan]

A big part of our continued success has been our home record, but I think there is disappointment when we stutter against 'lower' ranked teams at home and produce single pointers. It is not so much the away results...we've got used to that. In recent seasons we've done so well at home and pull odd points away which has led to higher league placings.

I guess our current form and style of play is also disappointing to watch. Sure it takes time for a team with a number of new players and a new manager and style to gel. But most supporters know the league is tough and a lack of results can lead to long term failure (Derby, Watford in recent years). it is a culture of instant gratification, instant results.

I think we also have a relatively new section of fan base, who only joined the ranks because of certain players, or the fact that we have performed so well in the past three seasons. I think there is an acceptance that Fulham is the "proverbial" underdog, but can pull out some good results. That status seems to be waning, we're just playing poorly at tyhe moment. Or maybe it is the underdog story to top them all, with another slow start and nailbiting season finale. It's what makes following Fulham so exciting.

[dishEJtheRock!]

A few years ago i remember driving with my mom 2 hours for a club soccer game while the final game of the season against portsmouth was being played. I still remember the feeling when i got home and checked the scores and saw the final table.

I like it that these days I feel like Fulham should win a good amount of the games they play, but i like to keep it in perspective. Call for jol's head after 4 games all you want, I'm just happy to be in the premier league. Anything extra should be a bonus, something to be happy about, not a cause for disappointment.

[Burt]

One of the good things having followed Fulham through the years is that we generally have realistic expectations and are quite a self-deprecating bunch.

As our tenure in the premiership gets longer, and as we enjoy other successes e.g. the Europa League, then we increase our fan base and there will be some who have known nothing but (relative) success. For example, my son, who to this day finds it difficult to believe that only 15 years ago we were 91st in the league...

Getting back more to the topic, this is a tight league and given our relatively strong home form over the past few seasons you would expect that to avoid getting dragged in to any relegation dog-fights we would normally put in a good show against the other teams we would consider as our peers*

So it is understandable that a draw against Blackburn at the Cottage would be seen as two points dropped rather than another point towards safety. At least it wasn't as bad as losing to Hull.

But don't panic... Jol is a better manager than any of us and will start to get the team motoring.

*Apart from West Ham, of course, who always seem to beat us, thank the big cheese up above that we won't have to put up with that this year.

[Peabody]

Relatively poor performances have been a part of all teams. Can anyone not forget, during our last Europa run when we played both Hull and Blackburn at home and lost both. OK that was further into the season but we had still not reached the magic 40pts mark and yes, we had people saying the worse is going to happen. I am no different to anyone of you where Fulham is concerned but and I have said this before, whereas I hope Fulham win their next game, a lot of you expect it and that is where I am different.

[The Rock]

Spurs, in their superior gods gift to human kind greatness both with Jol and after he left had some poor starts. I think last year they were bottom of the table after 7 matches on 1 point? It's too early to worry, but it is time for caution.

[DukeTyrion]

I think one of the disappointments is not so much that we didn't beat a team, but it's that we didn't beat a team that everyone expects to be fighting relegation.

Blackburn, Wigan, Swansea and Norwich have been marked by many (including the bookies) as relegation fodder, so failing to beat any of these 4 teams at home can cause a few (not all) to worry a little, as it could be an indication of a relegation battle.

Personally, as you may have read in my other thread, I think we need to give Jol time to get some youth and speed into the team and with only 3 points between us and the top half of the table, I for one will only start to worry after 10 games or such.

[The Bronsons]

Personally I've detected a bit of arrogance in my own thinking re. Fulham the last year or so. It comes from those couple of years under Roy when we looked like a genuinely established, safe, professional Premier League side who could regularly get results against Arsenal and Man Utd in the league, and topple the odds in Europe as well.

Time for a reality check. Start with the size of our ground and the cap on salaries, and humility should soon follow.

[Fusili]

Spurs, in their superior gods gift to human kind greatness both with Jol and after he left had some poor starts. I think last year they were bottom of the table after 7 matches on 1 point? It's too early to worry, but it is time for caution.

Well said Mr Rock.

[elgreenio]

If we can't moan about not beating one of the worst Blackburn sides i've seen in years, at home, then what can we moan about?

Oh wait, Michael Jackson, degraded facilities, Ashwater Press, tactics, team selection, to name but a few

[aFFCn_Fan]

This seems a pretty fair assessment of our current situation
http://www.football365.com/f365-says/7176801/Fulham-A-Case-For-The-Defence...
Fulham: A Case For The Defence...

Fulham's recent relative success has been built on making themselves hard to beat, but Martin Jol has come along to try and sex them up. Should Fulham fans be worried?

Last Updated: 14/09/11 at 16:54

For the past four seasons Fulham have been everybody's favourite underdog. They've been an inoffensive club (in every sense of the word) who have produced giant-killing results that have thrilled the neutral.

During Roy Hodgson's spell at Craven Cottage he worked miracles, taking Fulham from relegation fodder to Europa League finalists in three seasons with a few notable results against Manchester United and Liverpool thrown in for good measure. After succeeding Hodgson, Mark Hughes endured a few teething problems before guiding the Cottagers to a very respectful eighth place in the Premier League.

Now Fulham's likability factor has gone off the scale as Hughes has been succeeded by human teddy bear and all-round good guy Martin Jol.

Why do neutrals like Martin Jol? Well to start with, during his 148 games as Tottenham manager, his side scored an awful lot of goals and conceded only slightly less (think of him as Kevin Keegan with less hair but more staying power). Add to that the fact that he brought players such as Gareth Bale and Dimitar Berbatov to the Premier League, and you cannot help but warm to the man who was then so cruelly sacked by Spurs via text message.

Given the popularity of both parties, Martin Jol and Fulham seems a match made in heaven. However, after four league games in charge things aren't looking quite so rosy for the popular Dutchman, with only two points from four winnable matches against Aston Villa, Wolves, Newcastle and Blackburn. Of course it's only September and alarm bells shouldn't be ringing just yet, but recent results combined with the sudden change in managerial philosophy could be causing concern amongst some Fulham fans.

The successes of Hodgson and Hughes were based on being extremely hard to beat, which meant Fulham's extremely limited squad was able to punch above their weight and achieve top-half finishes. Meticulously defensive organisation was how Hodgson got Fulham into Europe despite only scoring 39 goals and he has proven that stability can breed relative success by securing West Brom's Premier League status last season. He turned a gung-ho group of players into a more mature squad that could grind out the results necessary for survival and a mid-table finish.

Hughes is also well known for the hard-working teams he creates and that was the basis for Fulham's mid-table showing last season. The worry for their fans is they now have a manager who will not pay as much attention to the defensive tactics that have served them well over the past few years and they could become more susceptible to unexpected defeats, especially as Europa League football takes its toll on their restricted personnel.

A change in philosophy is often more dangerous than a change in management - for example, Bolton and Blackburn both went from mid-table mainstays to relegation candidates once they strayed away from the methods that Sam Allardyce and Mark Hughes had respectively instilled in their clubs.

It is not in Jol's nature to be defensive - his decision to spend over £10million on Bryan Ruiz highlights his love of attacking football. But the best way to get the best out of a squad like Fulham's is to be extremely hard to beat. The losses against Wolves and Newcastle show the west London club are more vulnerable now. A game against Fulham was seen as a tough encounter, but it will now be viewed as a potential three points for every Premier League side.

They have enough talented and experienced players - Hangeland, Murphy, Dempsey - to avoid relegation, but that doesn't mean they are immune to the possibility of being sucked into the battle and unless Jol can be more tactically astute and regularly get the best out of a limited squad playing in Europe every other week, then there could be a rocky few months ahead for Fulham fans - though they'll have the support of every neutral and football purist behind them.

Kevin Kirrane