Summer business catching up on Jol

[HatterDon]

This was my posting, having watched us lose to Sheff Wed, and approaching the closure of the summer transfer window:

"A couple of weeks ago we were beating Norwich 5-0 and the under 18s were winning 7-1. In the past week, our under 21s have lost 2-1 and we have put in a dreadfully inept display to lose to a Championship team 1-0, and we are losing our two best, creative and exciting players – with no new top quality replacements in sight. We have obviously been waiting to sell before buying. It's no good Jol bemoaning the transfer window – it is what he knew it to be. He understood he was at risk of losing the Dems. He needed to have advance plans and strategies in place. I hope he now has top quality replacements set up to come in. If he hasn't, then our midfield will not sustain us, and keep us up this season. If management at the club has not been supporting him effectively, I think Jol will decide to go at the end of the season, along with Diarra and Riether and probably his marque signing, Ruiz!

Two weeks into the season, and yet we are out of one of three tournaments in which we are supposed to be competing. I was at the match last night in Sheffield. We had radio commentators agreeing that we had a 'strong team, with regular squad players' ..... and, the same was said of Sheff Wed! It is clear that we do not have strength in depth to support success in competitions like the Capital One Cup, and that is a shocking thing to have to say.

Up until a week ago, we had a really excellent quality, potential top half premiership team – with Dempsey and Dembele. We do not now."

..... and here we are, in December.

I for one could care less about the "Capital One Cup", the prize is nothing and it eats into more important match preperations.

The Europa League is "nothing?" We're never going to finish in the top four; you don't want us in Europe? I guess those "more important match preparations" are designed to keep us finishing 17th every year and bomb out of both cups at the first ask.

[BishopsParkFantastic]

What is said about the Capital One Cup will be said about the FACup when we get knocked out: "it's good because we can concentrate on avoiding relegation..." Professional football is about playing football matches, or perhaps we could stay at home, pick our teams and play FIFA on the computer. Jol picked what he considered to be our strongest team in the Capital One Cup, including Ruiz, who injured himself kicking a ball in the warm up! We got knocked out. Jol wasn't happy, and neither was I. When we really do have a strong squad, trust in giving our young, talented players more playing time, and have real quality throughout our regular 1st Team we will be able to compete more effectively in all tournaments - IT'S NOT THE TOURNAMENT - IT'S THE TEAM THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

[ScalleysDad]

Never have much expectations in the transfer window as we are not a major mover and shaker. We will lose our better players and young ones with potential to the bigger clubs, and have the occasional coup, but for the most part it tends to even out, supplemented by some good talent coming up from the reserves.

I think many of us had hoped the talent in the youth set up would be showing up for first team duty by now but with such a stop, start season that is becoming more and more unlikely. I suspect the newer members of the old guard will stay put through January, why would'nt they see things out until summer, but the key for me will be in which direction will the swing doors be going the most. It will only take two or three from the meagre first team squad to go and we will be real bother. Hangers still has'nt set minds at rest, although I would not have picked him over recent games if we had a suitable option, and at least one player in the eighteen man squad must be looking at a last hurrah! I would start to get really miffed if even a small procession of the young guns started going out of the door.
A radical point discussed in a secret location recently was the option of dropping Berbatov and rebuilding a team of work horses as with the current rabble he simply cannot be the goal scorer he was intended to be. That caused a bit of a flap. ................. might be right though.

ouch

He's the most creative player we have with Ruiz absent so that makes no sense.

Break it down and it does. Berbatov is three seconds, three paces or simply miles ahead of anybody else in our current squad and quite often the cute pass, the clever flick or the searching ball has landed before the recipient has put 2 + 2 together. The much heralded pairing with Ruiz has not had a chance to really impose itself and possibly won't get an opportunity to develop if its true that it will be February before Ruiz might or might not be fit post international duty. That makes the Berbatov role almost redundant unless we go for yet another line up, he plays No9 and he is spoon fed the ball in the opposition box. Thats dependant then on a creative midfield which has to be purchased. Not likely we now hear .............. and so we go full circle to a workmanlike team to secure mid table.
It is of course all hypothetical but as part of a discussion over a beer nobody went into hysterics. 

That's why he's being playing deeper and very effectively too. He's been our best player for every game Ruiz has been missing. He keeps possession well, and creates chances. I vehemently disagree with dropping him.

Somewhere in there thats the point. He has often been our best player by a very long way and yet we have a pitiful return on points, goals and defensive capabilities. Could the heading be rewritten as he is too good for us and that affects the team? As I said a pub table discussion and nobody wa carried off by the men in white coats.

[CH FFC]

This was my posting, having watched us lose to Sheff Wed, and approaching the closure of the summer transfer window:

"A couple of weeks ago we were beating Norwich 5-0 and the under 18s were winning 7-1. In the past week, our under 21s have lost 2-1 and we have put in a dreadfully inept display to lose to a Championship team 1-0, and we are losing our two best, creative and exciting players – with no new top quality replacements in sight. We have obviously been waiting to sell before buying. It’s no good Jol bemoaning the transfer window – it is what he knew it to be. He understood he was at risk of losing the Dems. He needed to have advance plans and strategies in place. I hope he now has top quality replacements set up to come in. If he hasn’t, then our midfield will not sustain us, and keep us up this season. If management at the club has not been supporting him effectively, I think Jol will decide to go at the end of the season, along with Diarra and Riether and probably his marque signing, Ruiz!

Two weeks into the season, and yet we are out of one of three tournaments in which we are supposed to be competing. I was at the match last night in Sheffield. We had radio commentators agreeing that we had a ‘strong team, with regular squad players’ ….. and, the same was said of Sheff Wed! It is clear that we do not have strength in depth to support success in competitions like the Capital One Cup, and that is a shocking thing to have to say.

Up until a week ago, we had a really excellent quality, potential top half premiership team – with Dempsey and Dembele. We do not now."

..... and here we are, in December.

I for one could care less about the "Capital One Cup", the prize is nothing and it eats into more important match preperations.

The Europa League is "nothing?" We're never going to finish in the top four; you don't want us in Europe? I guess those "more important match preparations" are designed to keep us finishing 17th every year and bomb out of both cups at the first ask.

When was the last time we finished 17th?
We've been to the Europa League twice since. 

It is worthless, unless you win....the winner receives £100,000 prize money (really!!!)
too much time and resources go into this tournament.

It is much better to focus on the FA cup where the winner receives £2,000,000 in prize money, and the Europa League is something that could be in Fulham's sites by league placement!

Even by winning the league cup, and going into Europa League it would be a while past the group stage before the prize would equal that of the FA Cup.

[Jack Fulham]

This was my posting, having watched us lose to Sheff Wed, and approaching the closure of the summer transfer window:

"A couple of weeks ago we were beating Norwich 5-0 and the under 18s were winning 7-1. In the past week, our under 21s have lost 2-1 and we have put in a dreadfully inept display to lose to a Championship team 1-0, and we are losing our two best, creative and exciting players – with no new top quality replacements in sight. We have obviously been waiting to sell before buying. It’s no good Jol bemoaning the transfer window – it is what he knew it to be. He understood he was at risk of losing the Dems. He needed to have advance plans and strategies in place. I hope he now has top quality replacements set up to come in. If he hasn’t, then our midfield will not sustain us, and keep us up this season. If management at the club has not been supporting him effectively, I think Jol will decide to go at the end of the season, along with Diarra and Riether and probably his marque signing, Ruiz!

Two weeks into the season, and yet we are out of one of three tournaments in which we are supposed to be competing. I was at the match last night in Sheffield. We had radio commentators agreeing that we had a ‘strong team, with regular squad players’ ….. and, the same was said of Sheff Wed! It is clear that we do not have strength in depth to support success in competitions like the Capital One Cup, and that is a shocking thing to have to say.

Up until a week ago, we had a really excellent quality, potential top half premiership team – with Dempsey and Dembele. We do not now."

..... and here we are, in December.

I for one could care less about the "Capital One Cup", the prize is nothing and it eats into more important match preperations.

The Europa League is "nothing?" We're never going to finish in the top four; you don't want us in Europe? I guess those "more important match preparations" are designed to keep us finishing 17th every year and bomb out of both cups at the first ask.

When was the last time we finished 17th?
We've been to the Europa League twice since. 

It is worthless, unless you win....the winner receives £100,000 prize money (really!!!)
too much time and resources go into this tournament.

It is much better to focus on the FA cup where the winner receives £2,000,000 in prize money, and the Europa League is something that could be in Fulham's sites by league placement!

Even by winning the league cup, and going into Europa League it would be a while past the group stage before the prize would equal that of the FA Cup.

are you the ceo or a fan?

Trophies over money any day and the Capital One Cup is a trophy we could actually win.

[CH FFC]

I am a realistc fan!

The sticky side to this is that this is a business!
2 mil in prize money could help bring in a new player, you have to think about more than the "right here, right now".
Not to mention I didn't say do not try and win, but there are only so many resources available.  Jol has to choose which to focus more on, and to me it makes sense to put more focus on the FA cup than the Capital One Cup, especially when it may help him get more money to spend!

I wouldn't say that there is necissarily a "better" chance to win the League Cup.