Are we a club in transition?

[Julius Geezer]

Is that just a silly term bandied around in the media?

Or is that what we are?

With the oldest squad in the league and a large percentage of players in the latter years of their careers, team personnel is going to change alot in the next few years.

Will we have to take a few years of rough until we can get to the smooth?

[alexbishop]

We were 'a club in transition' last season. Just when we thought we were out of transition and building a strong squad the summer transfer window ruined it all and we've stumbled back into 'transition' again.

I find the phrase just a bad excuse for a club that's been run poorly or is under performing.

[HatterDon]

We are now and will always be a club in transition. Any player we have who is good enough to push us up into a higher level will be sold for the money.

Nothing wrong with being a club in transition. The only danger involved is believing you can be more and splashing the cash -- see Pompey, Southampton, Hull, etc.

[CH FFC]

I for one believe that 90% of clubs are always in transition.  With very few exceptions....Everton seems to have good strategy of keeping their core players.

As for Fulham......I do feel that we have been in constant transition.  Mainly because of the changes in managers/styles.
Fulham is in a bigger transition now than prior, the past 2 years with Jol have been much more change than most clubs (not as much as the likes of QPR, Chelsea, and ManC).  
In any case, the point you make in regards to players ages....is very valid.  We will most definitely have to replace a large number of our current team within the near future.  We need a better mix of young and older first team players, with young players fighting for firs team.  Currently we have way too many 30 somethings, and not enough young 20's that are good enough.  
I do feel that the work done on the youth system here over the past has been a good step in the right direction.  Jol has brought in a number of youth signings that were being targeted by clubs like Chelsea and ManU.  The academy is a good start, now we need to bring in some good mid 20 players that want to play for Fulham!@

[A Humble Man]

Times have changed you are lucky if you get two good years out of a player before he moves for more money.  Only a fixed wage structure would stop this.

[CH FFC]

Times have changed you are lucky if you get two good years out of a player before he moves for more money.  Only a fixed wage structure would stop this.

I agree, but disagree.
There are teams that retain their core players, and have done so for many years.  Not as many, but they are doing something right.
again, I will use Everton as an example.  Everton seem to bring in 1-3 quality signings a year, and tend to lose the same number or less.  They look for specific players to improve their current team.  Not for players that can fill in for now, until something better comes along.  I would prefer to be in the boat of spending 10 million a year on one or two players of good quality, rather than that or less on 6 or 7 players that may or may not do anything. 
One thing that we have done similar to Everton is spending on Youth. 

So, if Everton lose Fellaini to Chelsea or whoever.....what do you think they will do?

I bet you that they will not go out and buy someone to replace him, because like Dembele you can't.  They will use who they have, and then focus on where they can definitely improve the team.

[Bassey the warrior]

We are in as much as Jol is trying to change the philosophy of the club. He has a project that hasn't yet been completed. We haven't got the right players in yet to make his system work completely.

[JackyFulham90]

We are a good mid table premier league club

[Willard]

To answer the question " Are we a club in transition?" - I sincerely hope so.

[Julius Geezer]

Are we always going to be in a period of transition then? Furthermore does that then mean we lack ambition?

Are we always going to sell our best players? When do you think we will be at a stage where we don't have to?

[Jack Fulham]

we're in transition, a lot of our players are on short term contracts. Jol needs to build his team, under Roy we weren't in transition, he built a spine of the team and then added to it. I don't think we have that under Jol yet.

[Lighthouse]

Yes we are a club in transition. Problem is we are going backwards. We had an old squad then in the last window moved on old players and brought in old and older players. We then sold our best players.

We had a chance to move on and gamble and the club decided not to move forward and gamble we could just stay safe without investment.

So a transition in reverse gear.

[CurryForMario]

I feel Berbatov could be the start of a bright spark at Fulham. Maybe, if Fulham could get another big name, it could trigger from there and we could potentially spark more of a marketing appeal, hence bigger sponsorships, hence more revenue, and from that become a bigger club. Just speculation though, I mean without Berbatov, I hate to think where we would be this season.

[Burt]

Clubs are always in transition.

Players leave, join, and get injured.

Managers leave voluntarily or involuntarily, and new ones come on board.

Backroom staff change.

Tactics evolve as the season progresses.

It's difficult to achieve "steady state", and I for one would be worried if we were hitting that phase given our current form.

[filham]

Times of transion is when a club is struggling in the bottom 6. Under Roy the transion lasted only for about 3months then came The Great Escape, A Top 7 Finish and a Euro Final. But for Spurs taking Dembele and Dempsey from us we may not be in "Tansion " just now.