So long and thanks for all the fish

[DukeTyrion]

Well, it's time for me to say goodbye to these forums methinks.

I have had some fun during my time here, especially reading the daily mews updates, as well as the score forecasting, but now reading these forums gives me more of a frown than a smile.

I'm afraid I am one of the supporters who are just pleased to be watching premiership football. I do not demand or expect for us to be able to jump 'to the next level' and a season of Premiership survival with the odd cup run and top half season thrown in is a job well done.

I like Jol, and I like our style of football, so rather than try and argue against the constant threads expecting more / better, I will just accept my place in the silent majority and enjoy the Premiership whilst we are part of it, because all teams outside the top 6 have bad years, and one day will be ours.

I wish you all the very best in your personal lives and perhaps one day, should my wife's failing health return, I may well see you at the cottage again.

But for now, it's goodbye.

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[Northern Cottager]

It is very doom and gloom, we just expect better when other teams are moving on and the one's that don't fail to stay in the Premier League. They are my expectations, whether they be too high or not :)

All the best.

[FFC1987]

Maybe we need to have a peaceful optimist section and doom and gloom pessimist scenerio section in another and the area of grey can be the current forum. That way, we can argue in the grey and live in peace or gloom in other sections!? Just a thought from an optimist, that way no one will hopefully encrouch and upset each other. Sorry if this sounds sappy but I can understand from both view points that we don't wish to read the doom and gloom and the bright and chirpy from respective view points and we won't change those views. Just a thought.

[Jimpav]

Good luck to you and sorry that you don't feel that FoF is for you anymore.

I won't seize this as another opportunity to beat the Jol out drum but I would add that I shared similar views to you until the Reading game.

Take care Sir.

[The Equalizer]

Good of luck to you Sir! It's been a pleasure to read your many comments on this forum, and you will most certainly be missed.

And my best wishes to your wife, I hope she has a speedy recovery.

[jelmo]

I have to say that posts are generally going to be on the negative side after the amount of defeats we have suffered recently. That's the nature of these types of forums. If people want to vent their frustrations then a Fulham forum seems like the logical place to do it. There are no positives to take from the last few weeks so it stands to reason that the forum will not be full of positive vibes.

I personally dont think Jol should be sacked but at the same time Im not deluded into thinking that there are not problems at the club either. Problems that need addressing soon. Talking about solutions to these problems is something we should be doing on FoF. It may sound negative but i think there are some interesting topics that we can discuss here and therefore do not think leaving the forum is the way to go.

[Lighthouse]

It is not Jols fault but the fans fault for not liking him. Ironic that when people stood up for Sanchez I don't remember the fans being attacked for not liking him. Just healthy debate. Well if FOF hasn't enough on it to interest fans without being agreed with then take a break. Hope you come back soon.

Negative posts happpen on football sites when negative football is on offer.

[VicHalomsLovechild]

   Stick around Duke, there's more chance of your views proving right than wrong. Will getting shot of Jol solve our problems? I think not. Any manager worth his salt will ask the board how much he has available to spend. On hearing their answer, will smile and wish them good luck in their search.
   The problem with trying to be positive is you're expected to explain why. Where as those being negative feel just saying "that was crap, he's crap" etc is enough.
   I vote we stick with Jol and the board give him sufficient funds to carry on.

[sipwell]

Stick around Duke. I have a similar take on the matter and tend to read only those posts which do not portray doom and gloom. There is still plenty to be had on this forum.

[Admin]

Unfortunately Duke, you will find every Fulham related forum like this whilst we go through this dire period, not just FOF.

There are always going to be fans that back the manager, and those who don't. That's just football.

What you will find is that the general swing after Saturdays umpteenth poor performance is that most are refusing to back him now.

My advice is not to leave, have a break and come back when the mood is better.

Hope to see you soon.

[Peabody]

Must admit to thinking the same as you Duke. I am still thinking it over but I keep coming up with, even if I am the only one, who will keep fighting these pessimists, who, even if MJ was to go, will still find something to stick the knife in with his successor, whomever that may be.

[jarv]

Supporters just don't want to see their team perform the way Fulham has this season. Villa were truly awful under McLeish and then Lambert even worse. The supporters hated it and were resigned to going down, talk about gloom and doom. Sunderland, Newcastle etc, the list goes on.

In our case, it has been a season which is harder to swallow. Fulham have better players in the squad than others, Fulham is a solid mid table team, or should I say was. The perception now (mine included) is that our manager sits back and watches the demise on the field, the terrible football on display and actually appears clueless to change it or even worse seems to just accept it as one of those things.

As I said, perception and as someone said to me many years ago, perception is always reality in other peoples eyes. We are those other people.

[mangoputney]

Unfortunately Duke, you will find every Fulham related forum like this whilst we go through this dire period, not just FOF.

There are always going to be fans that back the manager, and those who don't. That's just football.

What you will find is that the general swing after Saturdays umpteenth poor performance is that most are refusing to back him now.

My advice is not to leave, have a break and come back when the mood is better.

Hope to see you soon.

+ 1

speedy recovery for the lady and come back soon

[old git]

Dear Duke
Please stay. Some people do not think before they talk/write. I support FFC and I can see the good things as well as some of the bad.
But to say get rid of a manager because he could not find a replacement for the DD's plus the Pog plus Danny in one summer transfer window (the winter one is only for the desperate) I feel is more than unfair. The signings we have made, in my mind, show a desire to play at a very high level.  If the complainers management experience is such would they not wish to have a go??
IF the only option would be to sack the big man who would the club replace him with? What manager with top ten club experience would want to take the chance? or do we take a gamble when we have a proven leader at our helm?
We have after all retained our position in the premier league while several 'big' clubs have fallen, not one division but two.
It could be that I am old fashioned but I want to see FFC stay in the top division for a long time and for that I would hope to have a stable management team, replace older and departed players at the right price and wages, continue to invest in young players. But most important of all is to play a style of football that suits the players we have and not the way other teams play. We are FFC
This would of course require the supporters getting behind the team and manager during the good times as well as the bad.
I think I heard someone else say that this weekend. He did not start that well but the club trusted him and he made his club quite successful.
The match on Sunday had a disappointing end but up to the clear penalty decision we were leading and while complaining we were caught on the break. Is that the sign of a bad team??

[Vinnieffc]

Well, it's time for me to say goodbye to these forums methinks.

I have had some fun during my time here, especially reading the daily mews updates, as well as the score forecasting, but now reading these forums gives me more of a frown than a smile.

I'm afraid I am one of the supporters who are just pleased to be watching premiership football. I do not demand or expect for us to be able to jump 'to the next level' and a season of Premiership survival with the odd cup run and top half season thrown in is a job well done.

I like Jol, and I like our style of football, so rather than try and argue against the constant threads expecting more / better, I will just accept my place in the silent majority and enjoy the Premiership whilst we are part of it, because all teams outside the top 6 have bad years, and one day will be ours.



I wish you all the very best in your personal lives and perhaps one day, should my wife's failing health return, I may well see you at the cottage again.

But for now, it's goodbye.

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First and foremost Duke, your wife's health is foremost and I wish her all the best and hope she's going to be okay.  My thoughts are genuinely with you here. The second thing is this - the club we support and, more particularly this forum, are an extended family. We will probably all never see eye to eye on things and whinges will abound but Hey !! Non agressive conflict is what life and this board and indeed the supporters of this club are all about. If you decide not to visit us anymore that's your prerogative, but I for one whilst never having responded to any of your topics will miss you and your posts.

Again, all the best to your Missus and hope she makes a full recovery..

[nose]

I agree please stay. I hold the opposite view to you but I do think an intelligently written alternative viewpoint is interesting and absolutely worth hearing.

I have never worried if I am in the minority or majority but just try to say what i think is best for the club.

Good lucjk to you and hope your good lady recovers fully soon.

[stevehawkinslidingtackle]

Well, it's time for me to say goodbye to these forums methinks.

I have had some fun during my time here, especially reading the daily mews updates, as well as the score forecasting, but now reading these forums gives me more of a frown than a smile.

I'm afraid I am one of the supporters who are just pleased to be watching premiership football. I do not demand or expect for us to be able to jump 'to the next level' and a season of Premiership survival with the odd cup run and top half season thrown in is a job well done.

I like Jol, and I like our style of football, so rather than try and argue against the constant threads expecting more / better, I will just accept my place in the silent majority and enjoy the Premiership whilst we are part of it, because all teams outside the top 6 have bad years, and one day will be ours.

I wish you all the very best in your personal lives and perhaps one day, should my wife's failing health return, I may well see you at the cottage again.

But for now, it's goodbye.

Ah get a grip my son. Quit because people talk a lot of sh1te ?  What is all that about ? Just read the news and air your views. It sounds like you've got far too much going on to take this sh!te personally, so why not just include this in your life as a welcome distraction. If someone spouts a load of crap, just read it and move on.

Personally, I never get these " I'm quitting threads ". Why would you say that unless you're asking for sympathy or a ' there , there', or pat on the back.

Its just a game of football mate. Played by someone else, foreigners, earning millions ( and they couldnt give a rats about us too btw ).  



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[Berserker]

Don't go Duke, or just have a break anyway. I just love your headless horseman, and you might miss my random drivel!

[Burt]

Hey Mr Duke, you should stick around...

I've always said that my expectations are always to chalk up 40 points as soon as, have a good cup run, and beat one of the big boys occasionally and I think these expecations are born of having watched us play in front of 3,500 people on a cold Tuesday evening against York.

Every season we stay in the premier league is an achievement worth celebrating...we have no god given right to be here.

With every passing season our fan base grows (which is a good thing), and our expectations increase (not necessarily a good thing). But that's the way it is. People have different views about these things, and it is understandable that after a frustrating season where inconsistency was the only constant I kind of get the negative reactions, even though being a glass-half-full type it is difficult to cope with.

Sorry, rambling on a bit here, but perhaps give it a break and once things have calmed down a bit you may feel more inclined to pop on back.

Cheers

Burt

[Kent Cassandra]

Duke
Firstly I would like to echo the sentiments posted by others about the speedy recovery of your other half.    I too like Jol and support the type of football that he is trying to achieve at our club. It is obvious that he is as disappointed and as frustrated as us that all his stirling work trying to get class players at the club for little money hasn't borne the fruit that it deserves. Personally I would rather see Fulham finish 17th in the league than finish 8th with Sam Alardyce in charge.
In my head I made the same decision as you thinking about leaving  the forum a couple of months ago after an offensive remark from one of the anti Jol brigade.  Just take a break like I did, not that anyone will notice... It made me feel like I felt when I was a kid. I ran away from home, after 10 hours without food I crept back and found that no one had noticed I had left....Big Lesson.