Anyone else optimistic ?

[clanky]

Should we get Bent then POTENTIALLY we have another goalscorer to support Berba, a creative attacking midfielder who can win games and score goals plus a centre back to give Brede some cover.

( not sure about left back though and fancy Parker if we can get him -not the Thunderbirds one though  )

As long as Jol can get the best out of them I feel we've possibly sorted last season's weaknesses.

never feel we are going to spend big and we'll always be Fulham-ish and do things on a budget, but now looking forward to the Arse in a week or so...................

or am I being simple, answers on a postcard please 

[Northern Cottager]

I'm a bit so so. Not excited by the signings but not overly disappointed. The most disappointing thing is we are in it for the long haul but the players we sign come and go on the short term. There seems to be little in the way of a biggere picture or a squad we can get used too.

I don't see us getting relegated but I don't see us hitting top 10 either, this possibly leaves Jol in a position to get the sack come the end of they ear.

[clanky]

you're probably right but don't want the agony of last season's slump-onwards and upwards-I am sure time will tell

COYW

[Roberty]

I always expect things to go wrong.
So when they do I am never surprised.
If things go well I am over joyed.

[jelmo]

I'm a bit so so. Not excited by the signings but not overly disappointed. The most disappointing thing is we are in it for the long haul but the players we sign come and go on the short term. There seems to be little in the way of a biggere picture or a squad we can get used too.

I don't see us getting relegated but I don't see us hitting top 10 either, this possibly leaves Jol in a position to get the sack come the end of they ear.

This sums up my feelings about the current squad too.

Not excited by the short term outlook we have. Need to build a team for the future and short term signings will just ensure that we are in a perpetual state of transfer limbo every summer.

Need to get in some players in their early to mid 20's like Villa have to ensure stability.

With regards to this particular season, if we get a creative CM then I think we can do well. Hoping for mid table survival and a cup run. The cup run is what I would be most excited about (even if it is only the Carling cup! - Or whatever its called now...)

[The Equalizer]

Let's put it this way: Jol certainly hasn't used the summer break as a showcase to convince me to buy another season ticket.

[Lighthouse]

I always expect things to go wrong.
So when they do I am never surprised.
If things go well I am over joyed.

065.gif 

[JBH]

Let's put it this way: Jol certainly hasn't used the summer break as a showcase to convince me to buy another season ticket.

He didn't need to for me to purchase my ST  065.gif

[alfie]

Let's put it this way: Jol certainly hasn't used the summer break as a showcase to convince me to buy another season ticket.

He didn't need to for me to purchase my ST  065.gif

I take it you mean he hasn't done a qpr and signed anything that moved, it is quite clear that he is frustrated at not being able to capture some of his targets (whoever they may have been).

Pray tell what would you need to buy your season ticket?

[The Equalizer]

Let's put it this way: Jol certainly hasn't used the summer break as a showcase to convince me to buy another season ticket.

He didn't need to for me to purchase my ST  065.gif

I take it you mean he hasn't done a qpr and signed anything that moved, it is quite clear that he is frustrated at not being able to capture some of his targets (whoever they may have been).

Pray tell what would you need to buy your season ticket?

Someone to say that we're aiming to finish Top 8 instead of top 12 like Jol said. Someone who doesn't continuously rely on a player who cannot perform (Ruiz). Someone who shows a bit of foresight and ambition over the pre-season, which is something that has been entirely lacking so far.

I will hold my hands up if things change, but so far Jol has done nothing to allay my fears.

[Bassey the warrior]

Should we get Bent then POTENTIALLY we have another goalscorer to support Berba, a creative attacking midfielder who can win games and score goals plus a centre back to give Brede some cover.

( not sure about left back though and fancy Parker if we can get him -not the Thunderbirds one though  )

As long as Jol can get the best out of them I feel we've possibly sorted last season's weaknesses.

never feel we are going to spend big and we'll always be Fulham-ish and do things on a budget, but now looking forward to the Arse in a week or so...................

or am I being simple, answers on a postcard please  

There's a lot of risks involved in playing such an attacking line up so I'll wait to see the results before getting optimistic.

[Big Martin Jol]

Yes, I'm optimistic. If you compare our likely line-up for tomorrow with our line-up for much of last season (Baird, Duff and Senderos et al.) then it's most definitely an upgrade. Of course we still have areas of weakness, but there's still time to remedy that.

I think people have impossibly high standards for the kind of player they want to bring in - in the last twelve months we've brought in a player with probably the best first touch in the league, a goalkeeper who started in the last World Cup final and now quite possibly one of the very few players to score over a hundred Premier League goals since its inception.

It's difficult to imagine the twelfth-placed team in Spain, Germany or Italy securing such quality at such value with such regularity.

If we've added a new central midfielder at the end of the transfer window then I think we'll be well set - we had two extraordinarily bad periods last year and if that kind of thing can be avoided then we should find ourselves in the mix for the top ten. I don't see relegation being a problem.

We also tend to think of our opposition as bastions of quality who will consistently punish our every weakness. We forget that that many of them have got their own problems as big (if not bigger) than ours, and we can exploit them just as well.

[hongkongfulham]

Yes, I'm optimistic. If you compare our likely line-up for tomorrow with our line-up for much of last season (Baird, Duff and Senderos et al.) then it's most definitely an upgrade. Of course we still have areas of weakness, but there's still time to remedy that.

I think people have impossibly high standards for the kind of player they want to bring in - in the last twelve months we've brought in a player with probably the best first touch in the league, a goalkeeper who started in the last World Cup final and now quite possibly one of the very few players to score over a hundred Premier League goals since its inception.

It's difficult to imagine the twelfth-placed team in Spain, Germany or Italy securing such quality at such value with such regularity.

If we've added a new central midfielder at the end of the transfer window then I think we'll be well set - we had two extraordinarily bad periods last year and if that kind of thing can be avoided then we should find ourselves in the mix for the top ten. I don't see relegation being a problem.

We also tend to think of our opposition as bastions of quality who will consistently punish our every weakness. We forget that that many of them have got their own problems as big (if not bigger) than ours, and we can exploit them just as well.

:plus one:

[jarv]

Clanky makes a point about last season's slump. We are all still hung over from those dreadful performances (dare I mention the points thrown away v Reading, saints, qpr etc). The sour taste is still with us.

Fulham need a decent start to stop the moaning (I do it too) and I think all will be OK and mid table will be secured again.

Signings? Not great but it is Fulham. Rooney, Cole (the left back, not the other one), Nasri would be nice but it ain't going to happen. I think the new players will be OK  (as long as the fans don't boo). :54:

[Jimpav]

Yes, I'm optimistic. If you compare our likely line-up for tomorrow with our line-up for much of last season (Baird, Duff and Senderos et al.) then it's most definitely an upgrade. Of course we still have areas of weakness, but there's still time to remedy that.

I think people have impossibly high standards for the kind of player they want to bring in - in the last twelve months we've brought in a player with probably the best first touch in the league, a goalkeeper who started in the last World Cup final and now quite possibly one of the very few players to score over a hundred Premier League goals since its inception.

It's difficult to imagine the twelfth-placed team in Spain, Germany or Italy securing such quality at such value with such regularity.

If we've added a new central midfielder at the end of the transfer window then I think we'll be well set - we had two extraordinarily bad periods last year and if that kind of thing can be avoided then we should find ourselves in the mix for the top ten. I don't see relegation being a problem.

We also tend to think of our opposition as bastions of quality who will consistently punish our every weakness. We forget that that many of them have got their own problems as big (if not bigger) than ours, and we can exploit them just as well.

Well said.

[MJG]

I'm happy we have Darren Bent now and this gives us options up front.
Still worried by the lack of a really creative CM to sit alongside either DB or SS and also his unhealthy obsession with Ruiz. Although I did get the hint in his interview yesterday that he at least acknowledged hes not played well.

Jol also talks a good game about playing with pace, creativity and getting in the box. Lets see if he can finally deliver what he says.