I am worried we are turning into the Jacksonville Jaguars

[The Rock]

What I am stating it seems everyone agrees with - top facilities, top academy (not that they have one), top back room staff AND a crap team with 4 wins.

History dictates that Kahn has invested in a lot of everything but top players and that is a massive concern considering where the club is.

I hope I am proven wrong come the end of January, and that we'll see the few top players that will make the difference needed to get results, but history dictates otherwise.

not to sound like a jerk but you literally have no clue what you are talking about... there is a salary cap in the NFL... everything is dictated by this....

I am from the states thank you and know how it works. Please don't add Top recruiters/scouts to the Kahn list please then which obviously looks like a work in progress given the results.

[jj____]

What I am stating it seems everyone agrees with - top facilities, top academy (not that they have one), top back room staff AND a crap team with 4 wins.

History dictates that Kahn has invested in a lot of everything but top players and that is a massive concern considering where the club is.

Right and this is the part that makes no sense to compare the two.  The salary cap in American football makes it nearly impossible to bring in top players and spend a bunch on all of your needs.  In Jacksonville there are a lot of holes in the squad, which he inherited.  The team was just plain not very good when he took over.  In order to be successful you need to draft well consistently, which takes time.  He's had the team since 2010, in time for the 2011 season.  From 2011 to 2013 he's had 4 different head coaches and a plethora of starting quarterbacks, not exactly a "top back room staff".  He's also in one of the worst markets in the league, so the money he's spent on improving facilities shows a lot about how invested he is.

[The Rock]

Fair point it is comparing apples to oranges a bit. And I am not judging him until what I see in Jan. But I think it's fair to be concerned and hope we see some proper investment and that the Jags are def a team that aren't getting the results and haven't the best players.

[OHfulhamfan]

The difference with running an NFL franchise is you don't have to worry about relegation. If you are a new owner, you can get rid of everybody and start over. If you only win three or four games, you can get good picks in the amateur draft and rebuild. Fill in the draft picks with savvy free agents and trades and teams in the NFL can go from bottom to playoff team in a just a few years.
If Kahn doesn't want to own a Championship side he will need to make Fulham better now. He doesn't have three or four years to build like that. I think he is smart enough to get it so it's a matter of getting some smart signings and smart sales of existing players.
Another big difference in all American sports is the person with the title of head coach is in charge the team on the field. Evaluating, and acquiring new players is handled by the general manager.  It looks to me like bringing in Curbishly and Wilkins is using that model so Rene can focus on training and game day strategy while the other two have a general manager role.
Getting Dempsy is a good first step for a number of reasons, but I think one is he can train with the squad now so he can fit in as early as possible, and help right away. If the loan only rumors are true, we are in trouble, but I don't buy it yet.

[WolverineFFC]

What nonsense. Complete apples and bricks.

Exactly. Apples and Bricks.

In the NFL, being really bad = the best, cheapest talent the fastest. Do it for 2 or 3 yrs correctly, you can end up in the Super Bowl the next yr.

In the EPL, being really bad = potentially leaving the Premier League forever or worse, becoming Portsmouth if you are not careful...

We are all hoping the owner has a full grasp of this distinction.

[Holders]

Khan has shown that he was prepared to invest in putting the management in place quickly after Jol's sacking. That doesn't show lack of commitment to me, even if the contracts are only until the end of the season I wouldn't blame him for that. It's arguable that he gave Jol too long but maybe he didn't have anyone else suitable as a replacement to begin with, we don't know.

As for strengthening the squad, Rene will have had since he first started to work with Jol to assess where it needs strengthening and he said very early on that it did. He will now have a much better idea.  My hope is that the recruits have been identified for early moves and not left until the end of the window. We can't really afford to wait that long especially iof they're loans from foreign leagues who need to "bed in", Dempsey excepted. I have no reason to think that Khan will not follow his reinforcement of the management team with playing staff. Indeed, it would defy all business logic if he did and we all know that he's a very successful businessman. You don't buy something and then let it more than halve in value less than a year later.

The delay in Hangeland's operation by several weeks has not helped but he can't be far away from returning to training now. Hopefully Senderos is on his way back as well.

A grain of comfort - at least our injury situation isn't as bad as West Ham's but we must win that one.

[Logicalman]

Oh, and I don't think Khan inherited anything, he should have known what he was buying, unless he was uninformed, of course!!

yeah, im not going to sit here and wax semantics with you.

You can wax whatever you fancy son, but there is a world of difference between purchase and inherit. If you mean purchase then say it, don't pretend there isn't a difference.

Jol inherited an ageing squad (and did bugger all about it), Khan bought one. Both had choices though the former didn't pay 100+ million quid for the privilege, he just got paid bucket loads of dosh from the latter to make it worse!!!

[Logicalman]

Khan has shown that he was prepared to invest in putting the management in place quickly after Jol's sacking. That doesn't show lack of commitment to me, even if the contracts are only until the end of the season I wouldn't blame him for that. It's arguable that he gave Jol too long but maybe he didn't have anyone else suitable as a replacement to begin with, we don't know.

As for strengthening the squad, Rene will have had since he first started to work with Jol to assess where it needs strengthening and he said very early on that it did. He will now have a much better idea.  My hope is that the recruits have been identified for early moves and not left until the end of the window. We can't really afford to wait that long especially iof they're loans from foreign leagues who need to "bed in", Dempsey excepted. I have no reason to think that Khan will not follow his reinforcement of the management team with playing staff. Indeed, it would defy all business logic if he did and we all know that he's a very successful businessman. You don't buy something and then let it more than halve in value less than a year later.

The delay in Hangeland's operation by several weeks has not helped but he can't be far away from returning to training now. Hopefully Senderos is on his way back as well.

A grain of comfort - at least our injury situation isn't as bad as West Ham's but we must win that one.

:plus one:  (all bar the Helga comment, I dread his return and hope I'm proved incorrect).

[Forever Fulham]

I don't see any parallels in the two teams other than both are struggling in the standings right now.  The franchises are very different.  The consequences of losing are different in key ways.  The ability to spend freely has already been mentioned.  The NFL has a salary cap.  But while acting within that cap, the NFL teams are generally free to trade/acquire players at will except, I believe, during playoffs.  (U.S. NFL fans, keep me honest here.)  Some U.S. head coaches are given, by contract or social compact with their respective owners, tremendous authority over the management of the team, including acquisition and retention of talent, as well as player training and game management supervision.  The metropolitan areas of each team couldn't be more different in terms of attracting and retaining top talent.  There is no juniors program, no academy organization either, in the NFL.  There's just the U.S. college NCAA Division I and II football programs--but such feeder set up isn't attached to specific NFL teams the way, say, younger developmental players are signed to a Prem league club.

There's a socialistic bent to the NFL (and other U.S. pro sports) not found in European sports models (other than some rugby leagues).  In the U.S., if you come in dead last in the league, you don't get relegated.  Instead, you get first pick in next season's draft of available university team talent.  And as the draft winds its way along through successive 'rounds', you maintain your drafting advantage by having performed so poorly the year before.  You have a salary cap to prevent easy imbalancing between the have and have not owners.  In the NFL if you have a losing season, especially a particularly bad season, the league gives you an easier schedule of games the next year.  (U.S. Fulham fans, keep me honest here.) 

In the NFL this season, there have  been some historically poor performing teams seen ascending.  While some clubs with storied histories are in decline.   Perhaps we are seeing some of that in the Premier league now.  But generally the well-heeled Prem clubs finish in the top third of the table year in and year out. 

[jj____]

Oh, and I don't think Khan inherited anything, he should have known what he was buying, unless he was uninformed, of course!!

yeah, im not going to sit here and wax semantics with you.

You can wax whatever you fancy son, but there is a world of difference between purchase and inherit. If you mean purchase then say it, don't pretend there isn't a difference.

Jol inherited an ageing squad (and did bugger all about it), Khan bought one. Both had choices though the former didn't pay 100+ million quid for the privilege, he just got paid bucket loads of dosh from the latter to make it worse!!!

Don't call me son, I'm sure I'm more competent than anything you could ever produce.  This conversation, not that it really ever started, is finished.

[Fernhurst]

Ok.... Dust the sideboard then