Still no signings.....

[Brede Butter Pudding]

With the club all but confirming the departures of Ruiz and Boateng I would be shocked if we didn't bring anyone in. The Ruiz transfer hasn't been officially announced yet, so we may be waiting until his wages are guaranteed to be off the bill before we confirm the signings of others.

It is frustrating, but Fulham are notorious for doing their business under the radar. I am more than confident we will bring in at least two players, preferably a defender and a quick striker, we just need to let the club do their thing and have some confidence in Rene's and Alistair Mac's abilities.

Yes, true, can't argue with that. Our squad has been too old for a while now and it isn't something we've addressed. I still have hope that the experience of our behind the scenes teams will shine through, eventually, even if it's not particularly pretty.

Ali Mac has presided over the making of this current debacle. I come up short when looking for confidence in him, honestly. What I do have confidence in is the certainty that Fulham had to promise to make transfer funds available in order to get Rene to sign and to get Curbs and Wilkins to sign. I hope that they spend it well and soon.

Fair enough, but Ali Mac is still regarded as 'one of the very best' in the game, whatever that means. We have a very experienced board and backroom staff. We may not historically be big spenders, but do have experience and I'm sure they're doing all they can to improve our current situation.

I've been trying to figure out what is meant by that as well. I suppose that it's more of a financial accomplishment than anything.

But the fact remains, at least in my eyes, that we've been walking the tightrope with the application of our spartan (for this league) wage allowance for several years now. Yes, we are a debt free club now and, IIRC, we've declared profits in recent seasons. While that has happened though, our roster has been gutted of any players in their prime ages with the exception of Dejagah and Zverotic.

We have a very unhealthy roster make up. I think that ensuring a healthy roster was/is part of Ali Mac's job as well - a part that's been neglected.

Yes, true, can't argue with that. Our squad is too old and has been for a long time.

[jmh]

....the wait continues....

Can only be 2 reasons.

1. We've tried but can't persuade anyone to join our relegation battle or
2. We have no money to spend.

Why else wouldn't we have brought someone in by now? The longer we leave it, the more we'll have to pay.

^don't forget it takes time for new players to gel aswell - this season is looking like a complete car crash

You seem to be forgetting the signings made by RH in this window that actually kept us up  065.gif

If we want to take that January 2008 window as a good example of saving the season through good business, it should be noted that the first signing (Hangeland) didn't happen until January 18th, and three of the six new players (including the useful Paul Stalteri) didn't join until the 31st.  I'd rather have it sorted by now too, of course, but we just have to have faith that they're working behind the scenes to find the right players.  

[Lighthouse]

I think you are forgetting we have bought that fine player Sustainability. What with him and a clearly unfit Dempey. I see nothing but good times.

[Sgt Fulham]

I think you are forgetting we have bought that fine player Sustainability. What with him and a clearly unfit Dempey. I see nothing but good times.

I heard that he's quite a slow and old player who has no real place in the modern game. And by that I don't mean Dempsey.

[mangoputney]

I think you are forgetting we have bought that fine player Sustainability. What with him and a clearly unfit Dempey. I see nothing but good times.

I heard that he's quite a slow and old player who has no real place in the modern game. And by that I don't mean Dempsey.

+1

[Classic94]

I think you are forgetting we have bought that fine player Sustainability. What with him and a clearly unfit Dempey. I see nothing but good times.

I heard that he's quite a slow and old player who has no real place in the modern game. And by that I don't mean Dempsey.

:plus one:

Sustainability is fine but it depends on the clubs definition of it. The potential Riverside expansion and academy improvements are one thing, but compiling a squad of 30-somethings on the cheap is another. It's all good having a fantastic infrastructure, but there has to be some degree of investment to remain competitive in the interim, and, I'm afraid, this is where we've fallen short. The playing squad has been starved of investment for too long so it's inevitable that we're going to struggle. We need to suspend this whole sustainability thing whilst we bring the playing squad up to scratch. Once we have a solid foundation, then we can think about being sustainable.

[Buffalo76]

....the wait continues....

Can only be 2 reasons.

1. We've tried but can't persuade anyone to join our relegation battle or
2. We have no money to spend.

Why else wouldn't we have brought someone in by now? The longer we leave it, the more we'll have to pay.

:plus one: fp.gif