athletico madrid

[nose]

in 2010 we were a minute or so from penalties in the final
now we face the drop but tonight madrid were in the quarter final of the champions league drawing 1 1 against barca

makes you think

[Lighthouse]

 The big difference is I have the feeling the club never believed we could ever reach those heights again and we sort of began the slide.

Madrid were one of the giants of Europe. We on the other hand were just little Fulham run by money men counting the beans. A careful building of the team would have cost less in the end than the total neglect we suffered a few years later. Makes me very frustrated and angry.

[RidgeRider]

Hodgson was prophetic when he said: "I've taken this club as far as it can go"

and Hughes said: "Fulham did not match my ambition"....

I know it's rehash but they had been on the inside and knew what was happening in the front office and at the ownership level.

[God The Mechanic]

Atletico are the second biggest club in Madrid, Fulham are nowhere near second biggest in London.  That's a MASSIVE difference.  That and a history of success and money, or at least the willingness to spend money (even if it may or may not be there...)

[FPT]

It doesn't really. Historically, Atletico Madrid are the 3rd biggest club in Spain, 3rd in honours and 3rd in TV cash. Plus helped by the financial rebuilding of selling the likes Aguero, Forlan, Falcao and De Gea.

Plus, their current squad featuring Diego Costa, David Villa, Koke and Turan suits the style of Diego Simeone.

If we have had the finances that they have, we'd be pushing for the top four. I mean, their left back (probably the best in the world) cost £13m.

[Blanco]

It doesn't really. Historically, Atletico Madrid are the 3rd biggest club in Spain, 3rd in honours and 3rd in TV cash. Plus helped by the financial rebuilding of selling the likes Aguero, Forlan, Falcao and De Gea.

Plus, their current squad featuring Diego Costa, David Villa, Koke and Turan suits the style of Diego Simeone.

If we have had the finances that they have, we'd be pushing for the top four. I mean, their left back (probably the best in the world) cost £13m.

Filipe Luis best LB in the world? Quite a statement. I think your forgetting about Marcelo & Alaba? Or even Lahm(when playing for country). But yes, Filipe Luis is a top player.

[K33NY]

Hodgson was prophetic when he said: "I've taken this club as far as it can go"

and Hughes said: "Fulham did not match my ambition"....

I know it's rehash but they had been on the inside and knew what was happening in the front office and at the ownership level.

I hope with expansion of Riverside, hopefully survival or immediate bounce back after next season our can grow bigger! :)

[ffc73]

in 2010 we were a minute or so from penalties in the final
now we face the drop but tonight madrid were in the quarter final of the champions league drawing 1 1 against barca

makes you think

Makes me think of Middlesboro.

Beaten Europa finalists.
Relegated a couple of years later with a fine crop of youngsters coming through
Most of the youngsters either moved on or did not make the grade
Now mid table in the Championship

[b+w geezer]

Makes me think of Middlesboro.

Beaten Europa finalists.
Relegated a couple of years later with a fine crop of youngsters coming through
Most of the youngsters either moved on or did not make the grade
Now mid table in the Championship

Ouch! That's a very telling analogy. And Boro have been a well run club, with a supportive, enthusiastic Chairman. Our very different riverside setting is the only nailed-on positive advantage we have over them. Or over those other smaller club UEFA/Europa finalists who peaked there (Alaves, Espanol, Braga....)

It's still a shame not to have been able to `leverage' our time in the spotlight even for a single season. That does feel like a lost opportunity. But even if he we had, we'd never have become Atletico Madrid for the reasons others have given. Those reasons are encapsulated by the fact that their victory parade after beating us saw the Madrid equivalent of Hyde Park Corner or Picadilly Circus closed to traffic.

[Jimpav]

This is not a fair comparison. Atletico parachuted down from the champions league where as we had battled our way from the earliest of rounds.

Our Europa achivements were built on Hodgsons tactics, a formidable team spirit and a sprinkling of luck.

The proportion of football fans that get to see their club play in a European final is tiny. Particularly if you support a club of our size and history.

It's true that Hamburg was the greatest night in our history and the pinnacle of our achievements but there is no shame in this.

[FPT]

It doesn't really. Historically, Atletico Madrid are the 3rd biggest club in Spain, 3rd in honours and 3rd in TV cash. Plus helped by the financial rebuilding of selling the likes Aguero, Forlan, Falcao and De Gea.

Plus, their current squad featuring Diego Costa, David Villa, Koke and Turan suits the style of Diego Simeone.

If we have had the finances that they have, we'd be pushing for the top four. I mean, their left back (probably the best in the world) cost £13m.

Filipe Luis best LB in the world? Quite a statement. I think your forgetting about Marcelo & Alaba? Or even Lahm(when playing for country). But yes, Filipe Luis is a top player.

He's certainly the best left back in Spain. Though I agree, Alaba is such a great talent. You say Philipp Lahm, but since Pep has been at Bayern, he's casually become one of the best central midfielders in the world.

[Blanco]

It doesn't really. Historically, Atletico Madrid are the 3rd biggest club in Spain, 3rd in honours and 3rd in TV cash. Plus helped by the financial rebuilding of selling the likes Aguero, Forlan, Falcao and De Gea.

Plus, their current squad featuring Diego Costa, David Villa, Koke and Turan suits the style of Diego Simeone.

If we have had the finances that they have, we'd be pushing for the top four. I mean, their left back (probably the best in the world) cost £13m.

Filipe Luis best LB in the world? Quite a statement. I think your forgetting about Marcelo & Alaba? Or even Lahm(when playing for country). But yes, Filipe Luis is a top player.

He's certainly the best left back in Spain. Though I agree, Alaba is such a great talent. You say Philipp Lahm, but since Pep has been at Bayern, he's casually become one of the best central midfielders in the world.

Yeah Lahm is definitely a versatile player. I like him at RB though.  I think Marcelo on his day is the best. He's very inconsistent though. Filipe seems to play well all the time.

[HatterDon]

The big difference is I have the feeling the club never believed we could ever reach those heights again and we sort of began the slide.

And why should the club feel any differently. During BOTH Europa League runs, this site and other Fulham sites were bombarded with post after post about how Europe was drawing our attention away from our only goal -- finishing 17th.

It's the same this with the two domestic cups. There's a huge contingent of posters who evidently think that we should tank them so as not to ... see above. I don't think it's just the board that doesn't have ambition.

[Harold Shand]

Good point Don.

[nose]

This is not a fair comparison. Atletico parachuted down from the champions league where as we had battled our way from the earliest of rounds.

Our Europa achivements were built on Hodgsons tactics, a formidable team spirit and a sprinkling of luck.

The proportion of football fans that get to see their club play in a European final is tiny. Particularly if you support a club of our size and history.

It's true that Hamburg was the greatest night in our history and the pinnacle of our achievements but there is no shame in this.

Of course you are correct but based purely on who they are and who we are, they have managed to move up in the world and we have gone spectacularly backwards, that was all really.
Hodgson leaving was a disaster and then the appointment of Jol was worse
Athletico have a track record recently of spending wisely and we may as well have chucked most of our money down the drain. we had ray lewington who wasn't good enough for jol, but is now successfully england's number two.
Athletico could have said they had no chance of competing with the big two but have taken them on incrementally improving.
Our current management team hasn't got a clue, and our owner needs a radical shake up of the people that day to day run the club.... i know i have said it before, and so have others, but from where we were on that night in hamburg, we should be doing far better! we should have consolidated and tried to incrementally improve.

[Lighthouse]

The Europa is a badly run competition and has far too many games to complete it. The Prem was the most important thing and survival was everything until the club abandoned any progress in it. The cups were great but we needed Prem survival over and above Europe and domestic cups.

What we were given was - Fulham are punching above our weight and we should know our place.

Our place is not to progress and to look back over these thirteen years and feel we were lucky to be here. Very sad but true.

[terryr]

The Europa is a badly run competition and has far too many games to complete it. The Prem was the most important thing and survival was everything until the club abandoned any progress in it. The cups were great but we needed Prem survival over and above Europe and domestic cups.

What we were given was - Fulham are punching above our weight and we should know our place.

Our place is not to progress and to look back over these thirteen years and feel we were lucky to be here. Very sad but true.

:dft004:
Jeeze man....lighten up!

[General]

Hodgson was prophetic when he said: "I've taken this club as far as it can go"

and Hughes said: "Fulham did not match my ambition"....

I know it's rehash but they had been on the inside and knew what was happening in the front office and at the ownership level.

Sorry, that's a bunch of crap, it may have been the case at the time, but let's be honest MAF wasn't always going to be around and there was always the possibility of us being able to go further. I think we have a chance, although a lot will depend on how Shahid finances and leads the club with his decisions and vision.

[RidgeRider]

Hodgson was prophetic when he said: "I've taken this club as far as it can go"

and Hughes said: "Fulham did not match my ambition"....

I know it's rehash but they had been on the inside and knew what was happening in the front office and at the ownership level.

Sorry, that's a bunch of crap, it may have been the case at the time, but let's be honest MAF wasn't always going to be around and there was always the possibility of us being able to go further. I think we have a chance, although a lot will depend on how Shahid finances and leads the club with his decisions and vision.

I'm curious, and fine that you disagree, but what part is crap? That Hodgson and Hughes made those statements? That they were closer to the inside of the engine at Fulham as you or I or anyone on this board? or it it something I missing?

[Sgt Fulham]

Atletico Madrid have always had a big history of success or being on the border of success. We had an excellent year filled with good football, spirit and a bit of luck to get us to the final so the comparison is unfair. Also, have you seen how Hamburg are doing?