Ruiz & Karagounis World Cup performances, Fulham Captains, merged

[the nutflush]

Yes I know that but Ruiz would have a huge target on his back in the Championship.  He's not tough enough and its a long season. 

[Twig]

I am not sure I buy into the view that you have to be especially tough to succeed in the Championship.  Yes, English league football is generally quite physically demanding but not sure the Champ is any more so than any other division.  More matches than the Prem so possibly more stamina needed but I don't really buy into arguments that Ruiz would somehow get overpowered (or rather no more so than in the Prem).  Thinking back to when we were last in that division, we used some players who relied on skill and balance rather than just brute force and they were pretty damned successful!

[Lighthouse]

I am not sure I buy into the view that you have to be especially tough to succeed in the Championship.  Yes, English league football is generally quite physically demanding but not sure the Champ is any more so than any other division.  More matches than the Prem so possibly more stamina needed but I don't really buy into arguments that Ruiz would somehow get overpowered (or rather no more so than in the Prem).  Thinking back to when we were last in that division, we used some players who relied on skill and balance rather than just brute force and they were pretty damned successful!

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[nose]

One small point: Bryan Ruiz has only scored 9 league goals for us, but his second against Reading 2013 was a header.

One slightly larger point: The Championship is not some kind of Neanderthal jungle populated by psychotics who kick everything that moves. Some pretty skillful players have thrived there (Hughes, Knockaert, Ince, Reza, Beausejour, Bridcutt, Diego Poyet) without being seriously maimed.

regarding point one, Ok he got a header, how often did he ever really threaten. i don't recall the goal, was it a leap at the far post thundering the ball past the flaining arms of the hapless goalkeeper, or was it a tap in? just interested.

Your second point is more interesting. I 100%% agree the championship is often charectrised as something it is not. there are some very good players and some very good teams. No doubt it may be a bit more hectic at times, but that is part of the game. I think if you apply yourself properly, providing you play to the strengths of your squad you will have a chance.

[Arthur]

bloke plays a couple good games for Costa Rica and everyone rates him again.

exactly, people are so fickle it amazes me

I doubt that those who have pilloried Ruiz on here in the past have changed their view. Surprising as you may find it, Bryan was clearly not disliked by every supporter. I count myself in this group. In his first two seasons here, I thought that the positive aspects of his contribution somewhat outweighed the negatives. Last season, undeniably, his form was poor. (What I do contend, however, is that Ruiz - along with Senderos and Bent - bore the brunt of the ire of supporters whose 'support' did nothing to help the team's cause.)

I accept, however, that the boo-boys have almost certainly won the day: even if Magath wanted Ruiz to return, I imagine that the prospect of playing in front of a sizeable minority who would be on his back from the outset would be the key factor (more so than dropping down to the Championship) that would influence his response.

And this, for me, is a shame.

[cmg]

regarding point one, Ok he got a header, how often did he ever really threaten. i don't recall the goal, was it a leap at the far post thundering the ball past the flaining arms of the hapless goalkeeper, or was it a tap in? just interested.

Fine, deep cross from Kacaniklic on the right, firm, crisp header middle of goal about 6.5 metres out, unmarked.
Not trying to suggest he's the reincarnation of Sandor Kocsis/Alan Clarke/Brian McBride (delete according to age) but we should have the facts right.

[itombomb]

The Championship is a tough division, but it is one where you also aren't playing against athletes of the same calibre as the PL. Without the ball, players don't have the same speed and athleticism to close players down.

There is a reason Taraabt owned the league and couldn't do anywhere near as much in the PL.

Ruiz needs space, he'd have space in the Championship.

But, just like Dejagah, he won't want to play that level.

[filham]

Ruiz was and still is a very talented player but the hard facts are that he played some 75 games for us over three seasons and was tried in three or four different roles without being at all effective. He scored but 8 goals in all competitions.

We really cant afford to give him any more chances and should cash in on him while his stock is high at the end of the world cup games.

We all wished that he would succeed for us , it would have been so good but it was not to be.

[Aaron]

I believe Ruiz is a very talented lad and will shine (again) whenever given the chance in a side and in a league that suits his style.

I don't believe that's with us or in the Championship.

There's a very valid argument for him being played out of position and managed poorly by Jol but there are many attributes i expect to see in a quality player which aren't really affected by your positioning that I don't see from Ruiz when he's playing for Fulham.

I think it's sad it didn't work out, I wish him well in whatever the future holds for him, but I hope I've seen the last of him in a Fulham shirt personally.

[BedsFFC]

The problem with Ruiz was Berbatov and Jol. The way many of our fans treated him was really low. I know the "pays your money say what you want" argument but after a while he was onto a loser before he started. I remember going to the reading home game. Right from the start, I had red faced middle aged men screaming at him. We were awful that day and Ruiz gave the ball away a few times. I would argue that most of this was due to Berbatov making no runs at all.

Ruiz scored 2 goals that day, hit the post and provided about 3 goalscoring chances, yet most around me had him down as the worst player ever to wear the shirt.

I don't know if people have been watching the world cup but Ruiz has been brilliant. Honestly, people saying he wouldn't cut it in the Championship really do not know what you are talking about. Decent tactics, good man management, good team set up, he would be the stand out player in the league, by a country mile.

The Fulham under Jol was the most incompetent running of a team that I have ever seen at Fulham. Every player got worse. Anyway, I'd put these feelings to bed

[DJinNJ]

The problem with Ruiz was Berbatov and Jol. The way many of our fans treated him was really low. I know the "pays your money say what you want" argument but after a while he was onto a loser before he started. I remember going to the reading home game. Right from the start, I had red faced middle aged men screaming at him. We were awful that day and Ruiz gave the ball away a few times. I would argue that most of this was due to Berbatov making no runs at all.

Ruiz scored 2 goals that day, hit the post and provided about 3 goalscoring chances, yet most around me had him down as the worst player ever to wear the shirt.

I don't know if people have been watching the world cup but Ruiz has been brilliant. Honestly, people saying he wouldn't cut it in the Championship really do not know what you are talking about. Decent tactics, good man management, good team set up, he would be the stand out player in the league, by a country mile.

The Fulham under Jol was the most incompetent running of a team that I have ever seen at Fulham. Every player got worse. Anyway, I'd put these feelings to bed

I agree with most of your post, up until the final paragraph. We were quite a decent side in Jol's first season. Dempsey had his best season under Jol, and Dembele has certainly been worse at Tottenham than he was with us. I think Berbatov's effect was actually the bigger problem, that "keep calm" antic really summarizes his effect on the team. Jol is of course responsible for signing Berbatov and playing him long after he had stopped putting in any effort, and I'm not saying that's the only thing he did wrong. But I think it's a bit of revisionism to say that we suddenly got worse when he arrived. Maybe the decline was inevitable with him at the helm, but he was at least competent enough to take a good team and keep it at roughly the same level. It was the building and adjusting to a new team part that he couldn't handle.

As for Ruiz, he was coming into his own when he got injured in his first season, and was linking up very well with Dempsey. And I don't think it's a coincidence that his progress stopped when Berbatov arrived. It's a shame we let him go out at the same time as Berbatov. In retrospect it's obvious that it would have been better than gambling on Mitroglou, but even if he had been fit there's no guarantee he'd hit the ground running in the PL just because he was scoring in the Greek league (and his team was by far the best in the league, which will always make it easier for strikers to rack up goals). Ruiz might not have done enough either, but put him in Berbatov's place, and while he'd probably score fewer goals, I'd wager he'd more than make up for it with the goals he could set up. I'm not going to look it up, but I seem to recall that his key passes stat was actually pretty impressive. And he got caught in possession so much not because he fell over every time he was touched but because he held on too long, and I think that was because he was looking for the perfect pass (and Berbatov was not the best player to rely on to make runs for him). He frequently got out of tight situations as well, the problem was he got into too many of them.  Replace Berbatov with Ruiz rather than try to play them together (or ship them out at the same time without a reliable replacement) and things may have been very different, for Ruiz and for Fulham. And yes, anyone who wouldn't want him in the Championship is crazy. We may have to cut our losses as I think he's in the last year of his contract, but if he goes it won't be because he's not good enough.

[ron]

Yes I know that but Ruiz would have a huge target on his back in the Championship.  He's not tough enough and its a long season. 

...that just about sums up my way of thinking about Ruiz too.

[Bedford White]

No goals in the first half but he's playing well IMO, some great ball control at times.. Thoughts?

[Forever Fulham]

He has a real midfield to support fluid ball movement--on and off the ball.  He has fellow forwards who don't just jog about and watch.  They play with purpose and seem disciplined as a unit.  They support each other.  They engage in consistent high pressure defense the second that possession is lost.  They believe in themselves and each other.   

[Craven Mad]

As so many have said: he's a good player, but never had a chance when managed so poorly and without fast runners around him.

I'd be pleased to see him here next season, but I fear I'd be in the minority.

[dannyboi-ffc]

He scored 5or6 unbelievable goals for us and showed glimpses of being a special player. Now im watching him in the world cup its the biggest case of 'what could of been' i've felt since losing the europa league final

The more i see him, the more im convinced berbatov was the worst signing fulham ever made. Obviously not for ability but for what he took away from fulham. He made ruiz half a player because ruiz had to accommodate berba when the team should of been built around ruiz instead.

Big shame but at least the world cup has added value to him. Very wishful thinking to think he will play for us in the championship

[MasterHaynes]

No goals in the first half but he's playing well IMO, some great ball control at times.. Thoughts?

Why this is a surprise to some I'll never know, as stated scored some great goals but also need to look at his assists which would have been much more if the likes of Bent hadn't been so wasteful.
Unlikely as it it is I'd love to see him in the team with Rodders, Woodrow and Williams making runs allowing him to offload the ball rather than having to hold it and hold it waiting for a player to run for him to pass or move into the space created.

[Craven Mad]

Exactly, when we played with Berba it was almost a competition between him and Bryan to see who could be deeper..

Bryan is probably the most talented passer we have. He just needs someone to pass to.

[MrProphet]

Sorry looks the same Ruiz that frustrated so many including me

His passing has been pants this second half can't find the runners

[FPT]

He's always been good, Fulham just wasn't the right team for him. Our midfield consisted of Scott Parker, Steve Sidwell and Giorgos Karagounis, and Dimitar Berbatov caused congestion in that area; plus, our wingers weren't aggressive enough to create that width and space that'd have suited him.

I do think we should sell him. I think his bridges at FFC have been burned, and I don't think he'd want to be here. However, I wish him the best of luck wherever he goes, and it's a shame we could never bring out the true talent in Bryan Ruiz.