Would promotion be a poisoned chalice ?

[epsomraver]

My view on this is what is the point of playing if we are not going for the best and of course the best is promotion, and if we don't want promotion what is the point of moaning if we do not win. If we do manage to get to that position of promotion then I say we have bloody well earned it in this league, what happens after that is in the hand of the managers/owners on how we progress further.
Personally I do not want to be playing in the championship I want to be at the highest level, but as always that is just my opinion others have different ideas.

Another very valid reason is that we should expect to win every game we play in this league, as against the Prem when we did not expect to win very many at all.We also have an achievable goal in this league

I also feel that way in the premiership, we should be aiming for top spot not just mid table, if mid table is all our ambitions are then that is what will always be. We played in Europe and got to a final, I would love to see us get to the finals of the Champions League, ok it is a dream more than an expectation but I would love it just love it.

Bloody hell Alfie what were you on last night? If Fulham ever got to the finals of the CL then it would no longer be Fulham, you are old enough and wise enough to understand that

[Mince n Tatties]

Have to say and this was discussed among other fans last night, it is much more enjoyable watching Fulham in the championship for a number of reasons, main one is no boring round and round football that became a stamp of ours after Roy left, easier to get out, easier to have a pee, the list is endless.

What a load of cobblers. It might be an interesting experience for... Ooh... 10 games or but then it becomes a matter of endurance especially if you don't ever look like challenging for promotion.

And that was us in the prem so how is it cobblers? I have watched most of my football at Fulham in the lower leagues so it is not such a chore as others who came later just to see us in the top flight

:54:

[nose]

At this rate we will be in with a shout of promotion. Although it would be great as it would more likely be won at Wembley. I wonder whether it would be so good in the long term though. If we went up I  think we would need to replace a few players whereas if we stayed down another year all the younger players will have picked up enough experience to stay in the team if we get promoted the following year, hopefully taking it by storm.

Personally, I'd take the promotion especially from a day out at Wembley

in the exceptionally unlikely event of us going up i will be thrilled and would suggest lets worry about it if it happens but i certainly would like it to happen.

but in reality, the drop is still what worries me, for a good few weeks we will be far too close to the bottom and it coulsd all yet go wrong, we only need one or two poor results and panic could set in.  I believe in kit but miracles? let us follow the cliche, take one game at a time.

[MJG]

This might sound a little unambitious but for me going to Fulham last 36 years has not been about promotion,  relegation or glory. It's about watching my team every other week play football, be it in the bottom or top division. Of course you want to win,  but it's the event,  it's about being with my dad,  my friends,  the social side of it.
What lge we are in is just a side show.
Fulham have been the one reliable constant in my life,  it's helped me get through rough times and no matter what,  the club has been there.

Promotion would be nice,  but it's not the be all and end all of everything.

[epsomraver]

This might sound a little unambitious but for me going to Fulham last 36 years has not been about promotion,  relegation or glory. It's about watching my team every other week play football, be it in the bottom or top division. Of course you want to win,  but it's the event,  it's about being with my dad,  my friends,  the social side of it.
What lge we are in is just a side show.
Fulham have been the one reliable constant in my life,  it's helped me get through rough times and no matter what,  the club has been there.

Promotion would be nice,  but it's not the be all and end all of everything.

:plus one: :plus one: :plus one: :plus one: :plus one: :plus one:

[epsomraver]

Go up or not I'm enjoying this season for the first time in a couple of seasons,its enjoyable ,proper football like when I watched as a young man.

:plus one:

[alfie]

My view on this is what is the point of playing if we are not going for the best and of course the best is promotion, and if we don't want promotion what is the point of moaning if we do not win. If we do manage to get to that position of promotion then I say we have bloody well earned it in this league, what happens after that is in the hand of the managers/owners on how we progress further.
Personally I do not want to be playing in the championship I want to be at the highest level, but as always that is just my opinion others have different ideas.

Another very valid reason is that we should expect to win every game we play in this league, as against the Prem when we did not expect to win very many at all.We also have an achievable goal in this league

I also feel that way in the premiership, we should be aiming for top spot not just mid table, if mid table is all our ambitions are then that is what will always be. We played in Europe and got to a final, I would love to see us get to the finals of the Champions League, ok it is a dream more than an expectation but I would love it just love it.

Bloody hell Alfie what were you on last night? If Fulham ever got to the finals of the CL then it would no longer be Fulham, you are old enough and wise enough to understand that

Why will we change our name then?, some supporters are happy to sit plodding along maybe in Premier maybe in Championship whatever, I just want Fulham to be the best they can be is that so wrong?

[epsomraver]

Fulham will never be a  C/L team, to achieve that like Man C we would have to be bought out by someone much richer than Khan and have to move to a bigger stadium and at that point Fulham ceases to be Fulham, not sure why you don't understand that?

[dannyboi-ffc]

This might sound a little unambitious but for me going to Fulham last 36 years has not been about promotion,  relegation or glory. It's about watching my team every other week play football, be it in the bottom or top division. Of course you want to win,  but it's the event,  it's about being with my dad,  my friends,  the social side of it.
What lge we are in is just a side show.
Fulham have been the one reliable constant in my life,  it's helped me get through rough times and no matter what,  the club has been there.

Promotion would be nice,  but it's not the be all and end all of everything.

Spot on sir! And that's why I love being a part of our club, we love the game and adore our club for all the right reasons. I feel sorry for the likes of man utd who feel lost in the wilderness for missing out on the top 4 once. Clubs like that are loved by the majority for success and self righteousness, the types that are embarrassed to choose a club like Fulham as a Londoner because football to them is just about saying "I win this, I win that".

We almost fell into that trap being around the likes for so long but we're still the same old Fulham.  I hope one day we get back up and the sooner the better, I also hope one day I see us win a trophy but if we don't it won't stop me going or loving Fulham the way I do. And I know there's 1000's of others that feel the same

[alfie]

Fulham will never be a  C/L team, to achieve that like Man C we would have to be bought out by someone much richer than Khan and have to move to a bigger stadium and at that point Fulham ceases to be Fulham, not sure why you don't understand that?

Mr E it is not about whether i understand it or not, all i am saying is that is what i would love Fulham to achieve, and i think we should strive to be the best we can and not settle for just being little old Fulham down by the river. I am not stupid i know that this is VERY unlikely to happen, but no one knows for sure how things will turn out in anything. Arsenal moved to a bigger stadium and they are still Arsenal, Man city moved to a bigger stadium and they are still Man City, QPR may move to a bigger stadium and they will still be.....crap, anyway you know what i mean.

[nose]

This might sound a little unambitious but for me going to Fulham last 36 years has not been about promotion,  relegation or glory. It's about watching my team every other week play football, be it in the bottom or top division. Of course you want to win,  but it's the event,  it's about being with my dad,  my friends,  the social side of it.
What lge we are in is just a side show.
Fulham have been the one reliable constant in my life,  it's helped me get through rough times and no matter what,  the club has been there.

Promotion would be nice,  but it's not the be all and end all of everything.

Everything you say is true for many of us but I did love the premiership and want it back. And because the relationship with the club is so long standing it becomes a bit like a member of the family and as siuch whhen things are wrong it hurts... last season, the appointment of ol, magath were like any illness happening to a family member. It took far more of my time and emotion than was good for me. I can cope with being in a lower division and losing, we have had anough of that over the years, but what i find hard to stomach was the stupidity of the descions that were made. the obvious errors that were easy enough to put right.
Kit looks a good choice and whatever happens I am content everyone is together and doing their best. I am looking forward to each game with real optimism.
But I would absolutely love to be back in the Premiership with all the madness that that entails!

[Neil D]

Do Man City and Chelsea fans love their clubs any less because they have been transformed in recent years  by injections of huge amounts of cash?  The former have also left their traditional home for a new and rather better ground.  Are they less passionate about Man City?  I think the answer is 'No' on both counts.

At what point does nostalgia for a past long and irretrievably gone merely become a brake on progress?

[nose]

Do Man City and Chelsea fans love their clubs any less because they have been transformed in recent years  by injections of huge amounts of cash?  The former have also left their traditional home for a new and rather better ground.  Are they less passionate about Man City?  I think the answer is 'No' on both counts.

At what point does nostalgia for a past long and irretrievably gone merely become a brake on progress?

Progress can be for the better or worse. It is OK whilst you are winning, what happens when it goes wrong? Many teams have the heart ripped out of them and do not achieve success, what then?

Chelsea is a horrible place with horrible supporters, and man city were always a mad fanatical lot irrespective of win, lose or draw.

We are different again. We are funny and cultured (in comparison) with the best humour of any fans, as long as we keep that then we will remain the best there is.

[MJG]

This might sound a little unambitious but for me going to Fulham last 36 years has not been about promotion,  relegation or glory. It's about watching my team every other week play football, be it in the bottom or top division. Of course you want to win,  but it's the event,  it's about being with my dad,  my friends,  the social side of it.
What lge we are in is just a side show.
Fulham have been the one reliable constant in my life,  it's helped me get through rough times and no matter what,  the club has been there.

Promotion would be nice,  but it's not the be all and end all of everything.

Everything you say is true for many of us but I did love the premiership and want it back. And because the relationship with the club is so long standing it becomes a bit like a member of the family and as siuch whhen things are wrong it hurts... last season, the appointment of ol, magath were like any illness happening to a family member. It took far more of my time and emotion than was good for me. I can cope with being in a lower division and losing, we have had anough of that over the years, but what i find hard to stomach was the stupidity of the descions that were made. the obvious errors that were easy enough to put right.
Kit looks a good choice and whatever happens I am content everyone is together and doing their best. I am looking forward to each game with real optimism.
But I would absolutely love to be back in the Premiership with all the madness that that entails!

believe me it rips me apart when we lose and watching things go wrong over last couple of seasons.
I did enjoy the premiership but if I was really honest I had got bored of it. It had become a chore,  and that may have been down to the type of football we played,  results,  but I think it was really  down to the fact we had nowhere to go.
40 pts and fight for seventh downwards.
But I'll be here in a year,  in five,  in ten, for however long I'm able to get to games at the cottage and if we go up and go down again so be it.

[epsomraver]

This might sound a little unambitious but for me going to Fulham last 36 years has not been about promotion,  relegation or glory. It's about watching my team every other week play football, be it in the bottom or top division. Of course you want to win,  but it's the event,  it's about being with my dad,  my friends,  the social side of it.
What lge we are in is just a side show.
Fulham have been the one reliable constant in my life,  it's helped me get through rough times and no matter what,  the club has been there.

Promotion would be nice,  but it's not the be all and end all of everything.

Everything you say is true for many of us but I did love the premiership and want it back. And because the relationship with the club is so long standing it becomes a bit like a member of the family and as siuch whhen things are wrong it hurts... last season, the appointment of ol, magath were like any illness happening to a family member. It took far more of my time and emotion than was good for me. I can cope with being in a lower division and losing, we have had anough of that over the years, but what i find hard to stomach was the stupidity of the descions that were made. the obvious errors that were easy enough to put right.
Kit looks a good choice and whatever happens I am content everyone is together and doing their best. I am looking forward to each game with real optimism.
But I would absolutely love to be back in the Premiership with all the madness that that entails!

believe me it rips me apart when we lose and watching things go wrong over last couple of seasons.
I did enjoy the premiership but if I was really honest I had got bored of it. It had become a chore,  and that may have been down to the type of football we played,  results,  but I think it was really  down to the fact we had nowhere to go.
40 pts and fight for seventh downwards.
But I'll be here in a year,  in five,  in ten, for however long I'm able to get to games at the cottage and if we go up and go down again so be it.

:plus one: at least now we have a stadium with true Fulham fans again and the atmosphere is the best it has been for years, fans laughing, joking, getting behind the team again instead of shouting abuse and booing, long may it remain, we have got our club back.

[dannyboi-ffc]

Do Man City and Chelsea fans love their clubs any less because they have been transformed in recent years  by injections of huge amounts of cash?  The former have also left their traditional home for a new and rather better ground.  Are they less passionate about Man City?  I think the answer is 'No' on both counts.

At what point does nostalgia for a past long and irretrievably gone merely become a brake on progress?

Of course most of them love it, they win everything. But I guarantee most of them don't feel the same way as they used too, fans to them clubs are just a number now.

I don't ever want Fulham to be like them, if every club was like Fulham then Fulham would be boring. But there not, they chase the power whilst we chase the dream. There's a big difference and I'm sure some of city fans envy small clubs who have more of a connection to the fans rather than a connection to a global audience

[alfie]

Do Man City and Chelsea fans love their clubs any less because they have been transformed in recent years  by injections of huge amounts of cash?  The former have also left their traditional home for a new and rather better ground.  Are they less passionate about Man City?  I think the answer is 'No' on both counts.

At what point does nostalgia for a past long and irretrievably gone merely become a brake on progress?

Of course most of them love it, they win everything. But I guarantee most of them don't feel the same way as they used too, fans to them clubs are just a number now.

I don't ever want Fulham to be like them, if every club was like Fulham then Fulham would be boring. But there not, they chase the power whilst we chase the dream. There's a big difference and I'm sure some of city fans envy small clubs who have more of a connection to the fans rather than a connection to a global audience

there has been some great comments made on here, and i applaude them all, but i would still like us to aspire to a bit more greatness that just being there.
Thats my lot on it now thank you all.

[dannyboi-ffc]

Do Man City and Chelsea fans love their clubs any less because they have been transformed in recent years  by injections of huge amounts of cash?  The former have also left their traditional home for a new and rather better ground.  Are they less passionate about Man City?  I think the answer is 'No' on both counts.

At what point does nostalgia for a past long and irretrievably gone merely become a brake on progress?

Of course most of them love it, they win everything. But I guarantee most of them don't feel the same way as they used too, fans to them clubs are just a number now.

I don't ever want Fulham to be like them, if every club was like Fulham then Fulham would be boring. But there not, they chase the power whilst we chase the dream. There's a big difference and I'm sure some of city fans envy small clubs who have more of a connection to the fans rather than a connection to a global audience

there has been some great comments made on here, and i applaude them all, but i would still like us to aspire to a bit more greatness that just being there.
Thats my lot on it now thank you all.

I would like us to be at Tottenham 's level, in the Europa league every year but never certain of beating anyone. Dreaming of winning things and still having a season full of up and down emotion. Still being the underdog to their local rivals and getting great satisfaction out of beating them. Hardly ever winning trophies so that they are special if they ever do.

I'd love to be.like that with a 35000 seater craven cottage with a guarantee we never move away but I don't ever want to turn into a club that has more fans around the world than it does in its own city/ surrounding regions.

Man City are no longer a football club to me and I'm sure most of their old skool fans agree. I want to be successful but not at all costs, I love the club to much for that. .

[Tony]

Go up or not I'm enjoying this season for the first time in a couple of seasons,its enjoyable ,proper football like when I watched as a young man.

:plus one:

Would you supporters prefer Fulham in a lower division (eg Championship) and winning more games than we lose, or in a higher division (eg Premier) but losing more games than we win?
I have seen Fulham in all 4 divisions.
But I remember it was great fun watching Malcolm MacDonalds team nearly get promotion by trying to win every game, simply by scoring more goals than the opposition.
When we reached the FA Cup final, it was extra special because we were in division 2.
And the excitement of wondering if Tigana's team could be undefeated for the whole of the season.
I blame myself for the 1 - 0 defeat by Preston North End because I went with friends who were PNE supporters, and I stood with them at the "wrong" end. Sorry about that.
Maybe I regard Fulham as a "small" club and so dont have the expectations of the "big" clubs such as ManU, Liverpool, Spurs, etc
But those rare successes are so much more enjoyable.
With Kit improving the team, I now have a smile on my face. And I guess I would rather have a smile on my face in the Championship, than a frown in the Premier.
Is that wrong, and am I being a "half empty" supporter?

[Neil D]

But those rare successes are so much more enjoyable.
With Kit improving the team, I now have a smile on my face. And I guess I would rather have a smile on my face in the Championship, than a frown in the Premier.
Is that wrong, and am I being a "half empty" supporter?

It's not wrong but being comfortably mediocre in the Championship doesn't generate a great deal of passion.  But neither does getting a regular drubbing in the Premiership.  However, a victory in the top tier over, say West Brom, clearly has the edge over a win against Huddersfield.  The highs are more intense and the lows more devastating.  By the time you've been relegated from the Championship you're probably past caring.