D-Day for Symons as he tries to 'blow it'!

[Nick Bateman]

Kit Symons scored an 'own goal' by not treating one of Fulham's few tournaments seriously, to the embarassment of all supporters and jeopardising his future position as permanent manager.

Rene Meulensteen made the same fundemental error - progressing to the latter stages of a cup competition only to throw away his chances by fielding essentially a "reserve" team.  His Fulham could have beaten a lower division 10-man Sheffield Utd away, when the ref was favouring us, instead going to a replay and then playing his whole FIRST team only to lose with the help of a hostile official.  That result contributed to RM getting the sack a few weeks later, and I fear this twisted logic to play your 'kids' to rest the main squad is flawed reasoning.

At the beginning of these cup knockouts, one can understand not playing one's best team, trying out some fringe players, experimenting with various systems.  But when your team has progressed to the last 16, and you have home advantage, you MUST take the competition seriously.  Particularly when the board are meeting in the same week to decide your fate as manager and there is little on your CV.

Although he played the reserves it was one of the senior members who started the rot against a full strength Derby.  Hoogland, for no intelligent reason, handballed just before half-time, giving the opposition a big moral lift.  He continued to allow the Derby winger to cut inside to create havoc, although I saw the problem playing the defensive lightweight Paddy Roberts who offered no help to Hoogland's wing.

The result was deflating, and left me and many genuine Fulham fans angry we had been let down by Symons' crazy team selection, and he may pay for his folly.

Our CEO, Ali Mack the "Vote No" Scot, is in exactly the same position as he was when he sacked RM.  Meulensteen was starting management for the first time, as is Symons, had a few bizarre results, and Mackintosh is determined to impress our multi-billionaire owner somehow.  Khan knows so little about football he makes Mohamed Al Fayed look like the 'Statto'.  

Ali Mack has assembled a motley crew of advisors: Danny Murphy, Niall Quinn (?) among others have the mandate to decide whether Symons stays in charge or they bring in an 'experienced' coach, as AM did before with the Felix Magath appointment.  Chris Hughton, Steve Clarke, even Steve Bruce have been touted to take over.

I fear, much of the good KS has achieved in a short time may be undermined or even dismantled by assigning a new gaffer.  Someone who does not even know the players taking charge mid-season is a risky gamble indeed.  But Fulham are so spoilt for choice, we have one of the richest owner's in football, the highest wage bill in the championship; we can buy almost any manager available.

My prediction is, the board will appoint a wise old head as a back-up, someone like Chris Hughton who has succeeded in getting two clubs promoted to the Premier League as advisor/understudy/manager-in-waiting to Kit Symons, as they did before when Meulensteen was in charge.

Symons unfortunately shot himself and Fulham in the foot with his dopey league cup campaign and the alarm bells have been raised for the meddling Ali Mack to attempt to impress his know-nothing boss.

[terryr]

I was wondering when you were going to toss your usual hand grenade.

[BishopsParkFantastic]

I have to agree concerning Kit's team choice and decision making during the game against Derby. Last 16 of a cup competition, you need to get the team balance right, and go out to win. Teams take home 45% of the gate money for the Capital Cup - get a match against Chelsea or Spurs, that's a lot of money.....as well as testing the players! Kit had a bad night of it, and I did feel great disappointment when I attended the match.

Let's hope Kit has learned the lesson from the Derby match, and that he appointments his own back-room team without interference. I wouldn't mind seeing a Director of Football if it was Huw Jennings, to take some of general team / player management off Kit's shoulders.

[Andy S]

I think you may as well bow out at the first hurdle than come this far and field a very weak team

[Fulham1959]

It would be interesting to read your CV, Nick, in relation to professional football  -  and then compare it with Kit's.

The same goes for quite a few posters on this forum when they complain about the manager's so-called naivety, poor choice and timing of substitutes, tactical mistakes etc.  The fact that Kit is the one at the 'coal face', sees the players in training, knows them in regard to ability and temperament, has all the scouts' reports on the opposing team, etc., etc. is, I suppose irrelevant.

[Mokes]

You post some insane nonsense. Were you not the person who at the start of the season saying that we are the Manchester United of the South, and that all teams will fear us and that we WILL be top of the table by Christmas?


With the position we're in the league we are in no position to be committing our resources to the pointless cup. It's not the FA cup, or the Europa league where getting to the last 16 is a big achievement. We beat Brentford when Felix was desperate for a win, I'm  sure he would have happily traded that win for one in the league. And we beat league 1 Doncaster with a newly appointed manager looking to get his first win, when our game record was 0-1-7. Since that night our record has been 4-1-1 and we are making some real progress up the table.

Battling out a hard fought game against the league leaders with our first team, 4 days before a huge game v Wigan is madness. If we won, our prize was tired players for the weekend and another even more brutal fixure against Chelsea a few days between Leeds and Sheffield. If we had a ground out a narrow loss our  prize is being as equally knocked out of the competition as we are now as well as having tired players for a much much more important game.

You do realise Kit was officially appointed yesterday?

[Neil D]

If we won, our prize was tired players for the weekend and another even more brutal fixure against Chelsea a few days between Leeds and Sheffield. If we had a ground out a narrow loss our  prize is being as equally knocked out of the competition as we are now as well as having tired players for a much much more important game.

You do realise Kit was officially appointed yesterday?

I don't much mourn our exit from the Capital Cup, so broadly agree with your post.  Had we been in a more comfortable league position, then I think we should have committed a stronger side to the fixture but circumstances dictated otherwise, as you say.  I do think Kit already knew the job was his before the game, otherwise he wouldn't have risked all he has achieved thus far and lose out to Hughton or Clarke over a relatively unimportant fixture. 

[ToodlesMcToot]

[Nick Bateman]

In all probability, Symons must have heard he would be appointed as sole manager to play such a pathetic selection unlike our away opponents Derby who rightly, at this stage of the competition, went for it.

Regardless of what I expected some of you who think the later stages of cup competitions merits are, Kit now has a damaging defeat on his CV to add to hardly anything else.  When the "Vote No" Scot reviews at the end of the season it WILL be a factor among everything achieved in the league.  On the other hand, had we beaten Derby and further taken advantage of our home fixture and put out a similar Chelsea that narrowly scraped past the Shrews, we might well have been looking at a place in the League Cup final.

Fulham are the "Manchester United of the South" and I never said we will be top at Christmas, but I demanded that as the MINIMUM requirement.  Manchester United had a "David Moyes" once and at the time, so did we!!

[simplyfulham]

There are too many games to be able to play the same 11 week in week out.

You have to rotate in this league.

We suffered up at Boro' from not rotating.

The only odd selections in the side were giving Arthurworrey his debut and playing Kiraly. You still had plenty of experience out there, and even Arthurworrey's first 45 mins was pretty decent.

You can't put the game down to the selection, that's rubbish. Derby showed why they are probably the best side in the division.

[MGBadrock]

Capital One Cup? Straight up......I don't care.

3 games in the next week....that's where its at. 3 LEAGUE games. We are still in 20th. At this stage, we can't afford more and more games. We don't have the squad depth (clearly) to cope with that.

By the way, take away that Hoogland handball just before half time and I honestly think we would have won.

Despite the result, it was exciting to see Arthurworry, Roberts & co out there.

I wonder, if we played a better side against Derby and won....then went to Wigan and lost with a tired team. I wonder what people would be saying then? It seems Kit just can't win.

[Mokes]

In all probability, Symons must have heard he would be appointed as sole manager to play such a pathetic selection unlike our away opponents Derby who rightly, at this stage of the competition, went for it.

Regardless of what I expected some of you who think the later stages of cup competitions merits are, Kit now has a damaging defeat on his CV to add to hardly anything else.  When the "Vote No" Scot reviews at the end of the season it WILL be a factor among everything achieved in the league.  On the other hand, had we beaten Derby and further taken advantage of our home fixture and put out a similar Chelsea that narrowly scraped past the Shrews, we might well have been looking at a place in the League Cup final.

Fulham are the "Manchester United of the South" and I never said we will be top at Christmas, but I demanded that as the MINIMUM requirement.  Manchester United had a "David Moyes" once and at the time, so did we!!

So you're saying that a (capital one) cup loss is such a "damaging defeat" on his CV, yet almost immediately stopping the rot of what was a 0-1-7 start to the season, overseeing a complete 180 regarding the players attitudes and commitment as well as the whole atmosphere surrounding the cottage from both fans and media and winning 4 of the next 6 (Including a win over the then league leaders Norwich) as well as getting an away draw while rotating the squad is "Hardly anything else". For Christ sake since since kit took over our league form has us sitting second in the league with the second best goal difference (only shaded by Bournemouth who put 8 past Birmingham). That's impressive on it's own even if you don't take into account the state of the club when he came in.

 

[akf]

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Thanks, I needed that

[HillingdonFFC]

Good luck at Chelsea Derby, so glad we didnt get through, now dont have to suffer getting dicked by them yet again, and having to put with the p*ss taking as we struggle to shift about half of 6000 tickets

[MasterHaynes]

It would be interesting to read your CV, Nick, in relation to professional football  -  and then compare it with Kit's.

The same goes for quite a few posters on this forum when they complain about the manager's so-called naivety, poor choice and timing of substitutes, tactical mistakes etc.  The fact that Kit is the one at the 'coal face', sees the players in training, knows them in regard to ability and temperament, has all the scouts' reports on the opposing team, etc., etc. is, I suppose irrelevant.

I'm guessing that you are inferring Kit can be the first manager to make no mistakes or bad calls then?

[snarks]

More worried about the league than the capital one cup. If Fulham had double the points, I'd be saying play a weakened team to give some younger players experience, promotion is more important.

As it is with the points we have, I'm saying play a weakened team give the younger players experience, points are more important.

Do you spot a pattern? From my vast football knowledge of managing professional clubs (sarcasm) I think Kit got it right, it taught him a lot about fringe players against good opposition in a competative environment, and shouldn't harm the confidence going forward.

I love to see Fulham get to a final, but at this stage I'm more concerned about getting up the table.

[Wimbledon_White]

Nick Bateman =  :hook:

[The Rock]

I usually agree with a fair bit of what Bateman says, but this is old news and lesson learnt and he said it himself. FM basically did this 20 times on the trot and went off the deep end which got him sacked. I don't see Kit being so daft.

[RPhillips]

"We can buy any manager"? Dream on -- with our reputation for shambolic governance and having an essentially unknown and untested owner who has yet to demonstrate a solid, long-term financial commitment to the club, we're in no position at this juncture to attract the best and brightest managers, upcoming or otherwise. The size of the cheque being waved about is irrelevant -- to top-quality candidates, that is -- if the beckoning organisation lacks credibility. 

[TonyGilroy]

I usually agree with a fair bit of what Bateman says,

Really?

That doesn't worry you in any way?