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

[Rupert]

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

Really?

That doesn't worry you in any way?

:005:

Personally I like reading Mr Bateman's ravings, but I am convinced it is someone on a wind-up, not some lunatic's genuine rambling thoughts. They are very well constructed, but not to be taken seriously.

[Nick Bateman]

Money talks louded than anything in this industry.  If you were say Steve Bruce, would you stay at Hull earning £2million a year on a 2 year contract, or move to Fulham for £5million a year on a 4 year contract!??   Who wants to be in Hull anyway?

[bucksfulham]

I knew before I read anything that this thread by Bateman would be tosh. I swore I'd never bother reading any of his posts. I can see why! Why oh why did I start reading Never again. What a wind-up merchant he is.

[Nick Bateman]

Problem is, I always credited Fulham fans being smarter than those of our counterparts down the road squatting in our 'patch'.  But lately some of the replies I seem to receive either do not read what I write properly, or have decided to disagree with whatever I say, and invent the lines or meaning in between.

I knew before I read anything that this thread by Bateman would be tosh. I swore I'd never bother reading any of his posts. I can see why! Why oh why did I start reading Never again. What a wind-up merchant he is.

Exactly what I said above.  Sadly a few Fulham fans are as bad as the typical ones in blue down the road.  They either do not read many words well, wishing to play with their I-pad or something, or have failed to use their cognitive abilities for a long time.

As I said, at the latter stages of the League Cup it IS worth playing a proper team, as Derby did.  Meulensteen made the same error, as I pointed out, and then played his full team in the replay only to go out, because of the reasons aforementioned.  Rene got knocked out the cup to a lower league team, got the sack a few weeks later, and Fulham got relegated.

I knew many would back up Kit Symons' terrible selection after we lost, as I've heard this everytime from some who THINK it is the right thing to do.  Had he played a proper team and won, the same people would say "well done Kit".  They have no philosophy, they just agree with whatever the manager does. 

[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.

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

No, I'm not implying that at all.  All managers make mistakes ;  it's just the pundits who never do.

[Jem]

Money talks louded than anything in this industry.  If you were say Steve Bruce, would you stay at Hull earning £2million a year on a 2 year contract, or move to Fulham for £5million a year on a 4 year contract!??   Who wants to be in Hull anyway?

Then again, Mr Bruce may just think, "if it looks too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true".

[Mince n Tatties]

I agree should have played strongest side.
Derby are top going for promotion, so you would think they would have rested
players..No they put out their strongest, whats wrong with people not wanting
to win cups anymore.
You never had this nonsense years ago, everybody wanted to win the
Cups, managers and players to get a medal meant something.

[Jonaldiniho 88]

I don't know about mr nick bateman's personality but his posts do make me laugh. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment but I will post ten OP's with a positive, uncontroversial theme and get no replies (maybe I'm as dull as I feared) but these outlandish post get the boys talking. Nick, you have a point about the team selected but your title for the post is as far from the posts as a Zamora row z. If people keep biting a hook without bait then shame on them. I think your posts are amusing. Let's be honest your usually very very wrong but it all reminds me of jerry springer or something. 

[K33NY]

I agree should have played strongest side.
Derby are top going for promotion, so you would think they would have rested
players..No they put out their strongest, whats wrong with people not wanting
to win cups anymore.
You never had this nonsense years ago, everybody wanted to win the
Cups, managers and players to get a medal meant something.

they didnt play theire strongest they subbed 5 players for to rest them, the problem is that they have a much better quality in team debth overall, Magath never made a build up like that and thats what Kit has to work with

[Mince n Tatties]

I agree should have played strongest side.
Derby are top going for promotion, so you would think they would have rested
players..No they put out their strongest, whats wrong with people not wanting
to win cups anymore.
You never had this nonsense years ago, everybody wanted to win the
Cups, managers and players to get a medal meant something.

they didnt play theire strongest they subbed 5 players for to rest them, the problem is that they have a much better quality in team debth overall, Magath never made a build up like that and thats what Kit has to work with

Nothing to do with it Kit is in charge he could have picked strongest side.
He has half admitted he made a boob when he put team sheet up and
saw Derbys...

[Peabody]

How dare some of you doubt Nick, he is after all, a self-proclaimed football expert. Have you forgotten Nick knows his footie?

[Mince n Tatties]

How dare some of you doubt Nick, he is after all, a self-proclaimed football expert. Have you forgotten Nick knows his footie?

Is this one of your jokes Sir... :005:

[TonyGilroy]

. Have you forgotten Nick knows his footie?

And probably his toesies too.

[Jonaldiniho 88]

I agree should have played strongest side.
Derby are top going for promotion, so you would think they would have rested
players..No they put out their strongest, whats wrong with people not wanting
to win cups anymore.
You never had this nonsense years ago, everybody wanted to win the
Cups, managers and players to get a medal meant something.

they didnt play theire strongest they subbed 5 players for to rest them, the problem is that they have a much better quality in team debth overall, Magath never made a build up like that and thats what Kit has to work with

Nothing to do with it Kit is in charge he could have picked strongest side.
He has half admitted he made a boob when he put team sheet up and
saw Derbys...

Would he have? It was a weak team selection I think we can agree on that. A lot of players in that selection have had very vocal support on this board saying they weren't being given a chance in the team. They had that chance and anyone would have thought after forty minutes it was genius. After ninety it was a huge mistake. Games take ninety mins so it was the latter but boob? No maybe it got fans off his back who thought they knew better.
    Give him a chance. He isn't the first manager not to win a cup with us. He would've actually been the first to have done this feat. This is not directed at the previous post btw but at those who feel similar to that wave of thought (not that you necessarily do).

[Peabody]

How dare some of you doubt Nick, he is after all, a self-proclaimed football expert. Have you forgotten Nick knows his footie?

Is this one of your jokes Sir... :005:


No, someone called Nick Bateman, used to say that he knew his footie

[Mince n Tatties]

This weakened team  nonsense all started out with the start of the Champions League and
the 4 places became more important than winning cups.
A couple of prem managers started fielding weakened sides and all and
Sundry followed suit.
I can understand them doing it sometimes for whats at stake, but not
lower league sides.
If you enter a competition I believe you should try and win it with your
best side.
Nobody thought Birmingham who got relegated would have won it a few
years ago..

[Jonaldiniho 88]

This weakened team  nonsense all started out with the start of the Champions League and
the 4 places became more important than winning cups.
A couple of prem managers started fielding weakened sides and all and
Sundry followed suit.
I can understand them doing it sometimes for whats at stake, but not
lower league sides.
If you enter a competition I believe you should try and win it with your
best side.
Nobody thought Birmingham who got relegated would have won it a few
years ago..

Would brummbies still choose it? Honest question? If they had stayed up and were still up without it what would they choose?
   For one I love the championship. The fans, the realism reminds me of normal life. If you can't afford a massive expenditure then you don't have one. The only and I say only reason for wanting promotion is money and that is a sad state of affairs when you look at the bigger picture. Long live football.

[Nick Bateman]

I agree should have played strongest side.
Derby are top going for promotion, so you would think they would have rested
players..No they put out their strongest, whats wrong with people not wanting
to win cups anymore.
You never had this nonsense years ago, everybody wanted to win the
Cups, managers and players to get a medal meant something.

Some common sense has re-emerged from the lesser thought-out remarks.  Exactly my view!  Fulham do not have Champions' League commitments to "cock a snook" at this trophy, where all this originated a few years ago and idiots like Steve Coppell deemed his lowly Reading to be of the same ilk as Manchester United (he too got relegated after playing his 'kids' and disgracing the cup).

One can imagine the great Johnny Haynes, Graham Leggatt or Tosh Chamberlain being told that today's 25k-a-week are too knackered to play more than 1 game a week because their legs are tired from kicking this 'beach-ball' around, far cry from the 7-pounds, heavy, laced leather ball those greats had to endure.  Imagine if you told them that 19 year-old Raheem Stirling is too tired to wear an England shirt??  Are we all going soft!!??

As for those who have little patience to read a paragraph or two, stick to reading the drivel from Rio Ferdinand on Twitter: you might be more at home there!

[Nick Bateman]

Nick, you have a point about the team selected but your title for the post is as far from the posts as a Zamora row z. 

That was very cruel.... on Zamora!!

[Nick Bateman]

How dare some of you doubt Nick, he is after all, a self-proclaimed football expert. Have you forgotten Nick knows his footie?

Peabody is back from his self-imposed exile after making an alleged 'sexist' joke, reduced to joining Richard Scudamore in humbly apologising to the political-correct "police"!