I don't want promotion this year

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

Several reasons.

Whatever happens between now and May and whoever (if anyone) is brought in I don't think we'd be ready
to do anything other than struggle again to stay up.

How many teams go up amidst the euphoria of promotion with all of the players (and everyone else) really
excited about the future, street parades, increased gates etc.      We Know we've been there.

Then quite often one of four things happen.

1/. The players that got the club promotion are given a chance and aren't good enough.
    The club can't afford any 'decent' players and .........back down again

2/. Teams like 'Hot Harry's X1' spend fortunes to get promoted and stay up but because in reality they have a "tepid or even cold Harry" they struggle even with a huge wage bill and a 'star studded team'

3/.  Clubs invest fortunes on new players, which unfortunately means that some of the promoted players get tossed aside and three months after the elation and champagne drinking, they end up transferred to a lower league club to start again.

4/.   Or,  like we did, limp along, teetering with relegation and mid-table insignificance, punching above our weight but with a few high points like beating the top teams (I don't think there are any we didn't beat at some stage - although Chelsea was only once) and the low point of expectation, being beaten at home by 'crap team'
And then of course the Europa run, no doubt the high point of all of our Fulham supporting careers.

Regarding us, there is no doubt that many of our youngsters aren't ready.  Maybe Betts, LVC, Woodrow, Kavanagh are ready.
But Dembele, Roberts, G Williams  Grimmer, Burn, Hyndman et al aren't quite ready yet to be regular starters..  (I haven't included Stafy, Tunnicliffe or Kaka)

But, another year in the CL and assuming that Kit gets the right blend until the end of the season, enough to keep us up, (of which I have no doubts) if those youngsters get plenty of 'game time' this season and a full season next year they could very easily 'do a Southampton'  beginning in 18 months time.

Also, this is why I don't really want any new 'super players' brought in this window so that we run the risk of promotion which I know is perhaps a strange thing to say, but not in my daft mind  :0)

Anything that slows down their development is a negative thing, although there is little we can do against predators.
Southampton however with their structure, despite losing a few of their top youngsters are doing better than ever this season and hopefully our set up has the depth to sustain that quality of achievement.

Teams like Chelsea, Man City etc. have  fantastic youth set ups, but how many of those talented piglets ever see first team action ?
If I was a youngster in the position our young 'uns are I think I'd rather be a big fish in a smaller team than a blowfish in Hooty Morinho's  team

[BestOfBrede]

That's a bit of luck then, Roger
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[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

That's a bit of luck then, Roger
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  :005::005:

[St Eve]

i wouldn't lose any sleep over it!
Unfortunately without promotion our talented youngsters will move into the premiership. And yes they may sit on the bench but money and ambition talks

[valdeingruo]

I would be more than  happy with no incoming transfers as long as the website shows all of our youngsters signing long term deals.

[ToodlesMcToot]

We need to stay in the Championship another season for the young players but, at least as important, for the manager. Let's not forget that he needs the experience as well.

If Kit is going to be our man, then he also needs to show growth and progression, and prove that he's more than a manager that players like to play for. If he doesn't get the opportunity to do that, then we won't be attracting the right players when we do get to the PL.

[Irelands_number1]

I'm actually not that fond of the premiership but seeing as I've moved home I'd rather we went back up.
Simply so I can see every game again.

I think it's important for the club to hang onto its overseas fans (not sure what they're actually worth in terms of revenue) and to hang on to the players we've put so much effort into developing. We didn't develop them for the championship.

And regards the young players position , remember a move for these lads can be worth half a mil in signing on fee alone. Lot of money to say no too in your early 20s

[fulhamben]

Fear not, we won't get promoted under kit

[mccscratch]

I genuinely miss being able to watch us play on TV or even streams with frequency... I never missed a game the last few seasons... now... I get maybe 1 a month...

[Artful Dodger]

Fear not, we won't get promoted under kit

We might have done if he had been in charge from the start of the season based on points per game since then.

Personally, if we are good enough to go up, then why not. I do think going in to every game thinking you have a chance to win rather than can we get a 0-0 (and then after 10 minutes hoping we can keep the score below 4 or 5) is more fun but what's the point of not striving to be the best and settling for the 2nd tier??

[mccscratch]

Fear not, we won't get promoted under kit

We might have done if he had been in charge from the start of the season based on points per game since then.

Personally, if we are good enough to go up, then why not. I do think going in to every game thinking you have a chance to win rather than can we get a 0-0 (and then after 10 minutes hoping we can keep the score below 4 or 5) is more fun but what's the point of not striving to be the best and settling for the 2nd tier??

Another thing that is great about promotion to the Premier League this year? It means we can't possibly be playing in League 1 until at least 2018...

[NogoodBoyo]

We won't get it and I agree with you.
Nogood "all good points, isit" Boyo

[BestOfBrede]

 064.gif
3-0 up
Just about hang on..
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No chance under current management!
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Sorry, but what the poojubby was said at half time? .. Don't worry lads carry on!

Jeez kit wake up man!

Youve been lucky thus far - I hope for your sake it continues!

[Andy S]

I'll take it whenever it comes

[rockieroad]

If promotion is possible you grab onto with both hands and maybe even a foot. You can't really worry about those things. If a youngster isn't ready you bench/loan/sell/wait for (give him opportunities to shine) him. Selling our promising players to other clubs is just comes with the territory of being a football club. The key is taking the money and REIMBURSING the team with it. Reimbursing comes with potential flops/duds but once again that's just the life of a football club. People act like Southampton have all youth guys in their starting 11 when they clearly don't (last game - 2 out of 11). It would be great to have our youth guys flourishing in the bpl in Fulham shirts but it's impossible to wait for 20+ guys to be ready when the time comes. 

Fortunately I highly doubt we'll come close to promotion.

[Woolly Mammoth]

I don't think Fulham FC or you and I or any other supporter are in a position to pick and choose when we get promotion, it does not work like that. We must take the opportunity if and when it presents it's self, as opportunities are few and far between. You cannot be too fussy. Otherwise you could be waiting another century for the opportunity to come round again.

[Jonaldiniho 88]

Very sensible post for you roger but you have echoed my thoughts to a word. If we got promoted we would come straight back down. To succeed you need a team that are excelling in the championship and we aren't. If we got promoted we would bump up players wages, bring in some more expensive players and if we came back down these players would probably leave, leaving us to start again. If we have a great season next year, get our prospects playing well in a system that could work in any division and come into the league off a good season with a winning mentality we have a better chance of staying up.

[Mokes]

064.gif
3-0 up
Just about hang on..
079.gif
No chance under current management!
fp.gif
Sorry, but what the poojubby was said at half time? .. Don't worry lads carry on!

Jeez kit wake up man!

Youve been lucky thus far - I hope for your sake it continues!

So when we were 3-0 up against  Wednesday a few weeks back, there was no chance that we could have held on with the management team we had?

[Jonaldiniho 88]

064.gif
3-0 up
Just about hang on..
079.gif
No chance under current management!
fp.gif
Sorry, but what the poojubby was said at half time? .. Don't worry lads carry on!

Jeez kit wake up man!

Youve been lucky thus far - I hope for your sake it continues!

So when we were 3-0 up against  Wednesday a few weeks back, there was no chance that we could have held on with the management team we had?

We shouldn't hang on in a game when we are 3-0 up. We did today. That is really poor. Good teams win 1-0. We are not that team. I'm not criticising today's game but a 3-0 lead should be unassailable but as today has shown it's not. We need then clean sheets from now till the end of the season for me to believe we are on the right track. It's simple; don't concede and we get a point. A 35 minute hat trick and we are holding on tells me we ain't right or defending well.

[Mokes]

064.gif
3-0 up
Just about hang on..
079.gif
No chance under current management!
fp.gif
Sorry, but what the poojubby was said at half time? .. Don't worry lads carry on!

Jeez kit wake up man!

Youve been lucky thus far - I hope for your sake it continues!

So when we were 3-0 up against  Wednesday a few weeks back, there was no chance that we could have held on with the management team we had?

We shouldn't hang on in a game when we are 3-0 up. We did today. That is really poor. Good teams win 1-0. We are not that team. I'm not criticising today's game but a 3-0 lead should be unassailable but as today has shown it's not. We need then clean sheets from now till the end of the season for me to believe we are on the right track. It's simple; don't concede and we get a point. A 35 minute hat trick and we are holding on tells me we ain't right or defending well.

You do realise that the teams we are playing against are training just as hard actively trying to win the games too? They don't just turn up. We have no divine right to shut out any opposition. One of their goals was a free kick from 25 yards and a great strike... Teams coming back from deficits is not an uncommon thing. Especially from teams that are further up the league then their opponents. That team beat Derby in Derby last week. We showed great determination to win the game when they had the ascendancy. As the old song goes, we're not Real Madrid, we're not Barcelona.. We're a mid table championship club who until Kit took over were rock bottom of the league.

I'm sure Kit did not say, you know what we're 3 nil up now lets have a nap. The fact he took off Parker and replaced him with Bryan is evidence that he wanted us to take the game to them and score more goals. The point I was making is that BoB above says that there is no chance that we are able to hold on to a 3-0 league with the current management team, when in fact the last time we had a 3-0 lead with this management team, we went on to win 4-0.

We haven't been defending well for about 3 years, we're doing what we can with who we have. Kit's in his first window, it's up to him to get the right players to fix it and I'm sure he will.