3,000th post

[nose]

For my 300th I had intended a great work... something to get ones teeth into but with all the stuff at FIFA and the video on the Fulham web site I am just a bit dispirited about the general state of the world.
I want Fulham to rise again like Phoenix from the ashes but the video we saw whilst welcome was hardly inspiring. I want football to be the beautiful game and somehow it needs the Americans who call it 'soccer' to clean up the world's ruling body.
I will be 60 later this year and am still playing and learning. I try to instil in the youngers players the love of the game and its artistry, not to win at all costs but to become so good that winning is the inevitable consequence.
I loathe what has happened in football. All the cheating, the rolling around, the falling over at the merest touch of another player, the bizarrely poor refereeing, the obviously corrupt FIFA and dubious UEFA and British authorities. The unevehanded attitude towards big players, the fact Man Utd and Liverpool got away with the Tevez and Mascaranao incidents, not to mention West Ham being allowed to survive and sheff Utd punished for an act of extreme corruption and yet Luton relegated to the conference. I hate it because we are no better here thatn FIFA in many ways.
Too much money in football is a disaster for the beauty of the game.
I renewed my season ticket with least confidence and optimism of any season; I foresee mediocrity at best for us for many years to come. Last season for the first time ever I failed to attend an away game. I love nothing more than supporting Fulham  but the current management are taking most of the fun out of it, not Kit he is clearly doing his best, but the senior management.
I still love playing and will continue until i can't or until nobody wants to join me.
I want the owner to show up a bit more often and to be one of us, in it together. Not every week but certainly more often, otherwise what is he doing it for, because he surely will not make money from us.
I had planned a light hearted humorous piece, but I am not feeling light of heart.
I have been a season ticket holder for  over 50 years, my children were given no option as to what club was acceptable for them, perhaps the club should ask me directly how I see life and try to re-enthuse me, what i do not want is music when and if we score a goal!!!

[Nick Bateman]

For my 300th I had intended a great work... something to get ones teeth into but with all the stuff at FIFA and the video on the Fulham web site I am just a bit dispirited about the general state of the world.
I want Fulham to rise again like Phoenix from the ashes but the video we saw whilst welcome was hardly inspiring. I want football to be the beautiful game and somehow it needs the Americans who call it 'soccer' to clean up the world's ruling body.
I will be 60 later this year and am still playing and learning. I try to instil in the youngers players the love of the game and its artistry, not to win at all costs but to become so good that winning is the inevitable consequence.
I loathe what has happened in football. All the cheating, the rolling around, the falling over at the merest touch of another player, the bizarrely poor refereeing, the obviously corrupt FIFA and dubious UEFA and British authorities. The unevehanded attitude towards big players, the fact Man Utd and Liverpool got away with the Tevez and Mascaranao incidents, not to mention West Ham being allowed to survive and sheff Utd punished for an act of extreme corruption and yet Luton relegated to the conference. I hate it because we are no better here thatn FIFA in many ways.
Too much money in football is a disaster for the beauty of the game.
I renewed my season ticket with least confidence and optimism of any season; I foresee mediocrity at best for us for many years to come. Last season for the first time ever I failed to attend an away game. I love nothing more than supporting Fulham  but the current management are taking most of the fun out of it, not Kit he is clearly doing his best, but the senior management.
I still love playing and will continue until i can't or until nobody wants to join me.
I want the owner to show up a bit more often and to be one of us, in it together. Not every week but certainly more often, otherwise what is he doing it for, because he surely will not make money from us.
I had planned a light hearted humorous piece, but I am not feeling light of heart.
I have been a season ticket holder for  over 50 years, my children were given no option as to what club was acceptable for them, perhaps the club should ask me directly how I see life and try to re-enthuse me, what i do not want is music when and if we score a goal!!!

A GREAT piece Nose, written by someone who's view should be respected in the veteran stages of experience.  I too am getting disillusioned with how football has changed and also, in comparison to other sports such as cricket, rugby, tennis, only football only encourages this constant 'play-actinmg' to profit.

As for Fulham, the demise of our Premier League status was and is a difficult blow to deal with, and I firmly believe Al Fayed would never have allowed even when he wanted to sell the club.  One can only hope that more ambition and urgency is shown at the top - one cannot be satisfied languishing midway in the lower leagues as so many Northerners seem content with.

We shall see what fruits the summer brings, a couple of exciting signings could change many people's outlooks and revitalise interest in the club we all hold dearly.

[Holders]

A good piece, nose, and you didn't use the R-word once!

[Twig]

Dear god I so agree about the music when we score point (and quite a bit more besides).

[nose]

thank you for the replies... i notice some of the people i usually bicker with have kept away.

i unconditionally have an afinity with all fulham supporters but I cannot see why a few on here defend the indefensible. Regarding Kit, I am happy he weill be our manager and would have understood if he was changed. I thought he was dropped in it at the start and probably deserves a proper chance BUT I agree with the critics that some (lots) of what he did was troubling.. but I am not gunning for him and do not think he deserves or deserved quite the vitriol and i suggest they calm themselves.

I found the recent three man video worrying for what wasn't said and i would like to hear from the owner as to his true ambition for us. When MAF came i upped my season ticket allocation from two to five because I could see what was coming... now i suspect I do not need to worry about having enough tickets for all the games, the crowds will start to drop dramatically unless we show some class on the field. And the owner has to be clear what time scale he is imagining for us to make a challenge for promotion. from what i heard i cannot imagine that will be soon.

i really don't think that is unreasonable.