Credits where its due

[BedsFFC]

Having read many posts on here deriding our club's recent transfer process over the past couple of years, I really feel that the last two windows have done brilliantly in not only bringing players that seem to be starting to achieve their potential but also in bringing personalities that seem to be a really good fit for the club (Chris Martin aside, obviously)

They haven't all quite made the grade yet but I think you'd struggle to find a season where we have bought in transfers that have had such a positive impact.

They do seem to tick the boxes.

I have noticed that even the most vehement doom mongers appear to be posting on more 'positive' angles.

We are quick to complain and I think its important we praise as well. Club's feeling really good again.

[Snibbo]

 :plus one:

[Lighthouse]

January was an awful let down. Had we brought in a starter striker having lost so many in the last year then we might be closer to our goal of promotion. But yes we have done very well with the type of players we have brought in.

[dannyboi-ffc]

The summer window has turned out to be one of the best we've ever had. We made a profit on Ross who most of us knew had to go. We cleared out all of the dead wood and without spending silly money, we signed some outstanding players. We lost Dembele and Hyndman but what can you do if there's a good contract on the table and players refuse to sign it, you can't blame the club for that.

We also signed players to fit a system instead of signing players just because they were a good player. Considering the amount of ins I think I can forgive the club for making a clear mistake with Sig and Jozabed. It's a shame they cost so much but it's the chance you take.

We only have 2 loans, I say 2 because I will be shocked if Piazon doesn't turn into a permanent.  Which means we are building a team instead of throwing one together season by season.

We signed the right balance to ensure we could bring through players like Sess and not block their path with quantity over quality.


However.....

Last 2 windows I would have to disagree.  January was a mixed bag. We kept everyone which was great. We offloaded the likes of Jozabed and Kavanagh which made sense. But the club knew in December the Martin situation and I feel we failed to do enough to do 'what it takes' to make the playoffs.

I'm not saying we should have spent money. I quite like the fact we are sensible with our finances. But are you telling me the best loan available was Cyriac? Are you telling me LVC, Tunnicliffe, Woodrow and Smith had to leave without replacements?

The club took a massive gamble in January. If Johansen had got injured then LVC and Tunnicliffe have that energy to fill in. Woodrow or Smith could have been an option, welll at least better than no option at all. But now we are in a position  where it feels as though, 1 key injury and we are finished because there's no backup.

Petsos.....what a waste of time.

Summer window 9/10 (striker short)
January window 4/10

[toshes mate]

Club's feeling really good again.

That's a feeling I have had for the whole time since SJ first arrived, although the end of last season was a little tough to bear.  It doesn't mean I will stop complaining about the silly things that go on behind the scenes but I do so in the spirit of trying to make things better by getting behind SJ and the whole team.   I certainly feel we are now delivering something of the promise I saw back last winter; I am just amazed and delighted we have recovered so very quickly under SJ. 

[BedsFFC]

are you telling me the best loan available was Cyriac? Are you telling me LVC, Tunnicliffe, Woodrow and Smith had to leave without replacements?

Petsos.....what a waste of time.

Dan, its comments like that against Petsos that turn me off. I don't understand how sensible quality posters put a comment like that.

What I would say in response to your comment about Petsos and Cyriac is I saw exactly the same comments (possibly including you) about Kabano and to a lesser extent Ayite. I have a feeling that Cyriac will develop to be a cult hero for Fulham.
Put it this way. Right now, given a choice between a £9m Chris Martin or a £12m Ross McCormack, I'd rather have Cyriac in the team. Was he the best available? Only time will tell.

[bill taylors apprentice]

Am I happy?   YES !

Even when MAF took over and money was available with no restrictions promotion wasn't instantaneous proving spending power doesn't guarantee success.

Being realistic the players brought in this season and the work of the coaching staff  have given us a good team that has potential beyond the present level, credit to the coaching staff for achieving improvement with what they have been given.

But lets not give too much credit to the club as its taken too many windows to get to this stage and I don't agree about using the words "done brilliantly for the last two windows".

"Brilliant" would have been if we signed a quality CF who fitted the description you gave about having the right personality and a commanding CH to play alongside Kalas.

But yes we are moving in the right direction at last and enjoying the ride.

I do agree that dismissing a player before he's even played a couple of games detracts from any ones argument!

[dannyboi-ffc]

are you telling me the best loan available was Cyriac? Are you telling me LVC, Tunnicliffe, Woodrow and Smith had to leave without replacements?

Petsos.....what a waste of time.

Dan, its comments like that against Petsos that turn me off. I don't understand how sensible quality posters put a comment like that.

What I would say in response to your comment about Petsos and Cyriac is I saw exactly the same comments (possibly including you) about Kabano and to a lesser extent Ayite. I have a feeling that Cyriac will develop to be a cult hero for Fulham.
Put it this way. Right now, given a choice between a £9m Chris Martin or a £12m Ross McCormack, I'd rather have Cyriac in the team. Was he the best available? Only time will tell.

Unlike Cyriac Petsos hasn't played football for his parent club all season. He also hasn't played for us and is either not good enough for the squad or injured. Imo given that it's just a loan with no long term view involved like there was with the investment of Kebano, then yes I feel Petsos has been a pointless signing and a waste of time when we should have signed 2 strikers instead and kept LVC as cover for midfield.

I'm happy to give any player a chance but if the manager doesn't want to include them then it's hard to come to any other verdict, at least for me it is anyway. 

There's no point debating the quality of the Petsos loan though. Although your thread is based around the windows, I feel the point of it is to highlight how far we've come and to suggest were in a good place. Well I second that and as a supporter I couldn't be happier right now. Joka has signed a new deal and things are always on the up now. If we miss the playoffs then we will be top 2 next season.

COYW!

[FPT]

What doesn't get spoken about positively is the length of contracts players are getting. We signed a 24 year old Neeskens Kebano and have him contracted to us for four years, three of which is "guaranteed." The same contract went to a 27 year old Floyd Ayite.

Stefan Johansen was 25 when signed and tied down until he's 28. Jozabed the same age on the same deal.

Tom Cairney was 23 when we signed him, on that same contract, we've still potentially got him until 2020.

I think it's been a big part of the "relegation regime," even more so in the past couple of years, to ensure our talent is contracted to us for the foreseeable future. Of course, there were 'issues' with Patrick Roberts and Moussa Dembele: which moreso translates to them not wanting to sign new contracts, and you can't force them too.

Marcus Bettinelli signed a four year deal in 2015, Cauley Woodrow signed a three year deal in the same year with a club option extension for a year. Stephen Humphrys is here until 2019 (with a club option), Sean Kavanagh (whatever you may feel about him) signed a three year deal in 2015. I hope Lasse Vigen Christensen will be tied down for longer than the one year he signed in the summer. George Williams signed a three year deal in 2015 with a club option to 2019.

Anyway. Length of contracts are good. I like it. There's the short version of above.

[snarks]

I understood Pestos was injured, not sure about now, but I won't damn him until either he's played a bit or he goes back.

[dannyboi-ffc]

Litmanen was not a bad player so please don't mistake "he's crap" to "he's a waste of time"

I'm happy to be proved wrong but Litmanen never played, was injured a lot and was a waste of time. Petsos may come good but if he takes as long as Kebano to settle then Werder Bremen will get a great player in around June/July.

There's only 2 months left of the season, so far he's done nothing to suggest he was better to have than LVC or Tunnicliffe. Not his fault but that wasn't the point I was making

[Twig]

Having read many posts on here deriding our club's recent transfer process over the past couple of years, I really feel that the last two windows have done brilliantly in not only bringing players that seem to be starting to achieve their potential but also in bringing personalities that seem to be a really good fit for the club (Chris Martin aside, obviously)

They haven't all quite made the grade yet but I think you'd struggle to find a season where we have bought in transfers that have had such a positive impact.

They do seem to tick the boxes.

I have noticed that even the most vehement doom mongers appear to be posting on more 'positive' angles.

We are quick to complain and I think its important we praise as well. Club's feeling really good again.

I can't agree, at least not fully.  Summer window; very good, winter window; very poor.

On the Petsos issue, the longer his absence continues the more you have to agree with Danny.  Time is fast running out for him to have any positive impact at all on our season.

[nose]

Having read many posts on here deriding our club's recent transfer process over the past couple of years, I really feel that the last two windows have done brilliantly in not only bringing players that seem to be starting to achieve their potential but also in bringing personalities that seem to be a really good fit for the club (Chris Martin aside, obviously)

They haven't all quite made the grade yet but I think you'd struggle to find a season where we have bought in transfers that have had such a positive impact.

They do seem to tick the boxes.

I have noticed that even the most vehement doom mongers appear to be posting on more 'positive' angles.

We are quick to complain and I think its important we praise as well. Club's feeling really good again.

What you say is true. The problem at the last window is we needed some reinforcement, we are lacking in one or two areas and in a bit of depth. we have been lucky with injuries and suspensions, but that may not last. But otherwise we have cleary got a much better selection of players BUT the main thing is a brilliant manager.

[bog]

 :plus one:

092.gif

[Bassey the warrior]

January was an awful let down. Had we brought in a starter striker having lost so many in the last year then we might be closer to our goal of promotion. But yes we have done very well with the type of players we have brought in.

I agree. Great summer window but they failed in January. Unfortunately most of our play off rivals bought strikers at the same time.
If we still get promoted they can be praised for being shrewd in the market but if we fail they will be an obvious scapegoat for not giving Joka the tools needed.