1st February

[nose]

after the newcastle game I said nothing had changed for us.
we had a great win but 1st Feb loomed large. Or in other words the lack of 'ambition' shown by our board and it has to be said stay away owner, ishurting now as predicted. this looks like macdonalds '83 problem, namely lack of owner investment.
What we saw in the last two games was a squad that is way to thin. with a jaded midfield and team in general, parker injured, there was simply nobody to bring in.

three samey forwards and whilst i love joc he tried kebano/ayite/aluko in the same frontline before with the same outcome... it do not work!
Aluko has to be generally on the right and kebano on the left.
Ayite leaves meseems to be miles out of his depth usually and the odd goal does not make up for lack of consitency.

1st feb killed us, because the owner and his management sat on their hands in January and failed to show any ambition that was needed to see us through to the play offs.

i also think the manager is running out of ideas because he is frankly running out of players. I note smith and woodrow are scoring at their new clubs, whose daft idea was it to let them BOTH go.

This is 1983 repeating I am afraid, we will come close but have been shot in the foot by a short sighted management.

I know when I said this a few days ago the 'usual' and the 100ish post merchants came to attack me.... but hey ho I ave seen it all before, this tome hurts more because we are so close and have just started to throw it all away, one pooint from two home games and dreadful performances is not gid enough after the win at newcastle.

the owner and board should hang their heads in shame.

[nose]

Agree with some of this but had to stop reading at the comment about Ayite. He looked a class above anyone else on the pitch today. When teams defend resolutely in numbers like we so often face, it is the dummies, backheels and skill he offers that will unlock them because no one can defend against that. I was thinking to myself, the more discerning eyes of professional scouts probably covet ayite more than they do Cairney or anyone else, because ayite is the most inherently talented

i am not really in agreement. he is quick, he has skill, no question, and like so many players of his type has no worthwhile end produuct because he has por descision making. he creats very little despite his natural ability. That is how I see him.

[Wearethewhites]

Bottom line is, we've invested in 3 players that are all technically the same, then went and added Cyriac, who I personally  think is very similar, to which we result in throwing them all on, and hoping for the best - its a mess.

Didn't sign a decent striker in the summer, still didn't sign a decent one in Jan, and as above, let both smith and woodrow go, who are scoring for regularly for their new clubs, and we let the snake sit on the bench.

This was, and has, biten us in the ass, and will prob be our downfall of making the playoffs.

[dannyboi-ffc]

Please don't put off people with only 100ish posts from sharing their opinion. The only way fof can remain strong and grow is by encouraging people to post. Regardless of whether they have 5000 or 50 posts to their name.

Also disagree about Ayite, he's been solid for us. His downfall is that he has missed too many games.

January I agree was poor and it seems bizarre to let LVC leave. Sadly whether Woodrow and Smith were here or not we were always in the same position. Neither were ever going to be picked by Joka.

I wasn't born until 88 so can't really comment on 83 but would you really compare missing out on the playoffs which is a lottery in itself and we actually haven't been in the top 6 since September to being in the driving seat for Automatic and throwing it away?

[toshes mate]

Although I share much of what you say, nose, I think the result yesterday was one of those things.  You are probably right to say it was writ large and in fluorescent paint about the Club paying a heavy price for repeating timeworn mistakes in January this year just as it had in multiple doses for several seasons before.  There has been a little taste of staleness in the performances post Newcastle, which may have been lifted by having a few more midfield options, but this is a team being rebuilt after several seasons of stale and negative management when Club business has been about damage limitation rather than development for a positive future. 

The last two matches still remain just two results from thirty eight games from a mildly successful season but if it does prove to define conclusions in May what would you want Khan and company to do to remedy the situation?  I still believe the biggest mistakes were made in the Summer which many of here hailed as being successful in spite of one obvious failure when compared to our peers in the Championship.   One key position we didn't cover in either August or January has defined our problem and we all know which position it is.   The workaround has largely worked but is does tax players because of the additional workload it imposes.   I hope we will be refreshed after the break and start to do justice to our style of football once again.

[nose]

Although I share much of what you say, nose, I think the result yesterday was one of those things.  You are probably right to say it was writ large and in fluorescent paint about the Club paying a heavy price for repeating timeworn mistakes in January this year just as it had in multiple doses for several seasons before.  There has been a little taste of staleness in the performances post Newcastle, which may have been lifted by having a few more midfield options, but this is a team being rebuilt after several seasons of stale and negative management when Club business has been about damage limitation rather than development for a positive future. 

The last two matches still remain just two results from thirty eight games from a mildly successful season but if it does prove to define conclusions in May what would you want Khan and company to do to remedy the situation?  I still believe the biggest mistakes were made in the Summer which many of here hailed as being successful in spite of one obvious failure when compared to our peers in the Championship.   One key position we didn't cover in either August or January has defined our problem and we all know which position it is.   The workaround has largely worked but is does tax players because of the additional workload it imposes.   I hope we will be refreshed after the break and start to do justice to our style of football once again.

I agree with all you say. the point of my post was and remains that having not really done what was required in summer the manager has still managed to get the team playing extrelmely well. However having seen the errors of summer, and based on where we were in December it was obvious a relatively small expenditure (in comparison with what many others have spent) would have seen us better placed. I was specifically looking at the errors of January when had everything in place to kick on.

I accept two performances in isolation were not the issue and the international break will now work in our favour but what the owner/board did was so short sited.

[nose]

Please don't put off people with only 100ish posts from sharing their opinion. The only way fof can remain strong and grow is by encouraging people to post. Regardless of whether they have 5000 or 50 posts to their name.

Also disagree about Ayite, he's been solid for us. His downfall is that he has missed too many games.

January I agree was poor and it seems bizarre to let LVC leave. Sadly whether Woodrow and Smith were here or not we were always in the same position. Neither were ever going to be picked by Joka.

I wasn't born until 88 so can't really comment on 83 but would you really compare missing out on the playoffs which is a lottery in itself and we actually haven't been in the top 6 since September to being in the driving seat for Automatic and throwing it away?

Sorry to distress you Danny. I hope the MB continues to be succesful and for that clearly we need new people and more that are willing to 'join in.' I am afraid I cannot explain but may send you a  PM when I am feeling a bit more with it!

Ayite? IMO has loads of skill, pace in abundance but very little end product. I do not think ayite, kebano and aluko as a trio work at all well. two of the three and aluko.kebano seems most productive would be my choice. Ayite IMO needs to learn more about the dynamic of how football works as a team game and not rely on just his own ability. He is a good squad player but I do not think he should be starting until he offers more 'end product'.  We can disagree on that I am sure, it was ever thus people had differing views.

I never understood why woodrow was not given a proper chance. with his style i think of all our forwards he was the one that it seemed to me most naturally complemented what we do, he passes the ball well and quickly and puts in bags of effort. letting him go seems ridiculous.

You are young and this lack of activity is IMO very similar to what happened to MacDonald. we were then playing the best football I ave ever seen but we had a small squad. as we got to feb/March we became stale and jaded. we still played well but the sparkle was not there. The transfer system was a bit different but Mr Clay would not refresh the squad and in the end that was what really did for us.
On the 1st Feb I think I made the same comment, on the day after the Newcastle win when everyone (includng me) was feeling high, I repeated my concern that we were short on squad depth. the team is starting to look jaded in the same way. we have  8 cup finals and I am not sure we will manage to drag ourselves over the line.
what i find confusing is the prize of being in the prem is imense, multi multi millions, and for the lack of a minor outlay the owner has clearly shown he is either playing russian roulette OR does not want us to succeed.

[toshes mate]

As you say, nose, the Club at senior level  has been short sighted and that has compounded things on the field where it matters.  I hope Tony Khan will rectify this no matter what the outcome of the current season is.  He still has to prove himself to Fulham supporters no matter what PR he may want us to believe about summer 2016, and winter 2017.  There are lots of positives to take away from what we have seen but we do need to stop making mistakes both on and off the football pitch.

[nose]

As you say, nose, the Club at senior level  has been short sighted and that has compounded things on the field where it matters.  I hope Tony Khan will rectify this no matter what the outcome of the current season is.  He still has to prove himself to Fulham supporters no matter what PR he may want us to believe about summer 2016, and winter 2017.  There are lots of positives to take away from what we have seen but we do need to stop making mistakes both on and off the football pitch.

I think TK is good in that a family member in charge seems to imply there is desire and he said the comitment was total to get to the prem
TK is concerning in that he has virtually no experience and is doing what has to be considered a specialist job.
time will tell. I hope he is clever enough to learn from this seasons, and the last two as well, totally avoidable errors.

[filham]

I am getting a little tired of people saying that we didn't bring in sufficient players in the last two windows. Surely 14 in the summer and 2 in the winter must have set a club record.
Has it occurred to anyone that a couple of more big money buys may now be holding hands with the highly valued Martin ,£9m, and Sigurdsson, £4m, on the bench.

[YankeeJim]

Just as the rising sun dries the money dew, a bad result prompts a Khan hit piece thread.
I wonder why our very recent 8 match unbeaten run didn't prompt a complement or two for Khan.
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[Woolly Mammoth]

As you say, nose, the Club at senior level  has been short sighted and that has compounded things on the field where it matters.  I hope Tony Khan will rectify this no matter what the outcome of the current season is.  He still has to prove himself to Fulham supporters no matter what PR he may want us to believe about summer 2016, and winter 2017.  There are lots of positives to take away from what we have seen but we do need to stop making mistakes both on and off the football pitch.

I think TK is good in that a family member in charge seems to imply there is desire and he said the comitment was total to get to the prem
TK is concerning in that he has virtually no experience and is doing what has to be considered a specialist job.
time will tell. I hope he is clever enough to learn from this seasons, and the last two as well, totally avoidable errors.

If TK is a specialist then ime a Monkeys Uncle, he is one reason that we could fall short of the play offs. It's a price we pay for this owner who puts family members before the welfare of the club. .

[MikeW]

Interesting observation from Filham.

Cast an eye over the full squad and there are a number of players we have hardly seen or are woefully short of Championship quality or physique.  Some have already gone.

So why the hell did we sign them? I bet they are all on good money.

Before anyone asks I championed Siggurson and have been made to look a right chump.

[YankeeJim]

Just as the rising sun dries the money dew, a bad result prompts a Khan hit piece thread.
I wonder why our very recent 8 match unbeaten run didn't prompt a complement or two for Khan.
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And just as inevitable as the criticism of Khan are the somewhat misguided responses saying the ownership never get praise when things go well.

I suggest you scroll back a few weeks to the threads about Tony Khan's appointment and you'll see plenty of nice posts, generally focusing on positives such as the recent promise shown by the team, the reasonably good summer window, and the implication that the Khan family is at least showing some interest in the club... rather than the negative (but equally reasonable) observation that a rich bloke, who until the summer had been an unmitigated disaster for the club, had just engaged in a massive act of nepotism by appointing to one of the most influential roles in the club his young son who knows next to nothing about football

Swings and roundabouts.

You missed the point mate. While what you say is certainly true, none of those positive posts came from you.