3 points from three games, unbeaten

[nose]

what a state
we have no proper center back cover althoh the bys out there are doing well... maybe ream will be available for the next game, piazon out for ages, the manager refuses to use woodrow so effectively we have one additional forward, and none of them except woodrow know how to put the ball in the net (goals to minutes on pitch ratio proves that)....

hate to say that 6 points flushed down the toilet because the board has failed to procure a full squad, look at wolves, that isn't what we need to do but shows the direction we should have moved, i.e. been ready for day one not faffing abou after three games.

the owner and his son have spoken about their ambition, do all it takes, have ambition. there actions show the opposite, they are doing very little and showing zero ambition, i would rather nmot hear from them when season tickets are avaialble, i can cope with being told we do not have the where with all, but to be told they will do what is necessary and then spectacularly not do it is depressing and a bit dispiriting!

our performances have been in truth lamentable, pretty, full of character, and effort but because of lack of investment and the opposition rumbling how to play us, we are unable to win games.

long season written all over this one. i can hardly wait for the nonsense our leaders come put with next season when it is time to re-new, i always do but there are many thousands that must wonder why they did.

sheff wed will be more of the same, the refs do not protect us and we have no parker to kick them, not looking good at all!

still the half full people will say we are unveaten and showing character, and that is correct, but if you cannot see the cracks, well, i am running out of metaphors.... bottom 6 by end of sept more likely than top 6 I think unless we get reinforcements of the correct quality very soon. if we wait till 31st then it's a a diabolical shame that we are throwing away the season thus!

[wheelerdeeler]

It's all well and good to say the lack of signings are doing us in, but if you see Bettinelli as our #1 which he probably was before the season started we've missed Bettinelli, McDonald, Cairney, Ayite and Kalas for at least 1 of the three games so far. There wouldn't be a single team in this division that could miss 5 First-Teamers and be fine.

Plus, it seems we're close to getting Fonte, Ojo and Bennett- so if we can get those over the line we'll have a pretty good squad once everyone's fit.

[Fulhamerica23]

In a vaccum, three from three doesn't look good but when you actually take a step back and look at it, honestly we're probably one point off where we "should" be. Should have beat Norwich, and you'd fancy Reading to win after being up a man for 90+ minutes.

If I gave you two points from Reading and Leeds before the fixtures came out, you'd have taken them. Looks bad because they're back to back but we always knew this first month would be difficult. Had we played Barnsley, Millwall and Burton and been sitting at three points we could be concerned. Norwhich, Reading and Leeds, with two away, three points isn't doom and gloom. Looking you can say we dropped six points, sure, but on the other hand we kept three of our rivals for promotion from getting all three.

[Snibbo]

Steady start.  Unbeaten despite injuries and cards to key  players.  Playing good football.  Strong signs of players coming in.  Team spirit is great. Kept our key players. Cause for optimism.

[dannyboi-ffc]

It's not a case of having the glass half full. It's called being realistic. If we had just played QPR, Burton and Bolton then I'd agree. But we have a tough start to the season, already we are experiencing a bad injury list something that we were very fortunate with last seaosn. Against Norwich we had no Kmac and frustratingly were minutes away from a win, did we play badly? No. It was a carbon copy of last season so is it lack of signings or just the way Jokanovic will always have us playing?

Norwood and Ciise are proving to be massive signings. A massive improvement on no cover and Parker sitting on the bench. Stop worrying about what other clubs are doing, let's revisit this in December when clubs bubbles have burst. Why not compare us to Ipswich who've won 3 out of 3 and spent hardly anything or Villa who are 2nd bottom and spent loads like Wolves? Conveniently you refer to Wolves the club who've started well and spent the most. Spending money proves f*** all in this league, if you do it right it obviously can help but Brighton and Huddersfield weren't amongst the top spenders. The season before Bournemouth weren't either. It's about signing the right players and if that means waiting until they are available in the last week of the window so be it.

Sky sports news said 87 signings were made in the prem before last season started and in the 2/3 weeks after the first game there were a further 54 signings made. So it's not Fulham, it's all clubs and that's in the prem where they have even more money to throw at it.

We played 90 mins against the side the players would have wanted to beat most this season. A personal vendetta to get revenge. After 26secs that game plan went out the window and it was a case of being ugly and grinding out a point as a team. To fight back in that game to draw showed me how much we have grown as a team. We could easily have lost our heads and gone chasing the game but no, the players showed discipline to put their personal temptation to "go for it"  aside and instead used a sensible practical approach. How is that a point to be criticised?

How is a point away to Leeds a point to moan about? Why are your expectations unrealistic just to justify your criticism of the club? Again, no Kalas, no Cairney the captain, we lost Piazon. Ream playing with a facial injury the whole game. The last 2 away games have shown we aren't just a good footballing Team, we are also up for the fight. If we compare with last seaaon, we drew at home to Norwich, drew away to Leeds and lost to Reading away. So technically we are a point up on what last season's results suggest. That might be a fairer way of looking at it and seeing if we are improving. 

It's not been perfect but we've had a tough start. I would agree we need a good left back, a good goalscorer and a centre half. After the way Odoi has played id say that centre half is more for a good backup to Ream now rather than a 'must' starter. Thats 3 players in 2 weeks, not impossible and we will do it. Woodrow is not good enough and I'll be very worried if we opt to give him a go instead of a top new signing (hopefully coming in to lead the line). The thing that's going to make this a long season is reading so much negativity. I was constantly ranting and moaning at people who were positive when Magath was in charge because there was something to moan about. Only 3 teams can go up and it's fine margins so I prefer now to enjoy the ride, enjoy the football and TRY although it's becoming more and more difficult to enjoy reading friends of fulham.

Here's to another draw Saturday. I can't wait.  :wine:

[Sgt Fulham]

Great summary above. 3 games in is not the time to start whinging and worrying especially as we are unbeaten. We will win soon enough, possibly this weekend.

[MJG]

Danny I raise a glass to you....  :wine:

[MJG]

Lamentable
ADJECTIVE

1(of circumstances or conditions) very bad; deplorable

Really?

[RaySmith]

Danny I raise a glass to you....  :wine:

:plus one:
082.gif

[davew]

At the start of the season I would have been more worried about the first five matches than the 3 after Sheff Weds, but those 3 are against teams in the top 7 and all playing well, we need reinforcements before we play Ipswich!! For once the international break could do us a big favour in providing more time for some of our injured players to recover.

[VicHalomsLovechild]

Danny I raise a glass to you....  :wine:

:plus one:
082.gif

And me  :plus one:

[abfg]

To me it seems like we have exactly the same strengths and the same weaknesses as last year so far. Brilliant passing first team, keep the ball beautifully, bags of skill, wasteful of chances/situations and sometimes iffy at the back. I think the OP is making the point that we are so close to being an unassailable force in this division, but the last couple of pieces in the jigsaw haven't been provided. Anyone can see we need a left back and a centre forward (if Woodrow won't get any opportunity). But as I say, we are so close, I can feel it, but as the window time runs out it is like sand slipping through the cracks in my fingers...We shall see.

[colinwhite]

Give me strength! Im usually not that critical of other peoples posts but this one(OP) is so negative it is ridiculous.  We have just played 3 really tough games and put in three excellent performances.We play fantastic football and are unbeaten .Totally agree with Danny and would also like to add:

1.Thank god we dont play like Leeds or Reading and try to kick teams
2. Norwood and Cisse both look like excellent signings as does Kamara.
3.Ream has certainly made me eat humble pie and has taken his game to another level
4. Odoi has been fantastic for 2 games and if he carries on like this he is like a new signing and possibly the best CH in the club.
5. Buttons looks like a new player and is now dominating his box.
6.We are fighting and working together like Roys best sides.
7.Our best player has been injured ,but not missed to the degree anyone would have thought. Despite bad luck ; injuries to key players ,playing 94 minutes with 10 men and playing 2 of last years top 6 teams away from home are still unbeaten.
8.We are no longer flakey and look like crumbling under duress.
9. We are clearly looking to buy attacking players ,so calm down !

To suggest that Woodrow is the answer is a joke . Sorry Nose ,but that dig at Jokanovic is totally out of order !!!!

[MJG]

To me it seems like we have exactly the same strengths and the same weaknesses as last year so far. Brilliant passing first team, keep the ball beautifully, bags of skill, wasteful of chances/situations and sometimes iffy at the back. I think the OP is making the point that we are so close to being an unassailable force in this division, but the last couple of pieces in the jigsaw haven't been provided. Anyone can see we need a left back and a centre forward (if Woodrow won't get any opportunity). But as I say, we are so close, I can feel it, but as the window time runs out it is like sand slipping through the cracks in my fingers...We shall see.

I can agree to a point the squad issues being raised all valid points.
My issue is the OP's view almost that we should be winning all three games and sod having ten men for a whole game we should have bucked the odds and won. Nose is just not taking into account the opposition and just reality of football. It's not black and white and as easy as he wants it to be.

[abfg]

To me it seems like we have exactly the same strengths and the same weaknesses as last year so far. Brilliant passing first team, keep the ball beautifully, bags of skill, wasteful of chances/situations and sometimes iffy at the back. I think the OP is making the point that we are so close to being an unassailable force in this division, but the last couple of pieces in the jigsaw haven't been provided. Anyone can see we need a left back and a centre forward (if Woodrow won't get any opportunity). But as I say, we are so close, I can feel it, but as the window time runs out it is like sand slipping through the cracks in my fingers...We shall see.

I can agree to a point the squad issues being raised all valid points.
My issue is the OP's view almost that we should be winning all three games and sod having ten men for a whole game we should have bucked the odds and won. Nose is just not taking into account the opposition and just reality of football. It's not black and white and as easy as he wants it to be.

They were tough games, 2 away, and having 10 men doesn't help - that's for sure! I can't help but shake the feeling that a promotion chasing team would have won at least one of them. My major gripe is the forward line. 2 games started with ayite, aluko and kebano (however brief against reading). I don't understand how our squad can be so thin to allow this. All fine players but proven not to work in combination. Anyway, I hope that we will kick on, take the positives and start cutting through some of what we hope will be the chaff in this division.

[SuffolkWhite]

It's not a case of having the glass half full. It's called being realistic. If we had just played QPR, Burton and Bolton then I'd agree. But we have a tough start to the season, already we are experiencing a bad injury list something that we were very fortunate with last seaosn. Against Norwich we had no Kmac and frustratingly were minutes away from a win, did we play badly? No. It was a carbon copy of last season so is it lack of signings or just the way Jokanovic will always have us playing?

Norwood and Ciise are proving to be massive signings. A massive improvement on no cover and Parker sitting on the bench. Stop worrying about what other clubs are doing, let's revisit this in December when clubs bubbles have burst. Why not compare us to Ipswich who've won 3 out of 3 and spent hardly anything or Villa who are 2nd bottom and spent loads like Wolves? Conveniently you refer to Wolves the club who've started well and spent the most. Spending money proves f*** all in this league, if you do it right it obviously can help but Brighton and Huddersfield weren't amongst the top spenders. The season before Bournemouth weren't either. It's about signing the right players and if that means waiting until they are available in the last week of the window so be it.

Sky sports news said 87 signings were made in the prem before last season started and in the 2/3 weeks after the first game there were a further 54 signings made. So it's not Fulham, it's all clubs and that's in the prem where they have even more money to throw at it.

We played 90 mins against the side the players would have wanted to beat most this season. A personal vendetta to get revenge. After 26secs that game plan went out the window and it was a case of being ugly and grinding out a point as a team. To fight back in that game to draw showed me how much we have grown as a team. We could easily have lost our heads and gone chasing the game but no, the players showed discipline to put their personal temptation to "go for it"  aside and instead used a sensible practical approach. How is that a point to be criticised?

How is a point away to Leeds a point to moan about? Why are your expectations unrealistic just to justify your criticism of the club? Again, no Kalas, no Cairney the captain, we lost Piazon. Ream playing with a facial injury the whole game. The last 2 away games have shown we aren't just a good footballing Team, we are also up for the fight. If we compare with last seaaon, we drew at home to Norwich, drew away to Leeds and lost to Reading away. So technically we are a point up on what last season's results suggest. That might be a fairer way of looking at it and seeing if we are improving. 

It's not been perfect but we've had a tough start. I would agree we need a good left back, a good goalscorer and a centre half. After the way Odoi has played id say that centre half is more for a good backup to Ream now rather than a 'must' starter. Thats 3 players in 2 weeks, not impossible and we will do it. Woodrow is not good enough and I'll be very worried if we opt to give him a go instead of a top new signing (hopefully coming in to lead the line). The thing that's going to make this a long season is reading so much negativity. I was constantly ranting and moaning at people who were positive when Magath was in charge because there was something to moan about. Only 3 teams can go up and it's fine margins so I prefer now to enjoy the ride, enjoy the football and TRY although it's becoming more and more difficult to enjoy reading friends of fulham.

Here's to another draw Saturday. I can't wait.  :wine:

:wine: :clap_hands:

[gezkc]

It's not a case of having the glass half full. It's called being realistic. If we had just played QPR, Burton and Bolton then I'd agree. But we have a tough start to the season, already we are experiencing a bad injury list something that we were very fortunate with last seaosn. Against Norwich we had no Kmac and frustratingly were minutes away from a win, did we play badly? No. It was a carbon copy of last season so is it lack of signings or just the way Jokanovic will always have us playing?

Norwood and Ciise are proving to be massive signings. A massive improvement on no cover and Parker sitting on the bench. Stop worrying about what other clubs are doing, let's revisit this in December when clubs bubbles have burst. Why not compare us to Ipswich who've won 3 out of 3 and spent hardly anything or Villa who are 2nd bottom and spent loads like Wolves? Conveniently you refer to Wolves the club who've started well and spent the most. Spending money proves f*** all in this league, if you do it right it obviously can help but Brighton and Huddersfield weren't amongst the top spenders. The season before Bournemouth weren't either. It's about signing the right players and if that means waiting until they are available in the last week of the window so be it.

Sky sports news said 87 signings were made in the prem before last season started and in the 2/3 weeks after the first game there were a further 54 signings made. So it's not Fulham, it's all clubs and that's in the prem where they have even more money to throw at it.

We played 90 mins against the side the players would have wanted to beat most this season. A personal vendetta to get revenge. After 26secs that game plan went out the window and it was a case of being ugly and grinding out a point as a team. To fight back in that game to draw showed me how much we have grown as a team. We could easily have lost our heads and gone chasing the game but no, the players showed discipline to put their personal temptation to "go for it"  aside and instead used a sensible practical approach. How is that a point to be criticised?

How is a point away to Leeds a point to moan about? Why are your expectations unrealistic just to justify your criticism of the club? Again, no Kalas, no Cairney the captain, we lost Piazon. Ream playing with a facial injury the whole game. The last 2 away games have shown we aren't just a good footballing Team, we are also up for the fight. If we compare with last seaaon, we drew at home to Norwich, drew away to Leeds and lost to Reading away. So technically we are a point up on what last season's results suggest. That might be a fairer way of looking at it and seeing if we are improving. 

It's not been perfect but we've had a tough start. I would agree we need a good left back, a good goalscorer and a centre half. After the way Odoi has played id say that centre half is more for a good backup to Ream now rather than a 'must' starter. Thats 3 players in 2 weeks, not impossible and we will do it. Woodrow is not good enough and I'll be very worried if we opt to give him a go instead of a top new signing (hopefully coming in to lead the line). The thing that's going to make this a long season is reading so much negativity. I was constantly ranting and moaning at people who were positive when Magath was in charge because there was something to moan about. Only 3 teams can go up and it's fine margins so I prefer now to enjoy the ride, enjoy the football and TRY although it's becoming more and more difficult to enjoy reading friends of fulham.

Here's to another draw Saturday. I can't wait.  :wine:

:plus one:

[Deeping_white]

Stopped reading when you said Woodrow is the answer. So clearly a WUM.

[Burt]

I'm on the Danny / Colin side of the fence. Certainly more reasons for the glass to be half-full rather than empty. I would be more worried if we weren't playing well, or lacked fight/spirit.

[dhowells21]

It's not a case of having the glass half full. It's called being realistic. If we had just played QPR, Burton and Bolton then I'd agree. But we have a tough start to the season, already we are experiencing a bad injury list something that we were very fortunate with last seaosn. Against Norwich we had no Kmac and frustratingly were minutes away from a win, did we play badly? No. It was a carbon copy of last season so is it lack of signings or just the way Jokanovic will always have us playing?

Norwood and Ciise are proving to be massive signings. A massive improvement on no cover and Parker sitting on the bench. Stop worrying about what other clubs are doing, let's revisit this in December when clubs bubbles have burst. Why not compare us to Ipswich who've won 3 out of 3 and spent hardly anything or Villa who are 2nd bottom and spent loads like Wolves? Conveniently you refer to Wolves the club who've started well and spent the most. Spending money proves f*** all in this league, if you do it right it obviously can help but Brighton and Huddersfield weren't amongst the top spenders. The season before Bournemouth weren't either. It's about signing the right players and if that means waiting until they are available in the last week of the window so be it.

Sky sports news said 87 signings were made in the prem before last season started and in the 2/3 weeks after the first game there were a further 54 signings made. So it's not Fulham, it's all clubs and that's in the prem where they have even more money to throw at it.

We played 90 mins against the side the players would have wanted to beat most this season. A personal vendetta to get revenge. After 26secs that game plan went out the window and it was a case of being ugly and grinding out a point as a team. To fight back in that game to draw showed me how much we have grown as a team. We could easily have lost our heads and gone chasing the game but no, the players showed discipline to put their personal temptation to "go for it"  aside and instead used a sensible practical approach. How is that a point to be criticised?

How is a point away to Leeds a point to moan about? Why are your expectations unrealistic just to justify your criticism of the club? Again, no Kalas, no Cairney the captain, we lost Piazon. Ream playing with a facial injury the whole game. The last 2 away games have shown we aren't just a good footballing Team, we are also up for the fight. If we compare with last seaaon, we drew at home to Norwich, drew away to Leeds and lost to Reading away. So technically we are a point up on what last season's results suggest. That might be a fairer way of looking at it and seeing if we are improving. 

It's not been perfect but we've had a tough start. I would agree we need a good left back, a good goalscorer and a centre half. After the way Odoi has played id say that centre half is more for a good backup to Ream now rather than a 'must' starter. Thats 3 players in 2 weeks, not impossible and we will do it. Woodrow is not good enough and I'll be very worried if we opt to give him a go instead of a top new signing (hopefully coming in to lead the line). The thing that's going to make this a long season is reading so much negativity. I was constantly ranting and moaning at people who were positive when Magath was in charge because there was something to moan about. Only 3 teams can go up and it's fine margins so I prefer now to enjoy the ride, enjoy the football and TRY although it's becoming more and more difficult to enjoy reading friends of fulham.

Here's to another draw Saturday. I can't wait.  :wine:

Very good post this.

1 point better than last season given our squad status. Maybe not something to be elated by, but get a grip, you've got to be slightly realistic.