Does Slav know what he is doing and if he does, does he know how to get it done?

[FulhamStu]

I am fed up of saying that Slavs Championship tactic of attack and ball retention as the priority does not work for a team like Fulham in the Premier League.

I was taught good teams are built from the back, or defence if you like.

Slav does have an influence on transfers and should have and maybe did tell Tony, defenders are the priority for the recruitment team.  Yes we needed Mitro, yes we needed upgrades all over the team but the defence is the most important.

Then, he (Slav)should have quickly, established our best back 4 or 5, yes have replacements for injuries and suspensions, even loss of form, but in his mind, known our best back line.

We are 11 games in, bottom of the league and still he does not know our best defence and has changed personnel every single game.

The above is a big problem, but it gets worse:

Slav is still insisting on playing 3 strikers, even though we have shipped record numbers of goals, he still exposes the midfield and defence by playing too many forward players.  If you are Man City, have the best players in the world then you can do this and win, if however you are trying to build a new team, with new players, good players but not world beaters you have to be far more pragmatic. 

In the Championship we had the 3rd largest salary levels and had close to the best players.  If your players are better than your opponents you can attack as a priority, keep the ball and win but not now we are a middling to lower quality in terms of player ability.

If your players are less good, you can somewhat make up for that with fight, commitment, togetherness, toughness and by being clever, Huddersfield beat us last night purely due to this reason.

Lastly....winning is everything nowdays in football.  When you lose, muck gets thrown, at managers, coaches and especially players.  We were not good last night. But the criticism some players got, especially Seri and Anguissa was just way over the top.  Mitro was just as poor last night but because he is a Fulham hero he escapes the major criticism.  Most of our new players (not all) are decent, some are excellent and should improve however it's a team game and the team were not good enough last night, not helped by very poor management and motivation.  They did try, just not as hard as Huddersfield who gave it everything.

I don't think Slav has lost the dressing room however those players last night looked a bit to much in the comfort zone.  Cairney did good things but was out fought, he was not giving 100%, none of them were.  If your captain is not 100% up for it, no wonder some others were not.

Who is at fault ?    Lots of people, but Slav is in charge of match days, he needs to make sure the players are motivated, organised, give 100%, get substitutions right, pick the right team, have the best captain, make sure the defence is sound and deliver the right tactics.  I think he is getting wrong in most areas, most of the time.  It can't continue or we are only going one way.

[Neutral Zone Ultra]

Excellent post, couldn't have put it better

[valdeingruo]

Weve conceded more goals then THAT Derby team at this stage. The system isnt working. I want to see a change in system, as you stated, 3 up top is not working. I want to see a consistent back 4,5 etc, we change too much, how many players have we used this season? Its frustrating. Its one thing to want to play it from the back but to do so like our opposition is of the quality of the teams we played last year is criminal.

[FFC NY]

Good post.

We have so few players that can tackle.

Schurrle, Vietto, Cairney, Seri... yes 4/5 of the midfield cannot tackle which puts immense pressure on Anguissa and the defence.

[filham]

A good post Fulham Stu, you have hit a number of nails on the head and it all indicates that Jocanovic has not got it right yet and the indications are that he will continue in the same manner so we are in free fall until the end of the season.

Regret to say , the only solution is a change of coach.

[toshes mate]

You buy fighters on reputation, Fulham Stu, not promise.  For sure Jokanovic has failed to find a solution to the problem he is faced with which is fielding a team with enough street cred to win two or three winnable games out of those so far played.  Is there a fit, reliable and able team to select out of the squad?  As it stands I am not so sure there is and if the fight has gone from the players from last season who could be relied upon (McDonald certainly hasn't lost it if his short cameo is anything to go by) then the newbies are not going to turn a corner on their ownsomes.  If that is the truth of the issue then all is lost regardless because no manager is going to turn it around without wholesale changes in the Club set up and a very precise transfer window (which I wouldn't mind for a change). 

[H4usuallysitting]

Defend from the front & as a unit....we don't appear to be doing either

[Statto]

Slav is still insisting on playing 3 strikers, even though we have shipped record numbers of goals, he still exposes the midfield and defence by playing too many forward players.  If you are Man City, have the best players in the world then you can do this and win, if however you are trying to build a new team, with new players, good players but not world beaters you have to be far more pragmatic. 

In the Championship we had the 3rd largest salary levels and had close to the best players.  If your players are better than your opponents you can attack as a priority, keep the ball and win but not now we are a middling to lower quality in terms of player ability.

If your players are less good, you can somewhat make up for that with fight, commitment, togetherness, toughness and by being clever, Huddersfield beat us last night purely due to this reason.

The thing is, I still cannot but this argument no matter how many times I hear it, because we aren't just losing to Man City, we're losing to Cardiff, Huddersfield et al.

On other threads I've put forward my strong opinion that these players can't be as good as Tony Khan and some on here seem to think, HOWEVER, I still think the likes of Seri, Cairney, Schurrle and Mitro, among others, are better than anyone in the Huddersfield, Burnley and Cardiff teams. Watford and Bournemouth also looked no better than decent Championship sides to me. I don't expect any more from Brighton, Southampton, Newcastle either. So that's 8 teams, 10 if you include Wolves and Palace, who aren't an awful lot better than good Championship sides.

Now assuming we have improved at least slightly on last year's squad, then last year's tactics should still work against these 10 teams.

Ok we might well lose often to the best 8-10 teams in the league, but if we finish near the top of the mini-league of 8-10 worst teams that I just mentioned, well that's a decent mid-table finish which is surely the best we reasonably expected anyway.

So for me you cannot say Slav's approach won't work against these 10 teams, or blame that approach for us losing to these teams. 

[Woolly Mammoth]

Apart from all the tactical issues, and the team selections and the system of play, and the game management deficiencies, and the weekly tinkering of players in a game of musical chairs.
The comments made by the odd player as well as the Manager, including the pre match and post match comments from Jok. 
Apart from all those very concerning issues I have mentioned, and ones I have not.
The clue is in the team performances, the individual lack of application and commitment by players.
The visible lack of unity and team spirit, and urgency amongst the players, without any leadership on and off the pitch. Last night performance showed it again, a totally unmotivated team.
A ship without a rudder, with a big hole in the Starboard Side, with no Heart Beat in the Squad whatsoever.
But like me you all already have identified this, in your observations in your own ways.
It signifies that there is a divide in the camp, a fracture in the team, which consequently appears that the Manager has lost at least some of the Dressing Room, and possibly some players respect.
The team/players are not buying into his philosophy, and are no longer playing for him.
This has been evident for most of the season, and its deteriorating.
Is it past the point of no return, can Jok resuscitate a dying Heart Beat, has the relationship with some of the players deteriorated beyond repair.
Or is it more to do with the fact that it isn't really his team, as the Statts merchants chose the players that are signed, so therefore, the fracture goes even further than the dressing room, and Jok therefore has also like the players lost his desire and his appetite as they may not be the players he really wanted.
I don't where he goes from here, is he fighting a losing battle, is it already lost.
One things for sure a White Flag is being waved on the pitch at every match, and not by any Fulham Supporter.
The weakest link in all this in my opinion is Tony Khan, and Slavisa would probably agree. Tony Khan needs to go before anyone else, and before anymore damage is done to Fulhams season.
If he is still around come Sunday, Slavisa has to pick the players chins up from the deck, and salvage what's left of any togetherness and at some stage this week, he has to make the speech of his life to the squad, but cannot do it on his own, where are his lieutenants, has he any and if not why not, you reap what you sow.
Because the 11 players that walk out onto the pitch at Anfield on Sunday better be prepared to play their hearts out for the club that pays their wages, and show they care.
All eyes will be on them, waiting to see how they react, how they bounce back, how they get up off the deck.
Have they the character, have they the courage, have they the desire, have they the heart.
Because if they lack any of those characteristics, both they and Jok really are deadmen walking.
Glorious defeat will at least bring back much needed pride and strength and honour, for all of us connected with Fulham FC.
If we surrender, drop our heads and capitulate on this particular Football Stage.
Then massive decisions have to be made with immediate effect, if they haven't already done so.
Because the road back, will be a long and windy bumpy one, full of potholes and obstacles that cannot be solved overnight. That is one thing in a sea of troubled water that is most definitely clear.

[FulhamStu]

I really can't see that the problem is Tony Khan...sorry.   I know he is a convenient scapegoat, you know a bloody suit who know nothing about football.   Well the football world were pretty United at the start of the season that we have picked up some fantastic players.   Were they all the right players in their right positions..no they were not.  But take Mawson for instance, yes he had an injury but for me, he was a massive signing, possibly our most important.   He can't now be injured still, or not fit as he is on the bench most games.  He is getting no game time, so how can he get match fit !    My issue with Slav is his decision making whether it be playing 3 strikers, never trying again 5 at the back which would suit our squad perfectly, suit Sess, and allow Mawson into the team to take charge of the defence and build something.

Tony Khan is not in the dressing room to motivate players, does not take training to work on defensive cohesion and does not pick the 11 on the pitch or the 4 central defenders on our bench last night.

Our recruitment was anything but perfect however surely we have bought talent in the squad to put on a better show than last night !  The problem is, they are not fighting hard enough which everyone incl
Slav and the players agree with.  It does appear there are splits in the squad, the old guard not happy with all the new players etc.  Well the only people that can sort that out are the first team players and coaches, no one else.  Slav is their leader and need to bang heads together, get total buy in from everyone or leave now.

We need leaders on and off the pitch and I question whether that leadership is strong enough.  Getting Mawson on the pitch would help in my opinion, playing 5 at the back, most games would help in my opinion and not changing the players unless for injury or suspension or serious loss of form after a few games would help in my opinion, particularly in defence.  We don't need 3 strikers, we can't afford 3 strikers, we need our wing backs attacking and giving width.   It's not rocket science.   

Most of all we need everyone pulling together, if Slav can't do it, find someone who can, even if that is Big Sam.   My concern with Tony Khan, or his Dad, is that I have little confidence they would replace Slav quickly enough and certainly with the man to deliver this season.   The last time it happened was a circus.

[Luka]

He does know what he's doing.  Getting us promoted proved that. He just isn't up to it at PL levels.
Unfortunately there is a lack of experience at the club ownership level and so unlike Watford, they didn't recognise the signs and kept him in the chair.
The same owners also signed off expenditure on players not up to the task.

Senior management, the owners and the manager are all culpable for our current predicament.
Maybe none of them know what they are doing or know how to get us performing at this level.
The players certainly don't.

[Neutral Zone Ultra]

He does know what he's doing.  Getting us promoted proved that. He just isn't up to it at PL levels.
Unfortunately there is a lack of experience at the club ownership level and so unlike Watford, they didn't recognise the signs and kept him in the chair.
The same owners also signed off expenditure on players not up to the task.

Senior management, the owners and the manager are all culpable for our current predicament.
Maybe none of them know what they are doing or know how to get us performing at this level.
The players certainly don't.

I think it's important to use Watford as an example of sacking managers not necessarily being a bad thing. They got through like 8 in 6 years or something, and in that time they have been on a general upward trend. Of course, it isn't always the answer but I think in our case it most certainly is.

[davew]

As I wrote on another thread I don't think Joka knows what he is doing anymore, constantly clutching at straws to try and find a "solution", well there is more than 1 solution required as we have many problems. His latest almost farcical mistake was the choice of substitutes, please somebody on here explain what that bench offered as I am at a loss to understand any logic of what he was trying to achieve. IF we had scored first (lol), did Joka really think that anybody on the bench could add quality to our defence? If we had gone behind, which of course we did, did we have any player who could offer more to our attacking play? For me the answer to both questions is NO!

[Mince n Tatties]

Good post.

We have so few players that can tackle.

Schurrle, Vietto, Cairney, Seri... yes 4/5 of the midfield cannot tackle which puts immense pressure on Anguissa and the defence.

Correct
Hilda in a pair of hobnail boots would tackle better
than that lot.

[RaySmith]

We need a commanding, quality  central midfielder, who can tackle, pass, and act as leader -then the likes of Seri and Cairney can play off of him.

We have a lot of skilful ball players, but lack toughness and  steel in the spine of the team. Maybe Stefan and K Mac provided this  before, but now deemed not good enough.

[toshes mate]

I really can't see that the problem is Tony Khan...sorry.   

That is a shame FulhamStu, but I have to accept you cannot see it.  Bring in a new manager and see what happens.  Kick TK out and see what happens.  I know what I would do, and I wouldn't apologise for it either.

[Bassey the warrior]

That's a hell of a long message to say what we already know.