Pictures on the web site

[ALG01]

Some of you may know I like looking at the pics on the web site and figuring out if their are hidden messages or things to learn.

This latest batch are brilliant! It shows the club do read this stuff on here, other MBs and Facebook IMO.

There are pictures of both goalkeepers, Fabri and Rico, both well known for their total inability to deal with a cross or catch the ball, doing the impossible apparently, and that is catching the ball... or perhaps they are just holding the ball and hoping it looks like they have caught it.

Is this supposed to inspire and reassure us, the fans, that all is well with our two fit keepers? If so can they just catch it during a game as well. Rico plays like he has the most slippery grease on his hands and Fabri, if memory serves ignores anything above head height.

This has been such a disastorous season, the owners son seems to have his own personal PR machine at work pretending he is actually quite good at his job and this season was a one off, just check some of the nonsens around social media if you do not believe me, and the ppicyires they are showing of the keepers is actually more PR c**p trying to make nonsense of what we see with our eyes.

[ScalleysDad]

I will believe 'management' read and acknowledge forums such as this one when there is a pic of Tony Khan walking across the training pitch with a bucket over his head. The Club have my details on file should they need a caption to accompany said picture.

You are right though. The pictures look a bit needy when the usual format is more casual.

[Statto]

Chambers is supposed to be a £20m England international playing for a top 6 team, but in reality he's failed to nail down a place in a back 4 that's currently on course to smash Derby's record for most goals conceded in a 38-game PL season, with multiple managers preferring Odoi, a 5'10" Championship right-back, to Chambers at CB. He's made himself useful in another role, DM, but only through effort rather than talent, and has still failed to significantly improve a team that's not just terrible, but a whole 11-16 pts (already) below terrible teams like Brighton, Burnley and even Cardiff.

So why is he grinning so much in all these photos? 

[Sting of the North]

Chambers is supposed to be a £20m England international playing for a top 6 team, but in reality he's failed to nail down a place in a back 4 that's currently on course to smash Derby's record for most goals conceded in a 38-game PL season, with multiple managers preferring Odoi, a 5'10" Championship right-back, to Chambers at CB. He's made himself useful in another role, DM, but only through effort rather than talent, and has still failed to significantly improve a team that's not just terrible, but a whole 11-16 pts (already) below terrible teams like Brighton, Burnley and even Cardiff.

So why is he grinning so much in all these photos?

Do you prefer him to look down and defeated? Surely it is not a problem that a player enjoys a training session? I see no need at all to read anything else into this just because the season's gone down the drain.

[Statto]

Chambers is supposed to be a £20m England international playing for a top 6 team, but in reality he's failed to nail down a place in a back 4 that's currently on course to smash Derby's record for most goals conceded in a 38-game PL season, with multiple managers preferring Odoi, a 5'10" Championship right-back, to Chambers at CB. He's made himself useful in another role, DM, but only through effort rather than talent, and has still failed to significantly improve a team that's not just terrible, but a whole 11-16 pts (already) below terrible teams like Brighton, Burnley and even Cardiff.

So why is he grinning so much in all these photos?

Do you prefer him to look down and defeated? Surely it is not a problem that a player enjoys a training session? I see no need at all to read anything else into this just because the season's gone down the drain.

Fundamentally yes, I expect him to be feeling totally down, defeated and depressed.

I do accept that even when people are dealing with incredibly difficult situations, there may still be moments where they briefly crack a smile. However, I'd consider it a PR gaffe by the club to have selected and published multiple photos of him in those moments, suggesting he's indifferent or happy despite our current situation, rather than images of him looking depressed or at least highly focussed.

If a big bank had just collapsed causing thousands of people to lose their life savings, you wouldn't expect them to publish pictures of their senior management laughing and enjoying themselves. There would be public outrage.

[ron]

He has been paid regularly...so he's as happy as larry.

[FulForce]

Preparing for the Championship

[snarks]

Chambers is supposed to be a £20m England international playing for a top 6 team, but in reality he's failed to nail down a place in a back 4 that's currently on course to smash Derby's record for most goals conceded in a 38-game PL season, with multiple managers preferring Odoi, a 5'10" Championship right-back, to Chambers at CB. He's made himself useful in another role, DM, but only through effort rather than talent, and has still failed to significantly improve a team that's not just terrible, but a whole 11-16 pts (already) below terrible teams like Brighton, Burnley and even Cardiff.

So why is he grinning so much in all these photos?

Do you prefer him to look down and defeated? Surely it is not a problem that a player enjoys a training session? I see no need at all to read anything else into this just because the season's gone down the drain.

Fundamentally yes, I expect him to be feeling totally down, defeated and depressed.

I do accept that even when people are dealing with incredibly difficult situations, there may still be moments where they briefly crack a smile. However, I'd consider it a PR gaffe by the club to have selected and published multiple photos of him in those moments, suggesting he's indifferent or happy despite our current situation, rather than images of him looking depressed or at least highly focussed.

If a big bank had just collapsed causing thousands of people to lose their life savings, you wouldn't expect them to publish pictures of their senior management laughing and enjoying themselves. There would be public outrage.

In all honesty Statto that's not an appropriate analogy.

Are the fans smiling laughing and joking on a daily basis would be better, and the answer is yes most are. Chambers laughing and smiling may also be a sign that the club and the players are enjoying training more, and are pulling together in a way they haven't been for months. Heck if you enjoy your job, and most footballers do, you're still happy to do it even if performances as a team aren't great, on that basis they can smile. Expecting them to be miserable at training because of results I find hard to understand.

I've been happier after the last three games, than at any time since the win over Huddersfield, and even then I was desperately disappointed by the performance. If I can smile about it not infrequently, so can they.

[Sting of the North]

Chambers is supposed to be a £20m England international playing for a top 6 team, but in reality he's failed to nail down a place in a back 4 that's currently on course to smash Derby's record for most goals conceded in a 38-game PL season, with multiple managers preferring Odoi, a 5'10" Championship right-back, to Chambers at CB. He's made himself useful in another role, DM, but only through effort rather than talent, and has still failed to significantly improve a team that's not just terrible, but a whole 11-16 pts (already) below terrible teams like Brighton, Burnley and even Cardiff.

So why is he grinning so much in all these photos?

Do you prefer him to look down and defeated? Surely it is not a problem that a player enjoys a training session? I see no need at all to read anything else into this just because the season's gone down the drain.

Fundamentally yes, I expect him to be feeling totally down, defeated and depressed.

I do accept that even when people are dealing with incredibly difficult situations, there may still be moments where they briefly crack a smile. However, I'd consider it a PR gaffe by the club to have selected and published multiple photos of him in those moments, suggesting he's indifferent or happy despite our current situation, rather than images of him looking depressed or at least highly focussed.

If a big bank had just collapsed causing thousands of people to lose their life savings, you wouldn't expect them to publish pictures of their senior management laughing and enjoying themselves. There would be public outrage.

Maybe they are trying to suggest that spirits are high. You know, before our next game this weekend? What would pictures of him looking depressed accomplish?

I also believe that your example with the bank is way off for many reasons. Disregarding the obvious difference of gravity between the two situations, this would maybe have had some relevance would this have been directly following a relegation or similar "catastrophic" event. And the pictures had been of the Khans for example. However, these pictures are obviously (explicitly even) posted in preparation for the next game. One would hope that the players relish the chance to yet again represent Fulham against quality opposition. I for one hope that the players don't give up before a ball is even kicked, and therefore I don't want them to be feeling "totally down, defeated and depressed".

About the player in question, I don't know why anyone would question his determination or fight if they had watched him play for us. Question his ability maybe, but certainly to me he has shown that he is at the very least a trier.

But to each their own of course.

[Statto]

In all honesty Statto that's not an appropriate analogy.

Are the fans smiling laughing and joking on a daily basis would be better, and the answer is yes most are.

Well I don't think that is an appropriate analogy either. This a career for the players, not a Saturday afternoon pasttime like it is for the fans. And unlike most of us, they're doing a job that impacts thousands of people, and getting paid a salary for it that puts them in a tiny elite of the population. This situation should carry far more gravity for the players than it does for the fans.

I think I'll just have to agree to disagree with you and SotN until after the Man City game. Once we know the outcome of that, we can revisit this thread and discuss whether the smiles were justified. If we beat City then I will of course reconsider my view.

[Ronnief]

Good to see Marlon Fossey back from injury.

[Sting of the North]

In all honesty Statto that's not an appropriate analogy.

Are the fans smiling laughing and joking on a daily basis would be better, and the answer is yes most are.

Well I don't think that is an appropriate analogy either. This a career for the players, not a Saturday afternoon pasttime like it is for the fans. And unlike most of us, they're doing a job that impacts thousands of people, and getting paid a salary for it that puts them in a tiny elite of the population. This situation should carry far more gravity for the players than it does for the fans.

I think I'll just have to agree to disagree with you and SotN until after the Man City game. Once we know the outcome of that, we can revisit this thread and discuss whether the smiles were justified. If we beat City then I will of course reconsider my view.

I agree that the players and the fans should not be held to the same standards here.

With that said, I don't think anyone has questioned your view that the players should feel accountable and should care. I just think that we (or certainly I) disagree that smiling players implicate that they don't care. Would they go around smiling during a game where we get trashed, I could understand were you were coming from but that has certainly not been the case. Now I can only agree with you that we will have to disagree. The result of the Man City game will not change my opinion on this particular (in my opinion) non issue. The application shown by the players may however do so at least to a smaller degree.

In any case, let's hope we see a rare victory so that we can all agree then that the smiling was a good sign rather than a bad one.

[Sting of the North]

Good to see Marlon Fossey back from injury.

:plus one:

[Woolly Mammoth]

Chambers is supposed to be a £20m England international playing for a top 6 team, but in reality he's failed to nail down a place in a back 4 that's currently on course to smash Derby's record for most goals conceded in a 38-game PL season, with multiple managers preferring Odoi, a 5'10" Championship right-back, to Chambers at CB. He's made himself useful in another role, DM, but only through effort rather than talent, and has still failed to significantly improve a team that's not just terrible, but a whole 11-16 pts (already) below terrible teams like Brighton, Burnley and even Cardiff.

So why is he grinning so much in all these photos?

Do you prefer him to look down and defeated? Surely it is not a problem that a player enjoys a training session? I see no need at all to read anything else into this just because the season's gone down the drain.

Maybe just maybe he is smiling because he has just heard that Tony Khan is leaving to become a Monk.

[ALG01]

Chambers is supposed to be a £20m England international playing for a top 6 team, but in reality he's failed to nail down a place in a back 4 that's currently on course to smash Derby's record for most goals conceded in a 38-game PL season, with multiple managers preferring Odoi, a 5'10" Championship right-back, to Chambers at CB. He's made himself useful in another role, DM, but only through effort rather than talent, and has still failed to significantly improve a team that's not just terrible, but a whole 11-16 pts (already) below terrible teams like Brighton, Burnley and even Cardiff.

So why is he grinning so much in all these photos?

I think you are being a little unkind but I do take your point. It does look to happy for a team in our position.
Personally i think Chambers has done well at CM and if everyone showed his application we would be better off.

[ALG01]

Thank you for all the comments but I am suprised my two key points were not taken namely the ridiculous pictures of the goalkeepers with the ball in their hands, because that is fiction AND the issue of what I am seing as a strange number of social media posts in support of TK. I do not know a sole that thinks he isn't the number one culprit for this season and that the lasttwo were very poor two with Slav publicly screaming in frustration.