Are we ready for the slow build?

[Deuce]

The appointment of an inexperienced manager in Scotty shows us that the club is willing to go for perhaps a more long term approach and not seeking an immediate success with us bouncing straight back up. And with Scotty talking a lot about wanting to create a philosophy might also indicate that he and the Khans are playing the long game this time.

I feel that Scotty should get - at least- his two years to work things out and to build a long term squad, as long as we're not in complete danger of getting relegated to L1 next year, beacuse why else appoint him if we cant give him the patience and the time required?

With this being said, the club will likely be tipped by media as one of the favourites for promotion next season. What are your expectations for next season? Are you willing to give Parker two, maybe even three seasons to set up a team and a tactic and a philosophy at the club? Even if it means that we next season might finish outside the playoffs even?

[Cambridge Pete]

After this season! All I want is to see players giving their all and trying, a tactical plan and a back up plan. If that happens then it augers well. If we have a couple of seasons in the Championship so be it. having stood through the clubs implosion in the 60's and near implosion five years ago a season stabilising is OK with me

[hovewhite]

I hope they give Scot a full 2years and show patience the Khan's as there no quick fix .

[JimmyConway]

Not sure they are looking at long term approach with Scott. Like all before him he'll be asked to gel the incoming players alongside current squad and have team competing for promotion. Managers very rarely get the time nowadays and I would imagine if we are struggling come Oct-Nov then Scott will be relieved of his position.

[Mitch]

I thought it strange to appoint Parker, someone who is highly likely to need time, but then only give him a two year deal. Perhaps they expect more from him with parachute payments during those years. Picking a long term prospect as manager, but giving him a short term deal is very, very Khan.

[Statto]

Disagree entirely.

When Parker has talked about "identity" he's referred to Jokanovic's promotion season. We still have most of those players and the newer recruits were intended to play the same way. That's consistent with most clubs with DoF/stats-led (rather than manager-led) recruitment, where tactics are decided by the club, rather than the "head coach", whoever that may be from time to time. As such, I think the "identity" we want is just a return to what we've been doing for most of the last few years, which became a bit disjointed this year, particularly under Ranieri.

I don't see Parker as a long-term hire, necessarily. I don't think he's expected to change our tactics, and Tony Khan has told the FST we're aiming to keep most of our current players, so Parker won't have much scope for recruitment either (not that any manager would be allowed to lead that at our club anyway) .

I suspect the rationale for Parker was he knows the club, knows the players and knows the Championship. We're already one of the favourites for promotion, so what we need is someone to motivate and chaperone the existing players, rather than drive any significant change.

The longer we stay in the Championship, the less money we have (we've only 2 years of parachute payments), the more good players will leave, and the less credibility we'll have when trying to replace them. Our best chance of going up is next season. Each year after that, our chances diminish.

[Mickeyboro]

Look at the fates of the last two years' relegated clubs. Now tell me inexperienced Parker is the man to upset the odds.

[aaronmcguigan]

There is nothing to suggest we're in for a slow build. Keeping players who have promotion winning experience instead of promoting the youth suggests premier league is paramount. Scott's 2 year deal also says there is a lack of faith in him and there is nothing you can build for the long term in a 2 year deal

[Sting of the North]

Disagree entirely.

When Parker has talked about "identity" he's referred to Jokanovic's promotion season. We still have most of those players and the newer recruits were intended to play the same way. That's consistent with most clubs with DoF/stats-led (rather than manager-led) recruitment, where tactics are decided by the club, rather than the "head coach", whoever that may be from time to time. As such, I think the "identity" we want is just a return to what we've been doing for most of the last few years, which became a bit disjointed this year, particularly under Ranieri.

I don't see Parker as a long-term hire, necessarily. I don't think he's expected to change our tactics, and Tony Khan has told the FST we're aiming to keep most of our current players, so Parker won't have much scope for recruitment either (not that any manager would be allowed to lead that at our club anyway) .

I suspect the rationale for Parker was he knows the club, knows the players and knows the Championship. We're already one of the favourites for promotion, so what we need is someone to motivate and chaperone the existing players, rather than drive any significant change.

The longer we stay in the Championship, the less money we have (we've only 2 years of parachute payments), the more good players will leave, and the less credibility we'll have when trying to replace them. Our best chance of going up is next season. Each year after that, our chances diminish.

I agree with every word here, very well put.

[Sting of the North]

Look at the fates of the last two years' relegated clubs. Now tell me inexperienced Parker is the man to upset the odds.

Are you deriving those odds from a total sample size of 6 clubs? With such few teams, it would probably be worth looking into each team instead to try to see what similarities and differences there are between those clubs.

Nevertheless, in each of those two seasons, one of the relegated clubs have reached the playoffs. So, just going by that the odds are 1/3 to finish top 6.

So, it looks like the odds are not too bad.

But those odds mean basically nothing without added context. Of last years teams, Stoke is the obvious disappointment (although did not seem to have a very well balanced squad), WBA reached the playoffs (and nearly the finals) and Swansea was always expected to struggle through an almost complete rebuild. We don't know where we will be yet, but if the owners manage to keep most players (which is the stated intention) then we should look better than most relegated teams. In my opinion.

As for why Parker may be a good fit for us, Statto explained it very well already. 

[Russianrob]

If Fulham were to be relegated next year under Parker would there be any supporters left to say give him another chance he is still building the team?

[toshes mate]

Contemporary society is not normally based around 'the longer term', since it is locked into the opportunity knocks notion of maximising profit when there is the chance of doing so.  How do you marry an apparent opportunity to have sustained growth to an appealing opportunity to thrive exponentially, at least in the short term?  Do you reject the chance in favour of a longer term approach?

In sporting ventures the opportunity to thrive often comes not so much from careful planning and structured development but from the chance occurrence of everything coming together for no other reason than that chance itself.  Although you can make chance more likely to appear it can still be a very evasive character. 

In essence chance is the sudden appearance of a solution to individual or team performance arising from someone of influence finding a formula that works perfectly in their encountered environment.  In sport it can arise simply because a group of people suddenly gel and yet trying to put your finger on the something that made it gel is loaded with deceptive conclusions.  It is much like an inventor suddenly finding the solution to design problems that may have evaded discovery for a long time, despite the determination, knowledge and ability of the person doing the inventing.
 
Chance is always a friend when it breaks for you and not against you, but chance is everything in an environment where the work is all about increasing the likelihood that it will very soon break for you.   In sporting terms an experienced, perceptive, imaginative and capable coach can narrow things down to increase the chance of success but they cannot guarantee it appearing in either the short or the longer term.   They can refine the chances of success but there is still no guarantee.   That is why a successful character in one environment may fail elsewhere.  It is also why you chase the guys who have had successes in more than one environment.   All of this increases the chances of chance making its elusive presence felt.

Parker has no form in any environment and so is he a greater risk against chance appearing?  In one sense – his form - 'yes' he is, but in every other sense I hope we can see that building an environment where chance has a greater chance of appearing, whilst not guaranteeing anything, is a good way to go provided especially if everyone involved pulls in the same direction to encourage a Eureka moment to happen.  Proper preparation in the basics is an excellent starting point and that means hard work.

Hard work will always eventually deliver sustainable progress and will improve the elusive chance to be a real winner making an appearance.

[snarks]

Look at the fates of the last two years' relegated clubs. Now tell me inexperienced Parker is the man to upset the odds.

Yes because Frank Lampard with his years of experience, really hasn't done very well, and Tony Pulis has shown what experience can do for a relegated club.

[The Rational Fan]

Look at the fates of the last two years' relegated clubs. Now tell me inexperienced Parker is the man to upset the odds.

I really wonder why aren't we trying to get Marcelo Bielsa as manager. Our squad wouldn't buy out like that we have too many reserves ready.

[filham]

Thinking we can splash big cash on a team of new players over the summer and thus buy our way back into the premiership  could result in disasterous failure, just remember what resulted from the £100m spend last season.

We must concentrate on a gradual rebuild rather than  quick fix buys.
Our priority must be to try to keep our best and proven players, unlikely that we are going to be able to hold on to Sess as his contract has but a season to run but every effort should be made to hang on to Mitro.

If this is possible then a couple of good wide men could give a starting eleven of:-

                                                                       Betts
                                        Odoi               Mawson       Ream           Ryan

                                                            Anguissa                 Johanson       

                                      A. N. Other                  Cairney                      A.N. Other

                                                                       Mitrovic
This team should settle easily and possibly provide the foundatiton Parker is talking about. Of course we have the exciting Elliot hovering in the background waiting for a regular first team place.

[The Rational Fan]

A slow rebuild is great, but we will virtually have to sell everyone when parachute payments end on the 25th May 2021. And, no one good will sign for us in 2020/21 we end up mid-table so it will be a team full of loans again. Rebuilding is "the Road to Ruin, we have to "Bounce or Die".

[Twig]

Look at the fates of the last two years' relegated clubs. Now tell me inexperienced Parker is the man to upset the odds.

I really wonder why aren't we trying to get Marcelo Bielsa as manager. Our squad wouldn't buy out like that we have too many reserves ready.

If you just write MARCELO BIELSA in upper case then he might get as much notice as JOE HART.  You seem equally obsessed as Nick B is.

[Statto]

Look at the fates of the last two years' relegated clubs. Now tell me inexperienced Parker is the man to upset the odds.

I really wonder why aren't we trying to get Marcelo Bielsa as manager. Our squad wouldn't buy out like that we have too many reserves ready.

Not having enough reserves is one possible explanation. Bielsa just being out of his depth is another. Personally I'm inclined to think it's the latter. With 'spygate', the humiliation of having to give a goal back against Villa, and then being turned over by Derby, IMO the man has been mugged off by both Lampard (repeatedly) and John Terry and has got Leeds looking like a bit of a circus. Not sure if they'll even want him to day beyond this summer. I don't think the Championship is his bag.

[toshes mate]

A slow rebuild is great, but we will virtually have to sell everyone when parachute payments end on the 25th May 2021. And, no one good will sign for us in 2020/21 we end up mid-table so it will be a team full of loans again. Rebuilding is "the Road to Ruin, we have to "Bounce or Die".

I don't believe you can rebuild unless you first demolish.  In the case of the Riverside there isn't an alternative.  In the case of those involved in the playing side there is no demolition crew in sight, although on the contracted side there is the prospect of some leavers and some newcomers, but the barest core of 2017/18 will remain unless morale dictates otherwise.  Every season must start with a will to succeed; every change is made with a view to ultimate success and that is most likely true of everything the Khans have done at FFC, even of the almighty clangers they have dropped.  Someone has to rally the players into believing again and I cannot think of anything better than retaining the best of 2017/18 by 'whatever it takes', the familiar chant of Khan Snr, but this time delivered with meaning.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Look at the fates of the last two years' relegated clubs. Now tell me inexperienced Parker is the man to upset the odds.

I really wonder why aren't we trying to get Marcelo Bielsa as manager. Our squad wouldn't buy out like that we have too many reserves ready.

Have you been on the sauce again, how can you even comprehend this suggestion.