i'm back and slightly bitter :(

[Sammyffc]

Hey everybody !

Its a pleasure to be back  i believe the last time i was here was around 2 years ago asking for help with my travel plans , i have now been soaking up the sun in beautiful Medellin watching our promotion and downfall - but thankyou all for the advise !

Now why am i bitter ?

one word - Slav . i always felt it was the wrong decision to let him go, i know we were bad in the prem with him but something keeps telling me we made an awful mistke . In my time as a fulham fan he has truly been one of the best managers i have seen and a gentleman. I am looking at our team now and thinking if only slav had the front 3 we have now. I miss him , i miss his style of fulham , i miss his no BS attitude and part of me thinks we should have tried to get him back for this year.

Now , i am happy scott got the job he deserved... somehow and i will have the upmost support for him during this season. However it just does not feel right for me , maybe i am thinking too much of the past but for me slav was our saviour and i will never forget that.

:Haynes The Maestro: :Haynes The Maestro: :Haynes The Maestro:

[The Rational Fan]

Slavisa had to go for the same reason that Ryan Sessegnon has to go, neither were signing their new contract offered.

If Slavisa stayed he would have taken us down and straight back up again, but he didn't commit to getting us back into premier league.

[hovewhite]

Slavisa had to go for the same reason that Ryan Sessegnon has to go, neither were signing their new contract offered.

If Slavisa stayed he would have taken us down and straight back up again, but he didn't commit to getting us back into premier league.

spot on TRF

[RaySmith]

If's and but's.

Arguements for and against Slav's  dismissal - some were calling for him to be sacked in the Championship,  just before the run that led to us going up! - but it's understandable why the khans took the decsion, considring how we'd been playing after the intial postivity of the first two Prem games or so.

The game and performance up at Huddersfield being the final straw, even if Liverpool game looked a possible resurgence, yet we still lost.

But now we will never know if it was the right decision or not. I was sad when Tigana, Cookie Coleman and Kit were sacked, but I don't believe in dwelling on the past - in life as well as football.

You can't replay the past or  change it, and should try to look to the future under Scott, who will also probably be sacked somewhere down the line, but at the moment the future for FFC  looks bright, I think.

But you're entitled to give your opinion , of course, especially after being away for so long - welcome home.

COYW!!!!

[Statto]

now we will never know if it was the right decision or not.

Well we went down so it wasn't the "right" decision.

It either had a no impact (if we would have gone down anyway) or a negative impact (if we would have stayed up with Jokanovic).

As I said on another thread, of all the mid-season sackings (Jol, Mulensteen, Magath, Symoms, Jokanovic and Ranieri) only Symoms for Magath yielded an improvement within the same season.

This says to met that unless we're 24th after 7 games, Parker has to be given the whole season. IMO we need to start saving the performance appraisal, and any remedial action, until the end of the season.

[BigbadBillyMcKinley]

Been almost a year. Time to move on from Slav. A lot would have wanted him to stay, and the rest would have wanted him to go.
Get behind Scott and the team, and look forward to the new season we've got approaching.

[bobby01]

I don't think he should have gone, but he did and I am over it to a degree. I thank him for some of the best football I have ever seen us play.

The odd thing to me that keeps cropping up is "Scott getting the job he deserves" I really don't understand that.

[filham]

The near past is best forgotten until it becomes real history and then we can debate it with a lot of other critical moments in our past,
Right now we are at the start of a new championship season with an exciting team that is only a player or two short of what could become a promotion team. Time to give our full support Scott Parker and all of the players.

[toshes mate]

Just because what has happened is history is not a reason to ignore any and all mistakes made.  That is a recipe for repeat performances of similar errors in the future and suggests the breeding of a fringe of lunatics, fools, and idiots, who will never be better.  There are consequences to every decision you ever make and in a business that thrives on custom, keeping them satisfied is everything.  Had Jokanovic been given the whole season he was already contracted to, then a much clearer picture of his capacity would have emerged whatever the outcome.  Only a very astute and almost fool-proof plan for a mid-season replacement would have made sense.  What actually happened was senseless in thought and in action undertaken, the mark of people at the top making panicky responses to not getting their way.

Change means risk; even a change of contract will disturb the existing equilibrium both superficially and profoundly regardless of its depth of purpose, because mental and physical processes change at the same time.  On points per game alone, Symons remains the only manager/coach who has improved anything over the remainder of a season and even then only by a very small margin (slightly less than one point per game to slightly more than one point per game).   Before you swing the axe you have to be sure the victim is actually guilty as charged. 

If the recruitment beast of Khan Jnr has in any way been tamed and educated then Parker has an easier passage than SJ or even CR, because we will see less flamboyance, more common sense restraint and stable consolidation.   Let SP have his whole contracted period without threat or intimidation and play a sensible game no matter how this season pans out.  The Khans really do need to make their minds up about what kind of football club they want to own.       

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

The defence under Jokanovic was leaking too many goals even in the previous season when we were promoted from the Championship. With relegation looking likely and the supporters getting restless owners are prone to act.

[ALG01]

Hey everybody !

Its a pleasure to be back  i believe the last time i was here was around 2 years ago asking for help with my travel plans , i have now been soaking up the sun in beautiful Medellin watching our promotion and downfall - but thankyou all for the advise !

Now why am i bitter ?

one word - Slav . i always felt it was the wrong decision to let him go, i know we were bad in the prem with him but something keeps telling me we made an awful mistke . In my time as a fulham fan he has truly been one of the best managers i have seen and a gentleman. I am looking at our team now and thinking if only slav had the front 3 we have now. I miss him , i miss his style of fulham , i miss his no BS attitude and part of me thinks we should have tried to get him back for this year.

Now , i am happy scott got the job he deserved... somehow and i will have the upmost support for him during this season. However it just does not feel right for me , maybe i am thinking too much of the past but for me slav was our saviour and i will never forget that.

:Haynes The Maestro: :Haynes The Maestro: :Haynes The Maestro:

Actually i agree with you totally.
Slav was a big error and if the issue was his contract it should have been dealt with during summer and not left to fester. And, to be fair in any negotiation it takes two to tango, if the KLhan's are such good business people they must have known this needed settling or got a replacement  after the play off final. In the end we (OK I) would have squealed but as a business venture that would have been correct rather than what actually transpired.

I cannot get past the fact Slav was totally undermined with a bunch of ridiculous  signings tha he really had not countenanced. We didn't start well but it was a step up, even Tigs struggled and we had a better team then. The fiction I have seen written about last season beggars belief it was a simple as the squad was wrong and none of three managers could manage to get them to play consistently although the away game at Liverpool showed that Slav had just about got a handle on things especially once he had the ability to play a consistent back four rather than the four that were fit.

The fact is we are now all behind Scott and wish him well but I cannot get past the fact that with a prioper DoF we would have still been in the top flight with no problem at all!

[Skatzoffc]

Just because what has happened is history is not a reason to ignore any and all mistakes made.  That is a recipe for repeat performances of similar errors in the future and suggests the breeding of a fringe of lunatics, fools, and idiots, who will never be better.  There are consequences to every decision you ever make and in a business that thrives on custom, keeping them satisfied is everything.  Had Jokanovic been given the whole season he was already contracted to, then a much clearer picture of his capacity would have emerged whatever the outcome.  Only a very astute and almost fool-proof plan for a mid-season replacement would have made sense.  What actually happened was senseless in thought and in action undertaken, the mark of people at the top making panicky responses to not getting their way.

Change means risk; even a change of contract will disturb the existing equilibrium both superficially and profoundly regardless of its depth of purpose, because mental and physical processes change at the same time.  On points per game alone, Symons remains the only manager/coach who has improved anything over the remainder of a season and even then only by a very small margin (slightly less than one point per game to slightly more than one point per game).   Before you swing the axe you have to be sure the victim is actually guilty as charged. 

If the recruitment beast of Khan Jnr has in any way been tamed and educated then Parker has an easier passage than SJ or even CR, because we will see less flamboyance, more common sense restraint and stable consolidation.   Let SP have his whole contracted period without threat or intimidation and play a sensible game no matter how this season pans out.  The Khans really do need to make their minds up about what kind of football club they want to own.       

:plus one:

[WindyCity]

I liked SJ a bunch, and credit to him for the promotion.  But, this is a results oriented business.  And as much as I, and many others, liked SJ, I do think his sacking was justified.  He was trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole.  The style of play that worked in the Champ was not going to work in the Prem, and that seemed obvious to anyone watching those first handful of games, and I really don't think SJ was able to make adjustments to that fact and continued playing the way he was accustomed to playing.  Maybe just being stubborn, maybe he had no alternative solution given the players he had on the roster.  At any rate, as FFC fans we need to move on and give support to current leadership and the players for hopefully a successful Champ campaign and quick return to the top level.

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

I liked SJ a bunch, and credit to him for the promotion.  But, this is a results oriented business.  And as much as I, and many others, liked SJ, I do think his sacking was justified.  He was trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole.  The style of play that worked in the Champ was not going to work in the Prem, and that seemed obvious to anyone watching those first handful of games, and I really don't think SJ was able to make adjustments to that fact and continued playing the way he was accustomed to playing.  Maybe just being stubborn, maybe he had no alternative solution given the players he had on the roster.  At any rate, as FFC fans we need to move on and give support to current leadership and the players for hopefully a successful Champ campaign and quick return to the top level.

:54:

[AnOldBrownie]

Did Slav pass up signing an extension?   Yes?

Oh well.   Loved his style of football but we all move on.

[RaySmith]

now we will never know if it was the right decision or not.

Well we went down so it wasn't the "right" decision.

It either had a no impact (if we would have gone down anyway) or a negative impact (if we would have stayed up with Jokanovic)."


Yes, but we will never know now will we, since you can't replay the past.

[Barrett487]

Welcome back Sammy, are you actually based in the UK now?

As for this season without Slav, let's hope that Scotty has them fired up and shooting straight from day 1.

[HV71]

I'm with you Sammyffc - and it doesn't take a genius mind to work out why.

Amateur , only in place because of family connections, sacks professional with ideals and principles, replacing with 'one trick wonder'. Relegation and boring football the outcome.

Thankfully we now have someone in place who may well live up to those standards of the original manager - we wait. ( with hope. ) to see

In Joka I believed and still do  - and no amount of numpties posting will convince me otherwise

[The Rational Fan]

The odd thing to me that keeps cropping up is "Scott getting the job he deserves" I really don't understand that.

Parker performance as coach has been good, but I really don't have any clue how "he deserved the job". Scott was a player, did ok with Tottenham youth and then he was assistant to two disasters (the squad was good enough to do better than it did). As Assistant he may or may not have been to blame, but the bench against Huddersfield and not sticking with the lineups after Brighton are not good on any resume. As an assistant coach Stuart Gray's resume is looking very good (Slavisa/Gray A+, Slavisa/Parker C-, Raneri/Parker C- and Parker/Gray B+). It seems Tony Khan believed in Scotty, and so far his belief seems to be correct.