Why o why

[SuffolkWhite]

Yes, Count Flapula, but Stef Jo and KMac hardly featured for us in the Prem either, and surely Ollie had been a good  squad  member  as  an able back up for these players.

But, what were  seen as better quality players were bought, and  Slavisa decided to play them all immediately, though they'd hardly even met each or other or the rest of the team, - didn't seem to think the team that had  won us promotion was good enough for the Prem.

Maybe if the new players had been integrated gradually, and had to earn their place in the team, the outcome may have been different

:plus one:

[Dr Quinzel]

To be fair, at the time I never expected that we would - I thought maybe the PL would be beyond him. Obviously very wrong.

[Woolly Mammoth]

At the end of the season, Anguissa will be sold for more than he bought him. He is a great player just cannot play in a Fulham Jersey.

It is impossible to make a rational statement whilst sniffing glue.

We bought Anguissa for £23m (€29m) and Villarreal have an option to buy him at £25m at the end of the season. Villarreal currently think he is a bargain at that price and they are planning to exercise but it's still wait and see, maybe they are sniffing glue or maybe we need to stop blaming recruitment and start asking questions.

One good question is: Why when players like Norwood and Anguissa leave Fulham for teams marginally  better than Fulham they go from "bench players at Fulham" to "Stars of a Team better than Fulham"?

Meanwhile players like Knockaert and Arter are joining us from similar teams to us, then going from starters to bench players.

You make some valid points, and I agree. Norwood would have been part of the heart beat we would have needed, and he is battle proven in the English League. Whereupon Zambo and Seri for example amongst others were unproven foreign imports, and expensive ones at that, we're brought in on stats and little else. they may look good when they are playing in a warm climate, against mediocre opposition most weeks when they have no need to get their shirts dirty.
However, eating dirt on a cold December night up at Deepdale or Field Mill is a different kettle of fish and is no picnic, and they clearly haven't the appetite or the mental strength and are found to be milky with no heart. Whereas Oliver Norwood is a players player and would have done a better job than any of these other expensive light weights.

[filham]

Stats is the obvious answer.
Surley that computer program we used to assess players has now been totally discredited and scrapped

[SuffolkWhite]

Stats has some relevance to picking players but fighting spirit and team togetherness can't be sniffed at. Various teams over the years have over achieved and beaten better teams on paper, Leicester, Greece and their Euro glory, even Fulham getting to the Europa Final and the teams we beat along the way. Sheff Utd currently proving that team spirit is a formidable potion.

[Jims Dentist]

Norwood seems to have found his place at Sheffield United whereas neither Fulham or Brighton considered him to be on their want list for the Premier League. Probably no surprise really because he was never a first choice pick at either team in their respective promotion seasons, so it is perhaps understandable that Brighton loaned him to us and we chose not to sign him following promotion.

Looking at Sheffield United as a whole their manager Chris Wilder seems to have improved quite a few players who who are excelling at the higher level so maybe that's the difference.

I would agree Whitestone.
Wilder seems to have that ability to improve players, particularly with his team's buying into his game plans and football ethics.

[The Rational Fan]

Stats has some relevance to picking players but fighting spirit and team togetherness can't be sniffed at. Various teams over the years have over achieved and beaten better teams on paper, Leicester, Greece and their Euro glory, even Fulham getting to the Europa Final and the teams we beat along the way. Sheff Utd currently proving that team spirit is a formidable potion.

You cannot blame statistics if you recruit a player like Anguissa that has a fighting spirit for Marsellie, Cameroon and Villarreal; and then losses that fighting spirit for us regaining it after he leaves. At some point Fulham and Parker needs to ask questions, if players don't fight for one club, coach and fans but fight for another, is the player the problem.

[ALG01]

Stats has some relevance to picking players but fighting spirit and team togetherness can't be sniffed at. Various teams over the years have over achieved and beaten better teams on paper, Leicester, Greece and their Euro glory, even Fulham getting to the Europa Final and the teams we beat along the way. Sheff Utd currently proving that team spirit is a formidable potion.

You cannot blame statistics if you recruit a player like Anguissa that has a fighting spirit for Marsellie, Cameroon and Villarreal; and then losses that fighting spirit for us regaining it after he leaves. At some point Fulham and Parker needs to ask questions, if players don't fight for one club, coach and fans but fight for another, is the player the problem.

I know the answer to that one. the player is absolutely the problem. The man's attitude was a shambles when playing for us. There was no ball to easy that he wouldn't give up chasing. Virtually everyone that watched the games in the flesh in the prem saw a con man at work, he had no interest in being with us and lived up to his repuation from his previous team of not really putting in a shift. I was thrilled to see the back of him and whilst I wish him no ill if I never have to see him or hear about that lazy waste of space any more I will be even more delighted.

In comparison norwood was a very decent man in that he gave everything and in retrospect I would have prefered him. I did think that if we were investing we could do better than Norwood biut it turns out we paid a fortune for far worse.