Leave to us...

[FFC1987]

I've let a few of these type of posts go so I'll bite this time. Expectations are relative - we have spent far and away the most in the league, we have by far and away the highest wage bill in the league, we shouldn't be struggling away in 4th playing the most painful to watch football since the Bracewell days.

Humour me for a moment...

Imagine Man City or Real Madrid joined the championship next year and retained the same squads. Would 4th be a good position for them? Why not? But what if that meant they were still in the play offs and were unbeaten in five with four clean sheets?

On the flip side, if Surbition joined the championship next year, keeeping their same squad and wage bill, struggled all season, taking some heavy defeats, but just stayed up on the last day of the season. Good or bad season?

In the hypothetical situations above, who had the better season in the championship, Man City/Real Madrid or Surbition? Why?

It's all relative.

And I will return the bite... the comparison is nonsensical, and only in a nonsensical hypothetical context could such an unrealistic comparison be made, which therefore, makes it null and void. Manchester City, with their current squad, in the Championship, struggling in 4th? Well then, if it's all relative, we'd be in League One would we not? Perhaps even League 2 based on Real Madrid's entrance from Spain into England and an intercontinental league transfer. Are you really trying to compare the likes of Cairney and Ream to David Silva and De Bruyne?

The comparison is humorous, so I'll humor you, but we're talking national and continental Champions... not the plucky little SW6 Fulham who have never won a tournament trophy.

In fact, what a wonderful discussion to form a textual bridge for exactly what it is I am saying - we're Fulham, not Manchester City or Real Madrid, and yet this forum seems to implode as if the expectations were as such, it is truly remarkable. I am happy to say that we are a smaller, family club with a descent manager and players who care. They aren't the David Silva, Raheem Sterling, or De Bruyne of the world, but they're OUR players. I support all of them in their entirety, even down to the Fotheringham's that join because they are OUR players, even in their transience. 4th place, Playoffs secured, and I am riding high. It's a great place to be - come join me won't ye?

Oh dear 

[70sPimlico]

I've let a few of these type of posts go so I'll bite this time. Expectations are relative - we have spent far and away the most in the league, we have by far and away the highest wage bill in the league, we shouldn't be struggling away in 4th playing the most painful to watch football since the Bracewell days.

Humour me for a moment...

Imagine Man City or Real Madrid joined the championship next year and retained the same squads. Would 4th be a good position for them? Why not? But what if that meant they were still in the play offs and were unbeaten in five with four clean sheets?

On the flip side, if Surbition joined the championship next year, keeeping their same squad and wage bill, struggled all season, taking some heavy defeats, but just stayed up on the last day of the season. Good or bad season?

In the hypothetical situations above, who had the better season in the championship, Man City/Real Madrid or Surbition? Why?

It's all relative.

And I will return the bite... the comparison is nonsensical, and only in a nonsensical hypothetical context could such an unrealistic comparison be made, which therefore, makes it null and void. Manchester City, with their current squad, in the Championship, struggling in 4th? Well then, if it's all relative, we'd be in League One would we not? Perhaps even League 2 based on Real Madrid's entrance from Spain into England and an intercontinental league transfer. Are you really trying to compare the likes of Cairney and Ream to David Silva and De Bruyne?

The comparison is humorous, so I'll humor you, but we're talking national and continental Champions... not the plucky little SW6 Fulham who have never won a tournament trophy.

In fact, what a wonderful discussion to form a textual bridge for exactly what it is I am saying - we're Fulham, not Manchester City or Real Madrid, and yet this forum seems to implode as if the expectations were as such, it is truly remarkable. I am happy to say that we are a smaller, family club with a descent manager and players who care. They aren't the David Silva, Raheem Sterling, or De Bruyne of the world, but they're OUR players. I support all of them in their entirety, even down to the Fotheringham's that join because they are OUR players, even in their transience. 4th place, Playoffs secured, and I am riding high. It's a great place to be - come join me won't ye?

Oh dear 

I worry that your unintended description of Parker may fit

[WindyCity]

To moan and complain about being five games unbeaten. 7 games played. 4 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses. We lose and draw against the only three teams currently ahead of us (so far, we will see what the final two games of the regular season bring). We've had a good season by securing playoffs, and look fit as a fiddle to finish 3rd or 4th. Can we please, as a community at large (especially on this legendary forum), come together and just enjoy our two final games of the Regular season? Two to go before the playoffs to cheer the lads on: celebrate wins, chuckle at draws, and shrug off losses. We are in for a wild playoff adventure, so let's just kick back and remember that we're all family here - COYW!

Agree we are all fans and want to see FFC win any time they play, and win promotion too.  COYW!  BUT BUT BUT----I don't think FFC has had a particularly "good season".  I would suggest a largely disappointing season.  Automatic promotion was lost over dropped points the first 8-9 games of the season, not to mention a disastrous result at home v bottom table squad.  This team has underperformed based on their 'on-paper' talent.  FFC has been very inconsistent throughout this season.  Bet line at season start was a top two finish.  And remarkably, I see posters in this forum still insisting FFC is the 'best' team in this league.  Well, on-paper doesn't count for much, it's what happens out on the pitch.  And now we face a lottery playoff to advance.  And if FFC don't go up this season, I see a stay for a number of years in the Champ as we will certainly lose key players now on the team and go through some sort of re-build.  COYW!  Need to win this playoff and advance THIS year.

[Statto]

I wonder whether West Brom fans will be calm and happy and feel they've "had a good season by securing playoffs" if/when Brentford leapfrog them tomorrow...

[ChesterTheTabby]

I wonder whether West Brom fans will be calm and happy and feel they've "had a good season by securing playoffs" if/when Brentford leapfrog them tomorrow...

Now that is a far more apt and applicable comparison to our own unlike the previous attempted parallel (albeit, I will fully admit that I DID totally misread BTR's intent...it was the whiskey late at night...MY APOLOGIES BTR!!!!)

Relatively speaking...yeah...WBA pulling a Leeds (ironically the year that Leeds are promoted)...wouldn't consider it "good", however, we were never in the top two seriously anyway, unlike WBA and Leeds, so I still think we've had a "better" season in that regard I suppose.

[ALG01]

Seeminggly loads of these posts across the web.
It seems to me it comes down to glass half full, or half empty?

For me, from where we were when maf left it has been a disappointing  disaster anf 4th in the league with no sniff of top two is a very poor showing from a management not afraid to spend.

Others think that after two recent seasons flirting with league one we should all be content.

I always support the team fully, i am sure we all do, and i think if we were less well resourced 4th would be ok... but we are well resourced were comfortably in the prem, we are entitlled to be very disapointed in our demise. 4th in the championship, with no prper chance of top two is not good enough.

[ChesterTheTabby]

Seeminggly loads of these posts across the web.
It seems to me it comes down to glass half full, or half empty?

For me, from where we were when maf left it has been a disappointing  disaster anf 4th in the league with no sniff of top two is a very poor showing from a management not afraid to spend.

Others think that after two recent seasons flirting with league one we should all be content.

I always support the team fully, i am sure we all do, and i think if we were less well resourced 4th would be ok... but we are well resourced were comfortably in the prem, we are entitlled to be very disapointed in our demise. 4th in the championship, with no prper chance of top two is not good enough.

I've been going back and forth on this forum with my thoughts, but generally holding firm to my personal perspective that I think 4th is a "good" result for this season, and I still do, however, the more I see what others have to say, and the more discussions are had on the issue, I can definitely see the letdown and sub-par results.

A poster recently shared the 11 points we've dropped to teams in the bottom 3... had we managed to take just 5-6 of those points back we are talking a much tighter affair altogether aren't we? From a resources perspective... I'll tend to agree now that it does seem a bit deflating to be 4th with no real chance for the top 2 all season.

Always happy to change my perspective when rational, well thought out and articulated arguments are made.