I fully understand

[St Eve]

But as a Fulham supporter It is an interesting read on why Man City's season was a disaster. They won the league cup, 2nd in the league, semi finalist in the FA cup and last 8 in the champions league. No need to explain. Just shows you what is expected from the top clubs.
By the way I would be ecstatic with 17th next season.

[The Rational Fan]

If Tony Khan gets daddy to give him another £100m and we come 17th, then he and Parker will be getting my praises. The accumulated spending of most of the premier league clubs is far greater than our.

[General]

Ambition, willingness to learn, be self critical and aware and to constantly want to grow and adapt your perspective is fundamental to success. We don't seem to have a set focus for our ambition and I'm confused by TK's so far all or nothing difference in our two promotion transfer windows. We clearly need to bring in premiership players to compete or we'll face another relegation. It's not a question of signing players, more the right vs wrong.

[The Rational Fan]

Ambition, willingness to learn, be self critical and aware and to constantly want to grow and adapt your perspective is fundamental to success. We don't seem to have a set focus for our ambition and I'm confused by TK's so far all or nothing difference in our two promotion transfer windows. We clearly need to bring in premiership players to compete or we'll face another relegation. It's not a question of signing players, more the right vs wrong.

Last time, Tony Khan rushed too quickly in the window to buy players. When no good value players were available in July 2018, he bought in the four signings that the recruitment team thought were the best available including MLM, Seri, Fabri, and Schurrle.

Its seems TK wants to wait rather than buy players like MLM, Seri and Shrurrle. So in 2020, he is waiting for the right player to become available. Anyone criticizing TK last time must assume the right player became available sometime in the window and it wasn't the one that TK brought. 

TK has taken on the feedback (like finding a better value option instead of buying overpriced Anguissa) but it might create new problems, like waiting for the right player to come along may mean waiting forever as the right player may never become available for Fulham to buy.

[Sting of the North]

Ambition, willingness to learn, be self critical and aware and to constantly want to grow and adapt your perspective is fundamental to success. We don't seem to have a set focus for our ambition and I'm confused by TK's so far all or nothing difference in our two promotion transfer windows. We clearly need to bring in premiership players to compete or we'll face another relegation. It's not a question of signing players, more the right vs wrong.

Isn't it way too early to assess the current window? It's less than two weeks since we knew what league we would be in, and many players are still on vacation. It is a month until the season starts, and even more time until the window closes. Many clubs have done little to no business so far.

It's not as if TK has said that we won't buy any players. He basically said that we are in a better starting place this time around, and as such not as many changes/additions are needed, which is something one can agree or disagree on. Basically, I believe this "all or nothing difference" is something you just invented yourself, because I am sure that no one involved with the club have said that.

[The Rational Fan]

The squad of 21 players is the best preseason squad we have had in years, lets see how they do preseason and in PL before the deadline. I think we need starting defenders (like an upgrade on Christie, Ream and S.Sess), but if we get several scoreless draws preseason we might buy better attacking midfielders instead. The transfer window closes on the 5th October, let's see how the team goes in the games before that and then add the required players.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Ambition, willingness to learn, be self critical and aware and to constantly want to grow and adapt your perspective is fundamental to success. We don't seem to have a set focus for our ambition and I'm confused by TK's so far all or nothing difference in our two promotion transfer windows. We clearly need to bring in premiership players to compete or we'll face another relegation. It's not a question of signing players, more the right vs wrong.

Last time, Tony Khan rushed too quickly in the window to buy players. When no good value players were available in July 2018, he bought in the four signings that the recruitment team thought were the best available including MLM, Seri, Fabri, and Schurrle.

Its seems TK wants to wait rather than buy players like MLM, Seri and Shrurrle. So in 2020, he is waiting for the right player to become available.

TK has taken on the feedback (like finding a better value option instead of buying overpriced Anguissa) but it might create new problems, like waiting for the right player to come along may mean waiting forever as the right player may never become available for Fulham to buy.

The four players you mentioned Fabri, Schurrie, MLM, Seri along with others were all poor signings due to poor judgement and money wasted. That's Khan juniors responsibility, therefore when it is mentioned that he has changed tactics and is taking his time is for me not a good reason. I question then his negotiating skills or lack of them which also relate to his knowledge and how qualified he is to know a good footballer when he sees one. He appears to be all mouth and no trousers, he is a poor fit, no I will amend that, he is a bad fit. Yes he uses stats but does he use them well, the evidence of that is for all to see. 
So as you mentioned he can carry on running to his father for more money but that will not necessary solve the problem whilst he is D of F and recruitment, and until this issue is resolved the problem will not go away. Unless you have an Association football background and have the qualifications to go with it, and he has neither, then it is farcical that he is still here in his own arrogant brash way attempting to achieve recognition on the backs of others who are more worthy.
Clearly SK had issues with both TK and his best mate CK an individual that was a carbuncle on the backside of the club, and fortunately fell on his own sword when he should have been shown the door before then rather that TK covering up for him.
So at least on this occasion Scott Parker has only TK to put with which is probably like having an anchor round your neck, but at least he is more involved and appears to have more of a say in decisions, nevertheless it is not ideal. The encouraging part is that despite Khan Junior still trying to take credit for anything good that comes out of signing players or not signing players, and he can continue to polish his inflated ego as long as he likes, but the loudest noise comes from an empty drum. Therefore, I would have thought that the penny has dropped with his father who will seek to push him further into the background without hanging him out to dry which I am certain would have happened if he was not his son, and that is Khans seniors achilles heal. Still a fall from Grace but with a softer landing.

[Woolly Mammoth]

The squad of 21 players is the best preseason squad we have had in years, lets see how they do preseason and in PL before the deadline. I think we need starting defenders (like an upgrade on Christie, Ream and S.Sess), but if we get several scoreless draws preseason we might buy better attacking midfielders instead. The transfer window closes on the 5th October, let's see how the team goes in the games before that and then add the required players.

I take your point and understand your conclusions. However, it is better to be wiser before the event. RB and CB appear to be most people's concern and that is not going to be resolved by burying heads in the sand. Certain positions have surely been identified by the club and negotiations are taking place no doubt to recruit, and of course they could end up being resolved on the final day, and sometimes there is not much you can do about it.
If the players that achieved the promotion are given the opportunity to show they can mix it with the big boys and I feel many can, but not all, I hope for all our sakes they hold their own whilst waiting for reinforcements to arrive, because during the season we are going to need all hands on deck.

[filham]

I need Fulham to get 40 points in the Premier league this season and to me that will mark success. A cup run would be nice but I am quite happy to go out in an early round if that helps us towards the 40 premier points.
Pleased that we are not rushing in to spend transfer money wildly and just on spent stars.

However with the season starting in just four weeks time there is a degree of urgency to get our team together soon. Right now without Arter and Reed we are not as strong as we were in the Championship.

Three early defeats against weak teams in virtual 6 point matches could be disastrous.

[toshes mate]

The four players you mentioned Fabri, Schurrie, MLM, Seri along with others were all poor signings due to poor judgement and money wasted. That's Khan juniors responsibility, therefore when it is mentioned that he has changed tactics and is taking his time is for me not a good reason. I question then his negotiating skills or lack of them which also relate to his knowledge and how qualified he is to know a good footballer when he sees one. He appears to be all mouth and no trousers, he is a poor fit, no I will amend that, he is a bad fit. Yes he uses stats but does he use them well, the evidence of that is for all to see. 
So as you mentioned he can carry on running to his father for more money but that will not necessary solve the problem whilst he is D of F and recruitment, and until this issue is resolved the problem will not go away. Unless you have an Association football background and have the qualifications to go with it, and he has neither, then it is farcical that he is still here in his own arrogant brash way attempting to achieve recognition on the backs of others who are more worthy.
Clearly SK had issues with both TK and his best mate CK an individual that was a carbuncle on the backside of the club, and fortunately fell on his own sword when he should have been shown the door before then rather that TK covering up for him.
So at least on this occasion Scott Parker has only TK to put with which is probably like having an anchor round your neck, but at least he is more involved and appears to have more of a say in decisions, nevertheless it is not ideal. The encouraging part is that despite Khan Junior still trying to take credit for anything good that comes out of signing players or not signing players, and he can continue to polish his inflated ego as long as he likes, but the loudest noise comes from an empty drum. Therefore, I would have thought that the penny has dropped with his father who will seek to push him further into the background without hanging him out to dry which I am certain would have happened if he was not his son, and that is Khans seniors Achille's heal. Still a fall from Grace but with a softer landing.

Cannot fault any of this because it's a classic 'who done it?' which doesn't require a convoluted defence.

I suspect Khan Junior's major flaw is that he is unable to communicate via short, sharp actions, which need little or no explanation.  I also suspect that in his ideal world he'd like his stats system to be a winner, and, unfortunately for the rest of us, that remains a truly fearful stumbling block.  IMO better he had £20m to spend with orders to spend it very wisely from Dad, than £50m frittered away on players who just don't fit in anywhere.  TK's role is to let the Club's dressing room spirit overcome any reservation would be newcomers may have, and not add to their reasons why not to be at FFC.

[Statto]

Ambition, willingness to learn, be self critical and aware and to constantly want to grow and adapt your perspective is fundamental to success. We don't seem to have a set focus for our ambition and I'm confused by TK's so far all or nothing difference in our two promotion transfer windows. We clearly need to bring in premiership players to compete or we'll face another relegation. It's not a question of signing players, more the right vs wrong.

Isn't it way too early to assess the current window? It's less than two weeks since we knew what league we would be in, and many players are still on vacation. It is a month until the season starts, and even more time until the window closes. Many clubs have done little to no business so far.

It's not as if TK has said that we won't buy any players. He basically said that we are in a better starting place this time around, and as such not as many changes/additions are needed, which is something one can agree or disagree on. Basically, I believe this "all or nothing difference" is something you just invented yourself, because I am sure that no one involved with the club have said that.

This was TK's comment, which yes, leaves some ambiguity and doesn't absolutely rule out spending a lot of money (eg £80m or £90m) but I think General's interpretation of it is pretty reasonable...

"We won't spend £100m again, I don't think we need to. The best players we bought are still with us. I feel better about the club, it's not as if we have to build again. I have already exercised most of options on loan payers and I expect the squad to look very similar to the one that got promoted."

[Sting of the North]

Ambition, willingness to learn, be self critical and aware and to constantly want to grow and adapt your perspective is fundamental to success. We don't seem to have a set focus for our ambition and I'm confused by TK's so far all or nothing difference in our two promotion transfer windows. We clearly need to bring in premiership players to compete or we'll face another relegation. It's not a question of signing players, more the right vs wrong.

Isn't it way too early to assess the current window? It's less than two weeks since we knew what league we would be in, and many players are still on vacation. It is a month until the season starts, and even more time until the window closes. Many clubs have done little to no business so far.

It's not as if TK has said that we won't buy any players. He basically said that we are in a better starting place this time around, and as such not as many changes/additions are needed, which is something one can agree or disagree on. Basically, I believe this "all or nothing difference" is something you just invented yourself, because I am sure that no one involved with the club have said that.

This was TK's comment, which yes, leaves some ambiguity and doesn't absolutely rule out spending a lot of money (eg £80m or £90m) but I think General's interpretation of it is pretty reasonable...

"We won't spend £100m again, I don't think we need to. The best players we bought are still with us. I feel better about the club, it's not as if we have to build again. I have already exercised most of options on loan payers and I expect the squad to look very similar to the one that got promoted."

But surely there is quite a wide gap between "all" and "nothing"? Personally I also believe that his comment leaves room for a lot of interpretation even when taken at face value without factoring in that there may be other reasons behing those comments. But that is of course subjective.

In any case, I stand by that it is pretty early to jump on conclusions based on that comment alone (because surely it should be no surprise that we have not signed anyone yet?).

[Statto]

Ambition, willingness to learn, be self critical and aware and to constantly want to grow and adapt your perspective is fundamental to success. We don't seem to have a set focus for our ambition and I'm confused by TK's so far all or nothing difference in our two promotion transfer windows. We clearly need to bring in premiership players to compete or we'll face another relegation. It's not a question of signing players, more the right vs wrong.

Isn't it way too early to assess the current window? It's less than two weeks since we knew what league we would be in, and many players are still on vacation. It is a month until the season starts, and even more time until the window closes. Many clubs have done little to no business so far.

It's not as if TK has said that we won't buy any players. He basically said that we are in a better starting place this time around, and as such not as many changes/additions are needed, which is something one can agree or disagree on. Basically, I believe this "all or nothing difference" is something you just invented yourself, because I am sure that no one involved with the club have said that.

This was TK's comment, which yes, leaves some ambiguity and doesn't absolutely rule out spending a lot of money (eg £80m or £90m) but I think General's interpretation of it is pretty reasonable...

"We won't spend £100m again, I don't think we need to. The best players we bought are still with us. I feel better about the club, it's not as if we have to build again. I have already exercised most of options on loan payers and I expect the squad to look very similar to the one that got promoted."

But surely there is quite a wide gap between "all" and "nothing"? Personally I also believe that his comment leaves room for a lot of interpretation even when taken at face value without factoring in that there may be other reasons behing those comments. But that is of course subjective.

In any case, I stand by that it is pretty early to jump on conclusions based on that comment alone (because surely it should be no surprise that we have not signed anyone yet?).

I agree it't too early to judge. FWIW i think it was probably a throwaway comment that TK didn't mean to be interpreted in that way. But nonetheless I don't think it unreasonable for people to infer from it, albeit probably incorrectly, that we're going to keep the purse strings very tight this year and/or only make a very small number of signings, both of which would be a mistake IMO. 

[Bassey the warrior]

But as a Fulham supporter It is an interesting read on why Man City's season was a disaster. They won the league cup, 2nd in the league, semi finalist in the FA cup and last 8 in the champions league. No need to explain. Just shows you what is expected from the top clubs.
By the way I would be ecstatic with 17th next season.

It wasn't a disaster, but the way they went out reflects very badly on Guardiola. He played a team that were mid-table in their league and set his team up like Mourinho, leaving all their creative players bar De Bruyne on the bench. They barely troubled the keeper.

[Stevieboy]

The many posts with comments about what a bad signing Seri was.
I can't recollect any criticism at the time.
In fact I do remember the signing was considered something if a coup as some Spanish big boys fancied him as well as Arsenal.
Hindsight is a wonderful skill but best exercised with some empathy for original scenario.

[toshes mate]

The many posts with comments about what a bad signing Seri was.
I can't recollect any criticism at the time.
In fact I do remember the signing was considered something if a coup as some Spanish big boys fancied him as well as Arsenal.
Hindsight is a wonderful skill but best exercised with some empathy for original scenario.

Although my memory doesn't get any easier to manage I do vividly recall each and every recruitment announcement in the run up to 2018/19 as a play on words/names/etc which made it a little harder for me  to be less than sanguine about them all, but I managed it nonetheless.  I was taught at a very early age about the proof of the pudding and that hindsight is what people with poor foresight regularly do.     

[Burt]

I wonder what their expectations were back in the late 90s, when they were plying their trade in the 2nd and 3rd tiers..

[Dr Quinzel]

But as a Fulham supporter It is an interesting read on why Man City's season was a disaster. They won the league cup, 2nd in the league, semi finalist in the FA cup and last 8 in the champions league. No need to explain. Just shows you what is expected from the top clubs.
By the way I would be ecstatic with 17th next season.

Knockout football is so often a bit of a lottery, but frequently the top teams seasons are reviewed solely on them.

I always wonder that if knockout games were played over a series of 'best of' games, USA baseball/NBA style, how that would have changed results down the years of knockout tournaments.

Would ruin all the fun mind.

[Artful Dodger]

I think we need some players with premier league experience - not world beaters but guys who have been around the league for a few seasons. Just look at whay Roy did to Simon Davies, Zamora, Gera, Konchesky etc. None were that expensive, even for 10 years ago but they had the experience of playing in the premier league, which apart from one season when it went horribly wrong, we haven't really this time. I would be looking at Ben Foster, Chris Smalling, Ryan Fraser, Troy Deeney, Nathaniel Clyne (if he's fit now) - guys that know what it means to play in the Premier league. I am sure there are many others that slip under the radar each week that could do a job.

I'm also going to stick my head above the parapet and say we need a Left Back as well - we're going to need a proper defender as 2018/19 proved, not a wing back.

[Rupert]

I wonder what their expectations were back in the late 90s, when they were plying their trade in the 2nd and 3rd tiers..

It was a different world, which is hard to imagine nowadays, if you were not there. Back then, not going bust was always the major achievement, at least until Chairman Mo waved his magic chequebook. If we avoided relegation too, that was a bonus.

It was not all bad, of course, we had the odd good season, but expectations have grown, to the extent we have people on here stating that we are "back where we belong", now we are in the top flight. We only belong here because we earned our place the hard way, should we go down again then we will belong in the second tier for a season or more.

It is possible that the players bought last time did not suddenly become bad players overnight, they may simply not have suited the system we had then. Maybe we can find round holes for some round pegs this time around. Time will tell.