Could it just be

[Sammyffc]

That the problem doesn't lie with eith our defense or strikers, but our midfield not being good enough to create chances for our strikers?

There is a problem with the way we attack full stop. we are too slow, we have players that make selfish decisions endlessly, we do not have a proper forward line and we do not have creative midfielders.
The problem with the team begins and ends with the way the DoF constructed the squad.

Not trying to pick a fight but when our defense was bad it was the DOF. When we didn't score it was the DOF. When we spent the DOF did it wrong. When he didn't spend (and made a better team BTW), it was the DOF's fault. Now, its the midfield that was ruined by the DOF. Others, perhaps you as well, are always on that the DOF has too many interests and doesn't devote himself to Fulham. So what is it? The team is bad because of the DOF? If so, than you should be happy he has other interests so he has less time to ruin Fulham. I didn't notice any criticism of the DOF after the Liverpool match or after Wembley. My point being, your an old LP with a deep scratch. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF.

Just an opinion. Your entitled to yours as am I.

This is a common theme on this forum, its quite embarrasing. King Scott is untouchable so the DOF gets blamed for everything they can possibly blame him for, regardless of whether it actually makes sense or not.

[FFC1987]

That the problem doesn't lie with eith our defense or strikers, but our midfield not being good enough to create chances for our strikers?

There is a problem with the way we attack full stop. we are too slow, we have players that make selfish decisions endlessly, we do not have a proper forward line and we do not have creative midfielders.
The problem with the team begins and ends with the way the DoF constructed the squad.

Not trying to pick a fight but when our defense was bad it was the DOF. When we didn't score it was the DOF. When we spent the DOF did it wrong. When he didn't spend (and made a better team BTW), it was the DOF's fault. Now, its the midfield that was ruined by the DOF. Others, perhaps you as well, are always on that the DOF has too many interests and doesn't devote himself to Fulham. So what is it? The team is bad because of the DOF? If so, than you should be happy he has other interests so he has less time to ruin Fulham. I didn't notice any criticism of the DOF after the Liverpool match or after Wembley. My point being, your an old LP with a deep scratch. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF.

Just an opinion. Your entitled to yours as am I.

This is a common theme on this forum, its quite embarrasing. King Scott is untouchable so the DOF gets blamed for everything they can possibly blame him for, regardless of whether it actually makes sense or not.

If I might weigh in here. I don't think its quite as black and white. I think both Scott and TK share responsibility here. I don't think TK build an adaptive enough squad and didn't reinforce in quick time or in areas that were needed. But Scotty hasn't been able to get more wins from this side when given ample opportunities with questionable decision making on starting line-ups and impact substitutions and at times, super negative tactics.

On the flipside, both have also achieved good things but if I'm being critical, everyone at the club aren't faultless.   

[Baszab]

The common theme is that we may survive DESPITE the D of F

Whilst the players added are pretty good - it may prove not enough to stay in the PL - because of the unbalanced and thin squad - and given the resources available it's so disappointing and unnecessary - not life threatening -  but in the football world,  it's sad

That would be another failure and 3 relegations - that is a recurring theme I believe - after 2 promotions - wastied opportunities as ever  ?

[toshes mate]

Amusingly I couldn't care less who is nominated for the blame for the last two defeats out of Parker or the DoF.   It's meaningless in either case because those games are gone and are history. 

What is really important is that focus is now on the next game with a real emphasis throughout the camp on how we can win it.  Because he was a very classy coach in his time at Craven Cottage under the Khans I always imagine how Jokanovic would have found solutions to the problems.  For one thing he would have salivated with the squads Parker has had involvement in as compared to what he was lumbered with when TK clearly had no idea.  Jokanovic never complained about the players; he simply complained about recruitment methods that excluded him by design and not by choice.  Parker, we are told, has been involved all the way through his full seasons and has a promotion and a relegation to his name.   If he manages to negotiate his way to survival with this squad then I will tip my hat to him for dealing with one of the most awkward cusses I have seen in football at Craven Cottage.  I have served under nepotistic regimes both good and bad and it is no mean feat to survive the latter.

[Whitesideup]

I think it's fair to say that our midfielders have not been quite good enough offensively, but our first priority was to make ourselves hard to beat, which we achieved. At key moments we have missed big chances. I know every team does this .. until recently Brighton were specialists.

It may be that the number of opportunities we create is not be the problem, but what happens at the end of them, whether that be a forward or a midfielder, or even defenders. More chances are of course always better, but I think there is some stat that indicates that our conversion rate is one of the worst in the division. I know there's only one stat that counts, but this could just help explain the issue.

[YankeeJim]

That the problem doesn't lie with eith our defense or strikers, but our midfield not being good enough to create chances for our strikers?

There is a problem with the way we attack full stop. we are too slow, we have players that make selfish decisions endlessly, we do not have a proper forward line and we do not have creative midfielders.
The problem with the team begins and ends with the way the DoF constructed the squad.

Not trying to pick a fight but when our defense was bad it was the DOF. When we didn't score it was the DOF. When we spent the DOF did it wrong. When he didn't spend (and made a better team BTW), it was the DOF's fault. Now, its the midfield that was ruined by the DOF. Others, perhaps you as well, are always on that the DOF has too many interests and doesn't devote himself to Fulham. So what is it? The team is bad because of the DOF? If so, than you should be happy he has other interests so he has less time to ruin Fulham. I didn't notice any criticism of the DOF after the Liverpool match or after Wembley. My point being, your an old LP with a deep scratch. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF. It's the DOF.

Just an opinion. Your entitled to yours as am I.

Thank you for your comments, and as usual hjjust saying black because I say white.

After liverpool we were all buzzing ans suddenly the DoFs PR machine, and like BAZBAB I do wonder how many of the posters that regularly come out of th woodwork to stick up for him are for real, came out and shoputed the odds about his brilliance. and some of us, meaning me, said brilliant result, i loved it but, we are thrid to bottom not half way up the table and we are in the bottom three because of the DoF, after liverpool I said that. and I said similar after wembley this time and last..we could have gone up top two with the money and resource we spent compared to others but the squad was wrong.

Slav left because he was given a  third rate, expensive but thrid rate squadm and could not make the proverbial silk purse from the sows ear.

Let me try to be as simple with my words as I can so you cannot misinterperet them
The problem the DoF has caused, this time is to not assemble a complete sqyuad. He did belatedly fix the defence but he decided we could operate without a forward line worthy of the name. we had an unfit out of form mitro as our only striker. Now I backed off my usual frustration after  summer as it was such a strange end of the season but what happened in January was unforgiveable. we needed to be ready to go the forst week of january with a couple of forwards at least. we got maja at the 11th hour and we are continuing to struggle for goals as a result.

we are where we are because we do not have a squad, we have a good defence and good manager but in the end the DoF is an amateur and it shows and the prem is for big boys, and unfortunately the only reason he has and keeps his job is his daddy.

I can cope with the continuing digs from people like you implying I am wrong. It's just I cannot see what he is doing that is worthy of praise. We lost slav as a result of his inexperience,m throwing all that money away on players that slav said he had not chosen.

I actually do not know your opinion because you do not offer it as far as I can see, and now I am not trying to start an argunment but you and a handful of others are just critical of my comments whenever you see my name, but do not offer a single word of what an alternative might be. so when you tell me about why being third bottom with eight games to go, having scored a meagre 23 goals, only 3 teams worse, and we went down with a whimper last time we were in the prem, I would be interested.

By the way I can see the defence is good, top players, parker has them well drilled, but you need to score too and we do not have a full squad.

good to talk.


Yes, it is good to talk. Listening, or in this case reading, is an admirable skill as well. Try it. Assigning meaning to someone else to further your point, not so much. I don't profess to be an expert on anything, much less something that I have absolutely no ability to effect. Your posts provoke responses such as mine because you only post when you have something negative to say. As a side note, one word, Spellcheck! Try it, we'll like it.

[perry geyton]

We simply miss TC in my opinion But I know I'll get slagged for saying it

We just lack a creative midfielder that can pick a pass, Anguissa certainly ain't gonna do it

[RaySmith]

V Leeds, we needed someone to put his foot on the ball, keep possession, slow it down, though maybe easier said than done, the way they came at us.
But Leeds aren't unbeatable, as we know.

Maybe Cairney could have had that calming role,  kept the ball, managed key passes, to get us through on their goal, put them on the  back foot.
The thing is re Leeds, they are vulnerable at the back, as we saw, and if you can get in front you have a good chance, but they went in front, twice, the  second time at a crucial time in the second half, when we were threatening to score, and  hit us with a sucker punch, then were able to pack defence for the remainder of the  game.

If  we'd managed another, with the chances we had, i think we could have won that.

Still, now we have to put that  game behind us, move on to the next.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Our team lacks a genuine midfield playmaker and that is a key position, and because of that we are not firing on all cylinders, and that is down to recruitment. On Friday v Leeds apart from an off form Mitro and RLC who appears to be not everyone's cup of tea, out of the other 7 subs one keeper and 6 defenders, how can you win a game from the bench if the manager is not given the tools.
It was the same with Slavisa remember him he was the other manager who succeeded in promoting Fulham and look what happened to him, and because of nepotism we lost him. There is a pattern here.

[Gezza]

That the problem doesn't lie with eith our defense or strikers, but our midfield not being good enough to create chances for our striker

There is a problem with the way we attack full stop. we are too slow, we have players that make selfish decisions endlessly, we do not have a proper forward line and we do not have creative midfielders.
The problem with the team begins and ends with the way the DoF constructed the squad.

The DOF is largely absent due to other commitments and unless I'm mistaken has very few qualifications for the role he has taken on so it shouldn't come as a surprise that all isn't rosey.

He has one qualification and that is, he is his father's son. No other team would be so stupid as to employ him. To be fair, no other team would even have interviewed him/considered him for the post. It is such a shame because clearly whe and his father want what is best and are prepared to cough up the necessary, but to flush it down the pan like this is crazy.

scott is doing a brilliant job with one hand tied behind his back...actually it is both hands!

After The Leeds defeat I wondered how long it would take for the TK haters to re-emerge. ! Not long it appears.

[Denver Fulham]

Our team lacks a genuine midfield playmaker and that is a key position, and because of that we are not firing on all cylinders, and that is down to recruitment. On Friday v Leeds apart from an off form Mitro and RLC who appears to be not everyone's cup of tea, out of the other 7 subs one keeper and 6 defenders, how can you win a game from the bench if the manager is not given the tools.
It was the same with Slavisa remember him he was the other manager who succeeded in promoting Fulham and look what happened to him, and because of nepotism we lost him. There is a pattern here.

We signed an England international coming back from injury to be the 10 (or at least an advanced creative addition in midfield somewhere). Cairney is hurt. Onomah's been hurt. BDR has missed the last two games hurt. Pointing out that the bench doesn't have creative/ambitious attacking options when three of them are injured is pretty specious.

We brought in nearly a dozen new players to supplement what we had after this whole board was screaming not to repeat 2018-19 and give the promoted guys a chance. Now we're going to complain we're still short? Moving the goalposts all the time doesn't make for good discussion. Yeah, I'd like 1-2 more good pieces, but we have enough to win with.

The manager and the players need to look at themselves and figure out a way to finish ahead of Newcastle. End of.

[ALG01]

That the problem doesn't lie with eith our defense or strikers, but our midfield not being good enough to create chances for our striker

There is a problem with the way we attack full stop. we are too slow, we have players that make selfish decisions endlessly, we do not have a proper forward line and we do not have creative midfielders.
The problem with the team begins and ends with the way the DoF constructed the squad.

The DOF is largely absent due to other commitments and unless I'm mistaken has very few qualifications for the role he has taken on so it shouldn't come as a surprise that all isn't rosey.

He has one qualification and that is, he is his father's son. No other team would be so stupid as to employ him. To be fair, no other team would even have interviewed him/considered him for the post. It is such a shame because clearly whe and his father want what is best and are prepared to cough up the necessary, but to flush it down the pan like this is crazy.

scott is doing a brilliant job with one hand tied behind his back...actually it is both hands!

After The Leeds defeat I wondered how long it would take for the TK haters to re-emerge. ! Not long it appears.

After 60 years of watching, a;lways having a season ticket even when we were in the depths of the bottom division and crowds down to just over 2,000, I think I have seen plenty and my experience of watching things that are wrong  leads me to the conclusion things are not right. But I do leave mmy opinion and not just have unpleasant and unfounded digs. after Liverpool I pointed out that whilst i was still buzzing fropm the result we remained third to bottom and had only scored 22 goals because the owner's son had not seen fit to fix the squad's lack of forward line.

Third to bottom is what we are and perilously close to going down because of a negligent attitude to getting forwards.

But I give my opinion and back it up, I do not just dig at other posters without offering an alternative viewpoint.

[Jim©]

Yes the DOF that told kebano and AK 47 they could leave as he wouldn't be getting game time. Sorry Parker is the issue Leeds are hardly full of class players but their manger has coached them and told then we are going to give it a go and we can win games. Our sits their and say we going to lose as the other teams are better then us. The difference tonight was confidence Bielsa has installed it into his time Parker has sucked it out of ours

"Hardly full of class players" though I'd imagine that with Raphinia in our side we'd have won the game comfortably. Their keeper kept them in the game first half without question, yet all i read is how poor we were. Again, we didn't take chances. That's what could end up costing us, not our defence, not our midfield, not our ability to make chances.

[toshes mate]

Yes the DOF that told kebano and AK 47 they could leave as he wouldn't be getting game time. Sorry Parker is the issue Leeds are hardly full of class players but their manger has coached them and told then we are going to give it a go and we can win games. Our sits their and say we going to lose as the other teams are better then us. The difference tonight was confidence Bielsa has installed it into his time Parker has sucked it out of ours

"Hardly full of class players" though I'd imagine that with Raphinia in our side we'd have won the game comfortably. Their keeper kept them in the game first half without question, yet all i read is how poor we were. Again, we didn't take chances. That's what could end up costing us, not our defence, not our midfield, not our ability to make chances.

To a degree I agree with you but the real nutshell of the problem is that we have been missing chances all season long even much better ones than those against Leeds.  Goalkeepers are there to stop the ball going into the net and that is why you play strikers who know how to beat them more times than those who don't have the nous to do it.  Strikers are like gold dust and unimaginative coaches neglect them at their peril.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Our team lacks a genuine midfield playmaker and that is a key position, and because of that we are not firing on all cylinders, and that is down to recruitment. On Friday v Leeds apart from an off form Mitro and RLC who appears to be not everyone's cup of tea, out of the other 7 subs one keeper and 6 defenders, how can you win a game from the bench if the manager is not given the tools.
It was the same with Slavisa remember him he was the other manager who succeeded in promoting Fulham and look what happened to him, and because of nepotism we lost him. There is a pattern here.

We signed an England international coming back from injury to be the 10 (or at least an advanced creative addition in midfield somewhere). Cairney is hurt. Onomah's been hurt. BDR has missed the last two games hurt. Pointing out that the bench doesn't have creative/ambitious attacking options when three of them are injured is pretty specious.

We brought in nearly a dozen new players to supplement what we had after this whole board was screaming not to repeat 2018-19 and give the promoted guys a chance. Now we're going to complain we're still short? Moving the goalposts all the time doesn't make for good discussion. Yeah, I'd like 1-2 more good pieces, but we have enough to win with.

The manager and the players need to look at themselves and figure out a way to finish ahead of Newcastle. End of.

Not quite the end of, as I have said there is a pattern that has developed. When a club is promoted you have to have a plan because the English Premier League is a completely different challenge to the Championship even though they play less matches. So what was the plan by the recruitment, was it written on the back of a packet of Woodbine, perhaps we should ask the men in tights, they will probably reply 2 falls 2 submissions or a knockout, and by the way what was our acting like tonight.
Vision and foresight from the club is an important ingredient which the recruitment department do not have in abundance. The late overdue negligent and incompetent inefficient scatter gun approach towards transfer windows has caused what is an overloaded port side of HMS Fulham and a Starboard side bankrupt of strikers and wingers, no wonder we may run aground in the next storm.
Doesn't this amateur in charge of recruitment  take into account loss of form, injuries, illness and suspensions clearly not, it is an unbalanced squad.
I am sure Parker and his coaches and the players will give it there best shot despite being inhibited by a wafer thin squad only fattened up by enough defenders to sink a ship and not a lot else, not very bright was it. It is not Scott or the players I worry about, end of. 

[SuffolkWhite]

We are where we are, and there may or may not be a multitude of reasons for it from Cack DoF, Cack team selection or just plain old not putting the ball in the net or the team not playing to their ability on occasion.

If we had won games against the Liver birds at home and got two extra points at the Toon we would all be pretty chuffed with things right now. Again many reasons including luck ,VAR, Ref's as to why.

The stats against Leeds the other night were,

Fulham first,

Possession 51% v 49%

Shots        13    v   13

Shots on
Target        6     v    4

Corners      13   v   7

Fouls          13   v   12

And we did not play that well, we have been in most games and lost by the odd goal. We are due  some luck but we don't get much.

You can drive yourselves insane trying to work it out. It is what it is, enjoy the battle if you can.

[Jim©]

I agree that we weren't as bad as nearly everyone seemed to make out, i just put it down to us all reeling from the defeat.
We definitely had the better chances, but can't finish the bloody things off.

Agree with toshes mate re strikers being like gold dust, but we've not got one that can tap in as per Bamfords first the other night.

[BestOfBrede]

We simply miss TC in my opinion But I know I'll get slagged for saying it

We just lack a creative midfielder that can pick a pass, Anguissa certainly ain't gonna do it

Agree with you pg
He can pick a pass with precision and open up defences. He also has a fine shot on him and scores goals.

[Twig]

Our team lacks a genuine midfield playmaker and that is a key position, and because of that we are not firing on all cylinders, and that is down to recruitment. On Friday v Leeds apart from an off form Mitro and RLC who appears to be not everyone's cup of tea, out of the other 7 subs one keeper and 6 defenders, how can you win a game from the bench if the manager is not given the tools.
It was the same with Slavisa remember him he was the other manager who succeeded in promoting Fulham and look what happened to him, and because of nepotism we lost him. There is a pattern here.

We signed an England international coming back from injury to be the 10 (or at least an advanced creative addition in midfield somewhere). Cairney is hurt. Onomah's been hurt. BDR has missed the last two games hurt. Pointing out that the bench doesn't have creative/ambitious attacking options when three of them are injured is pretty specious.

We brought in nearly a dozen new players to supplement what we had after this whole board was screaming not to repeat 2018-19 and give the promoted guys a chance. Now we're going to complain we're still short? Moving the goalposts all the time doesn't make for good discussion. Yeah, I'd like 1-2 more good pieces, but we have enough to win with.

The manager and the players need to look at themselves and figure out a way to finish ahead of Newcastle. End of.

The ex England international that we brought in never was and never will be a playmaker.
End of.

[Twig]

We simply miss TC in my opinion But I know I'll get slagged for saying it

We just lack a creative midfielder that can pick a pass, Anguissa certainly ain't gonna do it

Agree with you pg
He can pick a pass with precision and open up defences. He also has a fine shot on him and scores goals.

I agree with this too but when he comes back after such a long lay off he will need game time. RLC was shown a lot of patience and given many matches to try to get up to speed, I wonder whether TC will get the same?