I find the Championship so depressing

[blingo]

I have found premier league pretty depressing to be honest

I don't find the Premier league depressing for the competition and quality and excitement. I find it depressing because under the khan's they've managed to make a ballsup of not having the right squad and manager in place when we do get up.

With a proper striker signed or mitro playing more regularly or with another manager not Scott Parker, we would have been staying up and would not have bottled it when so close to Newcastle.

Whilst we could still catch burnley I'd be surprised if we do. We've been so ineffective at winning games and getting the necessary points. We've been far to soft a team and I put that down to lacking a decent manager. Wish I didn't have to say that as I like Parker as a man and think he may do well later in his managerial career but he needs to be let go as he's currently not good enough for the premiership. Far too one dimensional, lacking creativity to change things quick enough and address issues like goalscoring.

I agree with you totally Mr General.

Texas, if you find the best league in the world boring, then you are watching the wrong sport my friend.

[ScalleysDad]

I have found premier league pretty depressing to be honest

I don't find the Premier league depressing for the competition and quality and excitement. I find it depressing because under the khan's they've managed to make a ballsup of not having the right squad and manager in place when we do get up.

With a proper striker signed or mitro playing more regularly or with another manager not Scott Parker, we would have been staying up and would not have bottled it when so close to Newcastle.

Whilst we could still catch burnley I'd be surprised if we do. We've been so ineffective at winning games and getting the necessary points. We've been far to soft a team and I put that down to lacking a decent manager. Wish I didn't have to say that as I like Parker as a man and think he may do well later in his managerial career but he needs to be let go as he's currently not good enough for the premiership. Far too one dimensional, lacking creativity to change things quick enough and address issues like goalscoring.

I agree with you totally Mr General.

Texas, if you find the best league in the world boring, then you are watching the wrong sport my friend.

But would the still to be named and feasible option to Parker have fared any better with a squad cobbled together between the Wembley final and the start of the season with the added burden of the best of the loanees immediately injured and then Mitro out for quite a while and then certainly not on fire. Do I remember correctly that TK said something along the lines of 'we tried to get someone in' as the January window closed and we got Maja as a very late loan. I suspect Parkers preference would have been a less scatter gun approach to the season but we will need to wait for the book release.
I think you will find many teams pass the ball sideways and backwards these day but common sense prevails at those Clubs and they have options up front, look at Burnley with Wood/Vydra as plan A and Barnes/Rodriguez as Plan B for example.
Prem exciting? I think on many occasions even the pundits find it hard to come up with anything to say. Sometimes a game might grab your attention for the duration but many fans say their team are a hard watch these days, just check out Terry R's posts pre match. Swashbuckling it certainly is not.

[Caedal]

Genuine question, for the people who are saying they prefer football in the championship. If we only win 5 games next season and get relegated playing Parker's depressing brand of football, will that be enjoyable? I think alot of this obsession with the championship is an assumption that we're going to be good when we go down, and win lots of games. That is by no means a guarantee, especially when we're losing a billion players from the first team squad in the summer.

Personally during the fanless covid era and with the addition of VAR the majority of games have been very poor to watch generally

[Jules]

I like the championship. Prefer to see games which are unpredictable and exciting. Well, maybe under Slav they were exciting anyway. Watching us this season has been up and down. But mostly defensive backs to the wall stuff which is dull. Gutted things haven't worked out in our last few games and it's done now, so let's look ahead and rebuild again.

[ScalleysDad]

I am not so sure anybody really embraces the Championship but since relegation in season 13/14 we have never really got to grips with a long term plan to make us even remotely competitive in a higher league. I emphasise a long term plan as many on here still salivate over the first trip to Wembley but before that we struggled across the Club for two seasons and we have been patchy at best since. Post the first promotion we never really capitalised on the energy and belief and we went on to make a number of poor decisions which ultimately failed. We got relegated again, made some quick fixes, won promotion, again via the playoffs, made all the same mistakes all over again and now look destined to start all over. As cv's go over a seven year period it's not great and until we get settled and set a tone we want to follow for at least ten years I think the cycle will continue. It's a shame Anderson is probably off as in him I see the first captain in years and a combination of Cookie and Hangaland. However that success cannot balance the pitiful recruitment since 13/14 and we still don't have a full squad, or at least 14/15 players, of high quality that have played together for more than a season. On that basis being back in the Championship kind of serves us right so we cannot really moan about it, just brace ourselves.

Cue 15 points then.

[humphrey]

I am not so sure anybody really embraces the Championship but since relegation in season 13/14 we have never really got to grips with a long term plan to make us even remotely competitive in a higher league. I emphasise a long term plan as many on here still salivate over the first trip to Wembley but before that we struggled across the Club for two seasons and we have been patchy at best since. Post the first promotion we never really capitalised on the energy and belief and we went on to make a number of poor decisions which ultimately failed. We got relegated again, made some quick fixes, won promotion, again via the playoffs, made all the same mistakes all over again and now look destined to start all over. As cv's go over a seven year period it's not great and until we get settled and set a tone we want to follow for at least ten years I think the cycle will continue. It's a shame Anderson is probably off as in him I see the first captain in years and a combination of Cookie and Hangaland. However that success cannot balance the pitiful recruitment since 13/14 and we still don't have a full squad, or at least 14/15 players, of high quality that have played together for more than a season. On that basis being back in the Championship kind of serves us right so we cannot really moan about it, just brace ourselves.

Cue 15 points then.

It will take at least 3 seasons to get back into the frame for promotion to the prem.
FFP being an issue. Perhaps the championship is where Fulham should be, alongside the likes of Sheffield Utd, wba etc. Norwich will be in championship again 22/23 season.

[ScalleysDad]

I am not so sure anybody really embraces the Championship but since relegation in season 13/14 we have never really got to grips with a long term plan to make us even remotely competitive in a higher league. I emphasise a long term plan as many on here still salivate over the first trip to Wembley but before that we struggled across the Club for two seasons and we have been patchy at best since. Post the first promotion we never really capitalised on the energy and belief and we went on to make a number of poor decisions which ultimately failed. We got relegated again, made some quick fixes, won promotion, again via the playoffs, made all the same mistakes all over again and now look destined to start all over. As cv's go over a seven year period it's not great and until we get settled and set a tone we want to follow for at least ten years I think the cycle will continue. It's a shame Anderson is probably off as in him I see the first captain in years and a combination of Cookie and Hangaland. However that success cannot balance the pitiful recruitment since 13/14 and we still don't have a full squad, or at least 14/15 players, of high quality that have played together for more than a season. On that basis being back in the Championship kind of serves us right so we cannot really moan about it, just brace ourselves.

Cue 15 points then.

It will take at least 3 seasons to get back into the frame for promotion to the prem.
FFP being an issue. Perhaps the championship is where Fulham should be, alongside the likes of Sheffield Utd, wba etc. Norwich will be in championship again 22/23 season.

You might be right but I fancy Norwich to be the next Bournemouth. Peeku is their Mitro and it might or might not work but the Manager has a plan and a philosophy and the Chairman has said he is better prepared, has learnt from the mistakes and will "arm" the squad this season. My son has contacts at the Uni and says there is a massive buzz about the place and tickets are scarcer than rocking horse Pooh.

[JoelH5]

I am not so sure anybody really embraces the Championship but since relegation in season 13/14 we have never really got to grips with a long term plan to make us even remotely competitive in a higher league. I emphasise a long term plan as many on here still salivate over the first trip to Wembley but before that we struggled across the Club for two seasons and we have been patchy at best since. Post the first promotion we never really capitalised on the energy and belief and we went on to make a number of poor decisions which ultimately failed. We got relegated again, made some quick fixes, won promotion, again via the playoffs, made all the same mistakes all over again and now look destined to start all over. As cv's go over a seven year period it's not great and until we get settled and set a tone we want to follow for at least ten years I think the cycle will continue. It's a shame Anderson is probably off as in him I see the first captain in years and a combination of Cookie and Hangaland. However that success cannot balance the pitiful recruitment since 13/14 and we still don't have a full squad, or at least 14/15 players, of high quality that have played together for more than a season. On that basis being back in the Championship kind of serves us right so we cannot really moan about it, just brace ourselves.

Cue 15 points then.

It will take at least 3 seasons to get back into the frame for promotion to the prem.
FFP being an issue. Perhaps the championship is where Fulham should be, alongside the likes of Sheffield Utd, wba etc. Norwich will be in championship again 22/23 season.

Exactly almost to the word what was said last time and we came straight back up

[ScalleysDad]

I am not so sure anybody really embraces the Championship but since relegation in season 13/14 we have never really got to grips with a long term plan to make us even remotely competitive in a higher league. I emphasise a long term plan as many on here still salivate over the first trip to Wembley but before that we struggled across the Club for two seasons and we have been patchy at best since. Post the first promotion we never really capitalised on the energy and belief and we went on to make a number of poor decisions which ultimately failed. We got relegated again, made some quick fixes, won promotion, again via the playoffs, made all the same mistakes all over again and now look destined to start all over. As cv's go over a seven year period it's not great and until we get settled and set a tone we want to follow for at least ten years I think the cycle will continue. It's a shame Anderson is probably off as in him I see the first captain in years and a combination of Cookie and Hangaland. However that success cannot balance the pitiful recruitment since 13/14 and we still don't have a full squad, or at least 14/15 players, of high quality that have played together for more than a season. On that basis being back in the Championship kind of serves us right so we cannot really moan about it, just brace ourselves.

Cue 15 points then.

It will take at least 3 seasons to get back into the frame for promotion to the prem.
FFP being an issue. Perhaps the championship is where Fulham should be, alongside the likes of Sheffield Utd, wba etc. Norwich will be in championship again 22/23 season.

Exactly almost to the word what was said last time and we came straight back up

Well in that case lucky us but with the players we will probably have staying on and the scatter gun recruitment it will only end in tears again. I wonder if any of the better loanees will be persuaded to give it a go.

[TC's Sporran]

i cant understand this premiership or nothing mentality with some fans.

happy to watch a season of struggle with maybe only a handfull of wins and 4-0 hammerings possible every game compared to the chance of winning the title sweeping teams aside with stylish 4-0 plus victories

the prem for fulham is almost like sending your 10 year old son into the ring v tyson.

[JoelH5]

i cant understand this premiership or nothing mentality with some fans.

happy to watch a season of struggle with maybe only a handfull of wins and 4-0 hammerings possible every game compared to the chance of winning the title sweeping teams aside with stylish 4-0 plus victories

the prem for fulham is almost like sending your 10 year old son into the ring v tyson.

And the championship is like sending him into the ring against a one legged duck. We know which scenario makes him the better boxer in the long run! ;)

[RaySmith]

The Ch. is more of an equal playing field - teams like Fulham are always going to struggle to compete against the likes of  Man U, City etc, with their massive resources.

It wasn't like this in the old First division, pre-Prem and Sky days - the gulf wasn't nearly as great.

When  me and mates used to go to Fulham one week, Chelsea the next in the 60's, there wasn't reallly seen as being much difference in  quality and aspiration between the two clubs. If you said you supported Fulham, not Chelsea, noone would  raise their eyebrows.

[Dougie]

It will take at least 3 seasons to get back into the frame for promotion to the prem.
FFP being an issue. Perhaps the championship is where Fulham should be, alongside the likes of Sheffield Utd, wba etc. Norwich will be in championship again 22/23 season.

We do it in the next two years or else we don't challenge for a generation most likely:
We should have a strong squad for the next two years provided DoF doesn't take any stupid risks. If we can sell Anguissa for £20m+ we are sorted FFP-wise for next year, and then the season after, the £15m drop in parachute payments is almost entirely accounted for by the end of Seri and Mawson's contracts and transfer amort. Two really good swings, basically. And it's going to be a weak league next year, especially if Bournemouth are the third promoted team.

After that we have to face a £30m drop in annual revenues, which will see us in the same predicament as every other poorly run, former Premiership club floating fecklessly around the Championship and League One, unless the new stand massively grows our turnover.

[St Eve]

Genuine question, for the people who are saying they prefer football in the championship. If we only win 5 games next season and get relegated playing Parker's depressing brand of football, will that be enjoyable? I think alot of this obsession with the championship is an assumption that we're going to be good when we go down, and win lots of games. That is by no means a guarantee, especially when we're losing a billion players from the first team squad in the summer.

Personally during the fanless covid era and with the addition of VAR the majority of games have been very poor to watch generally

great point

[Pluto]

I can relate. It's more that it feels like such a long and arduous grind, combined with the difficulty of being able to watch games (more midweek, hard to find streams, rarely on TV etc)

[RaySmith]

But a lot more wins, has to be entertaining - when did anyone feel entertained after seeing Fulham hammered or conceding a last minute  winner for the opposition.

Also, cheaper tickets, more games, including midweek, and a longer season, is a plus for a lot of people, though a downside is less TV coverage.

But I want us to stay up, though, and it's  always the goal to be in the Prem, testing yourself against the very best, if you can bring it off with resources of teams like Fulham.
Though IF FFP is  scrapped, as reported, that could make a lot of difference to us, while  the Khans are owners.

And, for those who criticise Parker, remember that Slav and Tigana both failed to achieve in the Prem, and were sacked when relegation looked imminent.

OK, it again looks imminent, but we have  come back from the dead  to give ourselves a good chance, which we  could have blown I admit, but  we are still just about in touch, though it's not entirely in our hands now.

[Whitestone]

i cant understand this premiership or nothing mentality with some fans.

happy to watch a season of struggle with maybe only a handfull of wins and 4-0 hammerings possible every game compared to the chance of winning the title sweeping teams aside with stylish 4-0 plus victories

the prem for fulham is almost like sending your 10 year old son into the ring v tyson.

It's about aspiration and ambition. It's about striving to be the very best that you can.

All things are possible. Just take a look at Leicester's recent/current achievements. Remember the Europa League Final ? It doesn't have to be doom and gloom. Just because things aren't all rosey today it doesn't mean it always has to be that way.

[bog]

Saying the championship is depressing doesn't say much for leagues 1 & 2, and those further down the pyramid.Those clubs provide pleasure and joy for tens of thousands of fans with a lot less to attract them than the Championship. Perhaps beauty really is in the eye of the beholder after all.

+1

[Fulhamfan666]

Can't wait till fixture release day tbh. Some class away days and we'll actually win more than lose games

[rebel]

Keep the faith, it's a mountain to climb, but potentially could get a bit more steeper after this weekend's fixtures.