Ream- dishing out huge servings of humble pie to many

[DadCreature]

I'll own up to having been a vocal doubter.  Am VERY happy to be proven wrong this season, with both FFC and the USA.  Ream deserves all the praise he gets here and in the industry.  He's simply amazing.  I think Silva deserves praise as well - putting Ream in the right system to maximize his strengths.  I think Robinson deserves praise as well - his speed covers well many times for Tim's lack of speed.   Almost as if it's a team game . . .  BUT not to take away from Tim- great person, great player having a great season. 

But let's all appreciate how out of the ordinary this is.  Taking long bets on aging CBs is usually not a formula for success.   We rolled a hard 8 this season.  Doesn't mean it's a good long-term strategy.

[gang]

He's playing well at the moment but, given his age, I'm still surprised we offered him another year.

[Colton F.C.]

Can I please plead guilty to poor to zero judgement of players' ability.  In the past I have considered Dan Burn, Shaun Hutchinson, Nikolay Bodurov, Richard Stearman, Michael Madl, Fernando Amorbieta, Ragnar Sigurðsson, Tomáš Kalas, Denis Odoi, Maxime Le Marchand, Alfie Mawson, Calum Chambers, Michael Hector, Terence Kongolo, and Tosin Adarabioyo all as preferable choices at centre back to Tim 'Reeeam' Ream.

[alfie]

I think people forget that footballers are actually real human's therefore prone to making errors

[Jim©]

I used to think Ream was the weakest link in our defence but he has certainly improved a lot under Silva. Ream was excellent last season and he's possibly even better this season in the Premier League.

I'm not prepared to eat humble pie though as I still think he was very poor in previous seasons and deserved all the criticism he got. He often made embarrasing mistakes inside the box when we were under pressure. At times he looked completely out of his depth, even in the Championship. He also used to struggle with aerial duels and a lack of pace against teams that played route one football with long balls behind our defence. His positioning has improved a lot under Silva and he now seems to have found a way to avoid his weaknesses being exposed.

Maybe it was poor coaching but in my opinion Ream was consistently poor under 3-4 Fulham managers (there were some signs of improvement under Jokanovic's second season but our defence was rarely under much pressure that season).

Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier for Ream's success as a loyal servant to the club but I also think he deserved all the criticism he got during his first years at FFC. He has been given considerably more time than most players do these days but he has clearly deserved it. I just hope it will last. I must admit I'm not 100% convinced yet as the level of improvement we've seen from Ream lately just isn't normal for a player of his age. Or maybe he just needed a good manager to unleash his full potential?

But it's blatantly incorrect to say that "he was very poor in previous seasons and deserved all the criticism he got". FFC Player of the season in 2018 for example, PFA team of the season last season- that's not "poor in previous seasons". Yes he has been a part of some dreadful prem teams (as have a number of other players still with us), but not sure those managers are a patch on what we have now (slight caveat of slavisa but too stubborn to change the coaching when we went up).
Firstly I've watched him since he arrived- he plays in my position so I always watch CBs more. He's composed, ultra composed, it stood out from day 1. He's quicker than people think, better in the air than people make out, hits some exceptional long balls hence the claim he looked out of his depth is slightly laughable IMO.
I'm just glad others are seeing what I've been seeing.

[Twig]

Without the players in front of him he would still be average.

So are you saying that without the players behind him Mitro would be average. Or that without the players in front of him Leno would be average?  This just seems like a nonsense comment to me.  Talk about begrudging someone deserved praise for theiir achievements!

[Cambridge Away]

Without the players in front of him he would still be average.

So are you saying that without the players behind him Mitro would be average. Or that without the players in front of him Leno would be average?  This just seems like a nonsense comment to me.  Talk about begrudging someone deserved praise for theiir achievements!

Yes, it is an idiotic comment. Probably from someone who no like the pie

[FFC1987]

Jim, he has had suspect seasons for us, all during the EPL years. There's been a question mark over him at this level during his 'prime' years let alone as a 35 year old! Clearly influential people at the club thought this too hence tweeting an apology from the club for no transferred centre backs before 6 games last time round when Ream, unfortunately looked really poor. A shadow of what we're seeing now. These levels he's currently producing, are the highest I've seen him at be it internationally or domestic. It's really quite something. As far as I'm concerned, he's performing now, and that's all that matters. The old saying, you're only as good as your last game, and Ream is outperforming so many centre backs currently who are deemed world class so hats off to him.

[S.F.Sorrow]

I used to think Ream was the weakest link in our defence but he has certainly improved a lot under Silva. Ream was excellent last season and he's possibly even better this season in the Premier League.

I'm not prepared to eat humble pie though as I still think he was very poor in previous seasons and deserved all the criticism he got. He often made embarrasing mistakes inside the box when we were under pressure. At times he looked completely out of his depth, even in the Championship. He also used to struggle with aerial duels and a lack of pace against teams that played route one football with long balls behind our defence. His positioning has improved a lot under Silva and he now seems to have found a way to avoid his weaknesses being exposed.

Maybe it was poor coaching but in my opinion Ream was consistently poor under 3-4 Fulham managers (there were some signs of improvement under Jokanovic's second season but our defence was rarely under much pressure that season).

Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier for Ream's success as a loyal servant to the club but I also think he deserved all the criticism he got during his first years at FFC. He has been given considerably more time than most players do these days but he has clearly deserved it. I just hope it will last. I must admit I'm not 100% convinced yet as the level of improvement we've seen from Ream lately just isn't normal for a player of his age. Or maybe he just needed a good manager to unleash his full potential?

But it's blatantly incorrect to say that "he was very poor in previous seasons and deserved all the criticism he got". FFC Player of the season in 2018 for example, PFA team of the season last season- that's not "poor in previous seasons". Yes he has been a part of some dreadful prem teams (as have a number of other players still with us), but not sure those managers are a patch on what we have now (slight caveat of slavisa but too stubborn to change the coaching when we went up).
Firstly I've watched him since he arrived- he plays in my position so I always watch CBs more. He's composed, ultra composed, it stood out from day 1. He's quicker than people think, better in the air than people make out, hits some exceptional long balls hence the claim he looked out of his depth is slightly laughable IMO.
I'm just glad others are seeing what I've been seeing.

For what it's worth I strongly disagreed with Ream being POTS 2018. Most improved player perhaps but not even close to being our best player. KMac was our best player that season IMO and I still don't understand how Ream could win the vote. I expect every American Fulham supporter must have voted for him.

"Composed" isn't exactly how I would describe Ream during his first couple of seasons at FFC. He made lots of embarrasing mistakes, especially under Symons. To be fair our entire team was poor at the time but I still think Ream looked out of his depth during his early years at FFC. Or to put it another way, he looked like a decent footballer but a horrible defender. Good passing skills but a liability under pressure.

Last season was a different matter. Ream looked suddenly looked like a different player under Silva and he looks even better this season in the Premier League.

[perry geyton]

I've always been a huge fan of him, since his first season for us, when I thought he looked  a class above those around him.

It doesn't come as a huge shock that he's proving doubters wrong, even in the twilight of his career (though he said on saturday he'll carry on as long as he possibly can).

Gale apart, I've not seen a CB with as much composure as him at FFC. So pleased he's done well, so pleased he's got a new contract.

Not me I've always known he was top drawer and have always supported and believed in him

Pro

[perry geyton]

Without the players in front of him he would still be average.

So are you saying that without the players behind him Mitro would be average. Or that without the players in front of him Leno would be average?  This just seems like a nonsense comment to me.  Talk about begrudging someone deserved praise for theiir achievements!

Who knows what's going on in Bongos head

[Hatch007]

He's playing well at the moment but, given his age, I'm still surprised we offered him another year.

What would you have done differently from the club? Let him leave on a free at the end of this season?

[Hatch007]

I've always been a huge fan of him, since his first season for us, when I thought he looked  a class above those around him.

It doesn't come as a huge shock that he's proving doubters wrong, even in the twilight of his career (though he said on saturday he'll carry on as long as he possibly can).

Gale apart, I've not seen a CB with as much composure as him at FFC. So pleased he's done well, so pleased he's got a new contract.

I would add Keith Oakes to that statement.

[toshes mate]

 Thanks Jim© for putting the case for Tim Ream so succinctly.  He should be honoured on here for his humble professionalism towards FFC even when he had been obviously ostracised.

[RaySmith]

Remember Tim playing games at the end of our last Prem season under Scott, when he'd hardly featured all season, sitting on the bench, when the established wisdom was that he just wasn't good enough for the Prem after helping us gain promotion - and Andersen and Tosin came in after some terrible results and steadied the ship.

Tim was a forgotten man, but when he came back into the team after Andersen had left, I think, he was praised for his performances at Arsenal and Man U, where we got draws, and only terrible refereeing prevented us from winning both games, though we were already doomed.

Then, of course, Ream went on to have a great Championship under Silva, but I wasn't too surprised remembering those performances late in the relegation season, and did think that maybe he could step up to the plate.

But I doubt anyone though he would be as good has has been though.

But what a great pro Tim is, and what a tremendous representative for both for Fulham and for the current game - when footballers generally have a poor reputation  - Tim Ream is a man you can point at to your  kids as someone they should  look up to and aspire to be like: just a great player, and an admirable man, and  a Fulham legend.

About time he got the plaudits he so fully deserves, after all the stick he's taken.

REEEEAAAAAAMM !

[Jim©]

Tim Ream is a man you can point at to your  kids as someone they should  look up to and aspire to be like: just a great player, and an admirable man, and  a Fulham legend.

I couldn't put it better than that really it's nice to have a Tim Ream. As Toshes mate said, his professionalism after being ostracised was and is remarkable.

[hovewhite]

2 things previously not as good defenders around him,secondly a manager that is able to give him belief and added confidence and motivation.Silva is the biggest thing behind him to improve him as a 35 Y.O. Reeeeeeeem

[Donnie Lonegan]

I've got to add my name to this list, I was totally convinced we shouldn't play him, but he has been fantastic.

[davew]

Without the players in front of him he would still be average.

I'm struggling to make sense of this comment.

+1, stupid comment even for blingo!

[blingo]

Without the players in front of him he would still be average.

I'm struggling to make sense of this comment.

+1, stupid comment even for blingo!

And a Very Happy New Year to you too Dave.