The View From South Texas -- Our Story So Far

After eight matches this season, we had earned the startling total of 1 point. Our clueless manger was out, and we were left with a squad full of promising kids and a few remaining players who could be best described as "journeymen."

Four people who had not been involved during this stretch, turned that completely around in just a few months, bringing Fulham to at least mid-table respectability while providing interesting football that was FINALLY enjoyable to watch again. Who were those four?

1. Kit Symons -- using the exact same squad that Felix was torturing, he turned Fulham into a side that -- at one point -- was averaging 2 points per match -- up quite a bit from 1/8 points per match.

2. Marcus Bettinelli -- despite his tender age, he inspired confidence and showed forthright courage and no little skill. While nowhere near the finished article, he was at least an equally talented replacement for the recently departed David Stockdale.

3. Lasse Vigan Christensen -- the man from nowhere. I had completely forgotten he was with us, but Kit brought him in almost immediately, and he was magnificent. The last time I got as excited when a Fulham player tore upfield with the ball at his feet was when Luis Boa Morte was running our left wing. We suddenly had a fearless attacking force -- with no little defensive nous -- that opponents had to be concerned about. His inclusion in the starting XI made us a credible Championship side.

4. Bryan Ruiz -- Yes, I know, probably 75% of you who read this don't like the man, but I think you know that what I'm about to say is true. With Kit finally using the man properly, Bryan was able to help dictate the game. His short flicks and longer probing passes, spread out our offense and had us -- for the first time since Hughes left -- attacking across the width of the pitch. He showed a lot more defensive commitment as well, and was the settling veteran influence that this group of kids needed.

Were we still underperforming? Well, if you're measuring our performance against the aggregate talent in the squad, then yes. But if you're measuring our performance against what might be expected from any other group of talented but inexperienced kids, then I don't think the answer was yes.

Others disagreed. Every time we lost the knives were out. We play long ball. I hate the diamond. X isn't playing enough. Y is playing too much. Why can't we play more than one good half? I hate Ruiz! I remember when we had just ended a 5-match unbeaten run with a loss and a significant percentage of Fulham forum contributors wanted a new manager, a new owner, and ... I guess ... a new bicycle for Christmas.

Now, of course, we are REALLY in a bad patch. Hugo is off form. Ross is feeling the loss of Ruiz in the lineup. LVC has still not recovered from his injury, Hyndman was unavailable the entire time that Parker was ill and, worst of all, Betts has suffered a pretty severe loss of form.

This happens all the time with professional teams. What SHOULD happen is that the experienced professionals make do with what they have, put up the best effort that they can, and the fans understand the situation and cheer harder until the overall health and form return. This isn't happening.

The thing is that when the first XI is made up of 7 or 8 young still-developing players, a sudden loss of form is harder for them to cope with. They know that how they play now will inform the rest of their careers. They know that if they become the cause of losses, this may stunt their careers entirely. They are also more susceptible to barracking from the terraces than more experienced players are. As a result, they become tentative, hesitant, and terrified to go-for-broke for fear of incurring even more wrath.

One of his former National Team managers was asked what made Clint Dempsey so successful. His response? "Clint's not afraid to try shit." Our young players -- aware of our gentle slide down the league table, and booed forcefully at home -- are deathly afraid to try shit for fear of even more negative support. That's why a good build-up ends in an interception or a loss of possession. Everyone is afraid to, as I like to yell pretty much constantly during our matches, PULL THE DAMN TRIGGER when in front of goal. The worse the abuse becomes, the more tentative they'll be, and the longer this slump will last. I hope it ends at Millwall.

What do I think? I think that given the squad we have, there's nobody around who can get more out of it than Kit. I think that we need to keep bringing the kids out there, but with a lot more REAL support. I would like to see more of Woodrow, and I'd like to see Roberts come off the bench EVERY match from 60-75 minutes just to scare the holy crap out of our opponents. I'd like to see Ruiz and a fully-fit LVC help energize the attacking midfield so that Ross can go back up front. I think we'll get out of this, and I think we'll end 12-16 before the season is over. I also think we'll have a productive summer transfer period and put on a real dash for promotion NEXT season.

I just wish that some of the passion for their side that Fulham fans are known for was more "This is my team and I cheer for them no matter what" and less "I pay good money and I'll shout anything I like at these spoiled over-paid jerks."