FulhamPhil tells it like it is

He can be overly dramatic at times, but I enjoy reading his thoughts (NOT as much as when ChicagoTom was doing that same blog).

 

We should keep Berba, just not as the lone striker. I could go either way on Jol. Also, he was harsh on Duff- there's still a place for him in this team. Other than that, it is time to revamp the team, get rid of most of the players over 30 and build team speed. I think the relegation guarantee for next season is overly dramatic- but it's definitely time for a change.

~ Steve

 

Jol and Schwarzer at the top of my list. and I was a fan of Jol when announced. But once again, Don was right in the beginning!

 

Er, sorry, all just symptoms of midtable mediocrity, something we haven't really experienced since Coleman was our manager 6+ years ago.

We're not a good team, and we're coming back to earth after several years of playing above our limit. Which in this unfair system is an amazing *8th* place finish.

 

To your last point Timmy, I wished that Phil would go off about the 'unfair system' one time. The Prem has their world wide brands i.e ManU, Chelsea, erc., and there is no way that horse is getting put back into the barn, but what the powers that be have created is a league where the relegation race is more interesting year in, year out than the title race. I laughed watching ManUre celebrate their 'grand achievement' by winning the league because they beat 1 or 2 other capable teams.

Back to Phil's article, while I agree w/much of what he says, does anyone think we'd be stuck on 40 points if Degejah didn't get hurt and Sidwell didn't go brain dead?

 

I expected losses to Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton with or without Sidwell & Dejagah but I didn't see the Reading loss coming. I am not going to point to injuries when there was a complete breakdown on the pitch. I couldn't see forty points but it is what we deserve.

 

Have to disagree with this to a point. We had a very solid foundation that Roy built and Hughes continued. It was evolving offensively as our talent would permit and took us to some new heights. Those heights were reasonably close to matching our wage bill (9th in the Prem last season if I remember correctly), so we weren't punching above our weight as much as people think. It was aging and we were going to have some turnover, so we were likely going to see some dropoff as a result. No argument there. But in hiring Jol we brought in a manager wed to one style of football and it is one that requires a bit more quality to operate properly. That was fine when we had Dempsey and Dembele, but once we lost them, it was going to take a significant investment from MAF and the board. If they are unwilling to do that, then hiring Jol was a mistake b/c he is either unwilling or unable to tailor a system around the talent we do have.

And that's where I disagree. The results didn't have to be this bad if the club had either given Jol the financial resources to bring in players for his system or if we'd gone with someone who could have continued running the system that was already in place. And that's what Phil is saying in the piece, after a lot of venting. We're at a crossroads now and the club need to figure out what direction they want to go and act accordingly.

Me, I'd rather see Jol go, bring in someone with a track record of getting more from less and start rebuilding the squad more in the Moyes' Everton model (like we had before) than Jol's Dutch style. It's cheaper, it's more sustainable and it better fits our identity as a club. Plus, having had 2 seasons to watch Jol, I have serious concerns about his tactical ability (or flexibility), his motivational skills and his coaching staff.