Fulham Summer '06 Transfers

RE: Re: C. Jensen Also Out?

Like Mike said the price is right, but man that hurts to lose a striker with 11 goals last campaign without a definite replacement in sight.

 

RE: Re: C. Jensen Also Out?

I can do without Claus Jensen as he is an injury waiting to happen. He has talent, but can't seem to stay out of the physio's room.

As for Collins John, five million pounds is a lot of money and I would have to cash in on that. My fear is that with this money, the club will not bring in any replacement for him. If there are two places I worry about for this season it is at center-half and striker. We need to have players that score goals. McBride and Helguson are good, but are virtually the same player. I am not sure Runstrom is ready to score consistently in this league either. If we have a replacement lined up for CJ, sell him. If not, we need to keep him.

 

I am pissed. What happend to top 10 finish and Cup final ambitions? Seems as though Mo is once again doing the same shit he's been doing for the last 2 years. Sell Jensen because we have a strong midfield? Please outside of our starting 4 in midfield who do we have in reserve? Elliot,Timlin anyone else? Lets sell John because for that 5M because you know we have so many strikers available as it is. Mcbride is getting old and Helguson isn't a proven scorer while Runstrom could turn out to be absolute rubbish. Where's our CB as well? This club will be relegated if we don't replace these players we sell and buy at least a right winger and a CB. We have a thin squad as it is now is not the time to sell players.

 

One man's wish:

Out - Steed, John, Jensen

In - Kuyt, Huth, Onyewu


That should take care of it, and see you in Europe.

 

My wish is this.

Out-Collins John for Milner and 1.5M,Steed for 4M,Claus Jensen for 1M,Niclas Jensen for 750,000, Radz on loan\

In

Sasha Illisu- Ghana CB on trial with Arsenal on the cheap for 1M

David Nugent-Preston Striker for 4M

Danny Murphy-Tottenham midfelder for 2M(Replacement for Jensen)

Ismael Ehui-Fulham reserve as a replacement for Radz.

Starting Lineup

Niemi
Rosey-Illisu-Christanval-Queudrue
Milner-Bullard-Diop-Boa
Nugent-Helguson

Bench-Crossley-Volz-Knight-Boca-Murphy-Runstrom

Europe here we come as Nugent is gonna be even better than John and Milner is at least more consistent than Steed and will be better in the future.

Worst case scenario we sign some shit CB and don't replace John,Steed,and C. Jensen which basically means relegation.

 

Either way, let's clear the debris and get players in the needed spots who can and will come to practice every practice and play every game. I think Cookie got off to a good start, but we seemed to have gotten a tad bogged down recently.

One solid CB and a decent Striker going into the season would be magic!

 

This would be nice! We have a very small squad in terms of numbers and if we do decide to sell Claus and Collins, we need some replacements. Unfortunately, I do not think we will see any until maybe January. It really bugs me as I do think this team has the potential to do well this season if given an extra couple players to add depth and to provide some experience in the back.

I am trying to remain positive about things, but then I look at Charlton snapping up players everyday and it worries me that our lack of activity in the past few weeks may cost us some places at the end of the season. I am not saying Charlton has signed a crew of brilliant players, but the fact that the manager has the freedom to purchase such players goes to show the ambition and committment I would sometimes like to see out of Al-Fayed.

I like our team as it stands and I hope come August 31st, we are making an addition or two, not a subtraction or two.

 

If we wait until January we will be too deep in trouble and will be in the bottom 3. So really we will be in so much trouble that no good player will want to come here and we will be bargain hunting as usual. I don't mind us selling players unfortunately we have a history of selling good players and not buying good players as replacements. Like we sale Saha and sign Andy Cole. WTF was that? I really believed that Mo has turned the corner and was gonna start spending big again or at least 10M each summer which is really good enough. Well it turns out as these rumours were false and its the same old same old for FFC. That's spend 5M and finish on the bottom half just escaping relegation.

 

Agree it is all rumor right now, but at $5M for John, Fulham and us fans better take it seriously. Failure to prepare, is preparing to fail. And after two too many seasons battling the drop, we can't allow this team or its management to fail.

Many of us love/hate playing the "what if" game, but sometimes it pays off. And "if" we end up with a last minute switch at the beginning of the season, then I hope the team and the fans are prepared for the new look, and new attitude, that may prevail.

 

Maybe that is the case, but given the history of Mo over the past 2 years it's likely to be that we don't have the money.


Anyway time for a new wish list. After having some time to think about how much money we have and who we need etc here's the players that we should sign in order to achieve our goals of Europe.

Sasha Illisu- At 1m he's worth the risk.

Dwayne Derosario-Never understood why he didn't make the trip to Europe. Talented player and would replace Jensen. 1.5M.

Eddie Johnson- I know he's starting to look rubbish, but this is the time to get him. He will be cheap and he's young and with that kind of pace and skill I think his 2004-2005 form is more likely to be the real EJ. 1.5M

Lloyd Sam-Plays for Charlton and can play on both wings which would provide us with cover on the right wing. 1M

Oguchi Onyewu- I think he is gonna be a star and at 2.5M that's a steal.

James Milner- Swap deal for John

Out-Ian Pearce,Radzinski,Collins John,Claus Jensen,Niclas Jensen,Ismeal Ehui on loan,

Starting 11

Niemi
Rosey-Onyewu-Illisu-Queudrue
Milner-Bullard-Diop-Boa
Johnson-Helguson

I am a firm believer in the 2 players per posistion rule. I believe we have 2 players in each posistion who can do a good job. Not many teams could say that.

 

Onyewu is a big guy, 6-2 at 180 lbs, but not to start trouble, but he is really card prone. Don't know if a manager could get that behavior down, but could be trouble in the long run. I just remember him getting two yellows in the qualifier against Jamaica. Jamaica people! Don't get me wrong, far be it for me not to support a fellow Clemson Tiger, but 10 men on the field/suspended is never a good idea.

 

This is the owner of Harrod's and one of the richer people in Europe. I do not think it is a matter of not actually having the money, it is Al Fayed's unwillingness to spend the money.

As has been mentioned by others, Fulham has been flirting with disaster in terms of avoiding relegation the last two seasons. After some new players were brought in during January and over the summer, I have been excited about the upcoming season and where this team could finish.

I would like to think nothing will happen in terms of the sale of any players in the next two weeks, but you never know.

I think Heather brings up a good point in not just lacking money, but many players do not want to come to Fulham. Despite the fact that the club is in London, it is not a prime destination for many people. Fulham cannot offer the wages and such that other clubs can and who wants to play for a team mired in mediocrity each and every season.

Players want to play for a team on the rise and a team that has ambitions of winning and improving each season. Unfortunately, I do not think Fulham does much more than try to survive the drop. For the supporters and potential new players, that is not enough.

Okay, I am getting too negative right now and I want to stay positive heading into the season. If we stand pat and have a bad season, I will write a lot about Al Fayed's lack of spending and such, but until then, here's to hoping for a top ten finish!!!

 

White the Queudrue signing was a step in the right direction for the defense, I would argue that we fully concentrated on shoring up the defense this season. Center-half was the position I think we needed more than any other and we signed a 20-year-old from the Second Division in Gabriel Zakuani.

While I think Zakuani was a good signing and will pay dividends down the road, I think we might be kidding ourselves if we think that Gabby is going to contribute much, if at all, this season. We needed some experience at the center-half position and unfortunately we did not get one....so far.

For those out there who think Philippe Christanval and Ian Pearce will make it through this season injury-free, you are kidding yourselves. Christanval has shown throughout his career he is a strong player in defense, but he cannot stay healthy and with our squad already thin, we will need him to stay on the field and out of the trainer's room.

Our defense has improved, but if I am to be honest, it has not improved as much as I would have liked. Whether it be Onyewu or another center-half that can step in right away, I think that is a missing piece to the puzzle I wish we would have filled.

 

We simply can NOT go into a season with three strikers. If you want to sell Colins for 5m then fine that’s a good price, but we absolutely MUST have a replacement striker deal finalized before you seal the John deal. McBride’s good for 12 goals at most, Heleguson the same, and Runstrom ????? well I hope he turns out like Darren Bent and be a wonder signing but you certainly can't count on it.

We are almost certain to over pay due to the time constraints just as Newcastle is over paying us for John. As for them MLS players suggested I think many of them would be great. Fact is MLS is beyond painful to negotiate transfers with. There’s simply no way we could get a deal done in this window.

I like the David Nugent idea. Perhaps we could get Rossi or Solsijear sp? on loan from Man U. My personal favorite to bring in is Honduran David Suazo from Calgari. For my money he's currently the best CONCACAF player there is. Unfortunately a quick google showed that Calgari are anything but willing to sell.

 

By next week, I believe the 'fire sale' will start. This transfer market was made much more difficult by the World Cup, with players who weren't even on the map that are now top targets, they're all vying for positions and our League is the best of them all.

These players want to be a part of a huge club but if they can't get into them by next week, they'll consider Fulham and other similar clubs as a stepping stone. FINE BY ME!

As for Al Fayed, I having had lunch with him in March let me tell you that he pulls no punches. I asked him what his plans are for the club and how we were doing money wise. He explained that he has the money and wants to spend money but after the Tigana/Marlet debacle, he found out the hard way that this industry is full of people who want to steal your money. In the end he explained that he will not spend the 'Big' money until he 110% trusts the people who he is giving it to. Coleman/McNally may be the beneficiary's finally.

Now back on to Al Fayed not reinvesting the money from say Saha. He invested a minimul amount in to players (I do recall a certain MCBRIDE joining) but the entirety of CRAVEN COTTAGE was refurbished at a hefty price and the refurbishments have yet to stop. That cost alot of money as you could imagine.

Two positions I would like to fill is an experienced CB and either a Right Winger or a quick, pacy striker.

Lastly, always keep in mind that most teams only sign 5% of the players they target. Its a long process to sign a player...come on, who remembers when Reyna was a Fulham player for 1 hour.

Sorry for the rant, but I a thoroughly enjoyed this thread...plus you boys/girls are all sleeping so no comebacks for a few hours atleast!

COME ON YOU SUPER WHITES

 

I never sleep...but there's no reason for a comeback from me 'cause I agree with everything you just ranted on about.