EPL 19/20
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@canefan Lat time we were promoted two years ago we became the first club to go up and spend 100 Mill on new signings (eight on deadline day).
Fulham have a two ticks signing policy. They scout traditionally but also use analytics in a big way (Khan Junior also owns a sports analytics company). The analytics take precedence when recruiting.
Manager at the time Slavisa Jokanovic (bit of a folk hero with fans) made it clear he didn't get a say and was gone before Xmas. Many of the big name signings failed miserably and were gone within a year - some are still out on loan.
We then turned to Claudio Ranieri an appointment that "couldn't fail" until it did. Parker came in, did his best but we were relegated with five games still to play.
Parker has already said we have to learn from last time and that while signings are necessary we also have to have faith with the current squad. Hopefully Khan is listening. Parker has also said turning around the culture of the club and players from despondency and negativity has been his biggest success.
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@canefan Lat time we were promoted two years ago we became the first club to go up and spend 100 Mill on new signings (eight on deadline day).
Fulham have a two ticks signing policy. They scout traditionally but alos use analytics in a big way (
That didn't turn out quite so well...
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@canefan We've had two successive characters as Chairs. Fayed was adored by fans for taking us from the cellar of the 4th Division to 7th in the Premiership in five years. In return he loved the acceptance he got at the Cottage (and nowhere else in England).
He poured in hundreds of millions of his cash. In return we put up with him flirting with moving away from the Cottage, the whacko Jacko sculpture and Dodigate . He got to walk out to the centre circle before every game and bask in the fans adulation - "THERE'S ONLY ONE EFF-IN FAYED"
Khan took over and we had the season from hell - three Managers and relegated. Flirted with dropping straight though the Championship and took four years to get back only to have it all unravel again.
Whether Fulham have learned their lesson will be a big test for the owners. The Riverside Stand is finally being redeveloped after years of NIMBY opposition and will be ready by summer of 2021. We really need to avoid relegation. If we do it could quite conceivably lead to another good run at the top table. Parker is definitely trying to build something, although I expect he will be in Spurs medium term planning if he goes well. The suspicion is the Khan's don't have the same love for Fulham that MAF developed.
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Leicester is really the odd team out as they've been relegated twice in this period but also won the league. Blackburn too, but their win in 1995 falls outside the timeframe in the table, and now are a mid-table Championship team.
Newcastle and Leeds have top 5 finishes, highlighting their size and resources so should be regular EPL clubs, more so Leeds
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Next year will be the 20th since Fulham debuted in the Premiership. So to commemorate here's a league table for the anoraks
If you'd asked me how many seasons Fulham have been in the EPL this century I would have gone much lower than 15 - they really did have a long spell at the top level. West Brom and Norwich confirming their status as bounciest clubs.
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QF3 in the CL this morning, and this was meant to be the marquee game. But it wasn't pretty if you were a Barca fan. Bayern Munich showed they are favourites to win the CL with a 8-2 demolition of Barca. Coutinho looked embarrassed setting up the 6th goal for BM and then scoring the 7th and 8th goals against his parent club. Messi can't do it all and this is the end of an era for Barcelona.
BM are the only team left that have won the CL. C'mon Man City tomorrow.
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@Bovidae indeed Cmon City!
Love Manchester, sensational place although I’ve never been there. My grandad once took a shit in Maine road so I really should be a huge Man City fan but it’s only in the last few years I’ve really started to feel the natural connection - not sure why, maybe age related.
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QF3 in the CL this morning, and this was meant to be the marquee game. But it wasn't pretty if you were a Barca fan. Bayern Munich showed they are favourites to win the CL with a 8-2 demolition of Barca. Coutinho looked embarrassed setting up the 6th goal for BM and then scoring the 7th and 8th goals against his parent club. Messi can't do it all and this is the end of an era for Barcelona.
BM are the only team left that have won the CL. C'mon Man City tomorrow.
Massive performance from Bayern Munich. Barcelona were taken apart.
Man City Vs Lyon this evening. Don't care who wins the competition to be honest.
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Lyon the giant-killers. But what a miss from Sterling. If Man City defended like that against Bayern Munich they would have been torn apart.
So no Spanish and English clubs in the last 4. France vs Germany.
Seems like every season huge conclusions are drawn of one country's dominance but the shocks keep coming. Last season it was all English clubs .....
Lyon had pretty much the perfect game plan - sat deep but never let City settle into their passing, harassed them all over the pitch. 2nd goal should have been given as a foul but the Euro VAR never wants to over turn a ref's decision - that looked like one he should have been sent to the monitor for.
Then Sterling's near legendary miss followed almost immediately by giving it away again for a calamitous 3rd. City could have been humped by Bayern and Lyon will struggle.
Not sure why Pep played such a defensive structure. It made them no more solid at the back but just meant they never had enough players in attack. How you can leave all of 2 Silvas, Foden & Mahrez on the bench still amazes me.
Bayern are vulnerable as they pour so many forward and hold a really high line so there is hope for Lyon but Bayern are also so ruthless and you can never accuse City of that.
