posted Sep 7, 2008

Yes, no complaints about your findings. We have fewer players this year, but the quality is much better, in my opinion. Other than Johnson and Bullard, we don't have any real 'stars' on the team. There aren't any people who need their egos stroked (i.e. C Ronaldo) or any inherently evil people (i.e. Barton, Diouf) so there should be chemistry in the team. Who's the leader? At this point is got to be Bullard.

The only concern I have at this point is injuries. If we lose Johnson to a hamstring injury and he's out 3 months, it's not easy to see us scoring many goals. Zamora is a good support player -- better than I think his naysayers will give him credit for. If we lose Hangeland or Hughes, we don't have much depth at that position. (I wish Bocanegra was still around).

I've got to give Roy credit for good signings all around. I know that's not a particularly controversial opinion to have, but other than Litmanan I can't really argue with any of his signings.

I will go out on a limb here: I think the front line of Johnson and Zamora and the others are good enough to play on a 9th or 10th place team. I think our defense is about the same. But I think that next May we'll be talking about how to boost the quality of our midfield. I think we'll need a very solid holding midfielder (instead of Murphy, Andreason) and might be wondering if there's an offensive midfielder out there (instead of Bullard) who's first impulse is to pass the ball, not shoot.

Bullard's not received a new contract yet, has he? Why wouldn't Roy offer him a new contract? I suspect Roy's waiting to see if Bullard can adopt a little more defensive responsibility and be a little more of a passer than a shooter. Don't get me wrong; Bullard is my hero on this team (along with Dempsey), but he's better known for his shots on goal than his insightful passing. I think the team would be better off with a Paul Scholes than a Frank Lampard.

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posted Sep 7, 2008

WHU Fan in Peace.

Put it this way... of the 4 new players who were from us directly or had played for us previously, all four would make it to the first team for us... not the squad, the first team.

Paintsil - good RB, better than Lucas Neill on current form.

Konchesky - George McCartney was sold... runner up in fans "hammer of the year" award last season and an ever present... now sold, so Konchesky would definitely play.

Bullard - He'd be in for energy, technique and current form.

Zamora - with Bellers injured (again) and Carlton Cole NOT worth the supposed £12m offer we had in the summer, Bobby would be in the starting 11 right now for us.

Based on that and my experince of seeing these players and the amount of graft they put in (Zamora and Paintsil especially) Roy has made some very astute signings... don't be upset if you achieve mid table medicority, that would be a big step forward (no wind up intended) and better than last day relegation worries... you'll be fine with these guys.

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posted Sep 8, 2008

Yes a decent squad however rather thin on the ground compared to last year. CB is a worry, Kalio can slot in but not tested. We have fringe CB's in the reserves I assume but again not tested. Perhaps Hodgson is giving the younger, youth players a chance here. I assume Grey is cover for LM role, should Davies or Gera get hurt or suspended so that really doesn't bother me. Unless AJ is scoring goals I can't see us getting them, a la last season. The defense not as solid as I'd hoped. I thought we'd add more competitiion for places thru the middle, don't get me wrong I think both are solid but feel we need another Hangeland come Jan.

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posted Sep 8, 2008

yep

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posted Sep 8, 2008

So what do you think your strongest starting XI will be on Saturday for the Bolton game? We are suffering with a few injuries and a suspension

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posted Sep 8, 2008

Roy now has a squad of 23 players plus he wants to give chances to the other players like Milsom and Brown to name a couple. With a squad that size they will now be able to get some games and valuable experience. Trust the Roymeister fellas!
http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2008/September/RoyOnTransfers.aspx

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posted Sep 15, 2008

It has to be said that I actually look out for the Fulham results now to see how well they are doing simply because I am intrigued by his new signings.

Etuhu is a good player despite what has been said but he has to be moulded into making a positive contribution in midfield rather than simply trying to disrupt attacks. The best is yet to come from him.

The best thing about it is that almost everyone has good ability on the ball and he has brought in a few Englishmen. I am sure that he will improve the players that he has got but just as important is the fact that he has not brought in so many players that the youngsters will think that there is no point in them trying to break through. All I can see are positives. I have been watching the youth system at Fulham in recent times too and their youngsters aged 12 and younger appear to be frighteningly good. They seem to be getting the best that London can offer. If Roy hangs around who knows where the team will be in 10 years time.

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