It's not about winning these games, but about building fitness and beginning to 'right' the wrongs from last season, so far the negatives are exactly the same as they were last season and we have not improved, or signed anyone who can improve us. I have faith in Jol (FFC finish 11th in my PL prediction table) but wish he would get the financial backing his loyalty has deserved, if not then he will walk and we will fall.
Theres a difference between getting the financial backing and paying more for a player than you think he's worth. Also you have to factor in that sometimes a player won't want to play for Fulham. Also how do you know we havent gone for some big players only to be denied? Stecklenberg, Reither and a few others have all come in that are not exactly squad players! As you say its all about fitness for the whole squad not the first 11.
When we are haggling over £1m more for Bent, a player Jol clearly wants, I think it shows the financial backing isn't there.
Although from a business point of view I can understand the reluctance. The owner has no relationship with Jol so may not trust him with a huge amount of money and, given the money he wasted on Ruiz, you can understand why - and by wasted I mean was made to overpay for the player - nothing to do, for once, with the players actual performances. He may be giving Jol just enough rope3 to either hang himself with or to do the job adequately until January when, having proved himself and having established more of a relationship, he is allowed to spend more. Of course the Chief Exec has a say in all this but he may just be playing along with the owner's line. It's all a bit like Game of Thrones, plot and counter plot.
Trouble is that by January we pay be in a perilous position, can you see Khan forking out like Fernandes did at QPR for a last ditch effort to stay up, or keep the finances for an assault on the Championship?
Thing is though, at least if Khan chucks a bit of money at the squad now, there is a chance of progression. If his pockets stay deep, there is little, possibly even no chance of progress at all, which surely defeats the point? If he doesn't give Jol any money because he doesn't trust him or rate him then it's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Nothing is so cut and dry as all that Bandy. I get what you're saying but there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that we don't know about. I'm not well informed on the Bent situation but there's all sorts of intangibles like salary demand, signing on fees, agent fees etc that Fulham could be saying hold on mate stop taking the piss. Here's the offer or piss off! Do you see what I mean?
a million quid to Fulham is a lot of money BTW. That could be used for the stand, training facilities, youth development etc. We're not Chelsea or Man City at the end of the day. The new owner will run the club as a business not a toy.
Spot on Craving. Three points about Shad Khan and finances. First, having paid MAF the £150m or whatever, Khan is NOT starting with a balance sheet in credit - it's all new money from now on (his!). Second, he has already shelled out cash - having paid of the £17m loan to the Virgin Island outfit. And third, his key phrase has been "sustainability", which I take to mean revenue should not exceed income. The bottom line here has to be wages and has to be the reason we haven't seen players like Bent and Osvaldo join - rather than their transfer fee.
A million quid is not a lot when considering signing a player like Bent could prove to be relegation or survival this season. We have the money from the Dempsey/Dembele deals, so I don't see what's the issue?
Can we or cant we spend,when one is in the priemiership the whole financial set up is completly different. Any any owner dipping his toes into this league has got to accept the facts that one must spend. As an earlier posting said, 15mil from the sale of the double Ds = the 15 or so for being in the premiership adds to a tidy some. Why little old Hull has overtaken us, in the spending stakes let alone Cardiff Mr Khan is an astute buisness man and his advisers would have told him that monies would have to be spent, and what 21days left of the market, still who knows behind the scenes we may be in for Ronaldo Rooney or Bale,or Oldams reserve left back (but only on loan).
exactly above...Hull and Cardiff are paying and spending more than us. I'm sorry but I did expect something a little different. MAF held his notes close to his chest, we know because he was lining up to sell the club - thats fine. New chairman, you want something different, show the fans the direction he wants us to go in. For me its no different. Early days I know but I thought we'd have a big signing...Khan holding the shirt up with that player...his first. We've had nada and we're 3 days away from Sunderland. Sorry i'm miffed.
