Although we are not privy to what is said within the inner wall of FFC, it is pretty obvious something is amiss,player power or what ever one wants to call it has no place in any club,and it does appear as an outsider there is one, or more rotten apples in the barrel . We had a similar situation several years ago where a player was bigger than the club and he stated it.."JIMMY BULLARD", he nearly financially ruined his new club Hull, whose supporters still have a bitter taste in their mouth whenever his name is mentioned. There was no appeasement to his demands at the time and Roy quickly shipped him out. Player power my ar.e,what about the people that really care and count the supporters.
You are correct rosc, we don't know what has been going on behind doors. You suggest one or more bad apples - yet the club imposes a blanket ban on all players twittering and tweeting? Would be interesting to know who raised this as an issue. Jol does have a history of losing the dressing room - Hamburg and Ajax? His public asides (not just of Bobby) have not helped at FFC. More worrying is that the alleged rift(s) have been allowed to rumble on for so long and rather than get sorted in fact get bigger. There is no doubt that all is not well and there is no doubt two sides to the story; none of which as you say, is any consolation to us fans. MAF needs to make it clear 'where the buck stops' and now.
roscafe & cottager - I agree completely. I think the player's attitudes and recalcitrance was why Mark Hughes left. He struggled with them for half a year, then gave up and quit. This is when a leader inside the team, someone like Murphy perhaps, needs to stand up and give his teammates a earful. Unlike most clubs, Fulham has no "star" players. Dempsey, Dembele, Zamora and Hangeland get some notoriety, but none of them would crack the lineup at a big five club. So these guys need to decide that nobody is above the team - except Jol - and they need to fight for the team, playing 100 percent for 90 minutes each game. Either that or they should decide to move on.
The club needs to come on them hard! If these spoilt brats are creating all this then hit them hard. No team will want someone who creates unrest. And surely there are clauses for inappropriate behaviour. Just crack on them now. This does not take any blame away from Jol.
I would presume there is a split in the players camp, those who knuckle down and do what Jol instructs, and those who don't give 100% to the team because they aren't played the way they want to play. That's a problem for Jol, because the team then doesn't play as a unit. The manager has to mange I think it's the old thing of when things are going well, everyone pushes in the same direction despite misgivings. When things go wrong some players are quick to blame new management for themselves playing poorly. I still think Zamora has been tapped-up, because if he hasn't, then the way he is playing and sulking is a disgrace, and he is not a professional, and has no respect for the club or fans any more.
I feel that as many fans that can should be at the Bolton game. Not to give support to those talented arsoles within our team who are not trying, but to show all and sundry that us supporters are Fulham,and those who think they are bigger than us should be dumped post haste. And I am sure at the end of the game,the vocal on mass comments will be truly justified, which ever way they go.
You're right Valj. Jeez if I can survive Buckingham, Dicks, Sanchez. this is a walk in the park (nearly Malopropped and said, dark). Let's believe and move on.
My first - belated - visit to the Cottage was towards the end of Alan Dicks' time. There was something slightly disturbing about standing on a terrace full (well, occupied - it was never full in those days) of lots of men shouting 'Dicks out'. It was a chilly November day, as I recall, so I didn't oblige.
As many of you will know I have been a great fan of L Donovan,and I have just read he has signed a 3 mth deal with Everton, someone I wish we could have loaned. Watch Everton progress with him in the team.
