Perhaps we need to practice the "Moneyball" approach with regards to our transfer dealings? Problem is we always seem to get stuck with high priced, highly paid turkeys that no-one else wants, other on subsidized loans. If we could have sold Charlie pre-season for £12 - £15 million, that would have been the Moneyball approach in action - ditto if we could have also unloaded Fer, Phillips, Hoilett & Sandro, whilst bringing in much cheaper young prospects to further develop, e.g. Polter, Hall, Luongo, Washington, Nasser type players. ‘Moneyball’ Madl’s display at QPR shows there’s value in the stats for Fulham please log in to view this image Fulham fan Kris Balkin revels in the derby day win over QPR – and believes the performance of new signing Michael Madl justifies the club’s transfer policy… You can always count on Queens Park Rangers. Six games into his Fulham career and without a win, Slavisa Jokanovic needed something big from Saturday’s derby fixture. And, just as our recent form against QPR had prophesied, Fulham duly delivered. Ross McCormack, Moussa Dembele and Tom Cairney, amongst others of course, simply overwhelmed their hosts in a 3-1 win that could have easily been more. A lot of gratitude should be thrown Jokanovic’s way for the victory. His call for this Fulham side to become pluckier, more physical and more aggressive has finally been answered. The Whites were first to every ball and fully committed to the cause. Rangers, in contrast, didn’t seem at all fussed by the whole thing. But, also, a change in system to a more dynamic 5-3-2 bore fruit once again, allowing us to dictate the game from the middle where, behind Cairney, Scott Parker was tidying up with the stamina of a player 10 years his junior. All in all it was a performance to remember but if we have to throw praise in any particular direction, Michael Madl certainly deserves some recognition. please log in to view this image Fulham again embarrassed Rangers in a one-sided derby Plucked from moderate obscurity, he has been the victim of some disdain from those who don’t trust the statistical model used to judge his ability and subsequently bring him in. Yet, if his debut has shown us anything, it is that there is at least some value in this new statistics-dependent recruitment model. The Austrian had a tidy game; he tackled strongly, positioned himself well and, in spite of his height, dominated in the air with aplomb. In fact, without jumping to extreme conclusions, his playing style seems eerily similar to that of a latter day Aaron Hughes, a comparison as flattering as they come. Both Madl – who is only in on loan, but the move is likely to be made permanent in the summer – and Sakari Mattila are products of Tony Khan’s ‘Moneyball’ take on the transfer market and neither are looking like failures. please log in to view this image Jokanovic’s tactics were the key to victory at Loftus Road Granted, Mattila has hardly set the world alight but he has been competent in the games he has played. His modest fee suggests he is nothing more than a squad player and there is no harm – or risk, for that matter – in deploying this statistical model to bring in cheap foreign imports. Naturally, there is a balance to be struck. The club cannot go all-out and use Khan’s methods for every piece of business because, simply, stats can only tell you so much about a player. But as a basis for following and scouting players it is actually quite logical. It has certainly proved more prudent than shelling out millions on the likes of Kostas Mitroglou and Maarten Stekelenberg. As a means for saving money – exploring the depths of the European market doesn’t seem too costly – and finding hidden foreign gems, this could prove to be a very efficient model of recruitment. Only time will tell, of course, but if Madl’s debut is anything to go by, this may just work out for us. http://www.westlondonsport.com/feat...pr-shows-theres-value-in-the-stats-for-fulham
1.) Can't agree 2.) Agree 3.) Who does? 4.) We've lacked an athletic midfielder for years 7.) Really rate him and can only see him improving. Over time I expect him to chip in with plenty going forward and he's far better defensively than the likes of Fer and Chery. 8.) We'll finish 10th-16th, nailed on.
We learnt that Fulham only play well against us.......they are currently 1 down at Blackburn to a penalty.....
Shows how **** we are ? I thought we were average and lucky to win against Ipswich ... And before that has been dross
Fulham back to normal tonight...played sh** and lost 3 nil to an average team.....Saturday meant more to them than us......
As i said, they would lose after us. Just goes to show how toothless we are. However, some shouldn't moan at JFH or the team because some wanted changes and this is what we have now.
3 soft goals in the end, predicting our results and anyone elses in the championship is practically impossible at the moment , we managed 2 draws against Blackburn!
Whether we learnt anything or not will depend on how we approach the next game and what the result is. The proof is in the pudding, so hopefully JImmy can get 3 points in the next game otherwise the knives will be out again.
That with the exception of Polter nobody has come out and recognised how poor the performance was. JFH shared his disappointment but did nothing to convince us that he knows what needs to be addressed. As above, proof is in the pudding and how they perform from here. I sincerely hope that this is the worst that we ever play this season.
I hope JFH learnt a lot, he should have done. What we missed most Saturday and have missed in all the tougher games all season, the local Derbies in particular, has been Barton or someone who could have left the huge hole he left. He was the midfield engine, teams don't run without them. Fulham had Parker with good players behind and in front of him. Luongo will hopefully grow into that role, but it will take some time and he'll need Ale and more decent players in midfield when we are playing teams with 5 there like Fulham.
That article looks a bit silly now they've reverted to type to get mullered against a terrible Blackburn team
