Good article-I too am more than optimistic. Tough first five games, followed by our three relegation rivals. For much of Saturday’s game it was free flowing enjoyable football. I’m sure with the new intake we will be able to fill the gaping hole on the right of the defence. The end of Marco’s tenure was dire, stale and predictable. Enjoy the Rollercoaster, the thrills and spills. Hodgson had an equally difficult start.
An optimistic review which persuades me to be patient. The first four fixtures are challenging, but there will need to be results for the next set, if it’s not working after the end of October it will be a fight to stay out of the relegation fight!
Nicely put. One thing that worries me is not using substitutes well. There were several players on the bench (we all know who) who are quick and skilful who should have been used. If you play a high intensity game players will tire, fresh legs at the right time can prove to be crucial. It also adds more competition for starting places. I’m not sure Arbeloa picking his ‘boys’ all the time is good for the team and morale. If there is discontent in the dressing room this might be why.
Appreciate the balanced view. However, my view remains that the PL is too ruthless for a club of our limited resources to have 'time to grow' to the levels necessary to avoid relegation. We have tried to change too much, too quickly, and given ourselves too big a mountain to climb. Most worryingly we seem have unpicked the solid foundations and squad harmony that were always maintained during Silva's time, so we can't even rely or build on those now. You have to remember that every other club is also moving forward and developing, they aren't standing around waiting for us to settle in or catch-up. The reality is that neither Sunderland or Crystal Palace are among the strongest teams in the context of the PL, and neither of them played very well at all. Yet we deservedly lost both games, we weren't unlucky. Being plucky and having some nice attacking patterns counts for nothing if you can't put points on the board. To my mind Arbeloa is exactly like Scott Parker, he simply operates at the other end of the tactical spectrum - all out attack vs all out defence. But he is just as tactically limited, emotionally unintelligent, naive and blinkered as Parker, and it will only end up going the same way if he stays in charge.
TL, some valid points there, so thanks for sharing.
The thing about change is that you can't go half-hearted once you've started. Arbeloa inherited one of the oldest squads in the Premier League, and at some point that has to be addressed. The likes of Jiménez and Wilson, as good as they've been for us, would eventually become a hindrance, along with plenty of others around the 30 mark.
Fortunately, he hasn't gone wholesale. He's kept the key experienced players from the Silva era and brought in younger ones who can grow within the club over the next few seasons, and who we can eventually sell at a profit.
Anyone starting a new job needs time to settle, football or civvy street. Look at Alex Ferguson; he struggled badly at United early on and was reportedly close to being sacked. There are plenty of examples like that, including closer to home, our very own Roy Hodgson. His first 10 games were dire, with only one win, and two draws.
We all knew the first five games would be tough: Chelsea, Sunderland at home, Palace (our bogey team), Liverpool at Anfield and a promising Man United side at home. Yet game by game, I do see improvements.
Staying up and finishing around 15th is probably the best we can realistically achieve this season. Anything else is a bonus. Next season I think will look rather different. The important thing is that we're scoring goals, getting into good positions and linking play well. If none of that existed, I'd start to panic.
Football is an emotional game. Let's all chill and see where we are by Christmas; hopefully there'll be more than one thing to celebrate by then.
Fair points, thanks. I still maintain we've tried to implement too much fundamental change: Experienced and respected manager to highly inexperienced and unknown manager + Conservative mid-block to kamikaze attack + experienced, steady playmakers to inexperienced young tyros. A club our size can deal with 1 or at a stretch maybe 2 of those elements at one time, but not all 3. Also, it's more concerning because we know this level of change was not planned or part of a deliberate strategy, we've haphazardly landed here because of TK.
Baz: I so hope Alex is right. In my 65th year as a Fulham supporter I could give Job lessons in patience. I suppose it is possible for a person to pass his driving test and step successfully into a Formula One car but unlikely. Why have the Khans taken such a risk with Arbeloa? I have a horrible feeling that five games without a point will stretch fans’ patience thinner than the right hand side of our defence.
Hi Baz, Patience is the key. Momentum takes time. Realistically, it's unlikely we will get any points in the first 5 games. Then there will be the international break to recoup. And then play the newly promoted sides. Points do need to be picked up there, otherwise Fulham will make it very difficult for themselves after that. I expect this is where Fulham can pick up points, if they keep up the high press, intensity and shore up the back line.
Great read! I agree with just about all of it. What's encouraging is that Arbeloa has clearly spent this period assessing every player, in training and on the pitch, working out who genuinely fits the system. Kevin and ESM both have real potential, but neither is yet delivering what the club or the fanbase expects. And they both need to be big boys, be self-critical and rise to the occasion.
Results haven't gone our way, but we're scoring, linking play well and at times looking genuinely dynamic, particularly going forward. Plenty of green shoots there. The team and the system are in transition, and you can see improvements game by game. It says something when a striker like Harry Kane, in our case Gonzola Garcia, has to run back and defend the goal. This is both positive and negative.
The defence is obviously the issue, and Arbeloa knows it. My one gripe is the timing of his substitutions; at this new tempo, players are running on empty for the last 20 minutes, and the changes come on far too late to help. Fixable, though.
It'll be painful at times, but he's learning at warp speed with no Premier League managerial experience and only six months in La Liga behind him. Worth being patient. Trust the process. To me, this does not look like a Felix Magath moment. That was a real disaster, and Fulham fans should distinguish it from the parallels.
I raise my hand and admit I felt panicked at the end of the game. However, this post in addition to commentary I've seen elsewhere is a good reminder to exhibit more patience. And a reminder that most of us were begging for change, for something new and exciting. Well, we've definitely got something new and "exciting".
I AM concerned about locker room unrest, but I guess we have no choice right now to trust everyone involved behind the scenes to sort it all out.
Another bit of perspective I am reminding myself: let's say we do get relegated. We've been there before. We were fine before. The club is bigger than any manager or player.
And finally, I am disappointed by all the boos. Is there a time to boo? Maybe. But after 3 games? For crying out loud! I know we all care so deeply, but what good will that ever do? We all need to show a bit more composure and get behind the team.
A good piece. The problems are game management and the defence . Anderson looks a liability at present and wasn't at his best last season - positioning for 3rd goal very odd.
Jedi isn't looking as good as he has been. New signings , by contrast, are looking good.
If the defence could play as they have in past, we would not ship goals. My recommendation would be to sell Anderson in January.
Arguably a little more optimistic than I'm feeling, but there does need to be a bit more patience.
There are promising signs, and had we had the luck we had at times last year we could have easily got results against Chelsea and Palace. Remember the Leeds own goal winner and the near physics defying own goal in the first Brentford game by this stage of last season. Instead we have Gonzalo charging back to defend and missing a clearance by an inch, and Robinson somehow not lobbing Sanchez into an empty net.
Arbeloa needs to act, and the first step should be getting rid of Iwobi in midfield and pushing him forwards or onto the bench. Our established players need to step up too, too many aren't doing enough.
Yup, agree with everything that you've said. Difficult times, but got to keep your head up. As for Iwobi, he would play much better, like you say, up front instead of Palacios — even though the Spaniard had a good game. Berge and Charles are the ones to start in midfield, and I guess there will be some rotation during certain phases of play, or against certain opposition, to bring in the new recruits. Be interesting to see how Affengruber does instead of Andersen.
Nobody talking much about luck, which we all need! We have to give the new team more games before passing judgement, and bringing out the boos. Palace had the luck on Saturday, and it is cruel for us. Another day, we could have been 3, 4-1 up which was not very likely last season.
Excellent article! It is good to remind the fanbase how long it took other successful managers to turn things around.
Pundits and critics love to put Fulham down, but what is particularly disappointing is the booing, pessimism and doom-mongering from parts of our own fanbase..
The greatest hypocrisy comes from those who have spent ages saying that the team was too old and the manager too passive. Now we have exactly the sort of change they were calling for.
Yes, the defence needs fixing. But this was starting to go wrong end of last season . New signings will help and a bit less throttle advised .
It is also worth noting that the players apparently complaining are the very ones whom supporters have regularly criticised: Andersen (“too slow and cost us Europe”), ESR (“lazy and the worst signing in Fulham’s history”), Iwobi (“plenty of movement but no end product”), Kevin (“lazy and underperforming”) and even Tete (“get him out quickly before he is injured again and get some money for him”).
Perhaps Arbeloa simply isn’t prepared to accept any nonsense. He expects millionaire footballers to go well beyond the extra mile.
A massive transformation is taking place. No more Dad’s Army—it is time for the Spartan spirit!
More composure than Kevin or Bobb. There is a lot of silva deadwood to sift through. The team was atrophying halfway last season when it was clear he was off. We just need to kick on post international break. If it is still dire after 9 games then begin to doubt
Usually, I would agree a manager needs to be given time. But the managers in this post all had a track record of success that suggested they might get things right if given time. That's not the case with Arbeloa - he's come in unproven. So I disagree and think if results don't come soon, the club should act more quickly than they otherwise might. The club presumably have a contingency plan if their big gamble doesn't come off?! 🤡
Hard to be optimistic. I'll wait until I see any evidence that Arbeloa is prepared to evolve his tactical outlook. If he doesn't, with the current personnel, we're back to the championship.
A great piece , at last a bit of composure
Good article-I too am more than optimistic. Tough first five games, followed by our three relegation rivals. For much of Saturday’s game it was free flowing enjoyable football. I’m sure with the new intake we will be able to fill the gaping hole on the right of the defence. The end of Marco’s tenure was dire, stale and predictable. Enjoy the Rollercoaster, the thrills and spills. Hodgson had an equally difficult start.
An optimistic review which persuades me to be patient. The first four fixtures are challenging, but there will need to be results for the next set, if it’s not working after the end of October it will be a fight to stay out of the relegation fight!
Nicely put. One thing that worries me is not using substitutes well. There were several players on the bench (we all know who) who are quick and skilful who should have been used. If you play a high intensity game players will tire, fresh legs at the right time can prove to be crucial. It also adds more competition for starting places. I’m not sure Arbeloa picking his ‘boys’ all the time is good for the team and morale. If there is discontent in the dressing room this might be why.
Appreciate the balanced view. However, my view remains that the PL is too ruthless for a club of our limited resources to have 'time to grow' to the levels necessary to avoid relegation. We have tried to change too much, too quickly, and given ourselves too big a mountain to climb. Most worryingly we seem have unpicked the solid foundations and squad harmony that were always maintained during Silva's time, so we can't even rely or build on those now. You have to remember that every other club is also moving forward and developing, they aren't standing around waiting for us to settle in or catch-up. The reality is that neither Sunderland or Crystal Palace are among the strongest teams in the context of the PL, and neither of them played very well at all. Yet we deservedly lost both games, we weren't unlucky. Being plucky and having some nice attacking patterns counts for nothing if you can't put points on the board. To my mind Arbeloa is exactly like Scott Parker, he simply operates at the other end of the tactical spectrum - all out attack vs all out defence. But he is just as tactically limited, emotionally unintelligent, naive and blinkered as Parker, and it will only end up going the same way if he stays in charge.
TL, some valid points there, so thanks for sharing.
The thing about change is that you can't go half-hearted once you've started. Arbeloa inherited one of the oldest squads in the Premier League, and at some point that has to be addressed. The likes of Jiménez and Wilson, as good as they've been for us, would eventually become a hindrance, along with plenty of others around the 30 mark.
Fortunately, he hasn't gone wholesale. He's kept the key experienced players from the Silva era and brought in younger ones who can grow within the club over the next few seasons, and who we can eventually sell at a profit.
Anyone starting a new job needs time to settle, football or civvy street. Look at Alex Ferguson; he struggled badly at United early on and was reportedly close to being sacked. There are plenty of examples like that, including closer to home, our very own Roy Hodgson. His first 10 games were dire, with only one win, and two draws.
We all knew the first five games would be tough: Chelsea, Sunderland at home, Palace (our bogey team), Liverpool at Anfield and a promising Man United side at home. Yet game by game, I do see improvements.
Staying up and finishing around 15th is probably the best we can realistically achieve this season. Anything else is a bonus. Next season I think will look rather different. The important thing is that we're scoring goals, getting into good positions and linking play well. If none of that existed, I'd start to panic.
Football is an emotional game. Let's all chill and see where we are by Christmas; hopefully there'll be more than one thing to celebrate by then.
Have a good day, Pal!
Fair points, thanks. I still maintain we've tried to implement too much fundamental change: Experienced and respected manager to highly inexperienced and unknown manager + Conservative mid-block to kamikaze attack + experienced, steady playmakers to inexperienced young tyros. A club our size can deal with 1 or at a stretch maybe 2 of those elements at one time, but not all 3. Also, it's more concerning because we know this level of change was not planned or part of a deliberate strategy, we've haphazardly landed here because of TK.
Baz: I so hope Alex is right. In my 65th year as a Fulham supporter I could give Job lessons in patience. I suppose it is possible for a person to pass his driving test and step successfully into a Formula One car but unlikely. Why have the Khans taken such a risk with Arbeloa? I have a horrible feeling that five games without a point will stretch fans’ patience thinner than the right hand side of our defence.
Hi Baz, Patience is the key. Momentum takes time. Realistically, it's unlikely we will get any points in the first 5 games. Then there will be the international break to recoup. And then play the newly promoted sides. Points do need to be picked up there, otherwise Fulham will make it very difficult for themselves after that. I expect this is where Fulham can pick up points, if they keep up the high press, intensity and shore up the back line.
Great read! I agree with just about all of it. What's encouraging is that Arbeloa has clearly spent this period assessing every player, in training and on the pitch, working out who genuinely fits the system. Kevin and ESM both have real potential, but neither is yet delivering what the club or the fanbase expects. And they both need to be big boys, be self-critical and rise to the occasion.
Results haven't gone our way, but we're scoring, linking play well and at times looking genuinely dynamic, particularly going forward. Plenty of green shoots there. The team and the system are in transition, and you can see improvements game by game. It says something when a striker like Harry Kane, in our case Gonzola Garcia, has to run back and defend the goal. This is both positive and negative.
The defence is obviously the issue, and Arbeloa knows it. My one gripe is the timing of his substitutions; at this new tempo, players are running on empty for the last 20 minutes, and the changes come on far too late to help. Fixable, though.
It'll be painful at times, but he's learning at warp speed with no Premier League managerial experience and only six months in La Liga behind him. Worth being patient. Trust the process. To me, this does not look like a Felix Magath moment. That was a real disaster, and Fulham fans should distinguish it from the parallels.
I raise my hand and admit I felt panicked at the end of the game. However, this post in addition to commentary I've seen elsewhere is a good reminder to exhibit more patience. And a reminder that most of us were begging for change, for something new and exciting. Well, we've definitely got something new and "exciting".
I AM concerned about locker room unrest, but I guess we have no choice right now to trust everyone involved behind the scenes to sort it all out.
Another bit of perspective I am reminding myself: let's say we do get relegated. We've been there before. We were fine before. The club is bigger than any manager or player.
And finally, I am disappointed by all the boos. Is there a time to boo? Maybe. But after 3 games? For crying out loud! I know we all care so deeply, but what good will that ever do? We all need to show a bit more composure and get behind the team.
Thanks for helping keep me level!
A good piece. The problems are game management and the defence . Anderson looks a liability at present and wasn't at his best last season - positioning for 3rd goal very odd.
Jedi isn't looking as good as he has been. New signings , by contrast, are looking good.
If the defence could play as they have in past, we would not ship goals. My recommendation would be to sell Anderson in January.
Arguably a little more optimistic than I'm feeling, but there does need to be a bit more patience.
There are promising signs, and had we had the luck we had at times last year we could have easily got results against Chelsea and Palace. Remember the Leeds own goal winner and the near physics defying own goal in the first Brentford game by this stage of last season. Instead we have Gonzalo charging back to defend and missing a clearance by an inch, and Robinson somehow not lobbing Sanchez into an empty net.
Arbeloa needs to act, and the first step should be getting rid of Iwobi in midfield and pushing him forwards or onto the bench. Our established players need to step up too, too many aren't doing enough.
Yup, agree with everything that you've said. Difficult times, but got to keep your head up. As for Iwobi, he would play much better, like you say, up front instead of Palacios — even though the Spaniard had a good game. Berge and Charles are the ones to start in midfield, and I guess there will be some rotation during certain phases of play, or against certain opposition, to bring in the new recruits. Be interesting to see how Affengruber does instead of Andersen.
Nobody talking much about luck, which we all need! We have to give the new team more games before passing judgement, and bringing out the boos. Palace had the luck on Saturday, and it is cruel for us. Another day, we could have been 3, 4-1 up which was not very likely last season.
Stay positive everyone.
Excellent article! It is good to remind the fanbase how long it took other successful managers to turn things around.
Pundits and critics love to put Fulham down, but what is particularly disappointing is the booing, pessimism and doom-mongering from parts of our own fanbase..
The greatest hypocrisy comes from those who have spent ages saying that the team was too old and the manager too passive. Now we have exactly the sort of change they were calling for.
Yes, the defence needs fixing. But this was starting to go wrong end of last season . New signings will help and a bit less throttle advised .
It is also worth noting that the players apparently complaining are the very ones whom supporters have regularly criticised: Andersen (“too slow and cost us Europe”), ESR (“lazy and the worst signing in Fulham’s history”), Iwobi (“plenty of movement but no end product”), Kevin (“lazy and underperforming”) and even Tete (“get him out quickly before he is injured again and get some money for him”).
Perhaps Arbeloa simply isn’t prepared to accept any nonsense. He expects millionaire footballers to go well beyond the extra mile.
A massive transformation is taking place. No more Dad’s Army—it is time for the Spartan spirit!
COYW!
More composure than Kevin or Bobb. There is a lot of silva deadwood to sift through. The team was atrophying halfway last season when it was clear he was off. We just need to kick on post international break. If it is still dire after 9 games then begin to doubt
Usually, I would agree a manager needs to be given time. But the managers in this post all had a track record of success that suggested they might get things right if given time. That's not the case with Arbeloa - he's come in unproven. So I disagree and think if results don't come soon, the club should act more quickly than they otherwise might. The club presumably have a contingency plan if their big gamble doesn't come off?! 🤡
Hard to be optimistic. I'll wait until I see any evidence that Arbeloa is prepared to evolve his tactical outlook. If he doesn't, with the current personnel, we're back to the championship.
Apart from the promoted teams, look at the PL and tell me one single team that we are definitely better than. I can't think of one.
Liverpool are 100% going to pump us for 4 or 5 goals if we play the same the team and the same tactics.