And so our fears become reality yesterday, we`re now a Roy Hodgson less club!
Tuning into the obligatory welcoming interview up at Anfield, it was interesting to listen to Roy speak about the challenge that lay ahead for him, but when he spoke about our club he gave us a few thoughts to ponder when he remarked,
“The problem with Fulham is that when you exceed expectations they don`t stay at the same level.”
“You may have raised the barrier but people still expect you to jump over it. As a football manager you have to accept that expectations are there.”
“It can be difficult to meet them but that is what you are paid to do.”
Now reading between the lines, am I the only one who gets the feeling that Roy might have been too successful for his own good at Craven Cottage?
The scenes when the realisation hit home, down at Fratton Park, that our Premier League status had been maintained were a joy to behold, most Fulham supporters would happily have accepted an improved season to follow.
That didn`t happen though, sure we improved but did anyone really believe that we`d achieve the highest position in our history – a magnificent seventh!
But matters didn`t stop there, last season the fear was that our participation in the Europa League could seriously hamper our Premier League campaign. It didn`t to the degree we`d possibly expected but our journey into Europe saw us become a household name.
Fulham Football Club carried the hearts of the nation as we overcame all expectations to make our way to that final in Hamburg. True we didn`t win it but Fulham had arrived on the European stage and European citizens would no longer dismiss us as nobodies!
But what of next season! How do you better what we achieved last year? We`re a small club, our gate revenue and subsequent commercial activities off the pitch are never going to elevate us to the next level. Can you seriously see us challenging for a Champions League place?
Our best bet of a trophy, with no European fixtures to laud over, remains in the domestic cups. Did that Europa League journey convince Roy that he wanted one last hurrah, one last chance of hitting the jackpot he knew was never going to, despite the experience of last season, happen with us?
I can`t help thinking Roy knew he`d taken us as far as he could, it remains to be seen if the new incumbent of the managerial post can match Roy`s deeds because he`s certainly going to be a hard act to follow!
Vital Fulham on:
Vital Fulham on:
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