Fulham released their new kits on Monday, marking the surest sign that the 2020/21 campaign is right around the corner. But the early-season optimism and excitement is dampened by a depressing realisation – Fulham will be facing Premier League attacks with a Championship defence.
Our current failure to meaningfully strengthen at the back is an inexplicable disaster. With just four days left before the Cottagers face Arsenal, we appear set to start the season with a squad that is simply not up to the task.
Perhaps most frustrating is that the need to significantly bolster our backline was clear for all to see from the very moment we clinched promotion. The centre-back and right back positions were areas of glaring weakness. Every supporter knew we needed to invest in those areas if Fulham were to avoid a repeat of our disastrous 2018/19 campaign.
Instead, with less than a week before we kick off our return to the Premier League, our options in the heart of defence remain appallingly weak.
Michael Hector is the best of the lot, but while his steady performances at the back steered us to promotion, he has never played a minute in the top flight. The other options are poor. Tim Ream, a true club legend, flailed in the Premier League in 2018/19, even after coming off a player of the season display in 2017/18. Now two years older, Ream will be hopelessly outmatched against the division’s best.
Denis Odoi was best at the right back position in the Championship last year, but was exposed two seasons ago and little suggests anything will change this time around. Rounding out the list is Maxime Le Marchand, whose cheeky chant cannot outweigh his kamikaze defending and Scott Parker’s assessment that he wasn’t good enough for the Championship.
And just this week, the centre-back ranks were thinned even further following Alfie Mawson’s season-long loan to Bristol City.
With the exception of Arsenal on the opening day, Fulham have a series of winnable fixtures in the first month and a half of the season. While the club very well may strengthen in the next month before the window shuts on October 5, it may come too late for the Cottagers to settle in the new signings and seize on crucial matches against the likes of Aston Villa, Leeds, West Brom, Crystal Palace, and Sheffield United.
Of course, Tony Khan and the recruitment department were dealt a tough hand this summer. In a season transformed by the pandemic, there was an absurdly short time span between the end of the 2019/20 season and the start of the 2020/21 season. Made even worse was Fulham’s promotion through the play-offs, granting us even less time.
To give Fulham credit, we have signed Antonee Robinson and are heavily linked with a number of right backs. But there can be no ignoring the dereliction of duty in a lack of centre-half reinforcements.
With a backline like this, Fulham will be heading straight back to the Championship. The Cottagers’ weakness last time out was our inability to stop goals going in, undone by individual errors and defenders who could not handle the Premier League’s elite attacks.
The sad reality is we are heading back into the lion’s den with an unprepared defence. In 2018/19, we were demolished. Two years later, the defence doesn’t look much better.
And for all the outrage at pundits predicting our relegation, the current state of our backline is reason enough for those dismal predictions. For now, it remains to be seen if the club can prove the doubters wrong in the coming weeks and address our defensive gaps before it is too late.
Agree we need CB Ream getting slower this season. But was bit unlucky last time after a great season missed the start with back injury. And SJ set us up the defence had know chance left Odio exposed who is underrated Marchand not good enough .there some poor team bottom halve of Premiership but they don’t try to play pretty football must know your limitations
That’s not to mention the desperate need for at least one new centre forward.
Unfortunately there is an over reliance on statistics when it comes to the purchasing of any new players. Don’t get me wrong statistics do play a part, however I feel it is blindsiding us somewhat regarding transfer business. It caused the team to be unbalanced the last time we was in the top flight. To not learn from these mistakes just doesn’t make any sense!
I agree entirely. Even before we won promotion Khan and his cohorts should have known that our Central defence was totally inadequate. Players should have been identified well before we got to the transfer window. It scares the crap out of me when I think of what our season will be like. Another season like last time? Possibly. Is Parker going to survive the lions den? There lays another question
I totally agree and can’t understand how they cant see this they seem to just want to buy midfielders . Also why did we buy the loan players apart from Harrison Reid who in my option was the best player last season and the others are just not good enough for the premier league .we should have waited and then bought experienced proven premier league players .
All we need is centre backs smalling would have been good ormarlang sarr or hinteregger but they should
Have got gerrad pique a genral at the back our club legend ream needs pastures new as doeslemarchand odoi christie also a striker and i hear batshuyi is going to be loaned out he could be mitrovichs back up as that is all we need i wouldnt sell or loan out seri or anguissa with lemina and reed 4 good centre midfielders and cairney could play on right or knocks and ak47 or caverlairo left so for me get tette in and start getting two maybe three centre backs prferably 3 so we would have 4 decent ones with hector
Totally correct article. We’re lucky in the Championship we had the ball enough that our defence wasn’t put under extreme pressure. That is going to happen for long periods each game this season. There were signs last season that we were becoming more solid when under pressure, but, the Premier League is a whole new game where opposition chances won’t so frequently go begging. If we don’t sign a Striker, CB and RB soon I think it very unlikely we can survive.
It may be late, but the transfer window closes in October. Let’s not forget: the policy was to try to keep the promoted team together. Let’s see how the do before getting into a complete panic.
Totally agree with you guys what happens if Hector gets injured it scares me this Austrian CB is a goodplayer we have the money good CBs and defenders are a priority in this division sod keep looking at Midfield players why did we let Mawson go he’s better than LeMarchand
Please don’t get injured Virgil Van Mike
“With a backline like this, Fulham will be heading straight back to the Championship.”
LOL!
While the window is ongoing, and we cannot divine backroom dealings, nobody knows what our backline will be against Arsenal, let alone at the end of the transfer window. This young writer has leapfrogged the January transfer window to arrive at the conclusion that we will end the season 18th, 19th, or 20th. Yes, I know all of his points are *if* we keep our current personnel, but this is emotional writing rooted in contingencies. It’s beneath HammyEnd’s standards. If it isn’t, then it should be. Our Club needs “Premier-League” journalism as well as defenders. See article above.
…Axel Tuanxebe…
100% agree. Fulham seem intent on looking at and signing midfield players and wide men and ignoring our defensive deficiencies. why let Mawson go out on loan until we have signed a replacement central defender. Neither Tim Ream (a great servant who is passed his best) or MLM are up to playing in the premiership,
Frankly, I don’t agree and I wouldn’t have published it if I felt it was below our standards. I would have made acquiring at least two centre backs our first priority upon getting promoted. There may well be another month until the summer window closes and a January transfer window as well, but heading into the first game of the season with our defensive options weaker than last season is a very real concern. January is a very tough month to sign players, especially as you are at the bottom of the league as we found out last time we were in this division, and I think the opening run of fixtures give us a good opportunity to pick up points. We’ll always publish well written articles about Fulham – and I think this is a good one.
I’ve been banned from the laughably named Independent Fulham Forum for the ‘blasphemy of suggesting Tony Khan is the problem. He’s an amateur and an American amateur at that, so has no feel for the game. Yet he is allowed to select the players and he’s making the same ignorant hash as last time by filling us with midfielders!!! Hes just a spoilt kid playing with his toy, but the main websites especially TIFF will not allow any criticism of him !!!
I agree that TK is not doing a good job. He loves to take credit and waive the promotion medals he “earned”, but he just isn’t up to running a Premier League club.
How, can he let this defense continue to be the weak spot, year after year.
If there is no dramatic improvement, Fulham will be relegated. And Tony can waive the two relegations he’s earned around.
We need a right back a centre forward and two centre backs to honest… But we seemed to be link with so many players this year but gutted we lost out on cash at right back. I’d have smalling back or even John stones or chelseas tomori would be good solid players.
But can’t believe mawson went unless we had someone lined up rodek also deserves his chance in goal but so do most of the squad seri needs to leave and angussia.
I mean we made huge mistakes with players last time but this is the premier league the step up in class is massive and if we want to stay in the league it’s going to cost us 70 80 Million in players anyway.
Metrovic needs someone to help with the goals and the only thing concerning me is that we clearly needs these players and ASAP with the season upon us…
One good thing Bryan ain’t left and we got Harrison to stay and loving the new home kit to away kit is suspect but we are Fulham weather we win lose or draw we will all still be there regardless when we are allowed back into the grounds.
Shame we ain’t pursued ollie Watkins either but if you want class you got to pay for it and also if we had have stayed in the Premier league no one would have said to much money has been spent… What happened to managers getting players in they wanted rather then someone playing football manager in a office saying this players is perfect for us we will buy him can’t imagine fergie letting someone telling him we are signing this player and that’s that.
Footballs gone mad but in Parker I trust him to set us up right he did not get much wrong in the hardest league in the world to get out of