Agreed, we all have little moans here and there, and the club can be frustrating, but we are the fans, the ones who should be getting behind every one of our players and management team. The Button hating is reaching new highs, or should that be "lows". Button was a good keeper at Brentford, and I can't believe he is still not a good keeper. Slavisa likes us to play out from the back, and Button is simply following tactical orders. It may not be Button's natural way to play this way, and in that I agree we need to find a keeper who can play that way, naturally. But, that does not mean it is Button's fault. Bettinelli's kicking left something to be desired, at times, at the end of last season, and much as I like Marcus, I don't think he is the finished article. Button is probably more agile, and neither looks comfortable on crosses. Guardiola had the same problem at Man City, wanting to find a keeper who could play out from the back, which Hart is not so good at, but on the other hand Hart was by far the best shot stopper City had. So what's the answer? There are very few keepers who have both talents, so the coaches must sacrifice one aspect of the keeper's game for another. We cannot play long from the back, and I doubt our supporters would enjoy that style of football, anyway. If Button had not come from Brentford, the constant "hating" of him would not exist. Slavisa is at Motspur Park, every training session, and he must see things in Button, that we as the best "armchair coaches" in the world do not. I think it is time we cut him some slack.
The other big moan is about the lack of players brought in. As mentioned in a previous article, only Malone has been sold from the regular squad, and with Djalo and Cisse brought in, it appears to be balanced in our favour, even though I think we need another left back. Edun is likely to get more first team action this season, and it is highly likely Kalas will return. We have the nucleus of the same team as last season. Fulham need a striker, and while it seems slow on that front, strikers are much easier to integrate into our system, and we have two weeks before the first game. We probably need two strikers, a centre back, a left back, and a keeper. Even if we don't fulfil all those needs by opening day, we are still strong enough to beat most teams. And, let us not forget that apart from Middlesborough, there has been very little activity from any of our rivals. It may be worrying about the lack of signings, but it is hardly the end of the world just yet.
Another moan is about the new kit. Really? Visit Florida want to reduce their sponsorship money, despite our excellent season. We, as fans, don't know the legal terms of any contract the club have with Visit Florida, and they may have first option, meaning we cannot just ditch them and find a new sponsor (if there are any willing takers). I agree, it is not a good situation for fans wanting the new shirt, but is it really the end of the world? Until we know the ins and outs of the deal with Visit Florida, we cannot blame the club for this situation.
The big complaint from me, would be over season tickets not being sent. When I renewed mine, I was told that my existing season ticket card would not be updated, and the club were issuing new cards for everybody. Apparently, the Visit Florida logo was either going to be on the card, or somebody else's logo would be on the card, so the old cards were going to be redundant. Given the situation regarding the new shirt, I can see where the problems may lie. But, for fans, this is the most pressing issue, as we will have to rely on the Royal Mail, or worse, when they are sent out. Why the club need somebody's logo on a card that is only going to be seen by me, is ridiculous. I can just imagine the chaos on opening match day if thousands of people have not received their cards by then.
Finally, this is where I question the running of the club. All ST holders, and members, give their email addresses. The club are quite happy to send me generic emails trying to relieve me of some of my cash, so why can't they send out a generic email, every so often, informing us of the situation regarding shirts and season tickets. It would take somebody 30 minutes, at most, to tell people what is happening, and to allay any panic. And what is even more foolish is that the Club's phone lines will be inundated over the next two weeks from fans asking about their season tickets. That seems a useless waste of resources, considering there are probably people starting to think about buying tickets for the upcoming games. Do the club really want the phone lines blocked up by complaints, meaning other people cannot get through? Or maybe that is what they want considering how much we pay when ringing the club. Maybe the club see it as a way of making revenue by having us sit on the phone for ages waiting to get through. Or am I just being cynical?
IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
COYWs
© Nic Smith
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