Well- Dempsey has now proven himself under three different managers, and supporters perhaps are more cognizant now of what he brings to the table offensively, keeping possession in the midfield, the bit of flair he provides and his overall work ethic. Scoring goals against their biggest rival in the Premiership doesn't hurt either. He also has the most brilliant song of a current Fulham player; and don't forget he's also the man with the most appearances in a Fulham shirt in the XI, outside of Simon Davies I presume. Just a side note to some of the discussions, I'd love to see Clint improve on his fast break counter attacking play, both this season and last season he's had chances to dribble extended distances that have been closed down due to dithering, hesitation, or over dribbling before passing the ball while on the break. I think that's really the next stage in his evolution as an attacker for me. He can certainly control, move, pass, shoot, and finish with a high degree of quality. Anyone else notice this?
Consistent, sustained production. I think Clint will have to keep us his current form for the remainder of the season to attract interest from better clubs. That said, guys like Benayoon, Cole and perhaps Arteta had proven themselves beyond that of Dempsey before their big moves, and most of us would agree that Cole, Arteta and Cahill are a notch above Dempsey in ability. But maybe you're right - Cahill was a good attacking midfielder in the Championship before his move to Everton...but I don't think he was lighting up that league any more than Dempsey lit up MLS. AJ doesn't really ever look too good when you watch him play, but he does have a knack for producing...I think you can consistently count on him for around 10-12 goals per season at the Premiership level. I do think Nevland probably deserves more playing time, though. He has never really been given that much of a chance since arriving in London. Let's also not forget that Diomansy Kamara should be coming back sometime soon.
Couple of things I noticed on Premiership Review, Clint quite firmly pushed Mikel on the first goal to give himself the space. How Alan Shearer of him. Also, I think he and Pantsil have a great understanding and cover for each other very naturally. In addition, Dempsey gave Ashley Cole some problems when he tried to get forward and got in some great tackles (and toe pokes) to neutralize him. I would be that does as much to keep him in the line up as any goals.
Here is a link to info from the main site that has links to other fulham sites. http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/Messageboard.aspx?mode=thread&TopicID=59074
This is probably the best Fulham forum, though the layout is ghetto as hell.. http://www.voy.com/13865/