I doubt Fulham expects him to play much this year but they value his leadership and intelligent play until the reinforcements arrive.
As I mentioned above, Duffy is in on loan. He came in for a late sub appearance. Diop has agreed terms, and West Ham have agreed a fee. He’s at Fulham today for a medical per the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/62478215
So they have Adarabioyo, Ream, Duffy (loan), and soon to be Diop? Who are the starters going to be? Or is it an open competition?
Duffy will unquestionably start, probably with Diop, and Adarabioyo and Tim will provide the depth. Much appreciated at Brighton - Potter went out of his way to sing his praises when he left - Shane is one of those guys who need regular starts to perform at their maximum. He wouldn't have gone to Fulham unless he'd got the requisite assurances. Diop has cost a fair deal by Fulham's standards, so the second CB place is likely his to lose. However, Tim is the only left-footer out of that group and he can also do a job at LB while the others are specialist CBs. Add in the leadership in the dressing room and the reliability on the pitch that Tim brings and you can expect PT (though rather few starts) between now and October, which is what counts. P.S. Fulham also have Terrence Kngolo as a CB though I'd imagine they'd rather they didn't have him or at least they didn't have his ankle, his knee and his achilles tendons. Or his foot fractures either.
Ream will captain the side again today as he starts against Wolves. Your Fulham. 🤍#WOLFUL pic.twitter.com/Fe7OeOCwDS— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 13, 2022
I know people like to hate on Ream, and so did I after the Lainez moment. But last week against Liverpool he was very good. Sure, he’s not built for the high line, but credit where credit is due. He organized his back line a hell of a lot better than Long organizes his.
90 minutes today from Ream, Fulham draw 0-0. Only 14 more Premier League matches until the World Cup.
I don't see Duffy being penciled in starter. He hasn't played more than 20 games since the 2018-2019 story. More likely the idea is Tosin and Diop forming a good partnership, with Duffy and Ream stepping in as needed. Obviously Diop needs to improve from last year, but long term I think that is their play. Today's performance makes me think Tim might play a lot more than expected. Fulham clearly is ok with less mobile central defenders that are taller, prioritizing the ability to play out of the back. With speedy wings and harrison reed in the midfield they almost kind of transform into a back three at times in defense. So yeah, Tim looked good today.
Getting some praise from a Fulham fans - barely had a step wrong in this one. Some think he may need replacing eventually but he’s definitely got his fans too. Still don’t see how Diop is the answer.
Obviously it's still early, but I believe Ream is currently the 4th oldest starting field player in the Premier League right now: 1. Thiago Silva (CB-Chelsea) - 37 2. Cristiano Ronaldo (FW-Man United) - 37 3. Jamie Vardy (CF-Leicester) - 35 4. Tim Ream (CB-Fulham) - 34 5. Jonny Evans (CB-Leicester) - 34
Ream is not a long term solution for Fulham, but he was excellent today. Probably best player on the field (after Mitro missed the pk). I think he shouldn’t be starting but should be great cover for the team at multiple positions.
Ream played well against Wolves. He made a great goal saving challenge on Pedro Neto after Rodek and Tosin collided, Fulham are playing a system that hide/shield his weaknesses in athleticism reasonably well. I expect other CB pairings to get a look after Fulham fail to get a result.
If he can finally help Fulham stay up it would be the perfect cap stone to his time there. He'll have to do for this year, clearly
Fulham play Brentford on Saturday, the team that Ream and co would love to emulate from last season. Time to convert one of these strong performances into three points. Ream will have his hands full with Ivan Toney, who has been playing out of his mind, but Ream has been playing well also. Dare we see his three best CB performances ever in the Premier League - in sequence? Come on You Timmahs!
Not a long term solution? The guy is their captain. I never get this weird stuff where people can see stuff happening in front of them (Tim Ream is the captain of the team, continues to have exceptional performances, plays well against good teams, contributes with leadership on top of exceptional play, etc, etc, etc) and they still cling to ignorant old tropes. The evidence and facts create a clear and strong narrative: Ream is good, which means that Ream will play. Nothing in the facts and evidence says in any way that Ream will not play or will simply provide cover for lesser players who do not contribute anywhere near as much. Why on earth would someone want to believe something so weird when the facts clearly provide evidence of the opposite? Its weird.
Maybe people are feeling burned by Ream's last season in the Premiership, where he instantly became the backup CB and everyone hypothesized that it was because the manager thought he couldn't handle the level? Your argument is solid, just trying to point out why people are scared to be optimistic. Same Fulham club disappeared Joe Bryan and Mitrovic at the Premiership level, despite the fact that they have had extremely strong Championship seasons.
I loved him. I think he is an excellent contributor to my team. However, I think we ignored reality and the past at our peril. He was caught out as too slow for this level the last time Fulham were up. He has only gotten older. It is wishful thinking to believe that a couple of good performances means that problem has gone away. It has not. Circumstances just have not combined to expose him. I think he could be outstanding depth for the team at multiple positions. But I think the team will be in trouble if they are relying on him to be a consistent starter and line of defense against being relegated again.