Jol in! Well, for me anyway.

So, the negative run continues. Fulham only managed a lacklustre 1-1 draw against Wigan. At home, that is. We have suffered from a severe dip of our (usually very good) home form and have only managed four wins at Craven Cottage this season.
People are starting the "Jol out" thing again. And that annoys me.

Ok, our form is definitely concerning at the moment. We're only six points away from the relegation zone, and have a tough fixture list coming up. However, it would be sheer madness to sack or let go Jol at this stage. I'll tell you why:


1. You cannot sack a manager during a transfer window. This would mean that we are a lame duck on the transfer market, unable to attract players and unable to sign anyone. Even in January, this would be a crushing signal.

2. We need stability. The consistent changes on the managerial position have cost us badly. This is a squad which contains the ideas of three (!) different managers, Hodgson, Hughes and Jol. That's why we don't see a team. We need consistency of we will never get out of that catch-22-short-term-thinking. We need a manager who is actually willing to build a TEAM. We don't see one at the moment, but a manager needs time to establish a fluid system. This takes at least two years.

3. We need a manager who can attract the players we need. Martin Jol has got excellent contacts within the game. Without him, the likes of Bryan Ruiz and Dimitar Berbatov, Mladen Petric and Mahamadou Diarra wouldn't have come to Fulham.

4. He is still an excellent manager. I disagree with some of his decisions, but overall he's done really well in both the Bundesliga and the Premier League. When people call him "clueless" I just laugh.

Concern - Jol In or Jol Out?

So what's the matter? I don't even see what he's done wrong that makes him deserve all that stick.

1. Is he responsible for the squad composition? Yes and No. Yes, he has done the transfer business and has managed to bring in some very good players.
While I think it was a mistake to bring in both Berbatov and Mladen Petric (both very similar, Petric a poor man's Berbatov), he has done some decent (and cheap) transfers.
I told you the other week that there must've been a clear message by the chairman that Jol and Mackintosh have to look at the self-sustainability at the football club. However, they were unable to keep the two Dems, Dempsey and Dembele, for obvious reasons. Dempsey wanted a last big contract, Dembele had the chance to get the big move he deserved.
We didn't replace them in time, and Jol was very upset about this. I can understand him. It was the club's mistake not to instruct him about the 15m-clause in Moussa's contract. A blatant mistake by the board.

2. Is this squad better than where it stands in the league? No, it isn't. We don't have too much squad depth, we've lost our head (Murphy), heart (Dembele) and arms (Dempsey) in summer and Jol is not to blame for a lack of funds available. However, I can also understand this board. We need to get on the road to self-sustainability. We've made a major minus during our first few Premiership years and why would Al Fayed throw all his money into a bottomless pit?

3. Is he trying to bring new players in? He definitely is, but obviously resources are limited. Don't talk about the 20m. They won't be reinvested, especially not now. It would be sheer madness to start the panic buying. I think Derek Boateng will give us a boost when he joins in February, he's a very composed footballer, very much like Dickson Etuhu, but with superior footballing skills and class.

I think we need possibly one or two additions in midfield and defence, but most of the squad rebuilding can wait until summer.


This is not the time to panic. If possible, we need to give Jol founds  and keep him as long as possible. Show some support and don't moan, we're in this together.

Keep Calm And Carry On
Mr Fulham