Could a pressure on Martin Jol be holding him back?

[RaySmith]

We have already bought in some top players - ones who should fit into the team - without paying out a fortune, so far this season, and we are obviously trying to bring in a least one more.

I don't find supporting Fulham in the Prem at all boring. So called 'mid table mediocrity' isn't really mediocrity - it takes a lot  each season  for Fulham to achieve this, and each match is highly competitive, and dramatic  as far as I'm concerned - even a game that is boring to the neutral - or indeed many fans on here - because I want a positive result for Fulham, and this never an a forgone conclusion!

When I first began supporting the club i the early 60s we were  usually fighting relegation. And then we were relegated, and our history since has been mostly one of struggle - until Mr Al Fayed took over.

Every year we stay in the Prem is a triumph, and to get top ten finishes, and cup runs, are  added icing on the cake -which the club  can  and does aspire to.

[Holders]

  The Premiership has become very fragile. Nobody looks further ahead than the end of the season. Each year we (and every other club) needs 3 or 4 players. That's at least 20 mill in fees and wages added on to the existing costs. It makes no sense. Year after year and very little to show for it. There Isn't that kind of prize money available between, say 7th and 12th to recoup that is there? For an industry that produces so much revenue, there seems to be a lot of poor clubs out there.
  I think we are well run in all aspects and now we have a new, richer owner who has a plan. Whether that is to develop the club or self aggrandizement who knows. I hope the former.
  With that in mind shouldn't the club be building it's infrastructure ? We have a winning youth academy but we need to bring the ground up to a better standard. Something that adds to the revenue stream and is not a burden.
  Lastly could it just be, that Jol does have money (a fixed amount) and is try to get all he needs from that. So until he lands his big fish it's going to be smaller ones for the moment.

Khan has said that development of the Riverside ("revenue stream") is a priority - and he's right.

Maybe developing the club and self-aggrandisement aren't mutually incompatible, whichever is his motivation.

Ray, I think that it was me that coined the phrase "mid-table mediocrity" and I agree with you that, by Fulham standards, that is success in relative terms. We should not take it for granted.

[Arthur]

Plenty of thoughtful contributions to this thread.

If it's true that we put in bids of £10M for Osvaldo and/or £8M for McCarthy, it proves that we are prepared to spend more on a player, but I imagine the Club's policy is that any fee, large or small, must represent a fair price.

Roma, having signed Gervinho, will surely be hoping to offload Osvaldo. Who knows, the giallorossi may be willing to accept £10M if no higher offer is received before the final few days of the window. Herein lies the dilemma: do we go after a player whom we can bring in for the start of the season or take a risk on signing a better player by going 'down to the wire'?

[Lighthouse]

Jol has a simple job. To try and get the best out of the squad he has. So far that is the only pressure he has. This season the club look to be helping him. Both the manager and club failed last season and we know why now. A huge difference between over spending and spending very little while selling your best players.

Jol has had an excuse for the poor football dished up for much of last season. Now this season it must be HIS team that succeed or fail.

[epsomraver]

 :plus one:

[alfie]

Jol has a simple job. To try and get the best out of the squad he has. So far that is the only pressure he has. This season the club look to be helping him. Both the manager and club failed last season and we know why now. A huge difference between over spending and spending very little while selling your best players.

Jol has had an excuse for the poor football dished up for much of last season. Now this season it must be HIS team that succeed or fail.

If it is that simple how come we are not doing it, there are lots of top class managers and coaches on this site, or at least that is what a lot of posts suggest and yet i would hazzard a guess and say none are involved in professional football.

[MasterHaynes]

What money has he said is available? All I've ever heard him say is we will follow the plan in place. Which was obviously going to be a little naff as mo wanted out

He has openly said, numerous times, that he will not micro manage FFC and his job is to give the club resources but hold people accountable.

and what if those resources are 10 mil, 6 of which we have already spent?

Spot on. evidenced by Jols recent reiterating his comment that at £3m Enoh was beyond our means. I fear the likes of Southampton,Swansea, Norwich, Cardiff will continue to outspend us should they all survive next season.

[Lighthouse]

Jol has a simple job. To try and get the best out of the squad he has. So far that is the only pressure he has. This season the club look to be helping him. Both the manager and club failed last season and we know why now. A huge difference between over spending and spending very little while selling your best players.

Jol has had an excuse for the poor football dished up for much of last season. Now this season it must be HIS team that succeed or fail.

If it is that simple how come we are not doing it, there are lots of top class managers and coaches on this site, or at least that is what a lot of posts suggest and yet i would hazzard a guess and say none are involved in professional football.

Oh come on not the 'unless you have done it you can't comment'. It is a simple job until fans start suggesting Jol is in charge of everything that goes on in the club and is under pressure so that could be a reason he has failed at it. It is simple which is why managers are sacked and other managers come in. The game is simple. Only when managers have a team that for some reason think not shooting at goal wins games does it become complicated. Only when that goes on week after week does the manager look as if he has over complicated the simple job.

[Apprentice to the Maestro]

What money has he said is available? All I've ever heard him say is we will follow the plan in place. Which was obviously going to be a little naff as mo wanted out

He has openly said, numerous times, that he will not micro manage FFC and his job is to give the club resources but hold people accountable.

and what if those resources are 10 mil, 6 of which we have already spent?

Spot on. evidenced by Jols recent reiterating his comment that at £3m Enoh was beyond our means. I fear the likes of Southampton,Swansea, Norwich, Cardiff will continue to outspend us should they all survive next season.

I don't think Jol was saying that £3m is beyond our means but that it is more than we were willing to pay for a 27 year old, third or fourth choice player at Ajax who would probably be a back up player with us.

[Alternative]

A lot of business is conducted just before the window ends. It will be easier to assess after it has closed.

Jol himself may also be under scrutiny and a new owner may not wish to spend too much with a manager he is not totally sure of.

[Arthur]

Jol has a simple job. To try and get the best out of the squad he has.

It is a simple definition, but I'm not so sure it's a simple job. Bar the champions and the promoted teams, every club's fans are looking for their team to improve on their previous season's placing.

Ask supporters of any team from 7th-place Everton down to 17th-place Sunderland to rate their team's chances of a top-half finish this season and it is to be expected that hopes will be high. (Indeed, few would anticipate their club finishing 16th or 17th - yet two clubs will.) However - assuming that last season's top six finish in the top half again - that leaves eleven clubs' sets of fans setting their sights on just four available slots.

[alfie]

Jol has a simple job. To try and get the best out of the squad he has. So far that is the only pressure he has. This season the club look to be helping him. Both the manager and club failed last season and we know why now. A huge difference between over spending and spending very little while selling your best players.

Jol has had an excuse for the poor football dished up for much of last season. Now this season it must be HIS team that succeed or fail.

If it is that simple how come we are not doing it, there are lots of top class managers and coaches on this site, or at least that is what a lot of posts suggest and yet i would hazzard a guess and say none are involved in professional football.

Oh come on not the 'unless you have done it you can't comment'. It is a simple job until fans start suggesting Jol is in charge of everything that goes on in the club and is under pressure so that could be a reason he has failed at it. It is simple which is why managers are sacked and other managers come in. The game is simple. Only when managers have a team that for some reason think not shooting at goal wins games does it become complicated. Only when that goes on week after week does the manager look as if he has over complicated the simple job.

Well Mr L where in my comment did i say or even imply 'unless you have done it you can't comment' i was questioning your term it is a simple job, of course i guess it is simple if your sitting in the stands without any pressures and ego's to deal with, it is so easy to critisise if you don't have to do it.

As usual it's your opinion nothing wrong in that.

[epsomraver]

Jol has a simple job. To try and get the best out of the squad he has. So far that is the only pressure he has. This season the club look to be helping him. Both the manager and club failed last season and we know why now. A huge difference between over spending and spending very little while selling your best players.

Jol has had an excuse for the poor football dished up for much of last season. Now this season it must be HIS team that succeed or fail.

If it is that simple how come we are not doing it, there are lots of top class managers and coaches on this site, or at least that is what a lot of posts suggest and yet i would hazzard a guess and say none are involved in professional football.

Oh come on not the 'unless you have done it you can't comment'. It is a simple job until fans start suggesting Jol is in charge of everything that goes on in the club and is under pressure so that could be a reason he has failed at it. It is simple which is why managers are sacked and other managers come in. The game is simple. Only when managers have a team that for some reason think not shooting at goal wins games does it become complicated. Only when that goes on week after week does the manager look as if he has over complicated the simple job.

Oh hell I agree with you Beamer yet again, I must go and lie down before going to the game this afternoon with my aircraft spotters guide and binoculars ready

[Lighthouse]

Jol has a simple job. To try and get the best out of the squad he has. So far that is the only pressure he has. This season the club look to be helping him. Both the manager and club failed last season and we know why now. A huge difference between over spending and spending very little while selling your best players.

Jol has had an excuse for the poor football dished up for much of last season. Now this season it must be HIS team that succeed or fail.

If it is that simple how come we are not doing it, there are lots of top class managers and coaches on this site, or at least that is what a lot of posts suggest and yet i would hazzard a guess and say none are involved in professional football.

Oh come on not the 'unless you have done it you can't comment'. It is a simple job until fans start suggesting Jol is in charge of everything that goes on in the club and is under pressure so that could be a reason he has failed at it. It is simple which is why managers are sacked and other managers come in. The game is simple. Only when managers have a team that for some reason think not shooting at goal wins games does it become complicated. Only when that goes on week after week does the manager look as if he has over complicated the simple job.

Well Mr L where in my comment did i say or even imply 'unless you have done it you can't comment' i was questioning your term it is a simple job, of course i guess it is simple if your sitting in the stands without any pressures and ego's to deal with, it is so easy to critisise if you don't have to do it.

As usual it's your opinion nothing wrong in that.

It is very hard to criticise a club I love. Not sure that an ego will stop a team from trying to attack. A formation and the team set up does. But when we are in the top 8 all season and playing slick, easy on the eye football, I will be happier than anybody. Simples.

[epsomraver]

You are not having a go at Fulham , just Jol and the way he manages , there is nothing wrong with that , you are definitely not alone.

[alfie]

Jol has a simple job. To try and get the best out of the squad he has. So far that is the only pressure he has. This season the club look to be helping him. Both the manager and club failed last season and we know why now. A huge difference between over spending and spending very little while selling your best players.

Jol has had an excuse for the poor football dished up for much of last season. Now this season it must be HIS team that succeed or fail.

If it is that simple how come we are not doing it, there are lots of top class managers and coaches on this site, or at least that is what a lot of posts suggest and yet i would hazzard a guess and say none are involved in professional football.

Oh come on not the 'unless you have done it you can't comment'. It is a simple job until fans start suggesting Jol is in charge of everything that goes on in the club and is under pressure so that could be a reason he has failed at it. It is simple which is why managers are sacked and other managers come in. The game is simple. Only when managers have a team that for some reason think not shooting at goal wins games does it become complicated. Only when that goes on week after week does the manager look as if he has over complicated the simple job.

Well Mr L where in my comment did i say or even imply 'unless you have done it you can't comment' i was questioning your term it is a simple job, of course i guess it is simple if your sitting in the stands without any pressures and ego's to deal with, it is so easy to critisise if you don't have to do it.

As usual it's your opinion nothing wrong in that.

It is very hard to criticise a club I love. Not sure that an ego will stop a team from trying to attack. A formation and the team set up does. But when we are in the top 8 all season and playing slick, easy on the eye football, I will be happier than anybody. Simples.

Magic, onwards and upwards