Tuesday Fulham Stuff (17/09/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Loan Round-Up

Cauley Woodrow made his second start for Southend United on Friday night, but the Shrimpers slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Scunthorpe United at Roots Hall.

Veteran striker Chris Iwelumo won it for the visitors with a header on 64 minutes following a mistake by Ben Coker, with Woodrow withdrawn shortly after. The result leaves Southend 15th in Sky Bet League Two, with nine points from their seven games played.

The following day saw a further four Fulham youngsters in action for their loan sides, with Dan Burn involved in the most high-profile match as Birmingham City were defeated by Queens Park Rangers in the Championship.

Burn came face-to-face with his former Whites colleague Bobby Zamora at Loftus Road, but it was Zamora's strike partner Charlie Austin who gave the home side the lead with a close-range effort shortly after the interval.

Blues had their chances and can feel aggrieved at losing a match in which they hit the woodwork, had a goal disallowed and saw a late penalty shout waved away, while Burn's afternoon was concluded with a stoppage-time booking for a foul on Austin.

Back in League Two, Oxford United continued their unbeaten start to the season as they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Cheltenham Town, with Ryan Williams coming on as a substitute with little more than a quarter of an hour to play.

Byron Harrison had handed the hosts an early lead, but Dave Kitson's first goal of the season brought the U's level on 34 minutes. A poked effort from Terry Gornell restored Cheltenham's advantage just after half-time, but a powerful Johnny Mullins shot meant the points were shared and ensured Oxford remained second in the table.

Elsewhere in the division, Marcus Bettinelli was in goal for Accrington Stanley as they were defeated 2-1 away to Hartlepool United.

Stanley remain rooted to the bottom of League Two on a solitary point after Jon Franks and Andy Monkhouse put Pools in control of the contest, with James Gray's second-half finish proving to be nothing more than a consolation.

The only win of the weekend for a Fulham man came in Norway, as Josh Pritchard's Tromso secured an impressive 1-0 victory over Tippeligaen leaders Rosenborg.

The midfielder picked up a booking during his 78 minutes on the pitch before he was substituted, as Magnus Andersen's 24th-minute strike secured a big three points for Tromso.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/16/loan-round-up?

[WhiteJC]

 
Sidwell admits he's playing for his Fulham future



Fulham midfielder Steve Sidwell admits he is playing for his future as he looks to earn a new contract at the club.

The former Chelsea, Aston Villa and Arsenal man has impressed during his two years at the club but his contract expires at the end of the season.

And the 30-year-old says he is desperate to stay at the club next season.

"I'll continue to work hard and I'm sure I'll be rewarded in the end," said Sidwell, who scored against West Brom on Saturday.

"It's a big season for me as I'm in the last year of my contract – so I'll be doing all I can to earn a new one.

"It wasn't that long ago I wasn't getting a game at Aston Villa but Fulham threw me a lifeline and I grabbed it with both hands.

"I've had injuries that have made me think I might not recover – it can be scary.

"But you try and come through and now I'm entering my third full season with the club, having initially been on loan.

"I've enjoyed my time here, right from the start, and it was all about finding my feet and playing regular football again.

"I've spoken before about my gratitude in regards to the chance I was given at Fulham, and I maintain that."



Read more at http://talksport.com/football/sidwell-admits-hes-playing-his-fulham-future-13091660254#mX46MLJlBQGzh48x.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol 'puts pressure on himself' - Parker

Scott Parker has backed Martin Jol to ride out the storm at Craven Cottage after the manager confronted angry Fulham fans on Saturday.

The Fulham boss faced calls for him to leave from sections of the Whites crowd after Saturday's 1-1 draw with West Brom. Gareth McAuley's injury-time leveller infuriated the home fans and left Fulham in the bottom half of the Premier League table with one win from their opening four games. However, Cottagers midfielder Parker believes 'small steps' are needed in order for the club to progress and says Jol won't crumble under pressure because he puts enough of it on himself. He said: "I think, like anyone, the manager puts pressure on himself. We all do really. We all want to get the results and we're striving to get them. "I'm sure if we carry on the way we're going and we keep improving [we'll be okay]. There's vast improvements week in, week out. Hopefully, if we keep taking it in small steps, the results will come."



Read more at: http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/jol-puts-pressure-on-himself---parker-1633702.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
International Football Returns



International football returns to Craven Cottage next month as Australia and Canada meet in a friendly under the floodlights in SW6.

Tickets for the match on Tuesday 15th October (8pm) are now available to purchase online, over the phone or in person from the Ticket Office, and are priced from £15 for adults and £5 for under-16s.

The Socceroos – fresh from qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil next year – have been regular visitors to the Cottage in recent years, playing three times since 2005. Their first appearance at our famous old ground saw them draw 1-1 with local rivals New Zealand, before they followed that up with a 5-0 trouncing of Jamaica several months later. Their most recent appearance saw them defeat Nigeria 1-0 in a friendly back in November 2007.

Canada will be making their Craven Cottage bow in the fixture, although we have enjoyed several significant links with the North Americans down the years, with the likes of Paul Peschisolido, Tomasz Radzinski and Paul Stalteri all leaving their mark on the Club at various points.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/16/international-football-returns?

[WhiteJC]

 
When Jol Reached The Point Of No Return
by LRCN on SEPTEMBER 16, 2013



I felt as if Jol reached a tipping this weekend with regards to how he sees his future at Fulham. I haven't got some kind of inside opinion, but his fairly unprofessional quotes at the end of the match – about literally wanting to fight the (very) small section of Fulham fans who chanted 'Jol Out' after the match on Saturday – suggest that Jol is pretty much fed up with criticism from the stands. He will, I'm sure, feel as if he's doing a good job in difficult circumstances, and considering the money we have spent and players we've lost that's probably not unfair, but I get the impression from his words and his nature that he is now thinking "If they don't want me here then why should I be here?". Add to that how he doesn't usually last long in jobs and it all seems to add up. So, should he leave this summer, I think this weekend would have been the tipping point.

I'm not going to get in to a debate over whether Jol is doing a great job or whether he is disappointing here. That is an entirely different discussion in itself. However, I do feel the overwhelmingly negative response to Saturday is unfair. While we were not magnificent, I felt we were good and delivered a cohesive performance that on most weekends would have delivered a fairly routine 2-0 win, having remained untroubled through most of the match with an overdose of misfortune manifesting in three (!!) offside goals (one of them clearly incorrectly called), as well as Berbatov and Ruiz missing a couple of very good opportunities. Don't misinterpret that as being content with dropping two points because I would bet very safely that I felt more anger and frustration at conceding than most reading, but had that header not dropped in most would be commenting on the improved display of Fulham, Sidwell's showing and how Parker continues his impressive form with Amorebieta looking accomplished on his debut out of position. For me, the line is drawn too arbitrarily like this for football fans, which is why I feel as if I need to offer some balance.

What I am saying is, there is a time for negative reaction and doubts about Martin Jol. After starting the season with three disjointed displays, culminating in a woeful second half up at Newcastle, when we were all looking for some improvement following an abysmal 2013 thus far, I was certainly doubting him more than any time during his tenure, and his preference for experience over youth irritates me greatly. I try not, and don't find it constructive, to be a 'Jol apologist'. However, I felt there were signs of promise against a struggling but well coached side, and while the late equaliser was absolutely anger-inducing on another level (I felt as if we really needed a win here because the caustic mood shows signs of spiralling out of control) if we can build on this performance, which featured an absence of arguably four first team players, we might do okay this season. Which is why I'm not sure there was so much residual anger and negativity. There's a time and a place to boo, and being turned over by a terrible team perhaps begins to justify it (although I will never condone it, it accomplishes very little and only serves to achieve the opposite of what fans desire) but drawing 1-1 unjustly is not it. Tell you what, a cup run wouldn't go amiss, so let's hope we start one properly on Tuesday.

LRCN


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/09/when-jol-reached-the-point-of-no-return/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol Admits He Wants to Take Fulham Boo Boys Outside After Game: Daily Soccer Report

Watch out Fulham supporters. Martin Jol wants to pick a fight with you.

Last week, Jol said that Fulham supporters needed to lower their expectations. And now, after Fulham let in a late equalizer against West Brom on Saturday, and where some fans were chanting "Jol Out," Jol has fired back at his critics — a minority of the Fulham supporters. Here's what the Dutch madman said:

"I'm proud and when people start yelling at you, well, I would like people to be a bit more appreciative. I can't tell them to come outside of the stadium after the game so I have to put up with it. But sometimes you make mistakes in life. I remember last year, I think it was the same geezer, and I did something but luckily enough nobody saw it."

Fulham supporters, you have been warned.



http://worldsoccertalk.com/2013/09/16/martin-jol-admits-he-wants-to-take-fulham-boo-boys-outside-after-game-daily-soccer-report/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Quick Pass Feedback



Supporters were given the chance to use Quick Pass for the first time at the weekend as Fulham hosted West Bromwich Albion.

Quick Pass allows fans to use their Season Ticket and Membership cards to pay for food and drink at the Cottage on matchdays.

If you used Quick Pass on Saturday, we'd like you to give us your feedback below as we look to improve the service ahead of our upcoming home fixtures.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/16/quick-pass-feedback?

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol galvanising the discontent at Fulham

Come on, Martin Jol, surely you know better than to say something like this?

"I'm a very proud person and I'm used to playing in the top five or even higher.

I came here to try and help the club and I would like to help them, make the fans happy. Hopefully I can do that, and if not then we will have a problem.

At that end, there's always five, 10 or 15 who shout at me. It looked a bit more, maybe 25 or 30, so it's getting more and more.

When people start yelling at you...I would like people to be a bit more appreciative. If they are not, what can I do about it?"

There isn't a set of fans in the world who would react well to hearing their manager saying something like this – and, while Jol may not mean it to sound that way or not, some supporters will take it to mean that he believes he's doing Fulham a favour by managing them.

The reality is this: the team managed and put-together by Jol is not playing well, and while he warrants more patience than some members of the crowd at Craven Cottage are showing him, he has to expect this kind of reaction. Despite winning at Sunderland on the opening day, Fulham really haven't been good enough at any point this season, and in fact they're falling well below the standard they should be achieving with the talent at their disposal.

Whether he intends to or not, these comments have just given the dissenting voices more justification; it's a very naive thing to say.



http://thepremierleagueowl.com/martin-jol-galvanising-the-discontent-at-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham sweat on Ruiz fitness as Jol blasts unrealistic fans



The Costa Rican, signed from Eredivisie outfit Twente in 2011, was stretchered off against West Brom, while the Cottagers' boss was unimpressed with fan reaction to the result

Martin Jol has confirmed that Fulham attacker Bryan Ruiz is set for a scan after suffering a potentially serious ankle injury in the Cottagers' 1-1 draw with West Brom.

The Costa Rica international was carried off the pitch towards the end of the game and the west Londoners are now sweating on his fitness, while a hamstring problem for Dimitar Berbatov is deemed less serious.

"Ruiz's [injury] looks quite serious so we have to scan him and wait and see what the problem is," said Jol. "It is with his ankle. I have no idea of the severity of it but we will see."

"Berbatov had a hamstring [problem]. I don't think that is serious. He gave us signal that he wanted to be substituted and hopefully it was just in time."

Fulham were booed off the pitch at Craven Cottage on Saturday, with audible chants of 'Jol out' after the Cottagers forfeited the lead late on following a host of spurned opportunities to double their advantage.

But the Dutch manager, who is unconcerned with his side's form, has hit back at fans who have called for his sacking and believes supporters have unrealistic expectations.

"At that end, there's always five, 10 or 15 who shout at me," Jol continued. "It looked a bit more this time, maybe 25 or 30. I'm a very proud person and I'm used to playing in the top five or even higher.

"I came here to try and help the club and I would like to help them, make the fans happy. Hopefully I can do that and if not then we will have a problem.

"When people start yelling at you – I would like people to be a bit more appreciative. I can't tell them to come outside the stadium after the game so I put up with it.

"I remember last year, I think it was the same geezer and I did something but luckily enough nobody saw it! It's hard to fight expectation levels and maybe a minority feel we should be in the top four.

"We are 12th in the league and that's maybe where I feel we could finish, maybe ninth or 10th. I think we are doing OK.

"Realistically, we should think the same as a lot of other teams – stay in the league then hopefully once all the players know each other, gel together then we should be in the top 10. I think I have managed to collect together a strong group of players.

"But if you play in a European cup final then the expectation levels are too high. That was three years ago. I played two semi-finals of the European Cup and I've forgotten about it."



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2013/09/16/4265346/-?

[WhiteJC]

 
Reading U21s 1-2 Fulham U21s

Fulham Under-21s maintained their excellent start to the season with a 2-1 victory over Reading at their training ground on Monday afternoon.

Jake Taylor thought he'd earned the Royals a point in the windy conditions when he cancelled out Lasse Vigen Christensen's opener with time running out, only for substitute Muamer Tankovic to pop upwith a late winner.

Chris David had already won and missed a penalty by the time Stephen Arthurworrey nodded over from close range, before the centre-back saw another headed opportunity come and go before half-time.

Vigen Christensen then opened the scoring after the interval, although the home side squandered a great chance to equalise when they too failed to net from the penalty spot following a foul on Dominic Samuel. The Reading striker picked himself up to take the kick, butskied his effort over the bar.

Reading continued to attack the Fulham goal and were seemingly rewarded with Taylor's late effort, only for the Whites to immediately go up the other end to win it courtesy of Tankovic's strike, making it four wins and a draw from their opening five matches in the Barclays U21Premier League.

Following the match, Manager Kit Symons told the official website that although he was pleased to return with threepoints, he would have liked his side to have been more comfortable in doing so.

"It was a decent game, but probably a little bit too open again for my liking, to be perfectly honest," Kit said. "We played quite well and created a lot of chances but weren't clinical enough in the final third for me. But I felt we more than deserved to win the game and we got our just desserts in the end.

"We had quite a few opportunities but sometimes the end ball or the final product, the pass or the cross, wasn't quite the level we needed to be at which let us down a little bit, but then we scored a decent goal.

"Then, after the equaliser, we scored late on so it was a good, decent performance. There was a lot of good play and we created a lot of chances but we need to be more clinical to kill the game off."

The youngsters' heads could easily have dropped following Reading's late equaliser, so Kit was delighted with the response they showed and challenged them to replicate that mentality for longer periods of games.

"We kept going and you always felt that we could sort of up it another gear," he explained. "They equalised and then we upped it and went and got the winner. But that's the thing, you want to play at that tempo and intensity all the time rather than wait for something bad tohappen to suddenly up it a little bit.

"Overall we're very pleased – there were a lot of very good individual performances and it was also an all-round solidteam performance, and it's another win for the boys so it's good stuff."


Another positive from the game was the return of Mahamadou Diarra to fitness. The Mali international – whose contract with the Club expired in the summer – played the entire match as he looks to earn a new deal at Fulham.

"It was his first 90 minutes for a while," Kit said. "He worked hard and put in a good shift and got through the game with no problems, so it's all good."





Reading team: 1. Henly, 2. Long, 3. Griffin, 4. Tshibola, 5. Keown, 6. Cooper, 7. Obita, 8. D'Ath, 9. Ugwu, 10. Samuel, 11. Taylor

Subs: 12. Murombedzi, 13. Moore, 14. Partridge, 15. Kuhl, 16. Fosu-Henry

Fulham team: 1. Etheridge, 2. Passley, 3. Kavanagh, 4. Diarra, 5. Arthurworrey, 6. Grimmer, 7. Na Bangna, 8. Vigen Christensen, 9. Islamovic, 10. David, 11. Plumain

Subs: 12. Joronen, 14. Minkwitz, 15. Richards, 16. Buatu, 17. Tankovic


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/16/reading-u21s-1-2-fulham-u21s?

[WhiteJC]

 
Mahamadou Diarra makes long-awaited return and could earn new Fulham contract

The Mali international featured in a development squad game and may take the final space in Martin Jol's 25-man squad


Long way back: Mahamadou Diarra made his first appearance in nine months
Christopher Lee

Mahamadou Diarra's chances of earning a new Fulham contract were given a boost after he made his long-awaited comeback from a knee injury in the development squad's win at Reading this afternoon.

The Mali midfielder made his first appearance for more than nine months in the 2-1 victory at Hogwood Park.

Diarra's deal at Craven Cottage expired in the summer but the 32-year-old is back in full training as he tries to prove his fitness to manager Martin Jol.

And the former Real Madrid star took another step towards a new contract with 90 minutes for the Under-21s at Reading.

Fulham have one spot remaining in their 25-man Premier League squad should Jol decide to offer Diarra fresh terms.



Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/mahamadou-diarra-makes-long-awaited-return-2277990#ixzz2f850zXWe
Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham wait on Bryan Ruiz scan

Fulham boss Martin Jol has admitted that the ankle injury suffered by Bryan Ruiz in Saturday's draw with West Bromwich Albion "looks quite serious".

The Costa Rican was carried off the pitch towards the end of the 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage at the weekend, with scans due to reveal the severity of the injury this week.

"Ruiz's [injury] looks quite serious so we have to scan him and wait and see what the problem is. It is with his ankle. I have no idea of the severity of it but we will see," Jol told reporters at a press conference.

Fulham currently sit 13th in the Premier League table.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/news/fulham-wait-on-ruiz-scan_105231.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Backing for Jol
   
It was kind of eerie hearing, so early in the season, those 'Jol Out` chants on Saturday afternoon.

Okay, we`ve not had the best of starts but even so the word premature definitely comes to mind,

For Fulham, it has been a transitional summer, several players have moved on and there has been an influx of new talent, new talent that will take time to settle in and gel into a team.

One of those that arrived this summer, Scott Parker, has had a few comment sprinted, in the media, about the situation, remarking,

"Is the manager under pressure? Yeah. I think the manager puts pressure on himself. We all do really."

"We all want to get the results. That`s what we are striving to get. I`m sure if we carry on the way we are going and keep improving we will be okay."

"I think there has been a vast improvement week-in, week-out for us."

"Hopefully if we can keep taking these small steps we will start picking up results."

And where better to start than at Stamford Bridge next Saturday evening!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=332442#ixzz2f85WihEQ

[WhiteJC]

 
Diarra makes Fulham comeback

MAHAMADOU Diarra's chances of earning a new Fulham contract were given a boost after he made his long-awaited comeback from a knee injury in the development squad's win at Reading this afternoon.

The Mali midfielder made his first appearance for more than nine months in the 2-1 victory at Hogwood Park.

Diarra's deal at Craven Cottage expired in the summer but the 32-year-old is back in full training as he tries to prove his fitness to manager Martin Jol.

And the former Real Madrid star took another step towards a new contract with 90 minutes for the Under-21s at Reading.

Fulham have one spot remaining in their 25-man Premier League squad should Jol decide to offer Diarra fresh terms.



Read more: Fulham Chronicle http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2013/09/16/82029-33852416/?#ixzz2f85p265E

[WhiteJC]

 
Marcello Trotta wants to help Brentford and break into the Fulham team

Marcello Trotta is hoping to help Brentford to win promotion this season and wants to use his loan spell at Griffin Park to boost his prospects of breaking into the Fulham team.

The striker scored nine goals in 29 appearances on loan at Brentford last season and missed a penalty on the final day of the campaign which would have earned the Bees promotion to the Championship.

He recently rejoined Uwe Rosler's side on loan until January to gain further first-team experience after making just three substitute appearances in his Fulham career.

The 20-year-old, who spent time at Napoli and Manchester City before joining Fulham in 2009, is determined to eventually make his mark at Craven Cottage.

"In 2008, I had the opportunity to undertake this adventure in England with Manchester City and I'm happy with my choice," Trotta told tuttomercatoweb.com.

"Clubs here follow you with great attention, especially if you are very young. Then I had the good fortune to work with Martin Jol, who is a great coach.

"This is an important season for me because I hope to help Brentford to achieve promotion and to have a chance in Fulham's first team, with whom I have a contract until 2015.

"My model? I was lucky enough to train with Dimitar Berbatov and I tried to learn as much as possible from him. He is one of the strongest players in the Premier League's history."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8925555?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol Advises Fulham Supporters To Reassess Their Expectations

Martin Jol believes Fulham fans need to reassess their expectation levels, after an increasing number criticised him during the stalemate at the weekend.

The Cottagers looked to be on the way to what would have been just their second win of the season on Saturday afternoon, when a first half volley from Steve Sidwell gave them the lead against West Bromwich Albion. However, the visitors registered their first goal of the campaign in injury time through Gareth McAuley to rescue a point.

Chants of 'Jol Out' could be heard at the full-time whistle, as the home supporters voiced their frustration at another two points dropped. Jol's side have now gone three matched without a win, having lost twice after their opening day win at Sunderland. The Dutchman, though, has hit back at his critics and asked for a little realism.

"I'm a very proud person and I'm used to playing in the top five or even higher," Jol said in the Daily Mirror. "I came here to try and help the club and I would like to help them, make the fans happy. Hopefully I can do that, and if not then we will have a problem. At that end, there's always five, 10 or 15 who shout at me. It looked a bit more, maybe 25 or 30.

"So it's getting more. I would like people to be a bit more appreciative. It's hard to fight expectation levels and maybe a minority feels we should be in the top four or something. But if you play in a European cup final (Fulham reached the 2010 Europa League final) then the expectation levels are too high. But that was three years ago."

Since they returned to the top-flight under former France international ace Jean Tigana in 2001/02, after an absence of 33 years, the highest the Craven Cottage outfit have finished is seventh position, under the guidance of Roy Hodgson in 2008/09. Jol led them to ninth in his debut campaign, and last term they finished in twelfth place.



http://takefootball.com/jol-advises-fulham-supporters-to-reassess-their-expectations/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham owner Shad Khan under pressure to sign the NFL's most controversial player, Tim Tebow

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is under pressure from a large portion of his fanbase to sign Tim Tebow.

If there are any Fulham fans wondering how the Jacksonville Jaguars are getting on in the NFL this season; brace yourselves.

The team also owned by their new master, billionaire Shad Khan are in a rapidly downward spiral, despite a number of shrewd off-season moves.

They have lost their opening two matches, scoring just one touchdown in a late loss to fellow strugglers the Oakland Raiders.

Their maligned quarterback Blaine Gabbert severed him hand in the opening defeat to Indianapolis in which they scored just two points, and his replacement Chad Henne looked every inch a back-up QB on Sunday.

It has led to long-suffering Jaguars fans to plan a rally to get Khan to sign free agent Tim Tebow, the most divisive player in the NFL.

The news was announced by NFL.com's Adam Schefter on Twitter on Monday evening:


Tebow is in football terms a Sam Allardyce. His methods look terrible on the field, excite very few, but you can't argue with the results so far in his short career when given an opportunity.

He became an instant sensation in Denver leading them to the play-offs in 2011, defeating Pittsburgh in the wildcard game, gaining a knack of winning despite all odds being against him.

He was moved aside for superstar Peyton Manning, and joined the Jets, a disastrous move which saw him left on the bench pretty much all year long. He was cut, and joined the New England Patriots this summer before being cut after a solid if unspectacular pre-season.

Now a free agent, many have questioned whether Tebow has an NFL future at all, but surely he deserves one final crack after his exploits with Denver?

Jags fans think so, and they have good reason. Tebow played his college football down the road with the Florida 'Gators, earning an NFL shot - and his name has long been connected with the Jags, although Khan has so far resisted.

Right now it's fair to ask, what have either party got to lose?



http://hereisthecity.com/2013/09/16/fulham-owner-shad-khan-under-pressure-to-sign-the-nfls-most-cont/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol criticises Fulham fans

Fulham manager Martin Jol is angry at those who booed his side after Saturday's draw with West Bromwich Albion, according to Sky Sports.

After Gareth McAuley's last minute leveller at the weekend, chants of "Jol out" could be heard around Craven Cottage, but the Dutchman said he sometimes wants to confront them face to face.

Since the opening day win at Sunderland, Jol's men have not won in the league but he has warned against high expectations.

Proud

The former Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax and Hamburg manager said, as reported by the broadcaster: "I'm a very proud person and I'm used to playing in the top five or even higher.

"I came here to try and help the club and I would like to help them, make the fans happy.

"Hopefully I can do that, and if not then we will have a problem.

"At that end, there are always five, 10 or 15 who shout at me. It looked a bit more, maybe 25 or 30, so it's getting more and more.

"When people start yelling at you...I would like people to be a bit more appreciative. If they are not, what can I do about it?

"I can't tell them to come outside of the stadium after the game so I have to put up with it.

"Sometimes you make mistakes. I remember last year, I think it was the same geezer there and I did something but luckily enough nobody saw it."

Struggle

Jol has brought in the likes of Scott Parker, Darren Bent and Maarten Stekelenburg for Fulham but his side continues to struggle in the league.

Since their opening day win at Sunderland, Fulham have picked up just one point from three games, which was earned against West Brom.

Also, the Cottagers almost lost in the League Cup to League Two outfit Burton Albion, only to be saved by a late Hugo Rodallega strike in extra-time and a penalty shoot-out win.


http://www.touchlinetalk.com/jol-criticises-fulham-fans/66607/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol: Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Fulham put in a respectable performance but disappointingly still drew at home against West Bromwich Albion. Encouraging signs were overshadowed by Martin Jol's poorly considered post-match comments and now the Fulham manager finds himself firmly in the hot seat and inching closer to the chopping block.

was going to write this Saturday, but I decided it was best to sit on my thoughts for a good 24 hours before committing anything to the long-remembering hive mind of the interwebs. Best to consider one's words, thoughts, and approach before expressing anything foolhardy or letting slip say, a sound bite that rings like a concrete bell and winds up being the one perfectly awful thing one could say on an occasion such as dropping two points to West Bromwich Albion at home.

Lest anyone missed it or was relayed some horribly distorted version of what Jol actually said, here are the choice cuts causing the most gnashing of teeth:

"It's hard to fight expectation levels and maybe a minority feels we should be in the top four."

"If you play in a European Cup final, then the expectation levels are too high. But that was three years ago. I played two semi-finals of the European Cup and I've forgotten about it now, you know?"

"We are 12th in the league and that's maybe where I feel we could finish. Maybe 9th or 10th. I think we are doing OK. Realistically, we should think the same as a lot of other teams: stay in the league and then hopefully once all the players know each other, gel together, then we should be in the top 10. I think I have managed to collect together a strong group of players."

I stand by what I wrote about Jol prior to the West Brom match and I'm still fuming about the incompetent display he organized at St. James' Park over a fortnight ago, but I can't help but feel a little sorry for the Dutchman after Saturday's disappointing result. The above quotes, so dissected and vilified; the source of such rancor and vitriol, don't come off to me as intentionally provocative and inaccurate as much as they do just horribly obtuse. What Jol said is technically accurate and I mostly agree with his current appraisal of the side, but pressing the issue after a series of disappointing results is ham-handed at best and self-destructive lunacy at worst.

Prior to egging on the malcontents (and by malcontents I mean pretty much anyone who supports the club) in Saturday's post-match interview, I think Jol was seated squarely in the hot seat, but not quite near the chopping block. The club's malaise dates back to last campaign and although one would have expected performances to have reverted back to the mean by now, Shahid Khan, a big believer in the wisdom of analytics, would have been averse to pulling the trigger on Jol in reaction to a decidedly un-purple patch. Give the guy some time and let's see where we're at in January. After Saturday's post-match bumble-fest however, Khan has to be wondering how much slack to cut the beleaguered gaffer.

To be sure, Saturday's performance was markedly better than anything that's come before. Fulham completed 88% of their passes, bossed possession at 56.3%, completed 91 of 130 passes in the attacking third, and had 3 goals pulled back for offside. The intent was clearly there, just not the luck.

What was alarming about Saturday's draw was the lack of adjustment. Fulham only had 3 successful crosses to West Brom's 11. Granted, the Baggies were packing it in so there wasn't much space to get in behind, but Fulham also managed only 2 shots on target and Dimitar Berbatov completed as many passes in the attacking third as Liam Ridgewell and fewer than Billy Jones. The attack, even when given the chance to compromise West Brom's bunkered defense with a swift counterattack, seemed typically ponderous and devoid of a cutting edge.

Jol seemed to approach the waning moments of the match as if all of the disallowed goals had gone in and the 3 points had been collected. How else do you explain the bizarre like-for-like substitutions of Kieran Richardson and Dimitar Berbatov and the reticence to adjust the side's shape and approach?

Still, the performance overall was encouraging, at least more so than the previous three matches this campaign. West Brom is not a foot of the table side, especially given Steve Clarke's transfer window activity, and dropping points at home to a 20th place side in September is far different than doing so in April. Additionally, Jol wasn't blessed with an incredibly versatile bench on Saturday. Damien Duff, Giorgos Karagounis, Fernando Amorebieta, Hugo Rodallega, Adel Taarabt, and Elsad Zverotic were his non-goalkeeping options.

Richardson got pulled early because he was coming off a hamstring injury. Zverotic has only just arrived and is a right back so Amorebieta was the default choice and probably the only one of Jol's three substitutions that was planned. Berbatov had a hamstring complaint and Jol was likely loathe to bunker in and concede an outlet up the pitch with well over ten minutes remaining and a 1-0 lead. Duff replaced Ruiz due to injury. In retrospect maybe Karagounis could have come on for either Berbatov or Ruiz to add a little steel to the side, but that's really splitting hairs.

Where Jol went wrong, and I mean. really, really wrong, was in the post match interview. In truth, a draw at home to West Brom with a limited squad just after the transfer window has closed isn't the worst thing in the world. However, Jol turned up the heat on the hot seat and inched himself closer to the chopping block by creating a two way conflict between the supporters and himself, or at least the appearance of such. As frustrating as it would have been to the supporters, turning the other cheek and proffering the normal post-match managerial platitudes would have been far better than speaking his mind and incurring the ire of cradle-to-grave Cottagers.

Shahid Khan believes in analytics, but he also believes in public relations and, as a new owner, having the trust and respect of the Fulham faithful is hugely important. The last thing he wants is a besieged subordinate mucking it up for him by turning normally patient and forgiving fans against the club's leadership with his poorly considered comments. Fulham's next seven Premier League fixtures are Chelsea away, Cardiff at home, Stoke City at home, Crystal Palace away, Southampton away, Manchester United at home, and Liverpool away.

Realistically, given Saturday's post-match debacle, I think Jol needs a minimum of nine points from those seven fixtures in order to survive until January. Maybe more if he decides to reprise Saturday's post-match disaster.

Lord knows my mouth knows exactly how my foot tastes, but Jol's quotes have transformed a few grumblings into an idee fixe for a not inconsequential portion of the Fulham faithful. For now, I'm willing to cut the Dutchman a little slack. I'm more concerned with the football and I think most of the club's supporters are as well. A few solid performances and a few points gained (at least nine?) will go a long way toward mending fences and will allow Shahid Khan the latitude he needs to make a fair assessment of the manager's qualities.

Let the supporters be supporters, Martin. Defend yourself with your side's performances and let the chips fall where they may.

COYW!



http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2013/9/16/4737412/martin-jol-open-mouth-insert-foot-West-Brom-Fulham-Reactions?

[WhiteJC]

 
A graph showing important things



This shows points per game on a rolling 10 game average.  What this means is that at any point, what is the average points per game in the previous 10 matches.  It's a way of looking at how something's progressed without all the lurching around you'd get if you didn't roll up the data.

PS divvied up by season:





http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/a-graph-showing-important-things/