To those that called for Jols head

[Moussa Dembele the 3rd]

I agree that he should have gone sooner, but I also think that if he was still manager we wouldn't be dead last with next to no chance of staying up.

[Me-ate-Live, innit??]

How do you feel now ?
I said at the time careful what you wish for and that there was not an outstanding candidate .
COYW 049:gif

I feel like it needed to happen 12-18 months earlier. THAT might have made a difference.

I have no doubt Jol was here 18 months too long, actually i never wanted him at all and he exceeded my worst fears.
What I never understood was how many people seemed to leap to his defence.

Because He was a great manager and we were very lucky to have him .................

Martin Jol will coach Fulham to the top

Fulham manager Martin Jol press conference


Isn't it bloody marvelious that he has nothing to do with our club I would take Felix any day over that beasty - man.

[Andy S]

Why don't managers ever admit the job is too big for them and walk without being pushed?

[HatterDon]

Why don't managers ever admit the job is too big for them and walk without being pushed?

Silly; because if they take a walk they don't get a severance package

[Bracken White]

Orchestrator of some of the worst displays I've witnessed from Fulham. Someone said the worst result for the club was the 1-4 v Swansea last season. Masked the demise that was already evident.
Worse than Sanchez? Probably.

[leonffc]

How do I feel? I'm still angry that he didn't go when he should have. Not the end of last season but long before that when it was evident that he had lost he plot and was draining the life out of the club.

Now, where do I sign up for the 'McIntosh out' club?

[mullers]

When we lost on penalties at the Bridge in the League Cup the way that young Fulham side chased the Pensioners all over the pitch made me feel that we had a bright, exciting future under Jol. By the following Christmas I watched hope follow expectation over the hill and go far, far away.

[the nutflush]

Martin Jol was an absolute catastrophe.  Should have been given his marching orders at the end of last season but of course Mo has his mind on other things ie. painting Fulham as a stable proposition for Mr Khan. If Jol was still here there would be more empty seats than filled ones.  He just made so many people so angry.  His press conference quotes defied belief.

[Lighthouse]

I feel sorry that a man clearly out of his depth was made to suffer for so long. I feel sorry he had no support from the club other than to keep him in a job he was totally unsuited for.

What has happened since proves the club were and are lost. But Mr Jol was part of the reason we were lost and I feel sorry for that.

[LillieBoy]

I feel sorry that a man clearly out of his depth was made to suffer for so long. I feel sorry he had no support from the club other than to keep him in a job he was totally unsuited for.

What has happened since proves the club were and are lost. But Mr Jol was part of the reason we were lost and I feel sorry for that.

Suffer?  SUFFER?

I'd love to suffer wallowing in the trough that is 21st Century professional football... :dft007:

[Fulhampete]

Never did support Jol and delighted when he went. Obviously he was only part of the problem as has been proven. The complete joke we have turned into this season is far more worrying. How will we ever make progress again on the back of such chaos? Mo left us up the creek and, like Ferguson, knew just when to bail out. Will always be grateful for what he achieved but a bad way to end his association. Unless we can drastically change how this club is run I can foresee many setbacks ahead.

[Justme]

On the face of it bringing in Jol as manager made sense.

Fulham had developed a thriving Academy achieving success at different age groups. The Academy had a distinct playing philosophy and was producing players with the potential to become first team regulars. Jol had a reputation for developing the same style of play and bringing youngsters through.

There were some early signs of problems with team management (e.g. Zamora) and coaching (the 1st Team appeared to be unsure of match plans or team tactics). However, at the end of last season the team rallied and achieved a respectable mid-table finish.

Unfortunately a decent finish was just hiding underlying problems which became clear this season. Under Jol the players appeared increasingly unfit and with no obvious playing strategy. A few fortunate results made things look better than they were. Meanwhile Jol appeared to spend more time managing upwards than managing players - claiming Fulham were lucky to have him and a number of clubs were interested in him.

The club clearly identified there was a problem with training and brought in Muelensteen to support Jol. Despite the change there was no improvement in results or in the players' motivation. When Jol was replaced the club really needed a motivator rather than a coach. Muelensteen didn't manage to provide the motivation and organisation the team needed and was subsequently moved on (contrast his impact with the difference Pulis has made at Palace).

Maybe Magath can make the difference. He is right in that what happened before is not important; the only way to change things will be with future results. However there appears to be an overwhelming belief within the football community that it is too little too late.

The club's mid term strategy has appeared to be to maintain Premiership status long enough to bring through the Academy players. This should have been the season when the youngsters really started to push for 1st team places. Disappointingly the weak management, poor performances and lack of any real style of play have made it difficult to give the youngsters any real opportunities (rather than just playing the occasional game).

It is relatively easy to blame the owners or change in ownership. MAF left a club finishing regularly in mid-table with a crop of exciting youngsters on the verge of breaking into the 1st team. This is the club that Khan took on. There was no real reason for Khan to think things would change so dramatically and the club would virtually implode.

The underlying problems appear to be the result of ineffective training and player management by Jol. These problems created a malaise which was masked by a few decent results and effective upwards management together with the disruption created by a change in ownership.

It may be time to appoint a Director of Football who could focus on the football side of the club at all levels and report into the CEO. Mackintosh would then be able to utilise his strengths in developing the commercial and administrative aspects of the club.

With separate roles there should be more effective focus on each area allowing the club to re-build, become stronger and create continuity. Without continuity it is also unlikely that the club will ever achieve sustainability at whichever level they play at.

[HatterDon]

just for clarification that "respectable mid-table finish" you mention under Hughes was actually the 2nd highest finish in the entire history of Fulham Football Club.

[Danitar]

The problem I'm now seeing is the only difference between Felix and jol is Felix's glasses. I do fear that Felix will become a jol, bad tactics and doesn't know what his best team is.

[Artful Dodger]

It has been a case of damned if you do, damned if you don't. Jol should have gone about a year before he did but the way the club handled the situation thereafter has been a disaster. Rene was sort of appointed, then backed (with Wilkins, Curbs and £12m in the transfer window), then sacked! As for the 'impact' of Felix, well, it's been underwhelming at best and bizarre at worst.

Maybe we did get what we wished for but I fear we would have been in much the same position if Jol had stayed.

[WayneKerrins]

What I wished for was that he had gone 14m ago.
Never convinced with him voicing concerns in early 2012 and by the Jan window of 2013 I was sure he was a wrong un.
Absolutely abject in every dept of his role in his final 6 months.

[Black, White and Fred]

Would Jol with some money have managed anything better than what is currently happening? I don't really think so, we would probably still be playing Ruiz in every position under the sun for one.

I feel the real mistake was ditching Rene. In fairness the way we were setting up against Liverpool and United was a touch embarrassing but at least we were getting results or close to them.

Maybe we could have uglied our way to a PL status next season.

[simplyfulham]

I think I was the last member of the "Jol In" brigade and even I was glad to see the back of him.

Hugely disappointed it didn't work out, given his track record etc, but hugely relieved when he left as it clearly wasn't going to work out, no matter how much I wanted it to.

Totally agree. Wanted him in before Hughes, very dissapointed it didn't work out, should have gone sooner

Good, balanced perspective of things.

Totally in agreement with you both.

I think the protocol states that you both get one of these now.

:plus one: