Tuesday Fulham Stuff 20.07.10

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On Tuesday morning, Jol told De Telegraaf: "They (Fulham) were interested, but in principle I will stay at Ajax."

V

"On Thursday evening Fulham contacted me," he said. "Fulham said they wanted me as their new manager and they contacted Ajax. The Premier League is the best competition in the world, and I like London very much. Fulham is a great opportunity....

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http://www.joe.ie/003762/1/1/story/why-jol-will-be-spurred-on-to-achieve-at-fulham

WHY JOL WILL BE SPURRED ON TO ACHIEVE AT FULHAM
13 minutes ago
Martin Jol was harshly dealt with at Spurs. Now that he's back in London we take a look at his career and ask whether he can continue Fulham's success.

By Conor Hogan

Harry Redknapp is the greatest man who ever drew breath. That's the impression you might get from reading certain English publications. Martin Jol was sacked by Spurs in 2007, yet was only a bad lasagne away from getting Spurs into the Champions League in '06, the achievement Redknapp currently sees himself beatified for.

Jol had a successful career in Holland before joining Spurs as their assistant, winning two Dutch Coach of the Year awards and a Dutch cup with two fairly small clubs.

In fact, eyebrows were raised when he accepted a mere coaching position at the North London club, but he must have been aware of what kind of flake Jacques Santini was, and that he wouldn't have to wait very long for an opportunity. The Frenchman couldn't find a house, and left Spurs after a mere 13 games, leaving Jol in charge and determined to make the most of it.

Tottenham

Tottenham recovered from the Santini fiasco that season, and many were impressed with Jol, despite Spurs only finishing in their annual position of ninth. Five wins in a row in December earned him the Manager of the Month Award, and they should have had a famous victory over Man United at Old Trafford in July, but for the worst decision in the history of mankind.

A top five finish followed, but it could've been even better. All they needed on the final day to get into the Champions League was a win against a ninth place West Ham side with absolutely nothing to play for. Unfortunately, half the team were struck down with food poisoning, allowing West Ham to grab a 2-0 win, and Arsenal to overtake Tottenham in the table. The incident inspired a famous Arsenal chant.

This was Spurs' highest league finish since 1990, and he achieved a second consecutive fifth place the following year. This wasn't good enough for the impatient Tottenham board, however, and they actively pursued Juande Ramos behind his back. Signings were made without his consent too, the finally indignity coming when he found out he was losing his job in a text message.

With all the Spurs board's duplicity, perhaps it was karma that the Ramos move was a disaster. The Spaniard could only lead Tottenham to eleventh place the first year, and was sacked the following year after the worst start to a season in the club's history.

Redemption

Meanwhile Jol was having a bit of a redemption. Not that Jol's reputation needed to be redeemed, as it was only members of the Spurs board who didn't realise his value. But if there was anyone left to doubt him, his next few jobs should have  changed their opinions.

The first post he took was in Germany with Hamburg. Despite having to sell players such as Football Manager superstar Rafael van der Vaart, Vincent Kompany and Mohamed Zidan at the start of the season, Jol helped Hamburg to be genuine title contenders. He also got them to the semi-finals of both the Uefa Cup and the German cup.

The next job he accepted was in 2009-2010 with Ajax. Under Jol, the Amsterdam club won an incredible 14 consecutive matches, and scored 106 goals in only 34 games. They won the Dutch cup, and were very unlucky not to win the league, finishing a point behind Steve McClaren's FC Twente.

Spurs had success too last year, Redknapp's strategy of buying back the players that played under Jol that Ramos had sold paying off. Who's to say that if Spurs hadn't been patient with Jol that he wouldn't have got them into the Champions League by now, and that they might have saved themselves a couple of years and a hell of a lot of money

London Calling

Martin Jol has a track record of success at every club he has managed, and could prove to be an exceptional acquisition for Mohamed Al-Fayed at Fulham. In the last few years he has proved that he can make an immediate impact, as he improved both Hamburg and Ajax with only a season to work with them.

Fulham might seem like a small job for someone as successful as Jol, but then again was it not a small club for Hodgson too, until it earned him the opportunity to manage Liverpool? Jol will still have the bulk of the team that Hodgson steered to the Europa League final, and without the distraction of Europe they have an outside chance of a top seven finish.

With Tottenham Champions League bound, the distraction could prove fatal to their league form, and Jol might even mastermind a finish ahead of the team that so cruelly discarded him.

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hLCBTI3Pw9a7uAeXVzN1r86SJNLA

Ajax blocking Jol Fulham move
(UKPA) – 43 minutes ago
Martin Jol's appointment as Fulham manager is being held up by Ajax's refusal to negotiate over compensation.
It is understood that Jol wants to succeed Roy Hodgson at Craven Cottage but his path is being blocked by Ajax, who are keen to retain the 54-year-old. The development contradicts earlier reports in the Dutch media that stated Jol is prepared to snub Fulham, providing Ajax give him the funds to strengthen the squad this summer.
"They (Fulham) were interested but in principle I will stay at Ajax," Jol told Amsterdam-based newspaper De Telegraaf.
Jol had been told he was not able to recruit this summer until Holland right-back Gregory van der Wiel and Uruguay striker Luis Suarez had departed - freeing up funds.
But, following talks with financial director Jeroen Slop and chief executive Rik van den Boog, Jol has been reassured he can bring in a cheap right-wing option and then spend more if the likes of Van der Wiel and Suarez leave.
The plan needs to be approved by the club's supervisory board - headed by Uri Coronel - but that is unlikely to be a problem after they recruited Jol just a year ago.

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http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/8280245.Davis_return_can_give_us_a_lift_____Knight/

Davis return can give us a lift – Knight

ZAT Knight cannot wait to see Sean Davis back in full swing for Wanderers.

After seeing his team-mate come through his first 45 minutes in 10 months against Charleston Battery on Saturday night, the big defender is already looking forward to lining-up alongside him against their old club Fulham on the opening day of the season.

Speaking from the club's North American tour, Knight believes Davis will be eager to make up for lost time.

"He only managed two games for us last season, he was so unlucky," the centre-half said. "So to have him back fully fit and fresh will be great for us. He's such a quality player.

"He'll have that hunger, feeling that he's missed a year, so he's going to want to repay himself, the club and the team.

"We just want him to get right and stay strong for the season, not just for himself but for the team as well."

Davis missed the opening pre-season game against Charlotte after suffering a slight reaction to the knee injury, which had kept him out of action since the end of last August.

But he returned with a bang on Saturday, playing 45 minutes alongside fellow long-term casualty, Joey O'Brien.

Knight has warned his mate, however, that he should not rush his comeback, even if that means he misses Wanderers' opening day game against Fulham.

"It's great to have him back in training and doing well," he said.

"He had a bit of an irritation with his knee the other day after training and got a bit down but I told him he's come a long way.

"He needs to just keep on going and make sure he's right for the 14th against Fulham.

"I have told him next time he feels a little niggle, don't try and work through it, just relax and take a bit of time.

"Everyone knows what Sean can do and where he has come from. The coaching staff and the medical staff just want him to be in tip-top shape for the start of the season, even if it's not the 14th."

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http://www.tribalfootball.com/eriksson-furious-over-fulham-snub-986281

Eriksson furious over Fulham snub

21.07.10 | tribalfootball.com
READ MORE NEWS ON: Fulham, World Cup

Ivory Coast World Cup coach Sven Goran Eriksson is upset over rejection from Fulham chairman Mohamed al Fayed, it has been revealed.

Al Fayed has decided to push the boat out to land Martin Jol from Ajax as Roy Hodgson's replacement.

The People says Eriksson is said to be furious that Fulham have turned to Jol, after believing that the Craven Cottage job would be his.

If Fulham fail to land Jol, their options will be severely limited. Huddersfield boss Lee Clark and Croatia chief Slaven Bilic are still possible options..