In this week's internal video Jol let's his frustrations show. Partly about the transfer window, with an obvious reference to M'Vila (although the last minute 'mystery' English team bidding for him was apparently Everton - offering him £48k per week - and not us). The main frustration however is the team's lack of balance and penetration in the final third. [video=youtube;MeStZW_COQE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeStZW_COQE&feature=player_embedded[/video]
Does he read this forum? In a nutshell he said what we are all have been saying over the last games. The bottom line seems to be that we don't have a plan to address the departure of Dembele with the current players unless we sign someone? It is very positive though to see that he is frustrated which means he cares! He also has given the spam game an importance that we all know.
I've never really doubted that Jol can see the problems that we have. The problem we are having is around transfers which started back in August (failing to get a replacement for Dembele) and is continuing now. How much of that is Jol and how much of that is Ali Mac? We'll never know.
If you leave space at the back, with the players we have got, we are vulnerable. Ouchie. Take that Brede and Aaron.
I hope everyone listens to this, because as Madness pointed out the man truly cares about our current situation. It also confirms the fact that getting the players we feel we need and that the club feel we need is not an easy thing to do. Jol points out interestingly that we have put bids in for players and good bids. We clearly do have money to spend but we are competing against teams who can offer more or are bigger than we are. This could suggest that we are aiming for players of real class and quality. His comment about not wanting to show his frustration shows he has empathy towards the players in our squad. This interview has confirmed my desire to keep him as our manager, he is very fulhamish.
Having watched that, I like Jol even more than I did before. He clearly is trying to do something good with us. Let's hope he stays and the players get their acts together to get the wins we need.
One thing I would like to say to Martin Jol (after watching this) is that the reason fans boo* is because we get frustrated too, but unlike him we are absolutely powerless to change things. Fans care passionately about this club and that just makes us all the more frustrated when things don't go our way. *For clarity, I have only ever booed once at a football match and that was due to Joey Barton. I do, however, frequently shout at referees.
Same here. Never left early either. But always one of the last ones to leave due to overweight men clogging the exits I've also never booed an opposition player, even one of our previous. If I bear any resentment I just fail to applaud their name.
I know it's a hard time with agents looking to play clubs off against each other but It would have been a great advantage for the club to have had a least 1 creative player signed up at the beginning of January to give the supporters a boost. The mood of fans will swing lower if the we do not address the problems we have had in mid-field and defense since the beginning of the season. I can see how Jol does get frustrated at losing out on his first choices, it will probably mean looking at Loans and frees to tide us over till the summer. lets hope that is good enough. On another note I see Giganac is doing well for Marseille this season, remember our last minute attempt to get him, but Marseille were unable to get a replacement in, so the deal fell through. Giganac even tried to get a player for Marseille so he could come to us.
Agree with the other posters - Jol is rightly frustrated. Three of the team's best players up and left (as expected) and MAF didn't sign players with nearly the quality to make up for what we lost. Bill Gates said it best: "Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." I think Chairnman Mo has been very successful, the last five years, running the team on the cheap, building the franchise on talented players from lessor leagues (MLS, Belgium, Norway) and cast-offs from other teams (Murphy, BZ, Duff). We've spent money like a 16th place team, but finished well above that thanks to some very lucky, or astute, player acquisitions. But Murphy, Dembele and Dempsey are gone (and Spurs are in 4th). Hangeland, Hughes, Duff and Schwartzer are showing their age, but still MAF wants to play it thrifty. I guess he can do that; it's his team. But if he wants to finish in the top half again, he's going to have to spend money just like everyone. Failure is a better teacher than success, but hopefully it won't come to that.
