Again from our mates at the Guardian. Worth reading, especially if you are a little unsure about Jol. All is miserable in West London before the derby. Chelsea are desperate to prevent a three-game losing streak while Fulham fans appear to have lost patience with Martin Jol's focus on the aesthetic over the pragmatic. The former seems entirely understandable â the latter less so. Fulham may have a rich new owner but the idea that they were suddenly going to compete at the upper echelons of the table is ludicrous. Jol showed at Tottenham that with sustained investment and time he was capable of growing a club, improving steadily year on year, but that process is only just beginning at Craven Cottage. In the meantime perhaps the fans should enjoy watching some wonderfully entertaining footballers rather than prematurely worrying about their position in the table. Results will come â any team that has the attacking talents of Dimitar Berbatov, Bryan Ruiz, Darren Bent and Adel Taarabt should possess enough fire power to secure a midtable finish. Unbalanced they may be â but surely it is more fun to see a team skewed to the attacking side of the game rather than dour defensive football aimed at survival and nothing more.
I really do appreciate the Guardian articles and buy into the purpose of this one, with its inherent reason for optimism. However in the final sentence the author is glossing over the reality of what the fans have seen on the playing field and, as I said in another post, fun it has not been.
