Article about Fulham/Martin Jol

[pumblechook]

Hi guys.

Well done on your win against Stoke today. It was a very good goal by Darren Bent to win the game showing what he is capable of and although maybe Fulham's overall performance was not great, sometimes it is those sort of scratchy wins that can kickstart teams that have been struggling for form.

Just to say that I have recently written an article about Fulham and Martin Jol which has been posted on to the 'State of the Game' website earlier today, just ahead of the Fulham-Stoke match taking place. I have taken a look at whether Jol should be given more time as well as considering whether some factors have been beyond his control.

The article is viewable via this link - http://stateofthegame.co.uk/2013/10...ls-exit-should-be-careful-what-they-wish-for/ . A word of warning, it is quite a long article, so don't say I didn't warn you!

I would be interested to hear people's feedback as to whether you agree with my thoughts, or if not, who you would rather see manage Fulham. I'd also be interested to hear which of the luxury players I mention in the article do you feel could be left out, i.e. do you think it is a case of Berbatov or Bent. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the piece and any feedback that people have good, bad or indifferent will be greatly received and made a note of for you future work. Thank you.

 

[Super Brian McBride]

Reads like a Students University Thesis, very detailed to the point of overkill.

My summing up of the Jol management so far, is

At present he has brought in players who he hasn't knitted into a team. As individuals you can see most are skillful players but have not created any type of partnership with each other.

To me the best managers create team work through partnerships, The keeper has to control his defense and give them confidence, the fullbacks and right and left midfielders have to have a good understanding and help each other out, both defensively and offensively.
The center backs need to have a good partnership to cover for each other. Defensive midfielders have to be able to break up attacks and pass it on to more creative midfielders, they in turn have to link up with forward(s). Knit them all together and you have a Team.

With the present Fulham side I can think of only one partnership that has been any good and that is Riether and Dejagah, and may be Hangeland and Hughes but that was created under Hodgson. Jol hasn't been helped by injuries this season especially to Stekelenberg, but I give him credit for making Dembele a better player than he was when he took over.
Last season and this season we have suffered from a very slow build up giving the opposition time to get back and defend, it has always been a Dutch tactic to keep possession of the ball, but Jol has said himself that our attacks lack the pace he wants.
Our big problem is for some reason, we have not been able to buy at least 2 creative midfielders we need to link defense and attack.