Attractive it has not been froggy. We have averaged less than 9 shots on goal per game and less than 3 on target. http://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/3853/Stages/7794/TeamStatistics/England-Premier-League-2013-2014
Not true. It's the managers job to make substitutions and organise tactics to see out the game and defend what you have. We have been unable to defend simple set pieces, are you saying all five of our defensive players are at fault, or the manager coaching them? If someone can come up with a valid and rational argument for keeping Jol then I'm all ears. I'd much rather Jol turned it around rather than having to go looking for yet another manager so please someone enlighten me, and you will have to do better than 'there's nobody better out there' because there is when you consider the names outside the ones labelled by the media as 'favourites'. Pros: Has attracted a higher calibre of player to the club and therefore boosted exposure/revenue Has kept us in the PL Has brought through some promising young talents (Kaca, Kasami) Not all transfers without merit (Parker, Dejagah, Riether) Cons: Transfer naivety. Signing players we don't need purely because he's worked with them before (Adel, Bent) Poor tactical awareness, doesn't know his best formation or team selection, failure to drop Berbatov Baffling substitutions often Recent media outbursts Not only has failed to address the issue of the average age of the squad, but has increased it Relationship with players, alienation etc (Dejagah, Kasami) I would add that he's crippling the club by constantly signing loan/freebies and forcing us to replace them every season but this may or may not be out of his control so wasn't listed.
Sorry bandy but cannot agree about the final few minutes. As a player you have to take responsibility for those failings. Yes we have been poor from set pieces but that is about concentration. The players failed to stay focused in the final minutes, it is their fault nothing to do with substitutions. They are professionals and know their jobs. As for signing tarrabt and bent, not sure how you find these unnecessary signings. Bent provides important cover up front and tarrabt on the left. I will agree that tarrabt has not lived up to expectations but again I suppose that is the managers fault as well. I am not going to disagree that big mart is struggling and like you if the right man was available I would understand their appointment. I am just trying to say we bemoan the manager all the time but never the players. They have just as significant a role in the clubs failings as the manager, a manager who is also attempting to live within the constraints imposed on him by the club.
Having played a very decent level of football myself quite a few years back as a centre half, I agree that the players have to take a lot of responsibility for late goals. We are all shattered going into the last 5 minutes but so are the opposition it is when winners find that last bit strength! You need to be switched on more so than ever and be aware of how damaging a mistake will be! Experienced players like Parker Hangeland Karagounis have to talk to the others more than ever in this period to keep them switched on.
You're totally correct Cookie. Communication among the players has been really poor this year, amounting to mostly bickering and gestures of disleasure (and not isolated to Berba). Agree with you on this as well froggy. However, there do seem to be a lot of issues around that point more to the manager/coaching. For instance, are we zonal marking or man-marking? It often seems a confusing mixture of both - Berbatov apparently marking Huth? I'd also add two items to Bandit's list of cons. 'Fitness levels' and 'playing players out of position'. Those are down to the manager.
But trying to find an unknown wonder-boy from abroad comes with its own set of inherent dangers. Southampton & Swansea got lucky (although Laudrup was hardly an unknown, to be fair). Wolves tried it twice (once with a foreigner) and got relegated from the Premiership and the Championship. If they have a growing reputation then they are likely to be expensive. If they do not speak English it can create issues. If they don't settle in England to our way of life and culture you have problems. It would take time to identify someone, I'm sure and lining someone up to take over from Jol, sacking him and then appointing the new man a couple of days later is just not Fulham's way - Man City maybe, but not us. Lastly, the reason I think Jol should stay is he is trying to get us to play football - Sanchez may have had similar results but his was the most awful, neanderthal style of play I can remember seeing for years. Lump it long. At the very least, you must admit Jol doesn't fall into this category. I am not blind to his faults, I am not keen on some of the players he has spent a good deal of money on - Ruiz, for example, and possibly Stecklenberg (quality player but if he's made of glass he's a bad buy) but I do think we'd be better off sticking with hime through what is a rough patch of form.
Bandy and cottager you both make a very valid point as regards to tactics. It is a major concern that jol has not really got a starting 11. In regard to tactics being deployed, if the manager does not know his best 11 then tactics become twice as hard to deploy. When we find that team then we will see us progress to the level we should be at. Martin Jol has to make this the priority.
Bandy and cottager you both make a very valid point as regards to tactics. It is a major concern that jol has not really got a starting 11. In regard to tactics being deployed, if the manager does not know his best 11 then tactics become twice as hard to deploy. When we find that team then we will see us progress to the level we should be at. Martin Jol has to make this the priority.
Bandy and cottager you both make a very valid point as regards to tactics. It is a major concern that jol has not really got a starting 11. In regard to tactics being deployed, if the manager does not know his best 11 then tactics become twice as hard to deploy. When we find that team then we will see us progress to the level we should be at. Martin Jol has to make this the priority.
Fulhaman The style of play may be different but it's no better. I remember under Sanchez we were unlucky in our first few games. The goal that should have been given against Boro, the Arsenal game, McBride's season ending injury etc. You can't say we haven't had luck this season. The two games we've won, and I'll even include the Everton game, we have been incredibly lucky. Stoke and Sunderland played us off the park, as did Everton in the first 45 minutes. As 58 points out, the least number of shots per game in the league and most conceded. That doesn't amount to good football.
I don't think anybody is suggesting we are playing well at the moment and Jol is on the cusp of turning us into a special team but I just can't see it being good timing to sack him, it should have been in the summer if anything but as we didn't I think he needs a few more games yet. Although a loss to Palace will leave him on the edge and they will see us as a very winnable game and will fly out the blocks at us! There is also no point in sacking him without a replacement in mind that we believe will do a better job With Jol out of contract next summer I can't see him being with us next season wether we are relegated or turn it all round and finish top ten
I think after the Stoke game was the perfect time to replace him to be honest, two weeks until the next game, I don't think too many of our players were away on international duty (Kaca, Ruiz, Kasami, Senderos, Hangeland) Two weeks would have allowed the new guy to come in and begin to implement tactics rather than the usual scenario of them only having days between games.
