Tottenham fan Jack McInroy was kind enough to send us a link to his thoughts on Martin Jol. This piece details how Jol got on White Hart Lane and offers a few indications as to why Spurs fans have so much affection for their former boss.
What’s most interesting to me is how Jol brought on players like Dawson, Lennon, Huddlestone and King – Bale is also mentioned in this context – although quite how much success he’d have with Fulham’s young talent depends on whether any of our young prospects are genuinely able to make the step. Equally, given how Spurs fans like their teams to play attractive, attacking football, it will be very interesting to see how Fulham line up under the Dutchman.
He’s a canny operator, good with the media and asks a lot of his players. Hopefully, he can build on Roy’s solid foundations and add to the attacking emphasis introduced by Hughes. Next season could be very exciting indeed if he delivers.
YOU’VE GOT YOURSELF ANOTHER GOOD GUY TO FOLLOW ON FROM WOY & HUGHESY. JOL IS A DECENT GUY WHO WAS TREATED VERY SHABILY BY US. HAD HE OF BEEN GIVEN THE OPTION TO SIGNN HIS OWN PLAYERS – LIKE HARRY – HE COULD WELL STILL BE OUR MANAGER.
GOOD LUCK TO BMJ AND TO FULHAM.
You will see how we feel about him when Spurs play Fulham, it will be a spectacle, the man is superb
AS a Spurs fan I absolutely love Martin Jol – I think Fulham have pulled off a major coup… Let’s not forget since leaving Spurs he since has managed in Germany with Hamburg & in Holland with Ajax, so theoretically he should return to England as an even better manager as to when he left…
Dawson, Huddlestone & Lennon weren’t really spurs youth but agree it is promising that he was prepared to gamble on young talent and did well to bring them into the first team.
I would love to see us supplement our senior pros with exciting young talent.
Fulham have done well to get big MJ. No doubt. You’ll have a fun ride with him. Everyone loved him at Spurs and, since he left, there hasn’t been quite the same cohesive and inspiring sense of Spurs being a club indulging in a massive group hug. Certainly, he’ll receive a sustained and genuinely warm welcome back from Spurs fans – both at the Lane and when we play at Craven Cottage.
A lovely man, then. And a good manager. But, in the latter respect, he’s very far from perfect. We shouldn’t allow fond memories to become rose tinted.
His teams were capable of playing outstanding attacking football. But they also resorted far too often to hoofing the ball up the field.
His teams could score bundles of goals. But they could ship them too.
His teams could be overflowing with attacking intent. But they would also try, all too frequently and usually unsuccessfully, to sit on a one goal lead for 70 minutes.
You never got the feeling that MJ had a great grasp of the tactical side of the game. Especially in the big, key games. He lost or drew far too many of those. He did it at Hamburg too.
If he’s well supported in the transfer market by al Fayed, he’ll do a good job. Fulham will be an upper mid table club and will have some exciting cup runs. And, without wishing to sound patronising, maybe that’s as much as Fulham or al Fayed aspire to? I don’t know.
I would only caution you not to expect too much of him. He is not a miracle worker. He is no Mourinho. Or Wenger. Or Ferguson.
He’s just Martin Jol. A great, big, huggable, bear of a man. And fallible with it.