Martin Jol has refused to condemn his goal-shy Fulham side and is backing them to end a run of seven games without a win against Newcastle at Craven Cottage on Monday.
It is two minutes short of five hours since Fulham scored their last Premier League goal, in the 3-1 loss at home against Sunderland on November 18. Since then they have failed to score in defeats against Stoke and Spurs and in a draw at Chelsea.
Fulham were sixth in the table earlier in the season but now languish in 13th place, just five points off the relegation zone and level with a Newcastle team boosted by Monday’s 3-0 win over Wigan.
But Jol (above) pointed to the eight goals in three games Fulham bagged before the Sunderland set-back and claimed that the goals will flow again just as long as his players keep making chances.
“We are good enough to come up with a solution,” he said. “Against Sunderland, before Brede Hangeland’s red card, we were the better team. Even in the first half against Spurs we had three of four chances, more chances than they had, and we had more attempts.
“We couldn’t believe the 3-0 scoreline after that match. We spoke about it with the players and we feel that we will be fine. But we have to work hard. We have to pick ourselves up and pick up some points.”
Although midfield playmaker Bryan Ruiz suffered a new injury blow this week and will be out until after Christmas, Jol is looking for the return of Kieran Richardson and Alex Kacaniklic to boost his side against Newcastle.
But he is saying farewell to 32-year-old Czech international defender Zdenek Grygera. The former Ajax and Juventus star is set to quit the game after failing to recover from a ligament rupture sustained against Spurs 13 months ago in addition to battling hip and back complaints.
Jol said: “He doesn’t want to end up in a wheelchair. That is actually what he said.
“He is exaggerating a bit but I know what he means. He thought it was a good idea to call it a day. It is a shame. He is an unbelievable character.”
