Chelsea v Fulham: Martin Jol equally in need of a morale-boosting win as Jose Mourinho

 
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Giuseppe Muro22 September 2013

Jose Mourinho is not the only manager in west London to have had a difficult week.

Like his opposite number in the Stamford Bridge dugout tomorrow, the Portuguese had jeers ringing in his ears after a costly late goal and is under pressure to impress a demanding billionaire owner.

But while the expectations placed on Fulham’s Martin Jol and the Chelsea boss are worlds apart, their need for a morale-boosting victory against local rivals is equally apposite.

The big Dutchman had fans calling for him to resign after last weekend’s draw with West Brom and, while that unrest may be premature after just four Premier League games, Jol has been forced to defend his position for the first time since his appointment in 2011.

The former Tottenham, Hamburg and Ajax manager’s contract is up at the end of the season and, while he has the backing of new owner Shahid Khan, his future at Craven Cottage will naturally be the subject of debate when results do not go Fulham’s way.

Khan spoke in glowing terms about Jol when interviewed in these pages in August and has no plans to make a change so soon after buying the club from Mohamed Fayed.

But the Pakistan-born businessman has shown a ruthless streak as owner of American football franchise the Jacksonville Jaguars. He took over the Florida NFL team in January of last year and sacked their general manager and head coach within 12 months.

Calls for Jol’s head after the West Brom game came from a vocal minority but some supporters are clearly unhappy after taking just four points from their first four games.

Jol last week accused some fans of having unrealistic expectations but has since admitted he was wrong to respond to the flak he received.

“It is better not to talk about it and I did,” he said. “But I shouldn’t have. They are entitled to express themselves because they pay us to play for them. To concede in the 93rd minute was very disappointing, not only for the fans but for me and the club.

“I do not think there is a lot of pressure on us or on teams like West Brom or Swansea. We are doing better than people give us credit for.”

Jol believes the expectations of some supporters should be lowered. “I never fight with expectations because you always lose,” he said. “When I went to Spurs, they were 14th and if you had said I would get them to fifth, they would have loved me. Then we were fifth twice and then they said we have to be in the top four.”

The criticism has disappointed Jol, who deserves credit for his record since replacing Mark Hughes two years ago. He guided Fulham to ninth and 12th in his first two seasons and is confident fortunes will improve sooner rather than later.

Patience is needed as new signings Darren Bent, Scott Parker and Adel Taarabt take time to settle, so Jol is targeting an inviting run of fixtures after tomorrow’s game.

Following next week’s Capital One Cup tie at home to Everton, Fulham host Cardiff and Stoke before trips to Crystal Palace and Southampton.

“The draw with West Brom was disappointing but we have had two away matches — Sunderland and Newcastle — and we have played Arsenal, who are always difficult,” said Jol, who has built a squad capable of a top-10 finish. “As soon as we gel, we will be fine.”

At Stamford Bridge, Jol is up against a manager — and friend — in need of a win after back-to-back defeats against Everton and Basle but recognises the difference between their situations.

“When they [Chelsea fans] were booing on Wednesday, I do not think they aimed that at Mourinho,” said Jol. “In our home game against West Brom it was different because it was focused on me. So it is a bit different. I talked about the fact that expectations can make you very unhappy, even at big clubs like Chelsea.

“It will probably be the first time they have ever lost three games in a week [if Fulham win]. It puts a little bit more pressure on them and I think it is a must-win game for Chelsea because they want to be champions. But I am not sure that is advantage for us.”

Though he needs a positive result against Mourinho, Jol admits he’s glad the Portuguese is back at Chelsea.

“With or without Mourinho, this is the best league in the world but I’m happy that he’s back,” said Jol. “He’s almost like a friend to me — he’s a very nice guy so we’ve got a little connection with each other.”

A win against Chelsea — and a manager he only got the better of once during his three years at White Hart Lane — and any uncertainty about Jol’s future will be forgotten.

Fulham have never won at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era — and have only beaten their local rivals once since their promotion in 2001 — but have secured draws on their previous two trips across west London.

Jol said: “Maybe that will help but they have a new manager now. Last year we could have won there so we are quite confident.”

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