ESPN Soccernet - Correspondents - Fulham- The battle behind the scenes

Posted by Phil Mison on 12/10/2011

Another miserable awayday for Fulham fans. While defeat on the road is something we have come to accept - it's no less palatable when we so cravenly contribute to our own downfall

Even after a decade in the top flight, our proud football club is still forced to walk along the Premiership precipice for large parts of any given season. A couple of times we've plunged off the edge, only to be held up by the thinnest of ropes from falling into the crocodile pool below.

We fans, as long suffering as any down the years, try to keep our expectations realistic, reign back our emotions, rarely lament the lack of trophies garnered over time, and doggedly keep making that pilgrimage down to the riverside in the hope that one day our boat will come in.
You could make a fair case for saying, the definition of an optimist is being a fan of Fulham. I'm not one for lachrymose self-pity myself, most Fulhamites of long standing like me cast sympathetic eyes over the other three divisions - having endured plenty of cruel hard times among them - and give thanks for a fixture list that gives us the chance to test ourselves against the elite.

The bitter history of perennial under-achievement never allows us to get above our station. There's one maxim you often hear from the lips of successful people, especially sportsmen. 'Am I lucky? Sure, and the harder I practice the luckier I get.' In football success comes with impeccable preparation. Nurturing a disparate group of young men - and big egos - and blending them into a cohesive and effective unit is a rare skill akin to leading men in battle. In recent times the old Wimbledon team embodied a unique esprit de corp in the 80's that enabled them to win an F.A. Cup and regularly turn over the big boys.

The current Fulham set up sees the side facing an uncomfortable period of transition. That has not been helped by three changes in management since May 2010. For Fulham to stave off the spectre of relegation in 2012 we are again in a familiar position of needing to improve in the second half of the season - and a club as small as ours needs EVERYONE pulling in the same direction.

Following the latest surrender to an average (and promoted) side in Swansea Jol is asked directly post-match why Bobby Zamora was not selected, the manager preferring to have the slight figure of AJ up front. His response finally makes clear the Dutchman has destroyed the harmonious squad he inherited. "I need players to give 100%, on the pitch and in training. I decided Andy deserved to start today, so Zamora was the one to miss out." That decision - inexplicable on what Andy offers the team away from home, where he has recently started as a sub anyway, was made on Thursday. Zamora was told not to bother turning up Friday at the training ground.

At the Liberty from the minute the team sheet appears it is clear Jol has put his personal agenda to assert his authority ahead of the paramount need of the club - that is, to put his best available side into the field in pursuit of points. This is the raison d'etre for every manager in the league. It is nothing less than every long-suffering supporter deserves at the end of his working week when he shells out considerable sums to turn up and cheer on his team.

The hard core contingent at the Liberty today were short changed, again, condemned to another appalling 45 minutes of clueless football in the first-half, and left with a long and miserable journey home after seeing a point tossed away. Surely everyone had their hearts in their mouth as Dempsey waited on the penalty. Why was he nominated? The run up telegraphs the direction, he never finds the corner, it's just power. The usual awful journalism calls it a 'fantastic save.' It was anything but...it was however, an awful penalty.

So our manager felt AJ deserved his place over Zamora because of his attitude? But he's not willing to sign a new contract and is off in January. His contribution today? Zilch. The gaffer thinks Dembele is the bees knees, he's better than Raul in his prime! His impact on the game today? Zilch. Young Frei in five minutes produces a potential game-changing run to put Dembele's contribution in game after game fully in perspective.

Having already unsettled the back four, landed us with a burn-out at left-back (so lucky not to concede a 1st half penalty), confused the squad with his tactics and burnt all our summer dough on a luxury midfielder (when we were crying out for a winger and another striker), all I can say is, with Bobby now tagged the fall guy, your January replacements had better be gold-plated Martin.

Most signficant news of the last week? Not the Liverpool win, nor the new plans for the Riverside, it was the club diktat demanding players make no more contact with the press. Yes, a gagging order. When you read that, it's obvious all is not well in Camelot.

A sad day, and not just for the Swansea surrender. West Brom fans can start looking forward to welcoming Bobby to the Hawthorns. Meanwhile, if effort is all Jol requires, I'll be at the game Wednesday with my boots happy to take just £25 grand per month.
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Comments

Posted by simon kemp on 12/10/2011

great article. As a Spurs fan one does wonder why he was sacked - it seems there was more than met the eye. Although he was very popular with the fans maybe he does have deficiency in his man management and ability to maintain relationships at all levels within a club. If one contrasts that with harry - who seems to support his players to the hilt in the main, you wonder how long he will last. I think you need stability though and you should stick by Jol.

Posted by Drago on 12/11/2011

Well said, Phil. Mark Hughes was arrogant, but at least he had the sense not to disrupt the groundwork Roy laid. Between Jol's team selection and his tactics, I don't know which is worse.

Not all of it is Jol's fault. Bobby and Clint have cost us points against Everton, Tottenham and now Swansea with bad misses. But if I was sitting in MAF's chair, Jol would need to win against both Odense and Bolton to keep his job.

Posted by Law on 12/11/2011

Same article with the same whining tone. Sir, u definitely are not a fan of jol. Neither am i but if the board is also of the same sentiment FFC is in trouble. I think you live too much in the past. Football is about change and being brave. The delicate thing in todayz game is managing change and position on the log- a feat never easy. Look nor further than chelsea. And the manager needs to stamp his authority tactics and philosophy. Look at AVB. Itz a pity there is a vast diff in hodgson and jol. So you have a choice to make. A safe return to the past or support for jol and the potentially remarkable returns FFC has never seen otherwise i guarantee you that you may be unpleasantly surprised abt how good dembele is if he were to be plucked away by a better team. Choices and change were never the easiest thing in life.

Blog Central: Business consultants often preach, 'Change is inevitable, embrace it and welcome it.' But if Jol has a master plan I haven't seen it yet and he's admitted this is his most testing spell in football. His man management is poor. Hughes wasn't touchy feely either, but he had the sense to let the side play to their strengths.

Posted by Nate on 12/11/2011

Hughes was arrogant, yes. But Hughes also had defined roles for his players and defended them in the press at all costs.

Compared to Jol? How frustrated would you be if you were Bobby?

Jol has left BZ stranded all season up top, made no real attempts to build an attack around him, other than just sticking more and more midfielders behind him who play similarly.

(And I'm sorry everyone, but Bryan, Dempsey and Dembele are all exceedingly similar. All are attack minded MFs, all three drift towards the middle, all like to beat men off the dribble, none possess elite speed, none like to sneak in behind, instead keeping the play in front of them. Point out their differences, but in the big scheme of football, all three are VERY similar.)

So BZ is left alone while this flurry of midfielders dribble behind him, and then Jol has the audacity to come out and say BZ needs to score more?

Forget this. Stamp your authority elsewhere, Jol. You've only got one England striker. Figure it out.

Blog Central: Jol surely has to eat humble pie Wednesday and pick BZ for a must win game v Odense with AJ suspended and Ruiz ineligible. More details emerging - Jol didn't like Bobby's attitude in training apparently

Posted by 5815dan on 12/11/2011

Ugh.
As my British friends would say, that game was dreadful!

Seriously though, it all added up to a very frustrating afternoon. The ongoing BZ situation, the complete lack of attack to start the game (it was like flipping a switch after the own goal), Ruiz constantly giving the ball away, Dempsey's "attempt" on the PK, etc. Just when I was getting my hopes up about taking 6 points in as many days. I should have known better...

Thanks for writing and keep up the great work. Really love the blog.

Posted by Derek on 12/11/2011

If MJ wants to be a disciplinarian he had better aquire enough quality players of equal ability to form a squad. You cannot play hardball with players who are not looking over thier shoulders. Unforunately he does not seem to realise that after the first twelve or so players the rest of FCC is made up of Championship caliber at best. Silly man (not impressed with his signings either)!

Posted by carlosbocanegra on 12/12/2011

GREAT article. you really capture the essence of each week, each action, and provide a great perspective each week. i really apprecatiate your blog. but while the post perfectly sums up what many fulham fans are feeling it begs many more questions. for example, where does the chairman and board stand on jol's performance so far? is jol's time up? unfortunately, we seem to be losing some of the moment from the hodgson era, which was even maintained by hughes. of course a couple of wins can change the perspective.

Posted by Jeff on 12/12/2011

Great article Phil. Right from the start, with no Zamo, I thought it would be a challenge and I could feel my mood worsening as the match went on. I was a reminder of the sides from last fall/winter with not a hope of offense, praying for a 0-0 draw. At least with Duff in the line up we can create something of an attack from the wide right. Not Saturday. Stumble and bumble with no cohesion. Why not move Ruiz up front..sure seems lost in midfield? As much as I appreciate the hard work that Deuce puts in and his tireless grinding he is not a pure scorer, and should not be put in the penalty takers shoes. Why not the left back with the big left leg and no other remarkable qualities? Or Ruiz the big Dutch scorer? Frustrating!

Posted by Roughneck1 on 12/13/2011

I am challenged to see how this team will improve without new players or new schemes, and fear we are facing another year in the relegation battle.

BZ is not nearly the player he was last year, and the midfield is aging quickly. No easy answers but would chance changing the manager if we stay in the bottom 6 after Boxing Day!

Posted by fraught_with_peril on 12/13/2011

It's a shame about BZ. He is a long, long way from the magical 2009-10 campaign where he was our player-of-the-season, no matter how the Budapest ballot-box stuffers voted. I fear he will never fully recover from last season's injury.

Right now, BZ seems to have fitness, durability, confidence, ego and desire issues. I hope he can prove us wrong -- and soon, while at Fulham. And if he's not up for the fight on behalf of the Club and his teammates, then he would be good business in January at almost any price.

Blog Central: Lest we forget, there's no room for sentiment in football. It's a ruthless business at the top

Posted by Vital_Teddy_KGB on 12/13/2011

I respect a manager's need to stamp his authority on a team and make players respect it. Too often teams and managers are held hostage by the "star" player's ambitions or delicate psyche. If Zamora's been dogging it in practice, then he deserves a benching. Even if it's a bit of "cut off your nose to spite your face," I'm ok with it.

That being said, Jol has to realize that he doesn't have the squad quality to stand on principle too often. It would be different if we were comfortably mid-table, but our position and continuing under-performance suggests that a crisis might be brewing.

The rifts that supposedly existed between Jol and some of the former Spurs players were initially down-played, but I think it's quite obvious that there was, in fact, something to the rumors.

It certainly appears that either Jol or Zamora is gone in January, and MAF had better be prepared to spend some money 'cause we're in need of real quality at the forward and a real playmaker in midfield.

Blog Central: Jol told local press today BZ is in the squad for Weds night - as I predicted.

Posted by 'Sota Dan on 12/13/2011

Phil,

I appreciate the blog posts. That was truly a wasted opportunity at Swansea.

Anywho - perhaps BZ doesn't fit in Jol's strategy. Look, BZ's a classic target striker. He stays high and wins balls in the air. He doesn't usually come back to collect balls to then turn and take people on (a la Suarez) 30-35 yards away from goal and have a run. This isn't a knock on big Big Bob. It just doesn't seems like Jol's system is good for his strengths.

I'm not sure if we have a player on the squad right now that Jol likes for this style. Dembele maybe with Ruiz tucked in behind? Is Gignac or Rodallega the type of player he sees for that role?

Posted by SupersSwans on 12/14/2011

Well... if Swansea are an average side, then going by that game Fulham are below average. So the result was just and to be honest, it was the result most people were expecting.

You should learn to take defeat on the chin instead of trying to kick a team that just beat you. Poor blog post, it wreaks of sour grapes.

Blog Central: Thanks for posting. You are right, we are indeed 'below average,' a bit like your spelling. Here in England the verbs to 'wreak' and 'reek' have entirely different meanings.

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