I love Martin Jol, I like Harry Redknapp
Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 12:57PM There was something rather special about Martin Jol and the relationship we shared with him. It was a two-way thing. He loved us as much as we loved him. Although he never broke out in song and serenaded the Park Lane he did take to the mic on one occasion to thank us all for the support. Poor bastard even thanked Daniel Levy on that day.
He’s the dad you had in that parallel universe you often dreamt about where you're half Dutch. He understood how to make a connection with the supporters without any of it appearing contrived. His personality was so infectious that for the first time in an absolute age Spurs would get decent press from the journos. Perhaps they were scared of a Jol bear-crush hug, but regardless we all lapped it up. He was sincere, jovial and yet commanded a presence strong enough to inspire team spirit and unity. Football was good too. His soundbites were also pretty decent. English cup of tea, anyone?
We all know how it ended. The Director of Football system corrupted and soured and destroyed, leaving Jol checking his text messages whilst sitting in the dugout mid-game to discover he was going to be sacked. At the time there was genuine guilt felt by myself. Not that I was taking responsibility for anything the chairman and the DoF were cooking up. Rather the fact that it was inevitable it would lead to this. The Berbatov saga and the overly ambitious agenda to step up a further level undermined him and although we don’t truly know what happens behind closed doors, the script had been written months earlier and everyone just went through the motions. The football suffered. Whether it was because of the problems behind the scenes or because Jol had reached the end of the road, we wont ever know. Bit of both perhaps.
I felt guilty because I struggled with the latter. I felt the end of the road had been reached.
The question marks surrounded our inability to compete with the Top Four clubs at the time in games against them. As much as I’d have loved to have found out if he had it in him to build on 2006 he had not a chance in hell to do so because of the interference. Club obviously believing a transitional season was too much of a risk and a better quality appointment was required (the irony, I know). Stories of him interviewing/inquiring about the Newcastle job didn't help either.
Since he’s left he’s not been outstanding in his other jobs, enough to perhaps answer some of the questions (I) we had. But life doesn’t work on such comparisons. Had he stayed, had he the support of the board, chairman and DoF then he might have found that extra spark we required. Instead, it went pear-shaped as we are accustomed and conditioned too. Ramos won us a cup (which I’m forever grateful for) but language and headaches relating to over-complicated selection and tactics left us with...a certain quota of points from a series of games played.
It’s sad because Jol was a fantastic bloke. What he did do is set the foundations for hope that there was a chance of breaking into the Top Four. Give him credit, at the time it was a far more difficult challenge to achieve. The Ramos dip proved to be the shortest of transitional seasons and we all know what happened in the aftermath (some back to basics reconstruction work to make us look pretty again).
There will always be an argument that Jol’s personality masks his weaknesses. The fact we took him into our hearts with such comparative ease made it difficult when he was eventually sacked because deep down it was the only conclusion to a sorry mess. But if you think back, quite a few of us quietly hoped for change. A most uncomfortable sacrifice.
Another argument is that there is nothing to suggest you need to necessarily like your manager. Jose Mourinho has a certain manner about the way he works. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but you’d hardly complain if he was your gaffer if he won you silverware but you might still do because his media siege mentality irks you. Jol managed to give us the two things that matter most: Pride and good football without the necessity of self-serving his own agendas.
That isn’t a dig at Harry Redknapp but parallels are always made between the two. Their game to game record is quite similar, but you can’t compare two different states of play (in terms of where football currently sits and where it sat when Jol was last with us).
The reality is; the past is the past and the future looks bright with Harry leading the way. Personally, if Redknapp wasn’t so mediacentric we’d probably not complain too much about him (don’t ignore the fact that Jol was susceptible to tactically questions and scratches of the head many a time during his tenure). Harry’s achievements are aided both by the squad we possess and the collapse of the monopoly’s overpowering dominance – but kudos to his man-management and he deserves credit. His associations with other clubs and his single-mindedness to look after number one actually rubs off on the club in a good way on the pitch as he knows the better he does the better the Redknapp brand looks. I’d rather he didn’t pretend to be one of us if he doesn’t truly feel affiliated and continue being a custodian of team affairs as we cement stability in the top tier.
Jol gave it a right old go and I'll be forever grateful for that. Redknapp did something very few expected and continues to prove many of us wrong. Its the state the club is left in when he leaves that will allow him to secure a legacy in our history regardless of whether his personality is not our cup of tea.
I’ll let you decide if Jol could achieve similar success with the current squad we have. But then it doesn't matter what you theorise, Harry is in charge now even if Harry doesn't have many songs sang for him.
So thanks Martin. My only regret is that you didn’t push Wenger to the floor when you squared up to him. Although that would have been a little bit like a Polar Bear fighting an Ostrich.
Thank you Harry. Might not agree with certain elements of how you handle team affairs and not a fan of your media work (yes, we're popular with the journos) and your them and me word plays, but you've got to take the good with the bad and thus far the good out weighs the bad.
COYS.
Love the shirt.
Reader Comments (66)
No matter what or how much love we have had for him - he did take us to his limits - top 5 . I really believe that HE didn't have the belief that we could beat or be in the top 4 and that's what stopped us - lasange and all that was facade .... fond memories yes 100% but not the man who would have advanced us any further. As for Harry - he does irritate me so much but he does come up trumps - I will never understand what happened with the lowly teams last year but we seem to come back stronger this year... I will never forget the CL last year - those trips away were magical... Harry's taken us much further than any other manager has taken us since the mid 80s.... I will always hold out for Burkinshaw - he resurrected us and our belief when were REALLY low - he was brilliant ! COYMS!!!!
One of the few times I have to disagree Spooky. I know the majority appear to think as you do about Harry but I am afraid I do not. I like Harry and have absolutely no problem with his handling of the media. Maybe I am niave but when the journos ask Harry a question he answers it, whether it is what we want to hear or not is immaterial. He happns to say what he thinks at the time, he doesn't appear to play the mind games some managers favour. I like the fact that he says what he thinks.He is not perfect but he has done what many so called better managers failed to do, get us CL football. The reason we are not there is not entirely his fault, a lot of that rests with the players. Whether he tells them to "run around and play a bit" or draws it out using gant charts and venn diagrams, it is up to the players on the pitch to deliver. 2 points from 8 games to CL football is some achievement.
COYS
Hear, hear!
Harry deserves more tangible support fom the fans. He has done superbly and, more or less, kept a large talented squad happy even when many are a bit disgruntled at any one time through lack of selection. The obvious team spirit is a testament to Harry. We should hear his name chanted more often. Our current team, and playing style is as good as we have seen in 30 years
What a great read, i think you summed up the way i feel about Harry in a nut.
He is doing a great job so im happy, but if England come calling i will wish him the best of luck with a smile on my face for the work he has done.
Will I miss him? for the teams results ,but not as much as I miss big Martin. coys
Yes, beautifully written and summarises the complexity of the relationship of both managers with the Spurs supporters. There is no doubt that both have done a good job for the club and Jol was certainly unlucky to get fired, although lets remember soccer is a results game. As regards Harry, his media work is the weakness we all point to, but on occassions he is dead right in what he says, so lets not condem him totally for that. He really needs to think just a little more before he responds to jounalists who by and large just want something that can report that will cause a furor not the truth.
Well done to Harry of course and well done to Mr Levy too.
Redknapp story shows that there is more to running a football club than having an online opinion about football.
Because in the real world of business you have to make calls and stick by them and be judged by their results.
THFC made a call, that Redknapp was the man to bring in and continue to run Spurs for the past three years.
In that time they have ignored the daily web chatter to sack him as he will relegate us playing rubbish football, he will never get 4th, he will be humiliated in the CL, his transfer targets are poor, he is off to jail, he talks too much.
That is some top top management from both Harry and Levy right before your eyes in the real world where getting it wrong is punished harshly.
Harry done the business and Levy stuck by his guns and the Spurs have gone marching on as a result.
I like Harry when we are doing well, I don't when we aren't. I always liked Martin Jol.
Good article Spooky and some very interesting comments made, I agree with what has been said already. Martin Jol will always be held in good regard by most of us and as much as I was impressed with his managerial prowess during his time with us, the end of his tenure did have an element of him 'maxing out' as it were. The debacle surrounding his sacking didn't make good viewing either imo, and the whole affair should have been handled differently. However, here we are now with Redknapp in charge and things have definitely moved up a notch or two, I also am not too impressed with his courting of the media, but at the end of the day he gets the job done therefore complaining about it seems to be a bit futile. I'd like to see Redknapp be more tactically astute, as at times he can be found wanting in that particular area. Overall though I'd have to say well done to him, he's come in and has made a huge difference. All seems well at the 'Lane' at the moment and long may it continue. COYS!!!
I have to admit I cannot warm to Harry, as I had with big Martin Jol. For me Harry is not a fans person, more of a job to do person, and as long as he does his job well, that is fine by me.
I have to say I was one fan that liked Jol but never really loved him, he never for me made the right choices. The games against Chelsea and Scum were prime examples of that, also the game against Spammers after the food positioning business we should of played the well players not the first 11.
Harry though I love, he says it like it is. Bent's miss against Portsmouth was a classic example. His buys have been good and playing the youth in the UEFA is the best thing he could do. We look like a team that can win things under Jol we just looked a good team. For what Harry has done I will always see him as the best we have had in many years and am suprised that others don't see him in the same light.
COYS
As Spurs fans we may not always agree with what Harry says, his tactics, his substitutions and all manner of other things. Fact is he has been involved in the English game at various levels for the last fifty odd years and knows a bloody sight more about it than the rest of us put together. That is why he is manager of a top English club and all of us go to our place of work each day and spend the evening either writing blogs or replying to them. Harry knows the workings on a day to day basis of an English football club inside out, we don't. Support the manager even if you don't always agree, because when all is said and done all that matters, as far as football is concerned, is the rise again of Tottenham Hotspur.
@DD
"I like Harry when we are doing well, I don't when we aren't. I always liked Martin Jol."
In a nutshell mate. In a nutshell.
Lovely bloke, so is my Dad. Both not what we need as a manager. Harry all day long. Jol was not good enough end of.
Harry is a fantastic manager. Not only are we winning but when we play like we did against QPR we are the most entertaining team in the prem, bar none
The author of this article is an idiot. We all like the fat guy down the pub who deserves a better wife than the nagging cow he is married to, but that doesn't mean we'd let him take care of our finances. Redknapp has done more for Spurs than Jol would ever have been able to do. He turned Ajax into a pile of crud and is slowly making Fulham crap. He had a great sqaud at spurs and expressed his desire to finish 6th. Go ahead, love BMJ, but you should realise that Harry is THE MAN. Fool.
We'll all (hear) our true feelings tomorrow! Martin .....prepare to be loved......
I can understand your love affair with Jol, and therefore your inability to be realistic(done similar foolishness myself). But please, stay away of using that “us” or “we” unless you say who you are referring to. For one, I don’t give a flying fuck about Jol, and for me, the only sentence in this article worth reading is: “The reality is; the past is the past and the future looks bright with Harry leading the way”. Everything else, IMO, is a waste of cyber space.
FOOLS ARE WE MATE!!
Here is his record for AJAX,they ended the season with the league's strongest defence and the fewest league goals conceded by any Dutch team in 5 years, including just 4 conceded at home all season. Even more , they scored 106 league goals (an average of more than 3 per game), the most any Dutch side has scored since the 1997–98 season. This meant that Ajax ended the season with a goal difference of +86. PSV, who had the next best goal difference in the league, had only half of this with +43.
Jol's side didn't drop a single point after January, winning their final 14 games of the season. This meant that they finished with 85 points, a 17 point improvement on the previous season, and a tally that would have been enough to win the league in all but two of the seasons since 1995 when the rules of the Eredivisie changed to award 3 points for a win instead of 2. However, they were beaten to the title by one point, by Steve McClaren's FC Twente, who won their first ever Eredivisie title.
Jol had some consolation for the season, by winning the Dutch Cup, his first trophy since winning the same competition 13 years earlier with Roda JC, by beating Feyenoord 6–1 on aggregate in the first two-leg final since 1983. On 6 December 2010 Jol resigned as manager of Ajax with immediate effect, after a 1–1 home draw to NEC Nijmegen that left the Amsterdam-based club in fourth place, with a five point distance from the top of the league, after 17 games.[15][16] Ajax would go on to win the Eredivisie championship that really left them in the crud ,because a lot of us dont like arry some of u come out with crap slagging people with no back up GET YOUR BLOODY FACTS RIGHT!!!
Arry has inherited a bloody good squad far inferior to JOLS ,he started it off he had no experiance of a big club like SPURS was thown in the deep end along wit DAN LEVY and arnsen built up a team that for 20yrs had gone no where along with Ramos short period built a team quite capable of completing with the top teams .
Please dont tell dear arry saved us from relegation 2pts 8games only another 32 to go, last season liverpool were in bottom 3 at the start nothing said
However last season against both milans how many of the players THAT ARRY BROUGHT played in both games .And against Madrid how quick was he to blame lennon not the first time he has past the buck This is the same manager who wanted to sell Bale and Sandro and buy Nevelle,Campball, james [which he had another sulk over] These are facts mate
DONT JUST SLAG TOTTENHAM SUPPORTERS BECAUSE THEY DONT LIKE ARRY
I dont because he called us scum at Portsmouth and morons and idiots and as soon as the england comes along he will be of i never will like him but i will be at FULHAM tomorrow and i will cheer MJOL and support my team and will continue to go to all the games and support my TEAM ,i have always liked MATIN JOL but have never liked HARRY
ONCE A GOONER ALWAYS A GOONER!!
coys!!!!!!!!!!
DD That's the problem if you liked Jol when we lost its no good you have to stand your corner and Harry noes your only has good has your next win. Jol was a good manager but he lost the one game and Harry won his and the history belonged too Harry . Both managers have tactical problems when they have too make subs . Jol talks too the media Harry sings aises them on min and benches them the next and his faults are he calls players in public and praises them then he benches them Martin was everyone's uncle and my manager would is Harry who would have sent Joe to head-but Wenge rand he would have fucked Levey off not looked at his texts.. The main facts are we are lucky too have had both and i would take a draw right now if it was offered thank god its not i predict Ady too score a thriller?
Martin Jol he is a nice guy and deserved better than a half time sacking live on TV. He was sensible and talented as a manager and no one hit wonder like Ramos. But Harry is better and has left his critics with egg on their faces.
Also maybe it is just the X Factor generation or something but I don't get this seemingly constant need to debate whether you love one complete stranger or another. If they do good it is good if not it is bad and whether you fancy them or man love them or anything else is a side issue really.
Can't wait to sing I love Martin Jol tomorrow before the game (in my £50 seat -what a stitch up!!.)
After the kick off it's Harry redschnapps blue & White army all the way....
"....DONT JUST SLAG TOTTENHAM SUPPORTERS BECAUSE THEY DONT LIKE ARRY
I dont because he called us scum at Portsmouth and morons and idiots ...."
Harry was right. Majority of you in Pompey-land are ungrateful-ignorant-hateful-self-destructing morons. In only few seasons The Man has brought you, miserably cunts, on the world map by skillfully leading you in punching way above the Pompey head. Hope you ended up in L1 because the Fizzy League is too classy for the inbred scum.
Jol was a fantastic manager for us. He worked wonders in 2005/6, turning carick into hoddle and keano into pele. How could a side with Salteri and that Korean guy at fullback come within 2 goals of CL qualification? The next season, frankly, looks better on paper than it did on the field. Yes we finished 5th again but with a low point total. In truth the season never really got going.
I've followed Jol since he left, much like Spooky to says, to see what might have been. I'm
also part Dutch so have an interest in Dutch football and people. While our friend above gives a good summary of Jols first season in charge of Ajax, which was amazing, he does rather leave out some of the details of his second season. Jol, essentially, became a pain the arse, right from the time during the world cup that it became clear Saurez would probably be sold. He conducted a media war against his own club and basically egged them on to fire him. You may recall he flirted with Fulham at that time. He actually did leave Ajax in the crud, massively under achieving, their best player (suarez) banned for biting an opponent - a symptom of gemeral unrest in the dressing room. It's fair to say there was basically a civil war within the club, most of which was BMJs making. Anyone who thinks Harry is inappropriate with the media wouldnt believe some of the things BMJ was saying then.
I'm not sure what that all tells us. I guess in one sense, it tells us Jol isn't the nice guy we thought he was...at least not all the time. He is a good coach - he did well (but not brilliantly) at Hamburg after leaving us - but he isn't a great one. He didn't achieve anything like the success Redknapp has with Spurs. Spooky you are being extremely generous to BMJ to say his record compares to Redknapps. It doesn't. As for the angry Arry hater above, you seem to want to blame Redknapp for bad, or bizarrely, non existent transfers, but notncredit him with good ones that have happened under his reign. To blame him for trying to sign Neville but not giving him any credit for VdV or Parker is absurd.
Whatever our history with Jol, we have the right man in charge now. There really, really shouldn't be any debate on that point.
Jol was a decent Manager. Harry is a better Manager. I'm one of the people who lamblasted Harry during the summer for his relationship with the media and his apparent 'stand-off' with Levy, but on a weekend I want 3 points (if possible) and Harry has neen delivering those in abundence, so I am happier with Harry at the helm than I was with BMJ.
Dunno about him taking us as far as he could, we only lost out on fourth because of some dodgy Lasagne! Super Mart was and is my favourite Spurs manager who's been in charge while i've been alive, i'm really not a fan of Redknapp although you can't fault his record so far. Will be interesting to see opinions at the end of the year when he takes the England job and leaves us, without a flicker of emotion.
I think our friend spur1950 did a bit of wiki pasting with regards to the first season at Ajax and then did a bit of toilet cleaner sniffing with regards to the quite bizarre nonsense he spouted after that. :-) Redknapp wanted to sell Sandro and Bale? Could you link me some articles where those decisions were being considered, because I missed those. Sure he wanted James, but come on, I'd put a corpse in goal ahead of Gomes. He did want Nev too, but the offer made was derisory and his reasoning behind it was sound. Remember this was prior to Walker and Naughton being bought. Hutton is a thug who looked constantly like he had walked into the wrong team, and Charlie, bless him, gets so lost he needs a google map to find his own feet. He never wanted Judas back. Nobody on earth would be that daft.
BMJ delivered us some quality nights, and the man had and still has a passion for Spurs that is heart warming, but there is no way I'd consider swapping Redknapp for BMJ now. I was sad over the Getafe debacle as he didn't deserve it. The point about us doing well with some plainly average players like Stalteri is also well made by Paul f. He does get some players to raise their game. Yet there is something not quite 'excellent' about the BMJ package. He did screw up at Ajax in the end, and he didn't manage to get Hamburg firing. And I will re-iterate that Fulham, although defensively tight, are going to end up worse under Jol than they did under Roy 'Woy' Hodgson i.e. he is turning them into a pile of crap. His tenure at Fulham will end with a sacking. If not this season, then next. Mark it down.
Bottom line, Spurs are our club and we should let our heads rule our hearts. BMJ is a decent enough guy, who did push Spurs into a team who finally learnt that it's not OK to just fumble about mid-table year after year, but he is not 'yet' a manager on the same level as Redknapp. If all it boils down to for people is a popularity contest about the behaviour of managers I suggest they spend their time watching the X-factor instead, because that would be right up their alley.
And if you don't agree with what someone says don't call them a Gooner. There is no need to be THAT insulting!
Spurs will win at Fulham, but I suspect it will be a tough battle won in midfield. I imagine we will leak another ruddy goal (when is Daws coming back? we need him and Gallas together for at least 6 months), so we will need to find two. Maybe Jamma will manage to stay onside for 30 seconds and poach one, or smash one from so far onside that he won't be able to muff it up. COYS.
Martin Jol was a nice guy and done well with ux. But he had been quoted on a few occasions as saying the English top 4 was Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool and we might be lucky enough to get in. When he quit Ajax he said he done so because he could not live up to the expectations of the previous season. Ajax went on to win the league the season of his departure.
When he left us he said staff and players had been great, not much mention of the fans. In fact his fondness of Spurs fans when asked in Holland seemed to extend to anecdotes of being booed and cheered in a quick succession of minutes in a game!?
And now we have a number of fans going go Fulham to cheer and sing for Jol and will never do the same for Harry at our place or anywhere! That, as a fan of 38 years,saddens me. Martin is gone, get over it and get behind our manager, our players, our team! Cant help but think these "supporters" would love to see us fail to get anything from the seasonjust to make a point. Disgusting!
And what is really sad is Chris Hughton, a true club legend, never gets any consideration for our rise under Jol and has arguably had a better managerial career since.
Had to fight the board to sign Parker because Levy still believes in the age/valuation/sell on 'transfer experience'.
So finally-egg or chicken?
I've always love Martin and have mix feelings about Arry-did well pulling a few late transfers and had that sports luck wihtout which you never win Europian Champions League losing 1:0 in 5 min 2:1 or on penaltys with slip from skipper...Martin work with 50% or less of what Arry have and every game was entertaining.How often you good food poison on the very last turn? No other manager created such a relationship betwen fans and him self as Martin did.
One major thing-like our friend like to say with yids you wont win nothing -when Martin was 4th January and had a real go for that spot what he got-Hossam Gally 500K, Danny Murphy-2 mills.When Arry was in January adventure RK-15 mills,Palacios 12 mills,JD-10 Mills, Pascal Chimbonda-3 mills.So who is better manager 2.5£ or 40£. Our board don't feel winning but it is afraid of lossing-on the end thay suck him with ''He've reach his potential''
Well-fuck you.Martin was beloved manager !
Arry is a crook/media star-call me when we win over Man U-this cup with Pompey have long time interest. I have an idea-every single media pop-up lets hit him with a ball-then will be fun!
Redknapp will be properly judged at the end of his tenure. As it stands, his 'success' with Spurs stands at 0 cups and one season in the CL where we went out 5-0 on aggregate.
Tactically, there isn't much to separate the two; they're both weak. Who could ever forget the second half shambles at Stamford Bridge in The FA cup? The difference in Redknapp going one place better is down to him having a better squad, and the teams around us, worse ones.
Harry has one similarity to Jose Mourinho... he knows how to deflect any unwanted attention from his players and make it completely about him.
I'm very thankful that Harry's our manager. He may frustrate us at times, but I think his record at Tottenham speaks for itself.
COYS!
Harry is a diamond. A top bloke. Lovely fella - knows his football... I don't mind his media-ness at all, in fact, I love that we always get his transparent opinion on all subjects. I'm gonna miss him more than I do Jol, no disrespect meant. I feel in debt to Harry for what he's given us at Spurs. We're in Championship form and if we butter his bread properly he may even stay. Yeah, wishfull thinking.
I really think this feeling of separation towards Redknapp is something that has come about due to the general over-analysis that prevails these days. It was something that was discussed a few times on blogs/forums etc. and has evolved into what many now believe to be the general feeling towards him.
I genuinely don't believe it is. My feeling at games is that the majority of fans appreciate what an amazing squad he and Levy have assembled and feel very lucky to be watching a Tottenham side finally competing at the very top end of the game with the mega rich and well established.
If there is a perceived lack of affection/bond between the fans and him then it's our bloody job as fans to create it. Sing his name, vocally support this exciting side and he might just give a little more back.
Either way, when he said we as fans don't know how good we've got it at the moment and called those fans who rang in morons he was absolutely right! Pound for pound we are comfortably the smallest in terms of financial strength, player attraction of any of the Top 6 and yet here we are with a great chance of finishing in the CL places once more.
These are fine margins. He's making consistently good decisions when a few bad ones could have seen us slide back into the pack at any point rather than pushing upwards as we are.
Appreciate what we've got lads. The grass is always greener but it aint always tastier. COYS
We are punching way above our wealth and its down mainly to the Levy/Arry combo 60%/40%.
Only 6 and a bit hours till kick off. Starting to get that usual thrill. If only we hadn't thrown away those points at the toon.
And I agree with Turnip. Get behind your manager. Stop living in the 'should-asphere.'
For anyone who has been involved in a bitter power struggle at work will know that all the articles and posts will never reveal the capabilities of Jol had he mastered the Machiavellian shit that went on behind the scenes.
Redknapp still battles with Levy over transfers, but goes to enormous lengths to remain in control of the football side of the club, this HR strength which has been realized by the signing of Parker. Who none of us would have chosen in a month of sundays
Good article though
"If there is a perceived lack of affection/bond between the fans and him then it's our bloody job as fans to create it. Sing his name, vocally support this exciting side and he might just give a little more back."
There is no perceived lack of affection toward Redknapp; it's real.
Of course, not everyone dislikes him, but this vocal support you talk of works both ways. There's a reason no-one sings 'I love Harry Redknapp', it's because Redknapp quite clearly doesn't love us (only himself). If he spent a tiny fraction of the considerable time he spends on extolling the virtues of himself, his peers, his signings and other teams' players on praising our great club and its fans, then there would be hardly any antipathy shown toward him. But he doesn't, quite the opposite, so there is.
Mos
some of you seem to be missing the point - people who don't like Harry are not saying he hasn't been a great manager for us - i strongly dislkie Harry but only an idiot would be blind to what he has achieved for us.
@Spurs1950 CONGRATS... ENCORE!
75 mins in: We need to switch to three in middle - bring on Sandro. How do we end up with the thickest coaches in the premier league? Get Kyle Walker off, his inexperience is showing against this good Fulham team.
WOW! What a game! I CANNOT believe we won this 3-1! Great goal by Defoe!
Very lucky in the end. They stopped showing for each other, stood off them too much and ended up playing long ball bollocks and giving the ball back to Fulham. Modric was very poor in defence and below average in attack!
I think today you saw why Martin Jol is not a great coach.
Initially, he picked a great team and they rightly targeted Kyle Walker using Dembele.
BUT, with 20 mins to go and Fulham riding our backs like a fat kid on an infant, he decided to remove Damien Duff and Danny Murphy who were playing fantastic. Guess who he put in? Dickson Etuhu (a defensive midfielder) and Bryan Ruiz - believe me, that gave us a little breather in midfield. Then we finally got smart and brought Sandro in to go to a midfield three.
COYS!!!
Another win. Always good to see.
The free flowing stuff with little positional discipline from us can be beautiful but has its limitations though.
If a determined organised opposition get their tails up you need to be determined and organised to stop them otherwise it can get messy as did the second half.
By the way I think you will find that since I posted that Lennon is a match winner for us he has one goal and three assists in two games so I take all the credit for these !
Nochman, nail on the head there my friend. Jol blew it. He managed to tie us up on the right side of the pitch. To be frank Fulham didn't score. Poor Ledders battered one in off a Fulham shoulder. We held them up in the first half, and then went into proper spurs wobble mode and came good in the end. Jamma with another cracker.
God I love Sandro. He plays with so much confidence. Adebayor and Modric had quiet games positionally, but both put in brilliant efforts. How often was Adebayor found marking in defence. A MILLION times. That lad is a Lillywhite now.
Bit pissed off the beer to make much sense, but COME ON! Let's overhaul Chelsea and wait for the toon to self destruct. 3rd place is ours!!!!!!!!!
Jol = bye bye.
nochman - it's all very well saying our coaches are thick for not having sandro on, but guess what? he ca,e on soon after that and spent the rest of the game doing a great man to man marking job on Scott Parker, thereby negating them both. Maybe it's isn't just our coaches who don't quite get it, eh.
Nochman;
Man, I love your compassion, and your priceless picturesque observations are right on the money.
Game wise, I resent remarks that we won because we were lucky. One can score a lucky goal, sometimes maybe two, but never three goals in one game. This Spurs win I mark down to SKILLS. End of story. Jol showed he’s a worthless cunt by complaining about penalty (when there should have been whistled foul on Walker), but conveniently forgetting to mention clear penalty on Parker in their box just minutes before that should have been given.
This is a match to remember the next time when luck doesn't turn our way. We were lucky to get 3 points--as well as 3 goals. The scoreline flattered us somewhat today.
Flattery be damned. And Sandro... he played up the park. Good man.