Jol unperturbed by relegation threat

Manager Martin Jol is optimistic Fulham can climb away from the relegation zone after the 0-0 draw against fellow strugglers Sunderland.

The Dutch coach remained bullish about his prospects for the season even though Fulham have still only won two Premier League games this term and remain just two points above the bottom three after the stalemate on Wearside.

“We are very confident we can climb away from the wrong end of the table,” Jol said.

“I am confident because if you saw us play at home against Everton at home no one could believe it that we did not win.”

“It was the same against Spurs. They had three attempts at goal and scored three times.”

“We had 28 and couldn’t score. It was an own goal. That was harsh.”

“But that was our 25th game of season so there will be an element of fatigue. You want to do well in Europe but the Premier League is most important for us and it is not always easy.”

Jol said he had mixed emotions over the result after watching both sides squander chances.

“You always had mixed feelings because you need all three points but on the other hand it might have been a bit unjust if we had nicked it at the end with Clint Dempsey, especially as they had six or seven chances in the first 20 minutes,” he said.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce conceded his side were not clinical up front, which saw them fail to register a goal for the fourth successive match against Fulham.

The Black Cats’ attacking stocks have dwindled since last season after Darren Bent’s shock move to Aston Villa and Danny Welbeck’s return to Manchester United, and Bruce conceded his side are missing the England duo.

“It’s a huge thing to be missing. We’ve got to be honest, this time a year ago we had Bent and Welbeck – they’re both playing for England this year so they’re both going to take some replacing,” Bruce told Sky Sports.

“But we’ve got to keep marching on, keep on trying to improve. What’s gone is gone.”

He added: “But I couldn’t have been more pleased with some of the performances that we had.”

“We just missed that final thing, and the big thing which is the goal.”