Martin Jol is a great appointment for Fulham

Fulham have made a very decent appointment in Martin Jol. He is a great replacement for Mark Hughes and I believe he will be well able to continue the good work already done at the club by Roy Hodgson and Mark Hughes in turning them into a top half Premier League club.

Signed

The fifty-five year old Dutchman has signed a two year deal. He has been coaching and managing now for twenty years and looks to me to be a perfect fit at Craven Cottage. Speaking about his appointment Jol said,

“I am very happy to join Fulham. It is a club with good, solid foundations and a great fan base. I am looking forward to being part of the Fulham family and thank the chairman for the trust shown in me.”

Chairman

Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed said of Jol,

“He understands my vision for the club, and believes in what we are striving to achieve here. I know that he will dedicate himself to helping us move forward, and is with us for the long term, to help us build and progress. We have enjoyed three incredibly successful years, and my hopes and dreams for this club are for that journey to continue.”

Jol started his coaching career with Dutch amateur side ADO Den Haag. He spent five years with them, taking them to the highest amateur division. He then moved on to top amateur side Scheveningen. He stayed with them for just one season and won the national non-league championship.

Professional

His move into the professional ranks started when he took over Eridivisie club Roda JC, where he won the Dutch Cup, the club’s first trophy for thirty years. He then spent six years at RKC Waalwijk, saving them from relegation and winning awards such as the Dutch Football Writers Coach of the Year in 2001 and Dutch Players and Coaches Coach of the Year in 2002.

In the Summer of 2004 Jol was installed as assistant manager to Jacques Santini at Tottenham in the English Premier League. Santini lasted just thirteen games and in November Jol was made the manager. He improved their fortunes that season and was soon winning manager of the month awards and impressing the Tottenham fans with his attacking style of play. They ended that first season in ninth place, missing out on qualification for the UEFA Cup by just two points.

Nearly

The following season, 2005-06, saw Jol very nearly take Tottenham into the Champions League. They finished fifth after an infamous last day defeat at West Ham after a food poisoning outbreak amongst the squad. The next season saw another fifth placed finish and European qualification for the second season running.

Hopes were high for a top four finish in the 2007-08 season with the club spending £40 million on new players. However all was not well and there was a strong rumour that it was director of football Damian Comolli who was selecting the players rather than Jol. A poor start to the season saw Jol removed from his position in November.

Charge

The next season saw Jol take charge of Hamburg in the Bundesliga. He led them to fifth place, European qualification and the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and the German Cup. For the 2009-10 season Jol moved to take over Ajax back in his native country.

That season saw Ajax finish second by one point to FC Twente but win the Dutch Cup. It also saw a remarkable record whereby they scored one hundred and six goals and conceded just twenty.

Resigned

Jol resigned in the December of last season with his side in fourth place, five points behind the leaders.

As can be seen, without winning too many trophies, Jol has proved himself to be a more than useful manager. He likes his teams to play in the right way and he usually has a smile on his face. I for one, am very happy to see him back in the Premier League. I am sure that the Fulham fans will be too.