A defiant Martin Jol believes there are at least six or seven Premier League teams worse than his Fulham side this season.
It has been another tough week for the Cottagers, first of all having been eliminated from the League Cup by Championship side Leicester City in midweek. This was followed by another loss in the league, when Manchester United scored three quick-fire goals in the first half on their way to a comfortable 3-1 win in the capital.
This defeat was Fulham’s sixth of the season, and they are just two points above the relegation zone. Naturally, this has piled the pressure on Jol, with a fair number of fans now questioning if the Dutch coach is the right man for the job. However, the 57-year-old insists he feels no pressure, and that his side are too good to go down.
“I have no fear,” said the former Tottenham Hotspur boss. “In the past they used to say ‘have no fear, Martin is here’. Sometimes I worry if the supporters are at my back, but on the other hand it is better that they are on my back than the players’ backs. I get asked about pressure every week and any manager in the league will get this question.
“If you are in the bottom half of the table you have to win games. It is not as bad as people think. I know there are always six or seven clubs in trouble. I know we are a better team than at least six or seven other teams. We will pick up points and I think we will be fine in the end, but to play against Manchester United doesn’t help.”
Whilst United gave Fulham a torrid time, it doesn’t get much easier for the Londoners next weekend when they travel to Liverpool to face Luis Suarez and co. The Reds will be eager to get their season back on track following their 2-0 loss at Arsenal on Saturday, which saw them slip five points behind Arsene Wenger’s impressive Gunners.
