Jol Out?

Jol has certainly done well in the last couple of seasons; consecutive 5th place finishes and qualification for Europe is certainly an achievement and has brought the club closer to where we want to be. However we should consider that the club has spent a lot of money and brought in a lot of talent so it should not have been beyond a lot of managers to achieve what Jol has achieved.

The board's issue with Jol is that, while he has done well to bring Spurs to where we are now, they are not sure whether he has what it takes to break the club into the top 4. Indeed you only need to look at Jol's record against the top 4 sides, and see that he has won once against them since becoming manager. This does not give the board confidence that Jol is capable of taking the club to the next level.

He does though deserve a chance. When the first reports came out, I was appalled by the behaviour of the board and, like most Spurs fans, would have been pretty disgusted if Jol was sacked. He has done more than any other Spurs manager in the Premiership and should be given the chance to continue improving the club's standing.

However. After the utterly abhorrent tactical blunder made by Jol on Saturday against Fulham, I have now suddenly sympathised with the board. With Robbie Keane on the pitch, Spurs were totally dominating the game and even though they should have been more than 2 goals ahead, Keane was controlling the play and Fulham did not have the ball. The best form of defence is attack and if you are attacking, the opposition does not have the ball and they cannot score. Once Keane came off for the utterly useless Defoe, Spurs had only one more shot for the rest of the game; Fulham were allowed posession and you know what happened next.

It is not the first time Jol has made this mistake, let's hope it is the last, but that is where one is able to see where the board is coming from. These kind of blunders cannot be made if Spurs want to crack the top 4. Forget about keeping all your strikers happy, if Bent and Defoe spend most of their time on the bench, then so be it. Put your best team on the field and if some people are unhappy about being on the bench then so be it. Bent knew the stikers this club already had when he signed up; this game is not about keeping players happy, it's about keeping the fans happy by getting points.

Having said that, it would be a mistake to sack Jol now; all the players and most of the fans are behind him, and there will only be a negative atmosphere at the club if he is sacked in the near future. He should be given his chance but if, as the season progresses, it is looking increasingly like Jol will not be taking the club any further this season than he already has, then it is time for him to go. Next Saturday against the Arse is where he needs to prove he can challenge the top 4 sides.

A top 4 finish or at least a Cup trophy this season is a must!