Martin Jol is fast becoming one of the most respected managers in the Premier League but for some reason there are still Spurs fans, followers and supporters who are not convinced about his stewardship of the club. This particular point has vexed me and irritated me somewhat since the early months of this year when I became aware of a growing voice of unrest about Jol. Personally I am a huge fan of Martin Jol and believe he is doing a great job at the club but seeing these ideas and arguments about Jol limitations has led me to pose the question: Can Martin Jol take Tottenham to the next stage?

Martin Jol became the manager of Spurs in November 2004 after initially being appointed assistant to Jacques Santini in June 2004. In his first season in charge Jol steered the club to 9^th in the league after narrowly missing out on European qualification. He undid most of the damage done by Santini in his 13 games in charge and gave Michael Carrick his first real chance in a Spurs shirt. The following season Spurs didn’t once drop outside the top four and finished in the UEFA qualification places after missing out on Champions League qualification due to a final day defeat. This season was only marred by poor performance in the cup competitions. Last season, despite a real rollercoaster ride Martin Jol guided Spurs to a second consecutive fifth place finish and the quarter finals of the FA Cup and UEFA Cup and the semi finals of the Carling Cup. After almost three seasons in charge Jol has managed to help Spurs establish themselves as the “best of the rest”. His record is good as illustrated below:

The major plus points of Martin Jol’s time in charge include the progress made in a relatively short space of time. Considering the amount of signings Spurs have made the team has bedded down and gelled well. Before Jol took charge, under Hoddle and Santini, there can be no doubt about the fact that Spurs were in the doldrums. No progress was being made on the pitch, the football played wasn’t attractive and Spurs weren’t a team to be proud of anymore. Jol has taken the Spurs fans to his heart and seems to understand the ethos of the club. You only had to witness his rousing speech after the last game of the season against Manchester City to realise what this club means to him. Its more than a stepping stone and more than a pay cheque to him. This can only bode well for the future and progress of the club. The only dark spot on Jol’s record is the first half of the season just gone, where results weren’t great and it is to his full credit that despite the increased pressure on him, he guided Spurs out of this mini rut and into fifth place.

The second point as to why Martin Jol can take Spurs to the next stage (and by this I mean Champions League qualification and maybe higher) is that he has managed to forge a good relationship with both the board, the players and Damien Commolli. We are generally buying very good players who fit in with the club and team and are being financially prudent with it. This will allow a solid platform for progression.

Thirdly, Jol and the team seem to be learning and gaining experience rapidly. Lessons will have been learnt last season on so many fronts, in Europe the players will surely learn to be a bit more streetwise with regards referees and the opposition antics. By this I don’t mean that the players have to cheat or lower themselves to Sevilla standards but they will have the experience of a fairly lengthy European campaign behind them. Also, the team and squad will have had the experience of an almost 60 game season, a very different proposition to a 40 game season in 2005/2006. The management will have gained more ideas as to how to rotate the squad and how to get the best out of the team. This summer Jol and the management of the club will not have to go out and replace integral players who have left the club. All being well the only ins and outs at Spurs will be through Jol and Commolli’s choice and we wont have a repeat of the Carrick saga.

Next, and probably the biggest sticking point with the Jol doubters is his tactical nous and knowledge. There have admittedly been occasions such as the first leg of the Carling Cup final where Jol has made bad decisions. To Jol’s credit though he seems to have learnt from this and towards the latter half of last season he seemed to rectify these mistakes by reacting positively to the ebb and flow of the matches. Don’t forget also how he trumped Mourinho at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup and was tactically spot on in every game in Europe (despite being bereft of almost his entire defence). Only a shocking start and individual mistakes at home to Sevilla stopped us from progressing to the semi finals. I believe there is still some work to do in this department but with a bit more luck with injuries and another year’s experience behind him, Jol can address these issues.

Finally, on the positive front, it seems that Martin Jol and Spurs have helped create a special kind of atmosphere at the club. There is an optimism and feeling that the club is going places. The stadium is packed out, the team are performing, the fans are singing and this all helps to give us that extra little bit of momentum to carry us forward. Even “the Special One” himself has singled out Spurs as a rising force in English football, and this praise doesn’t come lightly.

In summary, all the signs are pointing towards progression and success and Martin Jol has a huge part to play in this. It seems in general the players, supporters and upper echelons of the club trust and back the big Dutchman and he seems to be fine tuning his squad and his tactical nous to help push Spurs onwards and upwards.

Come on you Spurs

View a Printer Friendly version of this Story.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon