There weren’t too many dissenting voices around Craven Cottage when Fulham appointed Martin Jol as manager in the summer, but a worst ever start to a Premiership season has nerves fraying a little.

Overview

These two West London clubs, separated by less than three miles of expensive real estate but historically lacking the meetings to build up a really fierce rivalry, share an otherwise unique set of circumstances that make Premiership football almost impossible to maintain sustainably. Fulham have been n the top flight for ten years now and it has cost chairman Mohammed Al Fayed £196m to do that, on top of all the television money they have received in that time.

When they first shot through the leagues, cruelly sweeping aside one of the worst QPR teams of all time en route in 2000/01, Al Fayed was making grand promises about being the “Man Utd of the south” and indeed upon arrival in the Premiership he spent massive money on the likes of Steed Malbranque, Steve Marlet and Edwin van der Sarr to make them competitive. But plans for a new super stadium on the current Craven Cottage site were repeatedly turned down (Al Fayed never has had much luck with applications to authorities in this country, be they planning or passport) and they actually ended up playing at Loftus Road for two years while a cheaper, quicker fix was put into place. Craven Cottage is an odd place now, not only because of the Michael Jackson statue behind the main stand.

The lack of conferencing, banqueting, hospitality and hotel facilities means that Craven Cottage, like Loftus Road, only earns money for the club on matchdays and a capacity that only just creeps past the 20,000 mark means it doesn’t make much of that – certainly not when compared to the majority of the rest of the Premiership. Everton stated again this week that they are unable to compete at this level because of their stadium, and Goodison Park is more than twice the size of both Craven Cottage and Loftus Road.

Even with the television money clubs like ours need subsidising to stay at this level. Al Fayed has happily done it to date but isn’t getting any younger, Tony Fernandes seems willing to do the same for Rangers at the moment but time will tell. This summer Fulham spent £12m on Bryan Ruiz, a striker who is relatively unproven at the highest level who was previously playing in the Dutch League which isn’t that much better than the pointless farce that they currently have in Scotland. That’s the going rate these days, and Ruiz looked completely shell shocked by English football in his debut against Blackburn last week.

The problem for clubs like Fulham and QPR is that even with extensive subsidy it only needs one thing to go wrong and the trapdoor will start to creak. Fulham were exceptionally fortunate to stay in this league in the 2006/07 season when they replaced long serving Chris Coleman with Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez. Now Sanchez had done the best job of any manager for two decades with his country but his decision to try and move those Northern Ireland players to Fulham with him en masse looked flawed from the start – even with Sanchez as manager Northern Ireland were never particularly good. Only a miraculous rescue job, that included previously unheard of back to back away wins at Man City and Portsmouth, by Roy Hodgson saved them from what seemed like certain relegation. Hodgson, of course, went on to do a superb job with the Cottagers and led them to a Europa League final.

When he left for Liverpool Fulham turned to Mark Hughes which worked out nicely, but then this summer he walked out in something of a farce. With Aston Villa in the market for a boss and fluttering their eyelashes at Hughes he chose to take advantage of a break clause in his Fulham contract and walk away. Villa then promptly went after David Moyes instead, and then Roberto Martinez, and although they got neither the pride of both Randy Lerner and Mark Hughes meant they couldn’t get back together. Hughes ended up with nothing, Villa ended up with worse than nothing, and Fulham went for Martin Jol.

The Dutchman’s persona, attitude and style of football would seem to make him a perfect fit for Fulham but they have started the season very badly – picking up excellent results in the Europa League which they qualified for through the fair play league necessitating a summer of trips to the Faroe Islands and elsewhere, but failing to win any of their first six Premiership matches. It’s their worst start to a top flight campaign since they returned ten years ago and even recent improved showings against Chelsea in the League Cup and Man City in the league, where they came from two down to draw, will count for little if it continues much longer.

Interview

Fulham fans are a bit like London buses – you ask for days for one to help you out and then two come along at once. Therefore, with thanks to Nick Bylung from The Hammy End and James Browne from Fulham Web, we have a long than usual interview section for our preview this week.

Tell us about Fulham's start to the season. Would it be fair to say it's been a slow start?

Nick - Of course we can’t say anything else than that most of us had far higher hopes for the start of the season so far. Especially when looking at the fixture list ahead of the season. We’ve played fairly well in most games and dominated the possession without creating enough to put the ball into the opponents net. The games against Newcastle, Villa and Blackburn were all there for the taking. In all fairness in hindsight we could, and maybe should have got three points against Man City and knocked out Chelsea in the cup too, but performance wise we have no complaints regarding the latter two games. Although it has looked really good from time to time, football is about scoring and that’s something we’re not doing enough of so far this season.

James - No wins in six and the only team in the PL yet to register a win, the post match "we deserved to win" quotes from Martin Jol will not wash for much longer. Fulham need a win and will be desperate to reinforce fortress Craven Cottage with derby success against QPR. Signs have been more encouraging of late as the new formation and style of play introduced by Jol is starting to bed in. The first win is not far away, and Fulham fans will be desperate to put one over QPR.

What impact, if any, positive or negative has a summer of European football had on the team?

James - When we won the Intertoto ("We won it one time") we flew out of the blocks in the PL, but early this season we have looked lethargic and disjointed. Jol played very strong teams even against no-hopers from the Faroe Islands and regular Thursday night games will have a negative impact on the league campaign. In saying that the Europa league campaign will give more playing time to some talented youngsters, and it’s great to be in Europe again as long as PL safety isn't compromised.

Nick - Not sure if the actual Europa games have had much impact per se, but the travels to places like Faroe Islands, Ukraine, Northern Ireland has taken its toll. In the space of seven days the team had to travel away to Wolverhampton, Ukraine and Newcastle, a series of games we got nothing from. I think we might have handled the qualifications for the Europa League better with a more settled squad and a manager that did just arrive to the club.

What on earth went on with Mark Hughes during the summer? What was the Fulham fans' opinion of him as a manager and has that changed because of the way he left?

Nick - Your guess is as good as mine; the Sparky-saga is one we probably never will unveil in full. Hughes said it was the clubs lack of ambition (i.e. funds for new players) that made him chose not to extend his contract, but as Martin Jol has had quite substantial fund to his disposal that seems strange. Most of us did like Hughes both when appointed and during the season, although he had a spell where many of us wanted him out. When we lost at home to West Ham on boxing day I thought he’d be fired before the turn of the year, but chairman Mo decided to show faith in him and he surely did well after that. After his odd departure from the club I think most people think less of him than before, still a decent manager but a very unreliable person sums it up I guess.

James - Not sure what happened with Hughes. Apparently he was nailed on for the Villa job but it didn't pan out for him. Opinions of Hughes were pretty mixed throughout the season, his Chelsea connections not helping to endear him to the fans. Personally I would have liked him to stay as our performances in the second half of last year were very good.

What do you make of Martin Jol's appointment? Is he the manager you wanted? What are your first impressions of him?

James - Martin Jol has a decent CV and has managed some big and successful clubs in Europe, so he was a perfect match for Fulham. He has a fairly difficult job as he inherited a small ageing squad (the oldest in the PL) and had a ridiculously early start. My first impressions of Jol were not good (but I'm renowned for knee jerk over reactions!) as some of the early season performances were pretty woeful and tactical decisions questionable - for example breaking up the successful Hangeland - Hughes central defensive partnership. The comeback against Man City proved that the players are playing for Jol and the Carling Cup performance v Chelsea persuaded me that Jol knows what he is doing. His transfer dealings look shrewd and players are slowly getting used to a new formation. Fulham will play some entertaining attacking football this year

Nick - He was, already before the appointment of Mark Hughes, the man I wanted. Most Fulham fans seems to share that sentiment but there are, as always, some that were disappointed too. As a person he’s quite likable, outspoken and want to play football the “right” way, not the Tony Pulis way. There have been rumors about him not getting along with some players, but to me it sounds like the normal lazy journalism that always follows a new appointment in football.

What are the aims and ambitions of Fulham this season and in the long term?

Nick - The target this season still has to be the top half of the table, a decent cup run and get through to the knock-out stages of the Europa League. However if we don’t start to score regularly soon we might have to revise those goals. ;) Long term I’d say we need to keep pushing every season to remain a top 10 side in the premiership but that might turn out to be very hard unless the Financial Fair play regulations are introduced in full very soon.

James - There is only one ambition every season and that is PL survival. We should have enough quality for another season of mid table obscurity, so hopefully we will get another decent run in the Europa League or FA Cup. The long term ambitions are to stay at the highest level for as long as possible without additional reliance on the chairman.

Mohammed Al Fayed has loaned £196m into Fulham to get them where they are today. Is this worrying? Do you worry about what lies beyond his reign?

James - Chairman Mo has clearly invested heavily in Fulham but has actually run the club very well. I'm not a financial expert, but for his investment he has many assets including Craven Cottage and a large training facility plus the value of the playing staff so his 'loans' to the club would mostly be recouped if he ever sold the club. However his son is involved in the club and I think the club will stay in the family at the end of his reign

Nick - I personally do, especially as there is a huge lack of transparency as to how the clubs finances are handled. Obviously Al Fayed is an old man and won’t be around forever one has to be concerned about our long-term future. One of his sons are already on the board of directors and has stated that he’d like to fill his father’s shoes in the future. On the other hand his daughter Camilla is not interested in the club at all and might want to sell the club or at least reclaim the loans. All this is obviously very speculative. One can’t worry too much as these things are not something us fans can do much about at this point of time. We’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed that Chairman Mo will be with us for many years to come.

Tell us a bit about Bryan Ruiz because his debut against Blackburn looked like a bit of a nightmare.

Nick - Oh, you saw that? Well, it really was one of the worst debuts I’ve seen in relation to the hype that surrounded his arrival. He obviously comes highly regarded from the Dutch league and one can assume that it is a player that Martin Jol has scouted for some time whilst with AJAX. Bryans displays versus Chelsea and WBA showed that the boy is talented and hopefully will deliver in the EPL as well. Guess we all know how some players need longer to adopt to the pace and physical side of the English game. I still have loads of faith in him and wouldn’t be too surprised to see him start versus you on Sunday, considering we have a game on Thursday where he’s tied. James - Ruiz had a shocker on his debut, but showed glimpses of brilliance against Chelsea in the Carling Cup. Despite an impressive goal scoring record in Holland, he is not an out and out striker, and will be used as a support striker or played wide as part of a three man attack. Ruiz has too much quality to struggle for long and he will provide Fulham with a genuine cutting edge. Get him in your fantasy team is my advice.

In the weird West London foodchain of fooball rivalry where do Fulham fans place QPR?

James - Just above Brentford is the honest answer Personally I think the rivalry with QPR is more real than rivalry with Chelsea, with both clubs claiming to be the secondary force in West London. The Fulham support is split on this issue mainly along age lines. Younger fans see Chelsea as the big one, whilst the older fans are looking forward to a 'proper' rivalry with QPR. The last games between Fulham and QPR definitely had an edge and Sunday will be no different.

Nick - In terms of squad size, talent and fan base I’d say the ranking is: Chelsea, Fulham, QPR and Brentford. When it comes to rivalry it’s a completely different matter though. Many older fans regards the games versus QPR and Brentford as the true derbies, some younger fans only rate Chelsea as a rival whilst I guess most of us see the games versus yourselves as the main game, then Chelsea. I know a lot of Brentford fans really “dislikes” us with a passion but they don’t stir up many feelings in our end these days.

Who is your star man, weak link, and unsung hero or up and coming youngster we maybe haven’t heard about before?

Nick - This is obviously down to personal views and preference, but my star man is Clint Dempsey. Clint always works hard, scores vital goals and is a true sportsman to look up to. Weak link is a harder question depending on what line-up we’ll field, having said that our weakest position so far this year has been at right back but with the arrival of Grygera from Juventus we seem to have found the man for the job. I don’t really feel we have an unsung hero at the moment, feels like most players are fairly recognized for their part in the team. One might consider some of the youngsters as “unsung”. The young ‘uns are the ones we can be most happy about at the moment as we, for the first time in years, have several young prospects in our ranks. The ones that might be included in the squad for Sunday are Briggs, Kasami, Gecov and Orlando Sa.

James - Star Man is Bobby Zamora. When BZ plays well so do Fulham. Has been struggling with a niggly injury so far this season but still our main source of goals Unsung Hero - Chris Baird. Already played right back, centre back and in midfield this season. Always does a job and his passing is underrated Weak link - Still a couple of question marks about the defensive midfield position. Jol has been choosing between Sidwell and Etuhu but neither have nailed down a starting berth Up and coming youngster(s) - Academy graduates Matt Briggs and Karim Frei. Briggs has already played left back for England U21s and is improving all the time. 17 year old Frei will be a big star in years to come, goes past players for fun and could well be the best player Fulham have produced for 50 years. Both will probably be on duty in Denmark on Thursday so may not see action against QPR. Kasami a 19 year old summer signing from Palermo is another one to watch

With thanks to Nick and James for taking time out to help LoftforWords out this week.

Manager

Following his time with Spurs he has managed in Germany with Hamburg and his homeland Holland with Ajax. At Hamburg, in the 2008/09 season, he reached the semi-finals of the Europa League and the German Cup but lost on both occasions to Werder Bremen. After only a year there he took over from Marco Van Basten in Amsterdam and his Ajax side was something of a tour de force in the Dutch league. They won their final 14 matches of the 2009/10 season, conceded just four goals at home in the entire campaign and scored 106 of their own. Their goal difference was a remarkable +86 by the end of the season, next best PSV were +43 by comparison. Despite all of this, and 85 points, they finished second to Steve McLaren’s FC Twente.

It’s this lack of a cutting edge right at the last that perhaps undermines Jol. He won the Dutch Cup with Ajax but that was the first trophy he’d won since lifting the same trophy 13 years previously when at Roda.

As both a player and a manager Jol has found himself travelling extensively around Europe. He played in this country in the 1980s for first West Brom and then Coventry and also spent time in Holland with Den Haag and Twente and Germany with Bayern Munich.

He almost became Fulham manager in the summer of 2010 but could not negotiate his release from Ajax so the Cottagers went with Mark Hughes instead. However Mohammed Al Fayed kept in touch with Jol and turned to him immediately after Hughes resigned this summer. Upon taking the job Jol said he was impressed with Al Fayed’s loyalty, and the family atmosphere at the club.

Scout Report

The first thing to point out about Fulham is the unusually high number of left footed players they have at their disposal. In the second half against Rovers I counted Bobby Zamora, Damien Duff, John Arne Riise and Moussa Dembele all kicking with their left feet and Bryan Ruiz did likewise in the first half on the rare occasions he could get near the ball.

The second thing is Martin Jol’s technique of playing his left footed players on the right and vice versa. Against Rovers Clint Dempsey, equally at home on his right or left foot, played wide on the left while the very much left footed Damien Duff played down the right. Duff was joined in the right channel more often than not by another left pegger Bobby Zamora and Fulham concentrated the vast majority of their attacking play down that side leaving the talented Dempsey and John Arne Riise combo underused on the opposite side. They persisted with the set up and the focus despite Duff having one of the worst games I can recall seeing from him.

This set up may suit QPR when they’re defending, but not when they have the ball themselves. Having started the season weak at full back Neil Warnock corrected this with the signings of Armand Traore and Luke Young. Thanks to Traore’s stupidity against Villa he is now unavailable for this game and Warnock will either have to recall Bradley Orr and switch Young to the left or choose Matthew Connolly from the start. Either way the last thing we need is a couple of talented wingers getting chalk on their boots all afternoon and Fulham’s tendency to have their wide men cutting in field all the time, to an area where Rangers will have two defensive central midfielders in front of two centre backs, will suit us just fine.

That said, when we have the ball it could present us with problems. Against Wolves, playing in a wide open and conventional 4-4-2 set up, the QPR midfield ran riot with Shaun Derry, Alejandro Faurlin and Joey Barton all outstanding. Against Villa, who packed the midfield from the start, that trio was much less effective and both Barton and Faurlin had their worst games of the season. The trick for QPR out of possession is to keep Fulham funnelling infield, but when they have the ball back people like Shaun Wright Phillips must be involved often and early in wide areas.

There has been some talk about Jay Bothroyd’s lack of goals so far this season but this may be an ideal afternoon for him to get off the mark, and I wonder if Neil Warnock is considering a start for DJ Campbell alongside or behind him. The reason being Jol has gone against all received wisdom about not fixing what isn’t broken and separated the long standing centre half partnership between Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangelaand. Hughes has now gone to right back with Phillippe Senderos in at centre back and I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of the former Arsenal man. That said, were the set up from the previous two seasons still in place I’d be picking out the man Hughes has replaced John Pantsil as a potential weak link so I can see Jol’s thinking. Seven goals conceded in six matches suggests it hasn’t quite started to settle down yet. Let’s look to get at the heart of their defence.

One thing that does worry me about this Sunday is their strikers against our defenders. Now on the face of it there is little to be concerned about – Ruiz may have cost £12m but the last player to come from the Dutch league for that sort of money was Alfonso Alves at Middlesbrough: “the worst Brazilian since David Blunkett tried to cut his wife’s pubic hair.” Ruiz looked both out of his depth and completely in shock during the Blackburn game and was removed at half time before undermining an improved performance in the League Cup at Chelsea with a penalty miss in the shoot out. QPR meanwhile have won two and drawn two of their last five league games and conceded only three goals in the process.

However the injury to Danny Gabbidon, the suspension for Traore and the omnipresent danger of Fitz Hall pathetically limping out early means Neil Warnock is currently unable to field a settled, first choice back four. And when you look back through the attacks we’ve faced it’s clear that the likes of Ruiz, Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora will be out biggest test since Bolton when we conceded four. Villa were without Darren Bent and Emile Heskey and had Gabby Agbonlahor very much isolated up front, Kevin Doyle was partnered by left back Stephen Ward at Molineux with Steven Fletcher injured, Newcastle had Championship pair Leon Best and Shola Ameobi paired together with predictably lacklustre results, Wigan had Lord Deflects-a-lot Franco Di Santo playing alone and Everton played without a striker at all for a lot of our game there and with Jermaine Beckford for the rest of it.

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Photo: Action Images

MrSheen added 21:34 - Sep 29 On the local rivalry thing, pity poor Brentford. The fact that they took about 50% of their home attendance to LR a few years back to renew a hatred dormant since the 1960s, when we couldn't give a monkey's, shows how neglected they feel. They've lost touch with Fulham, Watford and Reading too in recent years. Wycombe and Orient will have to do.
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