Jol’s Fulham future in fresh doubt with arrival of coach Meulensteen
THE long-term future of Fulham manager Martin Jol was plunged into fresh doubt yesterday as a seemingly ready-made replacement in Dutch compatriot Rene Meulensteen was installed as head coach.
Fulham are languishing in the Premier League relegation zone having lost seven of their first 11 matches and Jol is odds-on with bookmakers to be the next top-flight boss to lose his job.
Meulensteen worked as part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s backroom team at Manchester United for six years, but opted to leave the club in the summer. He moved to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala, but worked for just 16 days as successor to former Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink before being sacked as part of wholesale cost-cutting measures by the chairman.
The 49-year-old has vowed to support Jol in making their shared “vision of how football should be played” come to life.
Meanwhile, chief executive Alistair Mackintosh said: “We’re delighted to bring one of the best coaches in the world to Fulham.”