Jol: Meulensteen my decision

Martin Jol: Welcomes Rene Meulensteen to Fulham

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Fulham boss Martin Jol insists it was his decision to bring Rene Meulensteen to the club earlier this month.

Jol will be assisted by his Dutch compatriot, who is the club's new head coach, for the first time on Saturday when the Cottagers take on Swansea at Craven Cottage.

Meulensteen's arrival in London was seen increase the pressure on Jol, whose future has come under scrutiny after a run of four successive defeats, most recently a 4-0 thrashing by Liverpool before the international break.


But Jol revealed he was the mastermind behind the move, saying: "I'm really pleased he's here. I thought he was making a choice to go elsewhere - first to Germany and then Qatar.

"It was maybe by coincidence that I texted him again and he said that he'd come back to England.
"We needed something, more rhythm. We weren't playing with rhythm and we needed more energy.
"I thought we needed something and he's the right guy. But now we need the results. There's a new spirit and a good spirit."

Jol is keen to move on from their poor form before the two week break from Premier League action and although he expects a tough test from the Swans, he was keen to point out Fulham's comparative points haul since the Welsh club's return to the top division.
"The Liverpool defeat was two weeks ago. There's a new game coming up and we want to do better," he said.
"Swansea play in a very good way that is probably the way we'd like to play.
"Over the last couple of years Swansea have done extremely well, but over the same period we have more points than them. That's very positive and people don't notice it, but it's true. We're ready for this match."