LONDON -- Going into Saturday’s game against Stoke, Fulham manager Martin Jol needed a big win to cast off the growing band of doubters after the Cottagers poor start to the season.
He didn’t get the convincing win he was hoping for, but it was a win that will breed confidence amongst his players before the upcoming international break.
“Unbelievable importance,” Jol said afterwards in the beautiful confides of Craven Cottage. “I can come up with all the stories and excuses and say that we’ve got a good spirit, that they’re behind each other and behind me. But if you don’t get the points, everyone is in a big depression. It gives you a relief, and gives you confidence again. I was happy because we got three points and that it what we needed.”
(MORE: Fulham 1-0 Stoke City - Bent’s late goal seals win for Cottagers)
The 1-0 victory saw Fulham under the cosh for most of the second half, as more pressure piled on Jol’s side as the homes fans became frustrated by a largely disjointed display. But in the 83rd minute Craven Cottage erupted as Darren Bent calmly slotted past Asmir Begovic to give Fulham a crucial 1-0 win. It was the West London sides first victory since the opening day of the season, and the relief on Jol’s face was clear for all to see.
The under-fire manager also revealed that game-winner Bent wouldn’t have come on if forward Dimitar Berbatov hadn’t been injured. So maybe after four late goals in a row thwarting Fulham in recent weeks, lady luck was finally smiling down on Jol’s side.
“I was very happy with Darren Bent to come on for Berbatov,” Jol laughed. “Because if Berbatov would have stayed fit I would have probably left him on the pitch. So I was very happy to have Bent on the bench, and he could have scored two.”
But despite picking up a valuable three points, this win will only bide Jol some time. It was Fulham’s fist league victory at home since April, and their first in six Premier League outings this term since their opening day success away at Sunderland. With new owner Shadid Khan eerily silent behind the scenes, and many fans launching abuse at Jol following his sides last-gasp defeat at home to Cardiff last week, the pressure is still on.
And Jol knows it.
“You need results, and you need to be without pressure,” Jol said. " Because any team under pressure will perform not as good as they’re capable of. We need to be better on the ball.”
However his side out-worked Stoke on Saturday, that doesn’t happen often, and dug in to get the result they desperately needed before the two week international break. Jol will breath a huge sigh of relief and the Dutchman hailed the importance of the victory, and the confidence it will give his players.
“We worked ever so hard, nobody could fault us for lack of application,” Jol said. “But we have to do better on the ball, we have to take control of the ball and dominate, especially teams like Stoke. But my boys showed they have an unbelievable mentality.”
Yet Stoke still troubled Fulham from set pieces, which is something Jol wants his side to work on.
“We were a bit lucky,” Jol said. “If you look at Stoke, Robert Huth had two clear header from set pieces and you work on that all week and it still happened. We have to do better, we conceded a lot of goals with set pieces. In hindsight everything is good, but not for me. We have to improve.”
(MORE: Mark Hughes fumes, as Stoke denied “two stonewall penalties” in Fulham loss)
Patjim Kasami was a constant thorn in Stoke’s side from the left wing position, running at Geoff Cameron all afternoon and providing plenty of promising moments for the Fulham faithful. And the 21-year-old winger played a big hand in the winning goal, with the Macedonian cutting in from the left and seeing his shot deflected into Bent’s path to score. Jol has been pleased with Kasami since his arrival in the summer.
“He is probably one of the fittest players in the league if you look at the stats,” Jol said. “I am very happy with him, but you can’t say it was an unbelievable pass for when we scored.”
Many fans and pundits were calling for Jol to be fired after Fulham lost 2-1 to Cardiff last week, coupled with giving up late goals to Newcastle and West Brom in recent weeks. But the former Tottenham Hotspur manager doesn’t feel any pressure.
This victory will make the next few weeks easier.
“Pressure is if you are vulnerable and if your life will change big-time, my life won’t change big-time,” Jol said. " I will be in this job for the next years, and I want to be here with my players, because most of the players are here because of me. So I want to help them to get better and be there where we should be.”