‘We have a problem.’ Jol fires back at fans who want him out of Fulham after stalemate

By RIATH AL-SAMARRAI, CHIEF SPORTS FEATURE WRITER

Published: 17:32 EST, 15 September 2013 | Updated: 18:45 EST, 15 September 2013

Martin Jol has warned Fulham’s fans that ‘we will have a problem’ if chants for him to leave the club persist.

There was already an element of crowd pressure on the Dutchman after a return of three points from their first three games and it descended to an ugly new low after Fulham gave away a stoppage-time equaliser on Saturday.

A small but vocal group near the Craven Cottage tunnel pelted Jol with abuse as he left the pitch, chanting ‘Jol out’.

Pressure: A small group of fans were heard singing 'Jol out' at Craven Cottage

Here to stay: But new owner Shahid Khan insists there is no problem with the Dutchman

Sportsmail understands that Shahid Khan, their US-based owner, has no intentions at this stage of replacing his manager, though the sentiments clearly riled the Dutchman.

He said: ‘It’s hard to fight expectation levels and maybe a minority feels we should be in the top four.

‘I’m a very proud person and I’m used to playing in the top five or even higher. I came here to try to help the club and I would like to help them, make the fans happy. Hopefully I can do that and if not then we will have a problem.

‘I’m proud. When people start yelling at you, well, I would like people to be a bit more appreciative. I can’t tell them to come outside of the stadium after the game so I have to put up with it.

‘Sometimes you make mistakes in life. I remember last year there was a geezer there and I did something but luckily enough nobody saw it.’

The supporter aggression was somewhat bizarre in the context of Fulham’s performance.

Opener: Steve Sidwell (left) scored the first goal, but it wasn't enough for Fulham

They dominated large periods of the game and went ahead in the first half through Steve Sidwell before having three goals ruled out for offside. Gareth McAuley levelled in stoppage time with West Brom’s first goal of the season, triggering the angry scenes at the end of a game that extended Fulham’s winless run at home to six games.

Irrespective of the dubious complaints against Fulham’s form — Jol gave a somewhat conservative estimate that the dissenting group numbered ‘25 to 30’ — the former Tottenham manager is confident he can secure a top 10 finish.

He said: ‘We are 13th in the league and that’s maybe where I feel we could finish, maybe ninth or 10th.

‘But if you play in a European cup final (as Fulham did in the Europa League in 2010) then the expectation levels are too high. But that was three years ago.

‘At that end, there’s always five, 10 or 15 who shout at me. It looked a bit more, maybe 25 or 30, so it’s getting more and more.’

Keep calm: Steve Clarke has called for patience from West brom fans

Meanwhile, West Brom manager Steve Clarke called for patience after his side failed to climb out of the bottom three.

He said: ‘People talk about struggles but we’re four games into a season. Before the game Martin Jol made a comment that it’s almost a must-win.

‘I said to my players that it’s not and there was 105 points to play for. Come on, people need some realism about where we are and where we’re trying to get to.’

SUPER STAT

West Brom have not won a league match at Craven Cottage since October 1967.