Martin Jol Confirmed As Fulham Manager

Fulham have today confirmed that Martin Jol has decided to take over from Mark Hughes who resigned from Craven Cottage last week,  The former Tottenham and Ajax boss joins Fulham on an initial two-year contract, with the option to extend it for a further year.

The Dutchman was keen to take the job he was offered last summer after Roy Hodgson’s departure, but Jol decided to stay on at Ajax, but Fulham has finally got their man.

Martin Jol said: "I am very happy to join Fulham. It is a club with good, solid foundations and a great fan base.
"I am looking forward to being part of the Fulham family and thank the chairman for the trust shown in me."

Skrtel Insists Liverpool Will Challenge For Trophies Next Season

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel is confident that Liverpool will be ready to challenge for trophies next season, the Reds have endured a difficult year after new owners were brought in and after Roy Hodgson was sacked, Kenny Dalglish was installed as his replacement at the turn of the New Year.



Once Kenny Dalglish became manager things started to turn around for Liverpool, putting on a run of consecutive win pushing them further up the table and with the additions of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez  things appeared to be on the up at Anfield.

Yet back-to-back losses to round off the campaign saw Liverpool miss out on the chance to play European football next season.

Yet the summer looks likely to transfer action at Anfield, and Skrtel the defender believes the club will still be in contention next season regardless of who arrives despite still smarting over missing out on a Europa League spot.

"I would love to say I am satisfied but I am not," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"Our goal was simple and everyone knew it - Europa League. We didn't make it this time so I can only say that we will do our best next time.

"I have quite mixed feelings about this season. The beginning of the season was not good but this changed with the arrival of Kenny Dalglish.

"This was a turning point for our season and we really improved under his guidance. This gives me a lot of hope ahead of the new season."

Fernando Torres Calls For Support

Fernando Torres has hit out at claims that he is about to quit Liverpool in the wake of a sacking of another Liverpool manager.  The Spaniard has called for the fans to get behind the team and all pull together.

Roy Hodgson was sacked yesterday after a dismal run in the league. KOP Legend Kenny Dalglish has been put in temporary charge and it was thought that senior players like Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina might look to initiate a move away from Anfield.  It would perhaps only take one player to start this particular stack of dominoes falling.

Yet Torres has made an early intervention to dispel any rumours. Both he and Reina have been linked with a transfer to Manchester United.  However, Torres has categorically rejected any talk of leaving and said, "More than ever, we need to stick together. We must live in the present, from match to match."

In a statement to the press which must have come as a relief to the management of Liverpool, he added: "We need to add more points, win matches and improve our standing in the table. That is our challenge and I demand the total help of our supporters in doing that."

Whether he instigated this public call for support himself or was asked by Dalglish remains unknown.  However, the Spanish player has effectively quashed rumours of his departure from the team.  "My head is in Liverpool and on helping save our season. I am professional and I always fulfil my deals." he said today.

Torres went on to add; "I haven't considered leaving, although in football that depends on the club. Liverpool had a lot of success under Rafa Benitez and that is difficult for anyone to follow. Even if the ball hasn't always dropped our way this season, we have missed out in a lot of matches."

Liverpool remains a team in crisis. However, unless Torres does a Rooney this statement will go a long way to relieving management, players' and fans' fears.

Liverpool Sack Roy Hodgson

Liverpool Manager Roy Hodgson has left his post at Liverpool with Kenny Dalglish taking over until the end of the season.  His sacking comes at the same time that Liverpool travel to Old Trafford to play Manchester United in a FA Cup tie. Senior players in the team already thought Roy wouldn't be in charge.

Hodgson joined England's most successful club from Fulham in July last year and had been under intense pressure from fans in recent weeks after defeats to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers

Hodgson knew his reign as Liverpool boss was over and that he was on borrowed time at Anfield. He cancelled a media conference yesterday and refused to speak about his future when questioned on an in-house TV station.

An inside source said, "In fact, making him lead the team out at Old Trafford would be humilating.

"Everyone thinks Roy spent yesterday negoiating his pay-off terms".

Carragher defends Roy Hodgson

Jamie Carragher defends his boss

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has thrown his full support behind under-fire boss Roy Hodgson, the Reds have made a dissapointing start to the season with the team slipping down to it's lowest ever position in the league table. Currently sitting second from bottom.

But Carragher has said he has full confidence in his boss and recalls Liverpool not winning a game in twelve matches under former manager Gerard Houllier. 


"It is very early days in the season and there is a lot of time to go," he said.
"It hasn't always been rosy playing for Liverpool. Last season wasn't great and I remember going 12 games without a win under Gerard Houllier, so it has not always been plain sailing.

Jamie Carragher added, "It is a little rocky patch we are going through at the moment but as long as the players, manager and supporters all stick together it won't be a problem.

"The spirit in the dressing room is fine but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work out if you win games it is a lot better.

"The manager is the boss and we should be trying to impress him, not the other way around."

Hodgson wary Torres interests United

Roy Hodgson has today said that Liverpool could be vulnerable to bid from Manchester United when the transfer window opens in January, after revelations from Old Trafford the last few days that striker Wayne Rooney wants to leave United. Alex Ferguson could very well come knocking on Hodgson's door for Fernando Torres. The out of form striker has looked delusional for Liverpool this season, likewise with United's Wayne Rooney.

Roy Hodgson said, "When a great player like Wayne Rooney is looking to leave his club, Manchester United will be in a position to target a lot of players around the world,"

He also added. "I don't think Fernando Torres will be the only striker they target, and I don't think that we will be the only club that will be worried their striker can be targeted.

"I am not naive to believe there won't be any danger and we will never lose a player like Torres, I understand these things can happen. I don't believe we will lose him, we will do our best to ensure he stays, and I only hope I can do everything in my power to help him return to the very top level we know he has. I certainly hope he will get back very quickly, we want to get him back to form and back to the level we know he can achieve as quickly as possible."

Also Roy Hodgson says he was caught unaware that managing director Christian Purslow was resigning from his position a week after securing the sale of the club. The manager added, "Christian Purslow leaving doesn't impact on my position as far as I know, but that is not a question for me to answer," Hodgson said.

"I came to work for Liverpool Football Club not an individual. I had no idea before today that Christian was going to leave the club. I believe I have the backing of the club, and I want to continue with the rebuilding job that we have here. We knew it was a big job, and as far as I am concerned nothing has changed."

Hodgson fears survival battle

Roy Hodgson has admitted that Liverpool could be a relegation dogfight come the end of the season, the under fire boss the Reds could find themselves at the wrong end of the league table following the weekends dismal 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Premiership new boys Blackpool. Hodgson has said that Liverpool's start to the campaign is unacceptable and suggest they could find themselves struggling if performances don't improve.

The Liverpool boss said, "Things are looking really, really bleak. It has been said that if you are in the bottom three, you are in a relegation fight, and I would have to go along with that," admitted Hodgson.

"But I'm not thinking too much about relegation with 31 games left. My concerns are that we are not playing to our full potential, or are only doing it in periods. In the first half we were punished for a lacklustre display.

"We had the ball as much as they did but didn't do anywhere near enough with it to satisfy my demands, the club's demands or the players' demands on themselves."

He also added, He said: "The fans are entitled to voice their frustrations, they are a frustrated group at the moment.

"I am the one responsible because I am the team manager. When the team does badly then the criticism is going to fall my way and I have to accept it."

FOOTBALL: Mark Hughes up beat on Fulham's future

Mark Hughes was today officially unveiled as the new Fulham manager, Mark is taking over after Roy Hodgson had jumped ship to Liverpool. Hodgson was offered anything he wanted by Fulham chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed in a bid to keep his then manager. But Roy decided to take the Liverpool offer and now the Cottagers new manager has said he will take Fulham further than Roy did. Hodgson managed to guide Fulham to Europa League final last year and finishing 12th in the Premiership.

Mark Hughes added, “We want to make Fulham a top 10 club on a regular basis and we want to build on what happened last season rather than it becoming just a stand-out season,” he said. “We don't have the distraction of European football and can concentrate our minds. With the quality I have already seen then I can say we can finish better than 12th.

“The job Roy has done was magnificent. He maximised the results with the group he had. I don't think it is a situation where my abilities won't enable them to do disimilar things to what Roy did. The way I work will be benefitted by the system that is already in place.”

FOOTBALL: Torres returns as Chinese tycoon bids for Liverpool

Spanish striker Fernando Torres was back training at Liverpool's Melwood training ground today after returning home from a holiday having played in the World Cup final, much speculation about Torres future was gaining momentum. But while Torres was away, Roy Hodgson was confident the Spanish striker would remain at Liverpool and today Torres was back training with other World Cup stars Dirk Kuyt and Spanish team-mate Pepe Reina.

Also Chinese tycoon Kenny Huang, a former Wall Street Broker made a bid to take control of Anfield should American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks be willing to sell up. Most of, if not all fans are turned againist the owners after failed promises of money to bring players in. Liverpool struggled to maintain challenge for honours last season, only qualifying Europa League football. Liverpool finished in their lowest position of recent seasons and a change of owners could play a part in keeping Liverpool's star players and pushing on for sliverware.

FOOTBALL: Martin Jol tells Ajax he wants to join Fulham

Martin Jol has told Ajax told today that he would like to take up the vacant managers job at Fulham, the Cottagers are currently managerless after Roy Hodgson took up the vacancy post at Liverpool earlier this month.

FOOTBALL: Steven Gerrard commits to Liverpool

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has committed his future to Liverpool after being impressed with manager Roy Hodgson's plans. After completing the signing of Joe Cole on a free yesterday, Steven Gerrard has been impressed with Hodgson intent as Liverpool manager.

Steve Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo, "I made it clear that I simply needed to concentrate on the World Cup and then have a decent holiday with my family,"

"I wanted the chance to meet Roy Hodgson privately and having done so, I'm very impressed with his plans for the future.

I've only returned to training today at Melwood with some of the other World Cup players, but I can't wait for the new season to start."

FOOTBALL: Joe Cole signs for Liverpool

As we reported here on UK Soccer earlier, Joe Cole has now officially signed for Liverpool, Roy Hodgson has got his man. Beating of competition from Tottenham and Arsenal, Joe Cole has opted to join the mersey-siders signing a £90,000 a week contract and Cole will fly out to Switzerland to join up with his new team-mates.

The arrival of Joe Cole with signal Hodgson intent as Liverpool manager and this transfer could help persuade Fernando Torres and club captain Steven Gerrard to remain at Anfield. Both players have stated that would like to see Liverpool sign Champions League standard players before deciding on their future and Joe Cole is certainly that.