I simply can't comprehend why there is serious talk about replacing Martin Jol as manager.  Over his last 15 premiership games the team has secured 29pts.  That's CL calibre.  This talk of axing him because of an unfortunate loss [good enough for draw performance] at a tricky Sunderland away fixture followed by an admittedly bad loss to Everton at home is absurd.  There is no point in talking about injuries. Let's put them aside.  Let's talk about results over the last 2 seasons.

Anyone who thinks that our 5th place finish the last two years was under achieving is crazy.  We're a good squad of very young and unproven players.  We've improved every year Jol's been in charge and we've had our best results in decades.  All the while, we are scoring goals and playing good football.  People who aren't satisfied with the team’s performance need to get back to reality.

Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Andy Reid, Malbranque, Tainio, Ghaly, Huddlestone, Edgar Davids, Reto Zeigler, Murphy, Carrick [not with us last year], Sean Davis, Pedro Mendes have been our midfielders over the previous two years.  Read that list again.  Aside from Lennon [and only on his day] and Carrick there isn't one guy among them who would walk into Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea or Man U's side.  Not even close.  Aside from Jenas and possibly Zokora, the others don't even make the bench.  Where do people get off thinking that its top 4 quality?  And Lennon is 18yrs old and has been injured consistently for the last 12 months.

Wanna keep playing?  Staltleri, Pamarot, Edmunds, Lee Young Pyo, Rocha, Davenport, Gardner, Benoit Assou Ekketo, Tim Atouba, King, Dawson, Naybet, Chimbonda.  Okay, King, Dawson, Chimbonda are CL quality.  Unfortunately when you are forced to play them in 60 games, it makes them less effective.  King has missed more time than he's been available the last 2 seasons.  The rest are a joke.  None of them would come close to a top 4 side.  Not ONE!!!  I'd say that a few aren't even premiership quality [Davenport, Rocha, Gardner, Stalteri in particular].  Notice 3 of those 4 were called upon to start this year already and we're expecting positive results from that!!!   Tell me I'm wrong?  Tell me who averages 2pts a game with Rocha, Davenport, Gardner consistently in their back 4? 

The only place that Spurs truly had top 4 class last year was up front but that was only last year.  The year before last Mido, Defoe and Keane were good but not anywhere near Top 4.  Berbatov is probably the only player we have that would be on every team sheet in the Top 4 without argument.  Keane and Defoe would be at least 3rd choice which is quite good.  Mido?  Let's see who came in for him, Sunderland, Birmingham, Middlesborough or Man City?  Notice where those teams finished last year, not top half of the EPL folks!!!

I'm an optimist.  I like our team.  I believe we will break into the top 4 eventually.  We have the right plan in place but we need to stay with the plan.  Martin Jol is part of that.  We have a good number of players this year to mount a challenge for a Top 4 place.  By no means is our team so good that it should be expected that we finish top 4.  Guys like Bale, Taarabt, Boateng, Kaboul while costing us over 20m pounds are investments in the future of the squad.  While Taarabt and Kaboul appear to be ready to play significant roles in this season, Bale could end up having as much of an impact as Walcott did for Arsenal.   Boateng may need time to settle.  We won't know if that money spent is worth it based on this years results.  Spending that money on them and having the papers turn around and say "they've spent 40mm pounds, they need to break into the top 4 this year is absurd."   Bent is the only proven player we acquired.

Let's just say, if the board told Jol he must finish top 4 and win trophies THIS YEAR than Commoli has not gotten the message and done a poor job of bringing players in.  I don't blame Jol for being upset.  Commolli should have gone in for Heinze instead of Bale, Viduka instead of Bent, Parker instead of Boateng, Baines instead of Taarabt.  Woodgate instead of Kaboul.  However, take out the caps and replace it with, consistency year after year.  Commolli has done a great job.  The problem here is unreasonable expectations to "buy for the future" and expect it to be delivered in the present which is what the board is saying if they replace Jol.

Our best XI, if healthy, should allow us to be competitive for a top 4 place but not a favourite for it.  Up front, we have enough.  At the back, we have a huge question mark at LB [with injuries we will have a glaring weakness at CD for the first quarter of the season].  In midfield, we have a ton of young and unproven players that aren't in the same league as who we are competing against at this point in their careers, they need time and support.  This means supporting their manager as well.  Given this reality, Jol should be given full backing, not back stabbing.

In the end, I can't see who they can hire that would get better results than what is being delivered by Martin Jol.  If the bar is set at 6pts from every three games than we'll get a great deal of different managers over the next few years which will make it that much more challenging for the club to reach its goals.  To the board, get the stadium problem sorted.  To Commolli, get a left footed play making midfielder that is champion league quality.   To the fans, get real, the manager isn't the problem.

In Jol We Trust