Biography
Who is Martin Jol?
Playing career and early years
Martin Jol was born in The Hague, Netherlands. He began his professional career with the local side ADO Den Haag in 1973. In 1975, the team won the Dutch Cup after defeating Twente. Jol moved to Germany for the 1978–79 season to play for Bayern Munich. He then returned to the Netherlands to play for Twente in 1979. During his time at Twente, he earned his first cap for the Netherlands national football team in October 1980.
In 1981, he moved to England to join West Bromwich Albion. He played in the semi-finals of both domestic cup competitions during the 1981–82 season. He later signed for Coventry City in 1984. By 1985, he returned to ADO Den Haag, where he won the Dutch Footballer of the Year award in the Eerste Divisie. Over his international career, he earned ten schoolboy caps, 20 'B' caps, 12 Under-21 caps, 12 Under-23 caps, and three appearances for the senior Netherlands national team.
Managerial start in the Netherlands
His coaching career began in 1991 at the amateur side ADO Den Haag. He moved to the local club Scheveningen for one season, winning the national non-league championship. He then managed the professional Eredivisie side Roda JC for two years. While there, he won the Dutch Cup in 1997, which was the club's first trophy in 30 years.
From 1998 to 2004, he managed RKC Waalwijk. He took over a team at the bottom of the table with only three points. He successfully saved them from relegation and later competed for European football spots. During this tenure, he received the Dutch Football Writers Coach of the Year award in 2001 and the Dutch Players and Coaches Coach of the Year in 2002.
Time with Tottenham Hotspur
He joined Tottenham Hotspur as an assistant manager under Jacques Santini in 2004. After Santini resigned, he was confirmed as the manager on 8 November 2004. In his first season, he improved the team's league standing and won the FA Manager of the Month award in December 2004. He led Tottenham to a ninth-place finish that year.
The following season, the team finished fifth in the Premier League, securing qualification for the UEFA Cup. This was their highest league finish since 1990. In the 2006–07 season, he became the first Tottenham manager since Keith Burkinshaw to qualify for European football in consecutive seasons. However, after a difficult start to the 2007–08 season and reports of the board meeting with other managers, he was sacked on 25 October 2007.
Coaching in Germany and at Ajax
He began coaching the German Bundesliga club Hamburger SV for the 2008–09 season. He led the team to a fifth-place finish, which qualified them for the Europa League. They also reached the semi-finals of both the UEFA Cup and the German League Cup that year.
On 26 May 2009, he was announced as the new head coach of Ajax. He signed a three-year contract. During the 2009–10 season, his team finished with 85 points and scored 106 league goals. They won the Dutch Cup, providing him with a trophy in his first season back in the Netherlands. He eventually left the club.
Birthday and age
Martin Jol was born on January 16, 1956, which makes Martin 70 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Martin shares the date with 52 other famous people.
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