Fulham forward Bryan Ruiz thanked Martin Jol for bringing him to Fulham following news of his sacking last night.

The Dutchman was given the boot following a nightmare run of six-straight losses, with head coach Meulensteen placed in charge of first-team affairs.

But Ruiz remains indebted to Jol for giving him his chance in England and sticking by him through tough times.

He said: “I am very grateful to Martin because he was responsible for bringing me to Fulham, I learned a lot from him.

“He came to my defence. I always tried to do my best to back him.”

Sacked: Martin Jol was axed after two-and-a-half years in charge

Meulensteen has ordered the Cottagers to get back to basics in a bid to address their alarming run of results that has left them in the bottom three.

And Ruiz added: “It’s a change that we hope will help the team. We as players are going to give our best.”

Fulham face a London derby with Spurs on Wednesday before taking on Aston Villa at the weekend.