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Former England international Scott Parker named caretaker of relegation-threatened Fulham

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Fulham have named first-team coach Scott Parker as their caretaker manager following the dismissal of football favourite Claudio Ranieri.


The West London side 
lie 19th in the Premier League table and face a huge fight if they are to maintain their top-flight status, even after spending over £100m in the Summer transfer window.

 

Perhaps Slavisa Jokanovic should have been given more time to mold his own squad, or perhaps Fulham should have learned their lessons from their time in the Championship with regards to player transfers. Jokanovic threatened to leave the club on multiple occasions over rows regarding his control of player signings, of which he had none up until last year when he was allowed to sign Alexander Mitrovic on loan, which turned permanent during the summer for a fee nearly exceeding £25m. 

The problem was, although he may have had some degree of control over transfers last summer, Fulham's director of football Tony Khan, son of owner Shahid Khan, wasted over £100m on players that seemingly did not suit the managers' style of play and for that matter positions that were required.

Their scattergun approach did not work and they face another rebuild as they tred closer to the drop and return to Championship football.

So, who's the man likely to lead the charge backScott Parker.

If successful in his caretaker spell, Parker then has the task of rebuilding a squad capable of first and foremost, playing Championship football.

The former Fulham midfielder retired in 2017 and joined the under 18s coaching staff at Tottenham Hotspur. Upon Fulham's promotion to the Premier League, Parker joined Fulham as a first-team coach and nine months later, now takes the gaffer's seat. 

Could we see an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer style run that saves Fulham from financial disaster, or could the inexperienced coach take time to adapt and ultimately signal that Fulham are preparing for next season?

Former boss Claudio Ranieri, who also signed Parker during his stint as Chelsea boss, wished Parker well this morning, after saying goodbye to former players and staff at Motspur Park. The Italian said:" He (Parker) is a very good guy. He is very attentive. I wish him all the best."

Fulham favourite Barry Hayles also says Parker is a good appointment for Fulham: "He's a young, fresh manager with new ideas. First and foremost he's got to sort out the backline.

"The way that Scott Parker played, he had a bit of bite, and I think this Fulham team have been lacking that throughout the season.

"Darren Moore was at a similar situation at West Brom. He went down with them and made them a good solid outfit who can maybe bounce back [to the Premier League]. So why can't Fulham do that too?"

Parker will have to use his playing experience to try and get the best from a midfield that hasn't shown its true potential this season with the likes of Jean Michael Seri, Tom Cairney and Zambo Anguissa who have all previously shown to be good players. Perhaps they will see a resurgence with some fresh coaching impetus. 

Fulham face an incredibly tough test this Sunday as they face Parker's former club Chelsea in a West London derby.

 

Lead Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons via Football.ua




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