Critical decision required now

[FulhamStu]

Do we allow things to continue as is, are we ok to hope for a play off place ?

We have assembled a playing squad as good as any in this division and have a popular manager who seems to be respected by his players.  We are in a play off position but suffering from a lot of injuries, especially to our more defensive midfield players.

This is the issue for me: Parker has now had time and space to have created the style and tactics that we can all see.  His teams are consistent in their play, having high possession and creating chances all be it maybe not enough high quality ones.  The issue is the same as we have had under previous coaches however and that is our weakness in preventing high quality chances and conceding too many goals.   We play across our back 4 more than in any other part of the pitch and allow a high press and or the opposition to get players behind the ball.

If you are clearly stronger in attacking positions than defence, why keep the bull in the defensive third for such a large part of the game ?   High quality chances are created with quick attacks, catching the defence short in numbers and getting players forward quickly.  Our set up is static, with 3 up front, we are predictable and make it easy to defend against.

Other than Mitro who has to start, we have 6 very good attacking players but should only play Max 3 from Cairney, Reid, Knock, Cav, AK and possibly Kebano.  We also need a solid base in front of the back 4 missing Reed and Arter has hurt us as one of these 2 has to play but if both injured surely KMac is the next in line ?  Johansen and Onomah are our natural no 8,s but with Cairney as one of the 3 in midfield we are just not defensively strong enough.

Does Parker know his best 11 ? I would suggest not.  How do we make ourself defensively strong enough with Cairney as one of the 3 in midfield and 3 in front of him ?   We concede goals when our opponents break past our midfield and create spare players in our penalty area because we lack cover from midfield.  Add to that a less than strong enough back 4 and you can easily see the problem.

Can Parker overcome all of the above ?  Frankly he has created the problem with his tactics and I don't see it changing.  So do we we stick of change ?

This decision has to be made now unless as I said at the start we are ok with a challenge via the play offs and that ladies and gentlemen is in no way guaranteed.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Our squad is not as good as any in the Division, far from it. We are where we are because we are not top two. We cannot defend because we have not enough good defenders. There are many short comings and changing the manager yet again will not solve the problem, in fact it willl compound the problem.

[SuffolkWhite]

Honestly think it is the Play Off's now whichever Manager you have in place, thing is if your going to give a rookie Manager a chance you sit with him throughout the season unless you drop in to mid table with no chance of getting in to Play Off's. Having said that looking ahead I am concerned for SP as the games coming up are tough and the way we are playing and conceding I struggle to see where the points will come from.

I hope to be surprised by the next few performances and turn our form around but the last four wins were not by a team on fire but more grinding out games, and I know that is needed but other than the Millwall game and to a lesser extent the Derby game we aren't clicking!

[Facts Not Fiction]

Our squad is not as good as any in the Division, far from it. We are where we are because we are not top two. We cannot defend because we have not enough good defenders. There are many short comings and changing the manager yet again will not solve the problem, in fact it willl compound the problem.

Christie, Odoi, Mawson, Ream, Le Marchand, Bryan, Sessegnon should be enough at this level.

[davew]

Our squad is not as good as any in the Division, far from it. We are where we are because we are not top two. We cannot defend because we have not enough good defenders. There are many short comings and changing the manager yet again will not solve the problem, in fact it willl compound the problem.

Christie, Odoi, Mawson, Ream, Le Marchand, Bryan, Sessegnon should be enough at this level.

Should be but they have proved that they are not!!

[colinwhite]

Injuries are costing us dearly . With a full squad it would have looked different. We found the right balance against Derby ,and if we can get back to that side ......    Sacking parker could give us a new manager bounce but could also seriously set us back.The next three games are crucial. Agrre with the points about Cairney but not about playing out from the back. Again against derby with that mix of players we were much more direct.Knockhart and cavalero at the same time makes us predictable with 2 wide players who stop or slow down the play,and dont get in behind.Kamara  can do this as a wide player and give us better balance if we have Booby reed at 10.
Ironically enough the strengths of Mitro and cairney make our team,but their weeknesses (inabillity to defend and get inbehind due to lack of pace respectively) are two factors that seriously weaken us ,and make us a bit of a one trick pony.

[Robbie]

We are third !

[Facts Not Fiction]

Our squad is not as good as any in the Division, far from it. We are where we are because we are not top two. We cannot defend because we have not enough good defenders. There are many short comings and changing the manager yet again will not solve the problem, in fact it willl compound the problem.

Christie, Odoi, Mawson, Ream, Le Marchand, Bryan, Sessegnon should be enough at this level.

Should be but they have proved that they are not!!

If they all aren't, is it the system they are being deployed in?

[Facts Not Fiction]

We are third !

For now

[Ordar]

We will not get promoted, be it auto or playoffs, if we continue with the current tactics we employ.

They are proven not to work against any of the better sides in the division. (Which is also why the same tactics didn't work in the premier league).

The main different between the promotion side and this shambles, is Joka focused the team around the quick fullbacks overlapping and creating chances. Fredricks and Malone created so many chances that season. Parker focuses on passing the ball between Mawson and Ream.

[davew]

We will not get promoted, be it auto or playoffs, if we continue with the current tactics we employ.

They are proven not to work against any of the better sides in the division. (Which is also why the same tactics didn't work in the premier league).

The main different between the promotion side and this shambles, is Joka focused the team around the quick fullbacks overlapping and creating chances. Fredricks and Malone created so many chances that season. Parker focuses on passing the ball between Mawson and Ream.

They haven´t excatly been working against the worst teams in the division e.g. Barnsley, Stoke and Hull.

[Luka]

It looks like we are not going to get promoted but we are not going to get relegated either.
The football Parker is peddling is slow, dull and frustrating to watch so why not then spice things up with a change of manager.
Also,with his shambolic game management and turgid tactics Parker is in danger of loosing the dressing room anyway, so now seems as good a time for change as any. 

[FFC1987]

If we can entice Rafa to come, pay him what he wants and give him two seasons. Get rid of Parker for someone of his ilk. Sadly, don't see that happening.

[Buffalo76]

We are third !

We should be top 🤨

[FFC1987]

We are third !

We should be top 🤨

Its not about being top or not, its about performances and league position with context of points away from top 2. We should not be 10 points away and counting before xmas. That's unacceptable.

[Artful Dodger]

Our squad is not as good as any in the Division, far from it. We are where we are because we are not top two. We cannot defend because we have not enough good defenders. There are many short comings and changing the manager yet again will not solve the problem, in fact it willl compound the problem.

Christie, Odoi, Mawson, Ream, Le Marchand, Bryan, Sessegnon should be enough at this level.

Should be but they have proved that they are not!!

They are good enough at this level but the tactics we play expose them even more - we don't need to go all 1980s long ball but being more solid in midfield will help rather than having 5 attacking players on the pitch.

[KJS]

In response to the war and peace Post at the beginning: Sctt can only play the players available for each game and at the moment we are at least 5 first team players short due to injury so no change needed just more luck with injuries 🍀👍

[General]

Can we put a perspective to this - we have been riddled with injuries recently. Reid, Reed, Arter, Cairney... that's four players who'd compete for starting place and who were playing well for us. Instead in our last game we had Onomah and Kamara filling in for at best Cairney and Arter. There's a huge gulf in proven quality just there.

[toshes mate]

To be honest, it is the regular critical decisions that are proving too hard for Parker and Wells, who, between them, seem unable to see common football sense.  Perhaps it has come to that point that supporters need to learn a hazard of expectations being so high is that they'll never match reality.  The Fulham team is not a whole item yet and the reasons behind that are deeply rooted in the Khan ways of doing things.  Parker should be feeling a pointed object digging in his back if only to get a response out of him that is not the awful mediocrity on the pitch we have seen for quite a while.   Just too many of that team last night and at the weekend didn't bother showing up and I guess I'd include SP and MW in that too.  They really need to earn their pay by burning midnight oil until they get it sorted.   

[Luka]

To be honest, it is the regular critical decisions that are proving too hard for Parker and Wells, who, between them, seem unable to see common football sense.  Perhaps it has come to that point that supporters need to learn a hazard of expectations being so high is that they'll never match reality.  The Fulham team is not a whole item yet and the reasons behind that are deeply rooted in the Khan ways of doing things.  Parker should be feeling a pointed object digging in his back if only to get a response out of him that is not the awful mediocrity on the pitch we have seen for quite a while.   Just too many of that team last night and at the weekend didn't bother showing up and I guess I'd include SP and MW in that too.  They really need to earn their pay by burning midnight oil until they get it sorted.   

Generally players dont "turn up" for one manager but do for another because of tactics, team selection and game management.
Maybe they dont want to turn up for Parker.
The question is why not ? and whats the solution ?