Neil Harris Comments

[RoyTund]

"Yes, there is a bit of pressure on us, but there is huge pressure on Fulham playing against us – a team that should be in the Premier League, given the money they have spent and are now spending. We will go and enjoy it."

[Statto]

Standard blurb from him, a poor man's Warnock (albeit not nearly as much of a to$$er as Warnock).

It begins...

[Andy S]

There is pressure on all the teams simply because we are in the playoffs. But I'm certain that we can handle it can they?

[The Rational Fan]

Cardiff need to cut the crap about spending, they posted a £36m loss the season going up and they only spent it to be in the premier league not the championship. Its true we lost £20m more than them last year; but they should be hanging their heads in shame finishing behind Brentford and just ahead of Forest that spend less combined than they do.

Fulham's biggest advantage over Cardiff is not the Khan's money spent on transfers, but our academy that MAF and the Khans financed to produce Ryan Sessegnon's sale that is reinvested, plus producing Rodak and Bett so spending can go elsewhere in the squad.

I'd accept everything this coach says if he called this the battle of the underachievers because we are in a similar position and he accepted his club should take some heat too.

[ByTheRiver]

Not sure where the issue is with this, he's right...

[fulhamben]

Not sure where the issue is with this, he's right...

he has played a blinder. If they lose, he's already got his excuse in, and if they win he's already made out like it's a David vs Goliath and will want a statue built

[RaySmith]

I don't think we have a team  that 'should' be in the Prem, anymore than Cardiff, who finished above us the year we went up.

This Fulham team  will need some astute investment if it's to compete in the Prem, but the Khan have the money to do this.
Obviously, don't get in a load of  Prem untried imports like last time, but two or three players with Prem experience and are suitable for Fulham, and what the manger wants.

Harris is just trying to psyche us out, portay themselves as underdogs, which isn't really true.

[toshes mate]

Not sure where the issue is with this, he's right...

+1

[Woolly Mammoth]

Not sure where the issue is with this, he's right...

+1

Yes he is most definitely right, and he is fighting his corner and his clubs corner who pay his wages, what is he expected to say with the budget he has to work with. If half the managers in the Premier League had to work with his budget they would literally run away and enter a monastery.

[Southcoastffc]

Let the mind games (aka blathering) begin.  Better to stay quiet.

[General]

If you don't play the mind games they don't affect you. Fulham should be confident, we've beaten cardiff, and drawn with them when down to 10 for 20 minutes. We're in good form and up for it with experienced and quality players in this league. The pressure isn't on us in the way he says at all. The pressure is on them if what he says he means, that Cardiff are in it to win it as there are at least two teams in the four that on their day I'd say are better than them.


He wouldn't be a very good manager if he didn't attempt to deflect attention and pressure from his team. Question is, does Parker have what it takes to win the big games?

[ByTheRiver]

Not sure where the issue is with this, he's right...

he has played a blinder. If they lose, he's already got his excuse in, and if they win he's already made out like it's a David vs Goliath and will want a statue built

Hah. True. But most neutrals (certainly my mates) see it this way already even if he hadn't said anything. We have a premier league budget this season and the five highest paid players in the league (we shouldn't really be fourth and worrying about the play-offs but that's a different and well covered story).

[FFC1987]

If someone could point to the part where he's wrong and on the wind up that would be great? Otherwise, he's spot on. We've overspent massively for a team that's finished 4th.

[ByTheRiver]

Just to add, either way, mind games or not, I think we will win the play offs. I have a sneaking suspicion we won't need to beat Brentford as the swans may well do that for us. They will be absolutely flying going into this as they have come from nowhere to pinch it on the last day (5 goal swing on Forest on the last day! Madness!) and Brentford looked crushed at the end. Players dropped on to the pitch, they looked like when you see a team relegated. It's going to be difficult to pick them back up and/or stop heads dropping if they were to conceed first, or have an equaliser scored, etc. They also look tired, the way they play - high tempo, pressing, counter - and the amount of games in a short space of time with the awful covid situation, will play a part. Parkerball, for all its faults, is relatively good in this respect.

They had it in their hands twice and threw it away twice and now have this lottery. We've never really had it in our hands. We had the potential to, given we played the three sides above us, but we never truly had that bit of daylight and always realistically knew it was the play offs after the Brentford game.

There is no traditional 'big team' like Villa (or Derby, to some extent that year) either. I feel more confident than 17/18 that we are going to be okay.

Stand up if you still believe.

*stands up*

[filham]

Cardiff need to cut the crap about spending, they posted a £36m loss the season going up and they only spent it to be in the premier league not the championship. Its true we lost £20m more than them last year; but they should be hanging their heads in shame finishing behind Brentford and just ahead of Forest that spend less combined than they do.

Fulham's biggest advantage over Cardiff is not the Khan's money spent on transfers, but our academy that MAF and the Khans financed to produce Ryan Sessegnon's sale that is reinvested, plus producing Rodak and Bett so spending can go elsewhere in the squad.

I'd accept everything this coach says if he called this the battle of the underachievers because we are in a similar position and he accepted his club should take some heat too.

Come on , be honest every player in our team yesterday other than the keeper, is as a result of a big transfer fee. The Sess money wouldn't even pay for Mitro.

[Twig]

Just to add, either way, mind games or not, I think we will win the play offs. I have a sneaking suspicion we won't need to beat Brentford as the swans may well do that for us. They will be absolutely flying going into this as they have come from nowhere to pinch it on the last day (5 goal swing on Forest on the last day! Madness!) and Brentford looked crushed at the end. Players dropped on to the pitch, they looked like when you see a team relegated. It's going to be difficult to pick them back up and/or stop heads dropping if they were to conceed first, or have an equaliser scored, etc. They also look tired, the way they play - high tempo, pressing, counter - and the amount of games in a short space of time with the awful covid situation, will play a part. Parkerball, for all its faults, is relatively good in this respect.

They had it in their hands twice and threw it away twice and now have this lottery. We've never really had it in our hands. We had the potential to, given we played the three sides above us, but we never truly had that bit of daylight and always realistically knew it was the play offs after the Brentford game.

There is no traditional 'big team' like Villa (or Derby, to some extent that year) either. I feel more confident than 17/18 that we are going to be okay.

Stand up if you still believe.

*stands up*

I agree with you, I think we are very well placed to win the play offs. My bigger concern would then be how we handle the Prem next year.  I fear a very, very difficult year.

[ByTheRiver]

Just to add, either way, mind games or not, I think we will win the play offs. I have a sneaking suspicion we won't need to beat Brentford as the swans may well do that for us. They will be absolutely flying going into this as they have come from nowhere to pinch it on the last day (5 goal swing on Forest on the last day! Madness!) and Brentford looked crushed at the end. Players dropped on to the pitch, they looked like when you see a team relegated. It's going to be difficult to pick them back up and/or stop heads dropping if they were to conceed first, or have an equaliser scored, etc. They also look tired, the way they play - high tempo, pressing, counter - and the amount of games in a short space of time with the awful covid situation, will play a part. Parkerball, for all its faults, is relatively good in this respect.

They had it in their hands twice and threw it away twice and now have this lottery. We've never really had it in our hands. We had the potential to, given we played the three sides above us, but we never truly had that bit of daylight and always realistically knew it was the play offs after the Brentford game.

There is no traditional 'big team' like Villa (or Derby, to some extent that year) either. I feel more confident than 17/18 that we are going to be okay.

Stand up if you still believe.

*stands up*

I agree with you, I think we are very well placed to win the play offs. My bigger concern would then be how we handle the Prem next year.  I fear a very, very difficult year.

Indeed, that is a concern. I read somewhere (may not be true) that pre-season training starts in three weeks as the new season starts so soon...

That said, I'd still rather go up and come straight back down as it resets the parachute payments and means we can keep most of the squad together and add to it so that (like this year) we have an advantage over other championship teams so can hopefully go up again (but in a better position to stay up).