To be fair Parker is saying the right things

[Worcesterwhite]

I haven't been his biggest fan in the past, however you can see in his interview he really cares and can see what we are doing wrong. The worrying thing for me is is it's not the first time we have heard it, the team keeps making the same mistakes, are the team not listening, is the manager getting his points across or more importantly is he capable of getting his point across and the team believing in him?. We cannot keep on coming out of games saying well we showed some positive aspects but come out of the game with 0 points, something has to click or change and quickly.

[hopper]

My problem with Parker is that he talks to negatively and I think it feeds into the psyche of the players that they don't play for a team that is going to win matches. Surprised this isn't commented on more. A few examples:

There will be plenty of times where we go long spells without winning
Mitro will have more spells where he goes a few games without scoring than he does
The reality is we're Fulham and we aren't a top team

These aren't word for word what he's said, but all things he has said in press conferences, and strikes me as sending out the completely wrong message, it's not quite as bad as Hughes or Jol who thought they were above the club, and is well intended I'm sure - but I miss the way Slav stood up for the club and wouldn't accept little old Fulham. He has to make the players believe they will win, as everything I hear from his pressers before and after games implicitly suggests a losing culture is acceptable and to be expected.

[Statto]

Personally think SP's realism is exactly what the team needs. If we'd come into this season expecting to win often, 1 win in 9 would be an absolutely massive disappointment and the dressing room would already have imploded. In reality, we remain 17th and it's not a disaster. Yes we need to improve bit it's certainly all to play for still. SP's biggest strength IMO is keeping the dressing room together in the face of adversity. Let's see how Biesla's Leeds handle it if/when their wheels come off.

[H4usuallysitting]

He's learning on the job..... He played football at the highest level....as a team, we all thought we'd go down this season....today we were unlucky not to get a draw - we are improving

[RaySmith]

Personally think SP's realism is exactly what the team needs. If we'd come into this season expecting to win often, 1 win in 9 would be an absolutely massive disappointment and the dressing room would already have imploded. In reality, we remain 17th and it's not a disaster. Yes we need to improve bit it's certainly all to play for still. SP's biggest strength IMO is keeping the dressing room together in the face of adversity. Let's see how Biesla's Leeds handle it if/when their wheels come off.

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[The Rational Fan]

Personally think SP's realism is exactly what the team needs. If we'd come into this season expecting to win often, 1 win in 9 would be an absolutely massive disappointment and the dressing room would already have imploded. In reality, we remain 17th and it's not a disaster. Yes we need to improve bit it's certainly all to play for still. SP's biggest strength IMO is keeping the dressing room together in the face of adversity. Let's see how Biesla's Leeds handle it if/when their wheels come off.

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[FFC In Oz]

Personally think SP's realism is exactly what the team needs. If we'd come into this season expecting to win often, 1 win in 9 would be an absolutely massive disappointment and the dressing room would already have imploded. In reality, we remain 17th and it's not a disaster. Yes we need to improve bit it's certainly all to play for still. SP's biggest strength IMO is keeping the dressing room together in the face of adversity. Let's see how Biesla's Leeds handle it if/when their wheels come off.

Do you see Bilic, Dyche or Wilder making those sort of remarks about expecting to go on long runs without winning?

[Tempest]

No, but then we are above all of them.

Personally think SP's realism is exactly what the team needs. If we'd come into this season expecting to win often, 1 win in 9 would be an absolutely massive disappointment and the dressing room would already have imploded. In reality, we remain 17th and it's not a disaster. Yes we need to improve bit it's certainly all to play for still. SP's biggest strength IMO is keeping the dressing room together in the face of adversity. Let's see how Biesla's Leeds handle it if/when their wheels come off.

Do you see Bilic, Dyche or Wilder making those sort of remarks about expecting to go on long runs without winning?

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[Statto]

Personally think SP's realism is exactly what the team needs. If we'd come into this season expecting to win often, 1 win in 9 would be an absolutely massive disappointment and the dressing room would already have imploded. In reality, we remain 17th and it's not a disaster. Yes we need to improve bit it's certainly all to play for still. SP's biggest strength IMO is keeping the dressing room together in the face of adversity. Let's see how Biesla's Leeds handle it if/when their wheels come off.

Do you see Bilic, Dyche or Wilder making those sort of remarks about expecting to go on long runs without winning?

No, but then we are above all of them.

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Exactly what I was thinking. We should probably be doing the opposite of what those three do. Although FWIW I suspect we could dig out similarly pessimistic quotes from them anyway. Also in a similar debate on here the other day I posted something just as downbeat from Roy Hodgson last season.

"Fans would like to hear 'yeah it's going to be a great season, we've finished roughly in the middle of the table the last couple of seasons, we're going to go on and do much better than that'.

I would like to say that to you but if I'm realistic I'm not certain I can. I think staying in the Premier League is always going to be the be all and end all for us and always going to be a fight, a bit of suffering.

There's not going to be rainbows and blue skies and rose coloured spectacles all the way through. There's gong to be plenty of fighting and heartache along the way."

[itombomb]

Is he saying the right things? Everything he says is about passion and desire, things like "wanting it" and "getting first to 50-50s".

That's one side of the coin. When does he say the right things around tactics, strategy and selection?

[FFC In Oz]

Personally think SP's realism is exactly what the team needs. If we'd come into this season expecting to win often, 1 win in 9 would be an absolutely massive disappointment and the dressing room would already have imploded. In reality, we remain 17th and it's not a disaster. Yes we need to improve bit it's certainly all to play for still. SP's biggest strength IMO is keeping the dressing room together in the face of adversity. Let's see how Biesla's Leeds handle it if/when their wheels come off.

Do you see Bilic, Dyche or Wilder making those sort of remarks about expecting to go on long runs without winning?

No, but then we are above all of them.

Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk

Exactly what I was thinking. We should probably be doing the opposite of what those three do. Although FWIW I suspect we could dig out similarly pessimistic quotes from them anyway. Also in a similar debate on here the other day I posted something just as downbeat from Roy Hodgson last season.

"Fans would like to hear 'yeah it's going to be a great season, we've finished roughly in the middle of the table the last couple of seasons, we're going to go on and do much better than that'.

I would like to say that to you but if I'm realistic I'm not certain I can. I think staying in the Premier League is always going to be the be all and end all for us and always going to be a fight, a bit of suffering.

There's not going to be rainbows and blue skies and rose coloured spectacles all the way through. There's gong to be plenty of fighting and heartache along the way."

There's being realistic and there's being negative.

There's no need for him to mention numerous times that we will go "5, 6 games without winning" and "lose more games than we win".

In regards to the other 3 teams - Burnley, Sheff Utd & WBA have all had substantially more difficult fixtures lists to start the season than us.

[RufusBrevettatemyhamster]

My problem with Parker is that he talks to negatively and I think it feeds into the psyche of the players that they don't play for a team that is going to win matches. Surprised this isn't commented on more. A few examples:

There will be plenty of times where we go long spells without winning
Mitro will have more spells where he goes a few games without scoring than he does
The reality is we're Fulham and we aren't a top team

These aren't word for word what he's said, but all things he has said in press conferences, and strikes me as sending out the completely wrong message, it's not quite as bad as Hughes or Jol who thought they were above the club, and is well intended I'm sure - but I miss the way Slav stood up for the club and wouldn't accept little old Fulham. He has to make the players believe they will win, as everything I hear from his pressers before and after games implicitly suggests a losing culture is acceptable and to be expected.

Have you read this board? Fulham supporters speak negatively about everything and everyone when the team looses. Barely speak positively when they win, so he's only picking up on everyones energy.

[Holders]

I appreciate realism, I've seen plenty to like, and we've lost to some good teams by just the odd goal. But the schoolboy errors - like yesterday have to be eliminated and the 5-6 game winless runs accompanied by picking up a few draws along the way.

[bill taylors apprentice]

I don't think he is saying anything in public i.e. in pre & post match interviews that is affecting the players in a negative way.

What's important is what and how he is saying stuff to them in training.

I may not like his tactics and selections sometimes but as far as the players determinisation to defend is concerned, I'm confident he is saying all the right things.

Some of them need to smarten up ASAP and realise the job needs 100% commitment during 100% of the game.

[Woolly Mammoth]

It is not negative to explain why you are not happy with an on going situation, it is being realistic as opposed to burying your head in the sand and hoping a miracle will happen. We have to be proactive not reactive if we are going to get out of the stickiest situation since sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun.

[MJG]

We can all say the right things, but currently its not making any difference.

[Fernhurst]

Personally think SP's realism is exactly what the team needs. If we'd come into this season expecting to win often, 1 win in 9 would be an absolutely massive disappointment and the dressing room would already have imploded. In reality, we remain 17th and it's not a disaster. Yes we need to improve bit it's certainly all to play for still. SP's biggest strength IMO is keeping the dressing room together in the face of adversity. Let's see how Biesla's Leeds handle it if/when their wheels come off.

Bloody hell Statto, possibly the one and only post by you I have agreed with (mind you I do flick past an awful lot)
Thank you.

[toshes mate]

Is he saying the right things? Everything he says is about passion and desire, things like "wanting it" and "getting first to 50-50s".

That's one side of the coin. When does he say the right things around tactics, strategy and selection?

This, I believe, is where thinking gets muddled and ambiguous.

Tactics, strategy, and selection end when the team. armed with desire, wanting it and determined to win the 50-50s, start the game but may not have a leader or leaders making the pre-game messages and instructions stick.  They have to do the hard work on self motivation and raising their own game just like everyone else has to do.  And they certainly played better second half yesterday.

As Statto says above it is important that Parker retains dressing room belief regardless of outcomes and he suggested (in the press conference) that there had been a half time rollicking yesterday which, to me, means the dressing room is not a fragile place.  The first and second half were chalk and cheese and that means there are players who can (and do) individually sharpen up after a bawling out rather than Fulham being a team at a complete loss of belief in itself.   Pretty soon Parker will hope certain players do not need dressing down at any time on matchday and he'll have much more chance of doing that when he has a fully fit and available squad and much more competition for places.