Fulham's Scott Parker says his relegation experience will help as club plans for Championship
Monday 1 April 2019 20:43, UK
Fulham's caretaker manager Scott Parker says his experiences of being relegated as a player will help as the club plans for life in the Championship.
The Cottagers sit 19th in the Premier League, 16 points adrift of safety with six games remaining, and need at least a draw against Watford at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night or they will be relegated.
Parker was relegated twice as a player - with West Ham and Fulham - and says the reasons for going down are typically similar.
"When you're in this position in a football club, nine times out of ten it's the same issues," Parker said. "I've been involved in two relegations, and both relegations have similarities to what I see here at times.
"In the sense of my learning from that, it's obviously helping me, but ultimately there are problems that are there.
"It's probably more a discussion come the back end of the season when we all sit around and try and work out where were the mistakes made, where are the problems, why are we in this position, because when you get relegated there's problems."
Parker says there are temporary measures that could help a club bounce back into the top flight, but maintains it's more important to build sustainable success.
"The reaction and the processes that are put in place and the strategies that are put in place are vitally, vitally important," Parker added.
"Hopefully that will take place because there's no short fix to have a top club. There's no short fix, there's no short solutions, to trying to create a successful football club, whether that's in the Premier League or one which is trying to get to the Premier League.
"Ultimately you find short fixes and they get you there, but I'm not sure they keep you there, there's a more long-term view of building a solid football club."
The former England international says it is inevitable there will be changes to Fulham's playing personnel next season, but the "sad and devastating" reality of relegation is its impact across the organisation.
"Obviously the squad will change," said Parker. "We've got a few boys who will go back to their clubs in terms of the loan players, and at the end of that you then have to look at the squad and see the dynamics of it.
"I think probably in the next few weeks, or the weeks leading up to the end of the season for sure, there's probably going to be a conversation where we will sit down and work out the way forward, and the dynamics of that squad.
"When you get relegated, football clubs change. That's not just players, that's the whole place; that's the sad and devastating thing about getting relegated.
"Whether that's as a player you have to leave, or you have to sell players or whether that's staff that no longer stay at the football club."
If there is any positive to be taken from Fulham's exit from the Premier League, Parker says it's the time the club has to put things in place ahead of next season.
"That's probably the biggest thing," Parker added. "There's planning going on now, and that's vitally important, but obviously having an understanding of where we are and what we're trying to still do and the balance of that is pretty difficult.
"It's the big challenge of understanding the balance of trying to get results or trying to get an uplift and trying to finish this season on a real positive, but at the same time trying to plan and put yourself in a good position come the start of the next campaign. That challenge is tough."
The interim boss has not had his Fulham future confirmed beyond this season, but says that has not stopped him planning for the club's future.
"I'm in those conversations," Parker said. "Whether I'm here next year or whether I'm not in this position, I think the most important thing for this football club and for the owners and everyone else involved is that they're planning.
"At the present moment in time that is going on. I'm part of those plans at this moment in time and having an input, that's the most important thing.
"I'm here, I'm looking into next season, I'm planning next season."
