On Sunday afternoon, Fulham went to the home of reigning Premier League champions Liverpool and recorded a 1-0 win. While most will be talking about Jurgen Klopp’s team’s complete collapse, the result was a massive one for the visitors.
Mario Lemina’s strike on the stroke of half-time ensured that the team from south west London moved level on points with 17th place Brighton.
We're all proud of this team. 🤍#LIVFUL— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) March 7, 2021
We're all proud of this team. 🤍#LIVFUL
The Seagulls have a game in hand on the Cottagers, but at this stage of the campaign, they are struggling for form under their highly-rated head coach Graham Potter.
While Potter seems to have gathered an almost cult-like following for his attempts to play attractive football, Parker has gone about his job in a far quieter manner.
However, the former West Ham midfielder deserves massive credit for the job he has done with the Cottagers.
At the beginning of the campaign, the Cottagers were one of the favourites for a quick return to the Championship following promotion. After the debacle that was their last stint in the English top-flight, this season’s efforts now look far more positive.
Fulham still had to recruit players on a grand scale because they were short of players, but Parker did not have a massive war chest.
The quality of the squad coming up was poor by top-flight standards, which is why they found life so difficult in the Premier League in the early months of the season.
However, Parker has stuck to his football beliefs and his team are producing far more impressive defensive displays and scoring the odd goal too. Finding the back of the net has been a major problem for the Cottagers, so improvement in defence has been a key factor in recent results.
With the resources he has had at Fulham, Scott Parker has done an incredible job.
If the Cottagers do suffer relegation this season, then the sensible thing to do would be to keep the faith with Parker, as unlike some of the head coaches in the English top-flight, he is showing exceptional managerial promise.