Parker vows to remain calm after Fulham defeat

Fulham boss Scott Parker says it’s vital he and and his squad remain calm and rational if they are to avoid an instant return to the Championship.

Parker’s side sunk to a dispiriting 2-1 home defeat on Friday to a mid-table Leeds United team that went into the game with just one win in five games, to consign the Whites to a second successive home defeat and keep them rooted in the bottom three.

A victory would have taken Fulham out of the relegation zone ahead of the international break and heaped pressure on Newcastle and Brighton, who sit directly above them in the table and face off at the Amex Stadium on Saturday evening.

After that encounter both the Seagulls and the Magpies will still have a game in hand over the Whites, who now have eight games to determine their fate, including daunting away trips to Manchester United and Chelsea.

Parker admitted they were second best to an impressive Leeds outfit, whose high-energy style of play caused the hosts no end of problems, six days after league leaders Manchester City strolled to a 3-0 win at Craven Cottage.

“We have given ourselves a good chance and we still have a massive chance (to stay up) and I always say to the players never get too high when we you’re winning games and vice-versa when you are losing,” Parker said.

“We understand we need to improve and get better. We have eight games left – eight massive games and we need to learn.

“We need to be very honest with ourselves and understand where we’ve fallen short and come back stronger.

“It was only two games ago that we won at Anfield and everyone was speaking so highly of us. The performance was there and the team was playing very well.

“We’ve since lost a game to the champions of this season in Man City where we put in a very good performance up until half-time.

“I get the importance of this (Leeds) game but the world we are in is very drastic. You lose a game and it’s the worst thing in the world, you’re a failure and the team are getting relegated.

“You win at Anfield and the team are amazing and you are staying up quite easily.

“I need to be very rational in my thinking, it’s never as drastic as the noise from outside is, but we know the importance of the next eight games coming up.

“We will stay rational and calm but realise we are coming to the part of the season where we know we are going to fail or be successful this year.”