Scott Parker Fulham
Burnley manager Scott Parker addressed the media ahead of the team’s crucial Premier League match against Fulham. Despite a commendable performance against Bournemouth, Burnley remains nine points adrift of safety with only eight games left in the season. As Parker prepares to face his former club, he reflected on the challenges of managing a young squad and the club’s ongoing battle to avoid relegation.
Scott Parker said: “How have Fulham been able to establish themselves in the Premier League? That’s been proven and I think there’s many, many different facets to it. You know, there isn’t just one thing. There’ll be many, many reasons, whether that’s recruitment, whether that’s the amount of expenditure they’ve been able to put into the football club to add quality, whether that is the general processes that have taken place in that moment. It’s probably just, they’ve probably done things the right way, largely being investment, and then probably the way they’ve gone about things. Of course you do. You need to make brilliant decisions and at certain moments, you need the financial support to give you a real fighting chance at certain moments. You’ll probably see that in those teams that have managed to stay, or have managed to be in there for a period of time, have been able to slowly progress through that.”
Scott Parker said: “Have you had those things in your toolbox here at Burnley? Well no, that probably isn’t the case. But I don’t think it’s a case of a lack of trying. Sometimes you’re just given things that, certain things are not physically possible, and you need to work with that. Now, there’s other things that you can do, process-wise, you can do, recruitment-wise, definitely. And at that moment, I think I said it last week, at times this year, it’s clear that we’re going to have to over-perform consistently in this division, to obviously give ourselves a real chance, and we’ve still got a chance. There’s 24 points to play for in this division, with eight games left. Now, we can look at this one way or another. We can look at this and think we’re dead and buried, and this is going to be one huge challenge. You could look at it the other way, and I’m someone, and this squad, for sure, is someone, and that’s a message I’m constantly delivering with 24 points to play. You know, this is exactly what we’re going for.”
Scott Parker said: “Are your players learning on the job in the Premier League? Definitely, yes. I think, like I’ve said before, for a large part of this group, this is a new experience. Even when you put the experienced guys into this, it’s a new experience as well. I always knew along this season, along this journey this year, this will be a mental one for us, for sure. I knew that would be the biggest thing for us and that’s probably transpired a little bit. There’s been a lot of noise and there’s been different dynamics, but I’ve only added to that and I probably had an idea of that. I think what was key is us to stay really, really level in this moment while we’re searching and while we’re fighting and while we keep trying to improve. It’s trying to keep that mental side of things a rock-solid, concrete-head stuff, really, because there’s been some dynamics this year that have been very, very difficult for this young group to play in.”
Parker emphasized that Burnley’s young squad is gaining invaluable experience despite the challenges they face. He acknowledged the inconsistencies in performance but highlighted the positive developments observed since the start of the season. Parker remains committed to mentoring and protecting his players, ensuring their growth both on and off the pitch. With 24 points still available, he maintains hope that Burnley can defy the odds and secure their Premier League status.
About The Author
