Fulham Head Coach Scott Parker thinks it is too soon for fixtures to be considered ‘must-win.’
Fulham have exactly half of our Premier League fixtures still to play, and Parker reiterated the importance of that context ahead of Saturday’s trip to West Bromwich Albion.
“It’s a big game for us,” he admitted. “A massive game for us, and West Brom. [But] do I see it as a definer, do I see it as one which is going to define the season for us? No, I don’t.
“There’s 19 games left of this season, we’re five points difference with a game in hand on Brighton, a game in hand and six points off Newcastle.
“I think we’ve seen in a real short space of time over the last few weeks, with teams getting results at places where you wouldn’t expect to get them, that this season’s still got a lot of legs, a lot of miles to go.
“I also understand that the weekend’s game is big and we want to go in and win the game, we want to perform, we want to try and get three points.
“I want to win and we’ll prepare the best we can to win the football match, but I’ll do the same the following week against Leicester. The belief I have in this team tells me that we can beat Leicester as well.
“I appreciate that you look at the table and see teams in and around each other and instantly you’re thinking those are the games you need to go and win, and I would understand that even more if there were three or four games left of the season. This would be pivotal, massive.
“While I understand it’s a big game for us, there’s still a lot of football to be played. We want to win this game, of course we do, but there’s still a lot of football to be played this year.”
Parker had a brief spell playing under current Baggies boss Sam Allardyce at the end of his West Ham United career, while he also had a minor overlap with the 66-year-old in the North-East.
“He sold me at Newcastle without even seeing me!” Parker laughed. “I obviously left for West Ham and then he came to West Ham after we got relegated.
“I played a few games in that season in the Championship at the start and then moved on, so I’m familiar with Sam.
“I think looking at his teams from a distance, they’ve always been very competitive teams, so I have a full understanding of what we’re going to be facing at the weekend, and the team will as well.”