Official: Claudio Ranieri Sacked By Struggling Fulham As Former Club Captain Scott Parker Takes Temporary Charge

Alan Duffy

28th, February 2019

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Claudio Ranieri’s brief and unsuccessful stint as Fulham manager has come to an end, with the west London club sacking the Italian after just 106 days in charge.

Ranieri, a Premier League winner with Leicester, was brought in in November to replace Slavisa Jokanovic, with the Cottagers already in trouble.

However, despite a decent start, the 67-year-old Italian couldn’t kickstart Fulham’s season, losing 11 games in all competitions and seeing his side stuck in the drop-zone.

Ranieri’s last game in charge was the midweek defeat to Southampton, a result which left Fulham in 19th spot, a sizeable 10 points from safety.

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Fulham have put first-team coach Scott Parker in temporary charge as the club looks to somehow escape relegation.

On making the decision to remove Ranieri, club chairman Shahid Khan said in a statement:

Claudio walked into a difficult situation, inheriting a side that gained only one point in its prior eight matches, and he provided an immediate boost by leading our club to nine points in his first eight matches as manager.

Though we were unable to maintain that pace thereafter, I am grateful for his effort. Claudio leaves Fulham as our friend and he will undoubtedly experience success again soon.

Scott (Parker)’s immediate assignment is merely to help us stabilise, grow and rediscover ourselves as a football club.

If Scott can answer that challenge, and our players respond to the opportunity, perhaps victories will follow in the months ahead.

Ranieri himself said:

I am obviously disappointed with the recent results and that we could not build on the good start we made following my appointment. Finally, I would like to thank the club, the players and the fans for the support they have given me during my time at the club.

The onus is now on the 38-year-old Parker, a former Fulham captain with immense Premier League experience, to conjure up an unlikely escape act.

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Posted in Fulham, Managers

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