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AS SCOTT PARKER heads back to West Ham tonight, it feels like a good time to ask about the lack of leaders in modern football.
Because, a decade ago, the Fulham manager’s leadership qualities were so richly recognised he achieved the extraordinary feat of being voted Footballer of the Year while captaining a Hammers side which finished bottom of the Premier League.

Scott Parker’s memorable half-time speech inspired his former West Ham team-mates to rescue a draw at West Brom Credit: Rex Features

During that doomed campaign, Parker gave a rousing half-time team talk which inspired his side to earn a draw from 3-0 down at West Brom.
Former Hammers striker Carlton Cole said: “It was inspirational. If you were in there, you’d have had a tear in your eye.”
So now Fulham manager Parker is discussing the lost art of leadership. The lost art of communication. The lost art of dishing out a damned good b******ing.

Fulham boss Parker believes the style of team-talks he delivered in his playing days are dying out in the modern gameCredit: Rex Features
Parker, 40, said: “That West Brom game was one of those moments of adversity where you have two options.

“Either you just swallow this, you go out in the second half and you stink, or you stand up and do something about it.
“There is no denying the fact that dressing rooms have got quieter since then.
“Maybe that’s modern life — it’s very technology-based, with people on their phones, and the art of communication and speaking to people is nowhere as much part of life as when we were growing up.
“Those sort of team talks from players don’t happen so much now and I wouldn’t mind one bit if my players did the same as I did.

“I like players to take ownership, to have the licence to really drive things.
“Players are technically better than ten years ago but something you’ve lost is the art of conversation or speaking out, which was more prevalent then than now.
“It is something I encourage. To build top teams you need real openness. To be honest without getting  personal, to express views without being ridiculed.”
Not that there is much glory in relegation — a fate Parker is desperate to avoid after his newly-promoted, much-changed Fulham side ended a six-match winless start to the season in Monday’s 2-0 victory over West Brom.
Parker believes his relegation season with West Ham was the perfect learning experience.
He said: “It was strange circumstances. We were relegated but it was probably the best season of my career individually. That and the year after at Spurs.
“That experience had a big impact on me as a manager.

Scott Parker believes talk of Fulham being relegated is fuelling their motivation on the pitchCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“If you let those bumps sink you, you become a shadow of yourself. I kept a real focus and kept fronting up.
“The hard times are when you grow and learn. When we lost at Brentford (last December) our fans were very vocal regarding myself. Very unhappy. Those are the moments when I grew.”
Fulham defeated rivals Brentford at Wembley in the play-off final in August but had just five weeks to prepare for the Premier League.

Regarding the idea that we’re definitely going to get relegated, that’s a big driver for me and for my players
Scott Parker

And Parker’s men were widely written off after just three games — when a 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa caused director of football Tony Khan to apologise for the performance on Twitter.
Sky’s Jamie Carragher was particularly brutal, insisting he was “certain” Fulham would go down.
But Parker claims many pundits cannot see beyond the club’s last  promotion in 2018, when they spent £100million and flopped.

The Fulham coach wants his players to be honest in their assessments of their performancesCredit: Getty – Contributor
Parker, appointed at the end of that relegation season, said: “I played with Jamie for England and I understand what he said but I need to stay very level-headed.
If you mention last time Fulham were in the Premier League, people will say, ‘£100million, defence, goals (conceded)’.
“I get that. We spent, we failed and that perception has carried into this season.
“Regarding the idea that we’re definitely going to get relegated, that’s a big driver for me and for my players.

Jamie Carragher is among the pundits who talked of Fulham being destined for the dropCredit: CBS Sports
“It’s Jamie’s job to make these  comments and stand behind them. It’s down to us to use that as fuel. Not to prove him wrong, but for ourselves.
“It was clearly laid out to the team what our season will look like.
I didn’t want them to be shocked or disillusioned if we lose three in a row or don’t win in our first six games.
“I’ve been involved in relegations and often players get bogged down by results. You need to hold that off and not get down.
“We’re going to lose matches but we have to be very brutal with  ourselves and understand where we need to improve.”

Making those decisions (to drop promotion-winners) is tough on a number of levels but it is the challenge of elite sport.
Scott Parker

Parker has certainly been brutal with team selections. For the 3-0 opening-day defeat by Arsenal, he started with 11 of his promotion-winning squad. By the West Brom victory, only three remained.
Parker said: “I don’t have many players with vast experience in the Premier League.
“Things they have got away with at other levels of the game, they can no longer do.
“Making those decisions (to drop promotion-winners) is tough on a number of levels but it is the challenge of elite sport.

Scott Parker says Fulham have a ‘duty to entertain’ their fansCredit: Reuters
“Those players who were pivotal last year but not involved now must accept that challenge.
“Top players are fearful constantly. They think, ‘Who is the next player coming in?’ and they match that. Players who’ve not been in the Premier League before need to work that out.”
Parker has lived with frequent criticism of Fulham’s playing style.
He said: “I hear it constantly: we move it slowly, we’re a possession-based team, we haven’t got a lot of pace.
“But prior to West Brom, we were No 1 in the league for crosses, fifth for shots and sixth for final-third entries this season.
“We’re No 1 crossers and people say we don’t play to (centre-forward  Aleksandar) Mitrovic’s strengths!

“Maybe it’s easy punditry, to see a team play a few passes at the back and get caught out and you lose sight of the whole picture.
“I’m conscious of us having an  identity. I want us to be dynamic, entertaining and attractive. There is a duty to entertain our fans.”
 FULHAM (likely): Areola, Aina, Adarabioyo, Andersen, Robinson, Reed, Anguissa, Decordova-Reid, Cairney, Lookman, Mitrovic.

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EDERSON does not believe Jordan Pickford meant to injure Virgil van Dijk in last month’s Merseyside derby.
And the Manchester City goalkeeper knows better than most that these things can happen in the heat of battle.

Ederson (left) was on the receiving end of wild challenge from Sadio Mane in September 2017Credit: Getty Images – Getty

After all, it was only three years ago that he was on the wrong end of something equally reckless – ironically in a game against Liverpool.
At the Etihad in September 2017, a wild and high challenge from Sadio Mane connected with the  Brazilian’s head.
The Senegalese was given a straight red card and Ederson needed oxygen as he was taken off on a stretcher after eight minutes of treatment on the pitch.

Ederson sympathises with Jordan Pickford who has been criticised for his horror tackle on Virgil van DijkCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Back in the dressing room, he required eight stitches, with one of the wounds perilously close to his eye.

Yet he does not believe there was any intention to injure him on Mane’s part — and views Pickford’s challenge on Van Dijk the same way.
And that is why he feels the  condemnation of the England No 1 since has been unjust.
Ederson, 27, said: “I don’t think any player steps on the pitch with the  willingness to injure an opponent.
“Sometimes you have a fraction of a second to make a decision.

“Unfortunately, Jordan Pickford had that clash with Van Dijk and it ended up resulting in a serious injury. That’s part of football, sometimes it happens. It could happen to any of us.
“I don’t think it was Pickford’s intention to injure Van Dijk, the same way I don’t think it was Mane’s intention to do that when he clashed with me.
“You have such a short time to make a decision.”
That challenge from Mane was just one part of a rivalry between the two most recent champions which has been building for several years.
They meet again at the Etihad tomorrow with City needing the points to keep the Reds in their sights.

Sadio Mane was given a red card for his dangerous challenge on Ederson three years agoCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And Ederson has noticed that despite the outcry over the loss of Van Dijk with a cruciate knee injury, Liverpool have not been blown off course by it — having followed up the 2-2 Goodison draw with five straight wins.
He said: “Their best centre-back, Van Dijk, is out. Fabinho has been playing really well this season and he’s out, too.
“But we mustn’t forget that  Liverpool still have great players.
“Their absences aren’t going to be a big disadvantage for them and a big advantage for us.
“We don’t focus on the players that aren’t going to play, or a specific absence, we focus on Liverpool as a whole team.

Virgil van Dijk is out of action for the rest of the season with a ligament injury following Pickford’s tackleCredit: Reuters
“They are some points ahead of us but we have one game in hand and the direct confrontation on Sunday. I hope we can get a good result.”
City too have struggled with injuries and illness in the early part of the campaign, while a short pre-season has also affected them.
In recent weeks there have been signs they are starting to look more like their old selves, even if goals have been in short supply.
Ederson reckons this final game of a hectic three-week period will be a good test of where City currently are.
He said: “It wasn’t one of those good starts to the season in terms of results we usually have had.
“But I think the team is recovering very well.

Ederson says his Premier League rivalry with Alisson does not extend beyond the pitchCredit: EPA
“It was a difficult start because we had a few players testing positive for Covid-19 and a few injuries.
“Now, they are all returning to the team little by little, so we have seen the team more compact and playing good football lately. We couldn’t have that at the start.
“I think the team has got back to its level, we are focused and on Sunday we have a good chance to prove it.”

Our styles are very similar, perhaps I play more with my feet, but so does he
Ederson on Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson

Tomorrow gives Ederson the chance to go head-to-head with his fellow Brazilian Alisson, who will be in goal for the Reds.
The pair are rivals for the No 1 spot with their national team and have been vying for silverware with their clubs.
But they remain good pals off the pitch, with the City man adding: “I have a good friendship with Alisson. He’s an incredible guy and an incredible keeper.

“Our rivalry is only on the pitch, off the pitch it doesn’t exist as we are good friends. I hope we can both have a good game on Sunday.
“Our styles are very similar,  perhaps I play more with my feet, but so does he.
“Liverpool and us have more or less the same style of play.”

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THERE has been plenty of talk this week about diving.
Cheating. Simulation. Going down too easily.

West Ham fans were unhappy with Mohamed Salah’s theatrics last weekendCredit: EPA

Harry Kane was also criticised as Tottenham beat BrightonCredit: AP:Associated Press

Two of the Premier League’s finest players — Mo Salah and Harry Kane — were accused of winning penalties with a lack of total honesty last weekend.
But if you really think that professional footballers were looking at those incidents and saying, ‘It’s embarrassing, it’s got to stop’ then you’re sadly mistaken.
No one in the game is outraged. No one thinks it’s anything like an athlete doping in the 100 metres.
It’s our job to win games of football. To do whatever it takes, to gain any advantage.

If there is any sort of contact from a defender in the penalty box, then it is perfectly acceptable to go down.
Even the opposition will not seriously complain.
You see someone go down, and a penalty awarded, and there will be a shrug of the shoulder from the attacking player and a knowing look from the defender as if to say ‘yeah, it’s part and parcel of the game’.
Booking players for diving has had little effect because there is no real embarrassment factor.

That sort of thing might wind people up but if Salah was on my team, I’d be applauding him.

And VAR only makes it more likely for players to go down easily after minimal contact — watch those incidents back in slo-mo and they only look more incriminating for the defender.
Salah was touched by West Ham defender Arthur Masuaku and he fell, arching his back, Tom Daley-style.
That sort of thing might wind people up but if Salah was on my team, I’d be applauding him.
As for Kane winning a penalty against Brighton, well that was just clever centre-forward’s play. There wasn’t a hint of any ‘cheating’.
Kane sees Adam Lallana coming from behind him and gets his body into a position where he invites a foul.
That was a strange one because referee Graham Scott gives a free-kick thinking the collision happens just outside the area — only for VAR to judge it just inside and award a spot-kick.
Scott might not have given it if he’d thought it was in the box — that shouldn’t make any difference but we all know it does.

For me, the only shocking incident in that game was when Scott failed to rule out Brighton’s equaliser for a foul by Lallana on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the build-up.
The ref is sent to his pitchside monitor by the VAR, looks at the incident several times and still can’t see a clear foul. Scott has been taken off the match list this weekend and rightly so.
Often players think there are no consequences for refs getting things badly wrong, so it is positive that he has been ‘dropped’.
Back to last weekend’s Kane incident and I heard Martin Keown saying it was dangerous play by the England captain — but that’s nonsense.
You’ll see five similar incidents every weekend in the Premier League. Just because I’m being slightly harsher on Salah than Kane, I certainly don’t believe foreign players are more likely to go down easily than British lads.
That’s never been the case.
Sure, they might still referee games more strictly in Spain or Italy than they do here — and the game is also refereed much less strictly in the Football League than in the Premier League — but British players are no different from foreigners.
When you contest as many aerial duels as I do, you learn how you might win a free-kick, you learn how to fall so as to avoid injury, too.

Watford’s mad play-off semi-final with Leicester in 2013 was almost decided by a questionable decisionCredit: Getty Images – Getty
And if you watch games without the fake crowd noise, you will hear managers maybe telling a wide player to ‘go at him’. They mean go past the defender, initiate contact and win a free-kick or penalty.
Or you might see a defender making a clearance under pressure, just dangling his leg a bit, hoping for contact from a striker, so he might be booked and can’t pressurise him like that again. Again, that’s just smart play.
You won’t see players raging at each other about it.
I can only remember one incident when there was genuine hatred and anger on the pitch when a player went down too easily and that was in the famous play-off semi-final between Watford and Leicester in 2013.
With the tie level in injury-time, Anthony Knockaert — who is now a good friend of mine — went down after a nudge from our Italian defender Marco Cassetti and the referee, Phil Dowd, awarded a penalty.
We were livid and if Manuel Almunia hadn’t made a double save from Knockaert’s penalty — and we hadn’t gone straight up the other end for me to score the winner — then there would probably have been a full-on pitched battle between the two sets of players.
But that sort of anger is rare — and increasingly rare as the years go by. Nothing is going to change. You’ll need to accept all this as part of the game.
The players certainly do.
THERE WILL NEVER BE FERGIE II
Manchester United seem to be suffering from an identity crisis.
They are living in the past and seem obsessed by trying to re-enact the Sir Alex Ferguson era — but there’s only one Fergie, the greatest manager of all time.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not Ferguson and if United’s owners genuinely believe he is the best man for the job, then they are going to have to wait three or four years for him to put his own stamp on the place.
⚠️ Read our Man United live blog for the latest news from Old Trafford

There is a lot of speculation about Solskjaer’s future — for the umpteenth time — as they head to Everton on Saturday.
They’ve frequently bounced back from bad results, like the ones against Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir, to save Solskjaer’s skin and they might well do so — especially with Richarlison suspended and James Rodriguez fighting for fitness.
But I’m still not convinced Solskjaer has improved United at all. He simply cannot remain in the bottom six of the Premier League for much longer and stay in his job.

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RALPH HASENHUTTL’S pirates swashbuckled their way to the top of the league for the first time since 1988 – as they made Newcastle walk the plank.
Southampton’s charismatic boss had branded his side as ‘pirates’ in the way they are looking to plunder the wealthy elite on occasion this season.

Che Adams scored a superb volley to open the scoringCredit: Tom Jenkins-The Guardian

Saints were too good for Newcastle and could have scored moreCredit: PA:Press Association

And they looked a good bet to land some European qualification treasure this term as Che Adams and Stuart Armstrong fired them to the division’s summit.
Southampton’s last early-season title tilt in the top flight came 32 years ago when they won their first three games of the campaign.
Chris Nicholls’ side back then was full of characters, including madcap keeper John Burridge, three-time European Cup winner Jimmy Case and the three Wallace brothers, Rodney, Danny and Ray.
A baby-faced Matt Le Tissier was also cutting his senior pro teeth in that side, while an even younger Alan Shearer would join the party later than season.

Shearer would go on to become a Newcastle legend – but his old side and good mate Steve Bruce were well beaten here.
Were it not for the heroics of Karl Darlow, the score would have been far more convincing as Hasenhuttl’s men racked up their fifth win in six games.
Everyone in the ground got a fright just after kick-off when booming fireworks exploded if not directly above the stadium, then very close to it.
And it was Adams who provided a rocket of a volley to give the hosts an early lead.

Seconds after the striker was denied a screamer thanks to a smart save from Darlow, Miguel Almiron was caught messing around with the ball in front of his box.
Theo Walcott picked the dawdling Paraguayan’s pocket and whipped in a cross which Adams blasted past Darlow.
It was a devastating finish and one of a man high on confidence.
Having waited 30 games to break his Saints duck, now has seven in his last 15.

Those may not yet be Danny Ings numbers – or those of Callum Wilson since he joined Newcastle.
But they obviously mark a vast improvement and the exciting thing for Southampton supporters is the Leicester lad looks like he can kick on further.
Adams looked a threat throughout the first half, forcing another save from the alert Darlow with 12 minutes on the clock.
The goalscoring responsibility had fallen squarely on the 24-year-old’s broad shoulders following the news that talisman Ings would be out for up to six weeks with a knee injury.
And the way he caused Newcastle’s backline all manner of problems proved he was up for the challenge.
Bruce’s men were on the back foot for the most of the half but still always looked dangerous when the unpredictable Allan Saint-Maximin got on the ball.
Yet it was Sean Longstaff who wasted the visitors’ best chance of the half, nodding a Jamal Lewis cross right at Alex McCarthy.
Walcott, deployed up to in the crocked Ings’ absence, was a livewire with his pace and movement.
With the vocal Hasenhuttl conducting on the touchline with unrelenting instruction and encouragement, the Everton loanee raced in just before the break having been released by Moussa Djenepo’s clever backheel.

Southampton are looking back at the other 19 Prem clubsCredit: Tom Jenkins-The Guardian
Walcott cut back in and tried to find the far post – but his shot landed the wrong side of the post.
Hasenhuttl’s pirates looked to inflict more damage after the break as Newcastle’s backline came under heavy fire.
First, captain Jamal Lascelles was forced to clear off Jan Bednarek’s hooked shot off the line.
Then, seconds later, Oriol Romeu was denied a second stunning goal of the season when Darlow tipped his drive onto the crossbar.
The Spaniard had only eight goals to his name during across his decade-long career but had netted a wonderstrike in October’s 2-0 win over West Brom.
Hasenhuttl was demanding a penalty on the hour when Djenepo was blocked off by Jacob Murphy but Peter Bankes was not biting.
Darlow was again the Toon’s saviour again minutes later as the onslaught continued, repelling Bednarek’s header from James Ward-Prowse’s corner.
Saints had the chance to kill the game off once and for all in the final 15 minutes but Armstrong’s under-hit pass to Walcott allowed Lascelles to get a touch on the ball before cleaning out the ex-England forward.

Newcastle’s luck could only last so long though – and five minutes later it was all over.
Sean Longstaff was caught in possession on the edge of the area by Armstrong, who drilled low into the corner to send Saints’ soaring.
It may not last long, but for now, the Jolly Roger flag is flying high at the top of the Premier League.

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THE goals Manchester United conceded in midweek to Istanbul Basaksehir were hard to comprehend — especially the first one scored by Demba Ba.
I just don’t get it? If I am watching under-12s football and I saw that, I’d have an issue with it.

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Man Utd’s defending in Istanbul was shocking and Dominic Calvert-Lewin must be licking his lipsCredit: AP:Associated Press
It is incredible — the first thing you are taught as a kid is that if a team leaves a player up, then leave two defenders.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side’s biggest consistency is their inconsistency — thrashed by Tottenham 6-1, victories against PSG and Leipzig, lose to Arsenal and to Istanbul.
As a result, there has been a lot of talk about formations and tactics.

I have seen United play three at the back, use a diamond, go with a 4-4-2 with split forwards or a 4-2-3-1. But in actual fact, it comes down purely to communication.
When I was playing against top teams, they always had leaders who had voices. Throughout the 90 minutes they wouldn’t shut up. They would be arguing among themselves and bossing each other about.
But one thing’s for sure, they wouldn’t concede a goal like United did. It wouldn’t be acceptable.
I challenge you to name a top team who didn’t have vocal leaders.

Chelsea had John Terry, Frank Lampard, Petr Cech. Man City had  Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart. United had Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Patrice Evra.

Liverpool had Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, and right now they have Virgil van Dijk, Jordan Henderson, Andy Robertson and Alisson.
I honestly cannot name many like that in United’s side. They have some very talented  players but you need communicators.
The worry is that if the players Ole has in their mid-20s aren’t vocal now, it is unlikely you can teach someone to change.
It is not down to Ole to manage on the touchlines. You need four or five managers on the pitch.
Tony Pulis would be screaming at us from the sidelines at Stoke  but we couldn’t hear him with thousands of fans in the stadium.

So we took it upon ourselves, and when we were beaten it was not down to organisation, but simply because they were better than us.
It is the reason why United look so good playing on the counter. They look fantastic when they can sit in their positions and break, because you don’t need much communication to do that.
But once the onus is on them and they have players moving into different areas of the pitch, you need to constantly be talking and dragging players back into position.
There are players in a team who won’t always carry out instructions — and that’s natural. But the likes of a Neville, Keane or Ferdinand would be there to remind you of your job.
That’s why accusations of the likes of Harry Maguire being slow are irrelevant. Carragher and Terry weren’t the quickest but they were proactive players who spoke throughout the game.
In contrast, United have reactive players. And against the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez, I cannot see that changing.

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