Scott Parker believes his Fulham side have been “naive” at times during their disappointing start to the Premier League campaign.
After the first six games, the Cottagers were at the foot of the table, having recorded just one point, ahead of their crucial clash with fellow strugglers West Brom on Monday night.
Parker was up front about his perceptions of his side’s situation, saying: “This year, our league is our mini league and at this present moment in time the way it is we’re about three points off of being top of our mini league.
“The facts are fourth from bottom this year is going to be a huge success and that’s our aim and at this present moment in time we need to be comfortable being in and around this position because that’s where we are.
“Frustrations along the way – of course but that’s the same for every manager. Whether you’re at the top or the bottom of the league there’s always those frustrations, so that’s exactly where we are.”
When asked whether he felt Fulham had shown too much respect to their opponents, the 40-year-old said: “I don’t know about respect because I think we’ve turned up for the majority of the games this year, albeit very early.
“I feel we’ve had a real confidence and been really brave in the way that we’ve played definitely.
“But certainly, and I think I said it after the Leeds game, sometimes we are maybe a little bit naïve and that’s something we need to improve on.
“Respect, I’m not sure about – I don’t think that’s probably the right word but at times we need to show a different side to us.
“Whether that’s (being) street-wise, (or) a know-how and understanding of certain situations, we definitely need to improve for sure, and like I said we’ll get there with that.”
