Ranieri: I must tinker clever to save Fulham

CLAUDIO RANIERI insists he must ‘tinker clever’ if Fulham are to avoid relegation, with the fear of a rollicking from his 99-year-old mother also a motivating factor. Ranieri held a first meeting with his full squad following the international break yesterday and faces a crucial first test against fellow Premier League strugglers Southampton tomorrow. The Italian leaned on assistant Scott Parker over the break in a bid to get up to speed and has prioritised finding his first XI — something which eluded his predecessor. Under Slavisa Jokanovic, Fulham made 33 changes to their starting line-up — by far the most in the top flight this season. ‘It is important I am “The Tinkerman”, but I must tinker clever,’ said Ranieri, whose side sit bottom and have lost their last six league games. ‘My mum, Renata, she turned 99 on November 1. When Damien Duff didn’t play (for Chelsea), she would say “Why! Why don’t you put Damien Duff on the pitch?” ‘I have to choose the first XI and then it is very important not to make big mistakes. For this reason, I asked my players to follow me 100 per cent. A long time ago, journalists called me “Tinkerman” because I changed a lot. But I changed a lot because it was the last year at Chelsea, we bought players at the start of the season and we continued to buy players. Of course, I had to change something. Then for this reason you say, “Oh, he changes a lot, changes a lot, changes a lot”. I changed it with intelligence, not just to change. ‘It’s important to maintain our mentality. Never, ever give up, not in the match or the season. My message is the team is a good one, but now we must show fighting spirit. Saturday is important. I want to see the right mentality and strong body language. At the end, we will be safe. I am sure.’ On Parker, who was considered as interim manager, the Italian said: ‘Ah, he’s very important. When I think about something, I say, “Hey, Scotty, what do you think about it?” He knows the club, but it is important that he knows the players very well.’