MAMMA MIA... CHEER WE GO AGAIN! fan now her boy is back in top flight

FULHAM have gained a new fan in Claudio Ranieri’s 99-year-old mum.

But Renata (right) will not be telling him who to pick – as she once did when he was in charge of Chelsea.

Ranieri is preparing for his first game as Fulham boss, against fellow strugglers Southampton, after being named Slavisa Jokanovic’s successor last week.

He said: “My mum, when Damien Duff didn’t play, she would say, ‘Why? Why don’t you put Damien Duff on the pitch?’

“She loves football. Roma are her team, but now it’s Fulham. Now it’s Fulham.

“She wants to see the games. If Sky don’t show Fulham on the television, she will say, ‘Why? Tell them!’

“She doesn’t come to the games. A long time ago she would. “She turned 99 on November 1.

“I have to call her because on Wednesday she called me and I was so busy. Thank you for reminding me.” That will just be a catch-up though.

When it comes to picking his team Ranieri will instead lean heavily on the advice of Scott Parker.

He signed Parker in 2004 during his time at Stamford Bridge but the former England midfielder is now the Italian’s assistant having served as first-team coach under

Jokanovic.

Ranieri said: “He’s very important because when I think about something I say, ‘Hey, Scotty, what do you think about it?’ And I believe him.

“He knows the club but for me it is important he knows very well the players.”

Finding the right combination defensively will certainly be key to Ranieri’s hopes of steering rock-bottom Fulham clear of danger.

They have the league’s worst record having shipped 31 goals in 12 games, with Jokanovic selecting different back lines in each match. It was ironic that, after those difficulties, Fulham turned to a coach dubbed the Tinkerman at Chelsea for the constant changes he used to make.

But Ranieri, who led Leicester to their incredible 5000-1 title triumph in 2016, said: “I’m the

Tinkerman but I tinker clever. It’s important all my players are available, I start with one line-up and can change.

“Remember at Leicester I started without N’golo Kante, Danny Simpson and Christian Fuchs, and slowly, slowly it was good.

“I choose the first XI but it’s important the other players don’t go down.

“They have an opportunity. Everyone is in the Premier League, if they go down, everybody is in the Championship.”