Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney believes manager Scott Parker deserves more credit for his work at Craven Cottage this term, with the Londoners currently sitting third in the Championship table.

Parker was appointed as permanent boss at Fulham following the club's relegation from the Premier League last season, and the former midfielder has guided the Cottagers towards a serious promotion push on their return to the second tier this campaign.

Fulham endured a rocky start to the season as they re-adapted to life in the Championship but the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Michael Hector and Cairney have all played key roles in ensuring the west London side are just six points adrift of the top two at present.

It remains to be seen whether Fulham will achieve automatic-promotion during the final run-in given the EFL's fixture suspension at present, but Cairney has now publicly voiced his support of Parker who he feels has performed a fantastic job at the Cottage.

Speaking to the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT, Cairney claimed Parker has not received the credit he deserves for his efforts as the club's manager this term, while he pointed to Stoke as an example of how top-flight relegation can sometimes hit teams hard.

'For his first job, I don't think that he gets the credit that he deserves for what he's done," Cairney said.

"People say he's got one of the best squads in the Championship so if he does well then it's because he should do well, but it doesn't always work like that.

"Relegated teams have not always done great in the Championship - you look at the likes of Stoke and teams like that - so he deserves a lot of credit."

Cairney has been a regular in his attacking-midfield role for the Cottagers in the Championship with the club captain having netted eight goals and registered three assists during his 34 appearances this campaign.

Can you score maximum points in this Fulham quiz? Have a go now!

The Verdict

Parker is definitely worthy of some credit given the fact he has led Fulham towards a serious promotion push this season, but the west London club would have surely been expecting the Cottagers to be occupying one of the top-two spots given the quality of the squad.

This means Parker has perhaps performed just below the expectations at the start of the season, and this could be why the 39-year-old has not received widespread plaudits for his work at Craven Cottage this term despite this being his first full season in management.

However, Fulham's season will of course be deemed a success if they can go on to seal promotion via one of the automatic spots or through the play-offs, and this is why Parker's performance as manager should only be fully judged at the end of the campaign.