Claudio Ranieri says he will be a 'clever' Tinkerman for Fulham

Claudio Ranieri says he is still 'Tinkerman', but vowed to "tinker clever" to keep Fulham in the Premier League.

The 67-year-old was described as a "risk-free" appointment by Fulham owner Shahid Khan after Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked earlier this month, with Fulham at the foot of the Premier League table having lost their last seven games in all competitions.

Ranieri's last job in England was his title-winning spell in charge of Leicester City, which ended in his sacking in 2017, but it was his four years as Chelsea manager where he earned the moniker "Tinkerman" due to the number of changes he made to his team on a regular basis.

Fulham have yet to name the same defensive unit for any of their 12 games back in the top flight.

Ranieri insisted it is "important" to have a consistent back four, saying "I am Tinkerman but I tinker clever".

"It's important to maintain the same line-up for some matches but you never know," he said. "I want everybody available and then I can choose.

My mum would say 'why?! Why don't you put Damien Duff on the pitch?'

"A long time ago, the journalists call me 'Tinkerman' because I change a lot. But I changed a lot because it was the last year in Chelsea and we brought the players at the start of the season and we continued to buy players.

"Of course, I had to change something. I didn't have a friendly match and then for this reason you say 'oh he changes a lot, changes a lot, changes a lot'. And then it was for this reason, I changed it with intelligence not just to change."

Ranieri's said he will pick his team to face fellow-strugglers Southampton while watching television with his wife on Friday evening.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

But it is his 99-year-old mother, Renata, who he is usually left answering to over his selection.

"My mum, when Damien Duff didn't play (at Chelsea), she would say 'why?! Why don't you put Damien Duff on the pitch'," he added.

"She is 99 years old. She wants to see the games. If Sky don't show Fulham on the television, she will say 'Why?! Tell them!'

Live Renault Super Sunday

"I have to call her because yesterday she called me and I was so busy.

"This week I work hard and they (the players) follow me very well but it's not possible in very few days to arrange everything. It's important to play, play, play and never give up.

"I hope to maintain the clean sheet and then if we can score, it's much better. It's crucial on Saturday for us and Southampton."

Play Super 6

Predict 6 correct scores for your chance to win £250K.