Fulham defender Kieran Richardson is refusing to press the panic button at Fulham, after claiming the Premier League table counts for nothing.

The west Londoners lie in the bottom three and are set for a season of struggle as they battle to preserve their 13-year top-flight status.

Four successive defeats has heaped further pressure on under-fire boss Martin Jol ahead of Saturday’s crunch trip to fellow strugglers West Ham.

But Richardson, who was part of the 2004-05 West Brom squad that’s the only side in Premier League history to stay up after being bottom on Christmas Day, said: “As a group we feel we will turn things around.

“We have a lot of experience and players that have been in similar positions before and know what it takes.

“It’s still relatively early on and no-one in the changing room is panicking. I only really start looking at the table after the Christmas period.

“But make no mistake, we’re entering a very important phase now.”

Richardson, 29, reckons going double Dutch and hiring Rene Meulensteen as Jol’s new right-hand man at Craven Cottage will soon reap its rewards.

The ex-Manchester United defender, who worked under Meulensteen at Old Trafford, said: “He is one of the best coaches around.

“I’ve known him since I was a kid in the United youth team and then in the senior team.

“His arrival is a boost and it’s exciting to see how he will help us develop.”