Scott Parker has told his first press conference as Bournemouth manager that he feels he ‘left Fulham in a good place’.
The 40 year-old left Craven Cottage last Monday following Fulham’s relegation from the Premier League and he was announced as Jonathan Woodgate’s successor at Dean Court less than four hours later. The former Fulham midfielder’s protracted departure was reportedly down to his desire to receive compensation from the London club and a falling out with the ownership.
Parker said: “I had a fantastic time at Fulham, I’m very very proud to lead the club, I have nothing but admiration. What I can say is every single day I went into that football club as a player or as a coach, I literally gave every bit of me to the club to try and be successful.
“I’d like to think I did that really. I know I leave the football club in a good place. I understand that people may point the finger and say ‘you got relegated last year’ but like I keep saying, there’s something bigger and there’s something deeper than just winning a league or a relegation really.
When you’re at a football club, the heart and soul of it is bigger than a win or a loss, so I’d like to think I leave the football club in a good place. I couldn’t tell you what reception I would get, but what I do know is that I’m immensely proud of being manager there and what I did there.”
I agree for the most he did is best, and I’m one of the fans that backed him. What I have against him now is he was talking to Bournemouth while under contract to us, and with a club to go to wanting a hefty pay off pure greed
I think more appropriate would have been to have said he thanked the fans, players and owners for opportunity to lead Fulham for over two years and left it at that … to be honest I cant say he left Fulham in a good place getting relegated with 3 games to go ! I too wanted to see Him have a chance but seriously he should have done better and the wish to have his money and go has made me lost respect
For me, this, from the BBC website says it all:
Scott Parker says more long-term planning was a major factor in his decision to become Bournemouth’s new manager.
Have to agree with the Parker more long term planning thing sick of Loan players and having to try whole sale changes each year 4 – 10 games to get a team to gel.
I’ll have some of what Parker’s taking!
Ummm!
Would really like to know the actual ins and outs of what really went on between Parker and the Khans.
From what has emerged to date, it does seem as though the two parties were at loggerheads as to the way forward. Parker had been contacted by Bournemouth, decided to move but demanded payoffs for him and, practically, the entire backroom staff-which Shahid Khan, quite rightly, refused to pay-hence the long drawn out process that ensued.
If anybody knows different, I would love to know the true facts but, judging by Parker’s not being allowed back to say goodbye, this does to have a decent level of fact to it.
However, if this version is correct, it does not reflect well on Parker-wanting it both ways -to move on AND to get a payoff.
He can fairly point to the fact that Tony Khan’s recruitment policy (or lack of) definitely contributed to our eventual demise-focusing on short term rather than long term success (and failing at both). Parker could reasonably expect that this be reviewed.
Yet, there is no escaping the fact that T Khan DID actually sign some decent, permanently contracted players: Robinson, Tosin, Harrison Reed, Tete as well as some excellent loan players: Andersen, Lookman, Areola, Aina etc
Certainly, the quality was abundant enough to have given the manager a squad that was good enough to achieve safety at the very least and, for a few heady moments, safety was definitely within our grasp. But, ultimately, for whatever reason, the performances on the field started to fall apart to a pathetic degree and this had nothing at all to do with T Khan.
This was all about the manager being, for whatever reason, unable to get the best from those same players who had performed so well just a few weeks previously. Add to this Parker’s safety first tactics-rather than playing with real intent at our time of need -and his bizarre, continuous determination to select Cavaleiro and Loftus Cheek despite every man and his dog knowing that both were a disaster in a Fulham shirt and, really, only Parker can be blamed for our end of season collapse that resulted in relegation.
For him to now say that he left the club in a good place is a continuance of his self delusion.
We are actually in a terrible place. We are no longer in the Premiership and we have a massively over inflated squad made up of players that have proved, over several seasons, that they are just not good enough.
Every day we are fed images from Motspur Park and I cringe to see the likes of Seri, Kamara, Mawson, Knockaert etc etc. There are enough to field TWO teams this season.
These are all sub standard players signed on Parker’s watch and they are draining the club of millions of pounds in wages.
Marco Silva has a massive task ahead of him-not just ON the pitch but OFF it-to fix the almighty mess that Scott Parker left us in.
Good luck at Bournemouth, Scott, because you are going to need it.
Whatever your self delusion allows you to believe, you have downgraded to a much smaller club and it won’t take too long for your footballing philosophy to be found out.
Charles sums it up perfectly. Parker wasn’t all of our problems for sure and I agree with lack of long term planning etc but a key part of our problems were clearly at his door.
Parker last season liked to give media interviews saying the players lacked a bit of ‘know how’ and ‘experience’. That is of course true but heh Parker are you telling us you weren’t also part of the problem with your lack of know how and experience. Now you think you’ve left the club in a good place whilst being relegated and tapped up and trying to negotiate a pay off?? Starting to get irritated with Parker’s ability to point the finger everywhere but at himself. Planet earth to Parker…come in Parker.
How can you take points at Liverpool and Everton and not stay up?
A coach is supposed to improve the performance of players. In my view no player towards the end of last season was playing better than when they joined us. In some cases considerably worse. Accordingly Parker did not leave us in a better place.