Watching yesterday’s game at Bournemouth, I thought we had just the one preening narcissist to deal with – more on referee Graham Scott later – but then I read Scott Parker’s post-match comments. It is possible to consider the former Fulham manager as someone with immense potential as a young coach if he learns from the mistakes he made in his first managerial job, but he will also have to stop deluding himself about why the Fulham faithful have taken a dislike to the man who wore the captain’s armband and finished his career as a regular fixture in our midfield.
Parker’s suggestion that his Fulham side and the one that Marco Silva has led to promotion were ‘very similar if not identical seemed to stretch credulity,’ but the Bournemouth boss verged on the preposterous after the final whistle claiming to be deeply hurt by the opprobrium of the visiting support. His actions at the end of a cagey encounter between the division’s two leading sides firmly established the ex-England captain believes the world revolves around him. There he was holding back Silva after the Portuguese coach had been sent from the field – having previously aimed barbs in his direction – and he even inched towards the Fulham fans to applaud them after Dominic Solanke had equalised with the contentious stoppage-time spot-kick.
Parker is a masterful manipulator of the media, which seems to be a pre-requisite in modern management if not in Downing Street these days. He also writes a good line in revisionist history. When he claimed to have taken Fulham over in complete despair, he neglects to mention his own role in backroom upheaval ahead of Fulham’s return to the top flight, when his decision to return to Craven Cottage from Tottenham displaced the popular Stuart Gray. Parker pushed to succeed Slavisa Jokanovic in the run up to the sacking of the Serbian and before the club’s hierarchy disastrously plumped for Claudio Ranieri.
He deserves credit for turning round a losing mentality and guiding the Whites up via the Championship play-offs, but his safety-first approach sucked all the life out of what might have been an enterprising Fulham side. Parker’s pragmatism turned a team that, having recruited the likes of Ivan Cavaleiro, Anthony Knockaert and Bobby Decordova-Reid to supplement Aleksandar Mitrovic, plodded their way to promotion rather than putting their opponents to the sword. It was telling that the early-season romp over Millwall, lauded for Fulham’s scarcely-believable possession statistics, proved to be an anomaly rather than the norm. In what now looks like an ominous foreshadowing of what was to follow, Mitrovic scored 26 goals but hardly looked the fulcrum of a ponderous attack.
Parker still firmly believes that he gave everything to improve Fulham and did a good job. The puff pieces in the media that increased in regularity when the Whites looked like winning their battle against the drop might maintain that pretence, but the evidence to contrary is compelling. A squad comprising Alphonse Areola, Kenny Tete, Joachim Anderson, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andre-Franck Anguissa, Harrison Reed, Ademola Lookman, Fabio Carvalho and Mitrovic should have made a much better fist of staying up but were suffocated by Parker’s pre-occupation with keeping things tight. It suits Parker to suggest that he left Fulham in a good place, but the opposite is the only accurate way to assess the shambles that Silva inherited last summer.
Fulham were relegated having scored just nine home league goals and the fewest points at home of any club in Premier League history. Parker had ostracised a number of key players, with the veteran Tim Ream – rarely a man to offer public words of condemnation – demoted to the sidelines alongside Mitrovic, who was excluded in favour of not just Josh Maja but the woeful finishing of Ivan Cavaleiro, and Joe Bryan. Morale was low enough after Fulham folded from a position of strength built by two wins on Merseyside, but Parker’s flirtation with Bournemouth – well known in football circles for much of last season – not only impacted upon the denouement of an underwhelming season but their preparations for another Championship campaign.
The pretty straight sort of guy angled for a pay-off whilst making eyes at his future employers. He took virtually the entire Fulham first team coaching set-up to the south coast after trying to encourage Fulham to sell the likes of Mitrovic and Tom Cairney in favour of another ruinous rebuild. It was a wholly unedifying episode, but Parker’s departure ultimately benefited the Whites immeasurably. Whilst his sterile and limited football has been transported to Dorset, Fulham have become an adventurous outfit under Silva and shouldn’t be unduly perturbed by yesterday’s stoppage time setback. It is difficult to dislike Bournemouth’s knowledgeable, generous and pleasant fan base but Parker’s presence in the Dean Court dugout means Fulham fans will always have a reason to. We’ll have to live with the fashionista’s enduring pain.
Parker even sought to question whether the goal-line technology was at fault for Mitrovic’s opener yesterday, which was audacious even for a peddler of alternative facts. Bournemouth ultimately profited from Graham Scott’s strange officiating – however stupid Harry Wilson was to give the referee a decision to make right at the death, and I wonder if he might have quibbled with that had it occurred in the other penalty area. The ex-Old Abingdon official’s presence on the PGMOL select group list, branded a mistake by the legendary Keith Hackett, is a curiosity given that he was set to be demoted at the end of a poor first season and was only saved by a personal appeal. Scott, of course, is another man who thinks we have all paid to watch him: as demonstrated by the way he ruined what might have been an intriguing contest by chucking cards around like confetti.
Well said and very true
Can we move on now? Wasting unnecessary oxygen and brain space thinking about Parker. Would much rather focus on the positives of our squad and manager right now
Spot on Dan. Parker’s all-about-me approach is laughable and this article is probably too kind to him given what we all endured.
Great article, Dan.
Spot on and all needed saying.
Personally, whilst I consider it unlikely, I would love to see Notts Forest pip Bournemouth to second place. Would be justice.
Justice for who? As AFCB fans we didn’t pick Parker and surely our players deserve all the success due for their efforts this season!! As do yours!!
Excellent comment’s Scot Parker lives in Dream Land and negative’ coaching
Parker is a very boring man that sucks the life out of the game and art that is football. Good riddance. Onwards and upwards
Parker was a poor coach for FFC. All he could really do was organize possession in unthreatening areas of the pitch.
Silva has shown him up by reorganizing the teams tactics to play to the main asset at the club. i.e. Mitro.
As a club we are fortunate that Mitro stayed and Parker left.
Parker for me will always be Lady Penelope’s driver. A lackey and subservient who couldn’t hack it at Fulham and went off to some far flung outpost where he will ultimately be a failure.
Wow. But yes …..agreed to all of this. Plus if Bournemouth do go up they’ll have an incredibly tough season ending bottom in my opinion. Solanke better than Mitro hey Parker. Joke
100% correct Parker manipulating the press again and only a fool would believe him
Parker’s history let’s move on and enjoy winning the league and what a great job the new special one Marco silva as done please please no more Parker
INSIPID AND INNOCUOUS.
PARKER IN A NUTSHELL!!!
Afcb fan I totally agree that parker does not know how to put out a winning team .we’ve got there by pure luck .if we go up we will be straight back down .
Hold on Fulham are not a mighty club in London probably in the top 12 in London. Silva always complaining to refs not just Parker. As for the penalty ref was spot on and if you watched the game in detail how many players should Fulham have been sent off.
Parker is a great coach who helped Fulham retain ability to bounce back to premier league if the team failed to stay and on a low budget!He revived the messy club that had previously spent a lot minus achieving much.He received funds to fund a premiership stay late but his recruitment was spot on.If you take into account that he inherited a Bournemouth side that had sold it’s key players for big sums without ideal replacements, Fulham fans should be proud of their own!
Parker had an excellent beginning to his time at the Vitality Stadium until he had time to win over our lads to his way of thinking !
Excellent & true write up!
Wow , it seems Parker , doesn ‘ t have many friends .
I watched Fulham , a few times , during their Prem.
demise and felt sorry for them , as I thought they played well most of the time
As for his spell , so far at AFCB , well we are 2nd .
Just a word on Scott , he ‘ s not the greatest referee ,however the players have to take their share of responsibility, for their ducking and diving . Looking after 22 kids at a play school , far easier!
Ray Bradshaw makes some very good points – Parker is slagged off by Fulham fans far too much. He had an almost impossible job to prepare us for the Prem in so little time. Its all too easy to snipe from tbe sidelines. Parker is a decent bloke a bit out of his depth and upset by FFC fans who should know better. Shame on us
This needed to be said. Negative first halves all too common at AFC and have maybe cost us very dear.
Sadly Howe went past his sell by date but Mr Parker never had a starting date which is still awaited. His love affair with Ryan Christie bought to score goals will live in the memory.
Gosh, how different things look from the position in which you stand. I agree on one point Scott thinking “Its all about all about me” secondly Fulham and then finally, grudgingly, justice for Bournemouth at the end. As for “being a Fulham fan you will always have a reason to dislike Bournemouth with Paker in the dugout” Really! the vitriol and permanent obsession by Fulham fans to insult Parker ‘Hell hath no fury like a Fulham fan scorned’ I think you all need counselling therapy, move on, he did and you are doing well! you all sound very bitter.