Scott Parker: Bournemouth manager sacking, Liverpool interview, summer signings, and Fulham record - explained

Scott Parker sacked after humiliating 9-0 Premier League defeat to Liverpool
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Just three days after Bournemouth suffered one of their biggest defeats to Liverpool, the Premier League’s youngest manager Scott Parker has been sacked.

His sacking also comes after he voiced frustrations with his side’s relative inactivity in the transfer market, saying his team are ‘underequipped’ to take on the challenges of the Premier League.

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Bournemouth have won just one in their first four matches so far, winning their first Premier League fixture against Aston Villa 2-0.

Since 6 August however, the story has been quite the reverse fortune with Parker’s side losing 4-0 to Manchester City, 3-0 to Arsenal and most recently (and infamously) 9-0 to Liverpool.

The ex-Fulham boss is now the first casualty of the 2022/23 campaign and the Vitality Stadium will now have Gary O’Neil - formerly part of Parker’s backroom staff - take charge in the interim until a new permanent manager is secured.

Here is all you need to know about what was said and why Scott Parker was sacked...

What have Bournemouth said?

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AFC Bournemouth released a statement earlier today, Tuesday 30 August, with their owner Maxim Demin stating “I would like to place on record my gratitude to Scott and his team for their efforts during their time for us.

“Our promotion back to the Premier League last season under his tenure will always be remembered as one of the most successful seasons in our history.

“However, in order for us to keep progressing as a team and a club as a whole, it is unconditional that we are aligned in our strategy to run the club substainably. We must also show belief in and respect for one another.

“That is the approach that has brought this club so much success in recent history, and one that we will not veer from now. Our search for a new head coach will begin immediately.”

What did Parker say after Liverpool loss?

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While Bournemouth’s immediate record as been pretty poor, it appears his sacking is more a response to his post-match interview after the Cherries’ 9-0 loss.

After the defeat to the Reds, Parker - in what would be his final post-match press conference - said: “It is pretty shell-shocking in terms of the result.

“The quality (of Liverpool) was far greater in terms of what we have. We can’t be making an excuse.

“There were some goals that were of our own doing. Some of the set-play goals were really poor, I feel sorry for the fans, sorry for the players.

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“We are just a bit underquipped from where we have come from. It doesn’t shine a light for me because from the summer that is exactly how I see it.

“There are players in this team of huge quality but the levels of what they have gone up to, it is the first time they are experiencing this league.

“We are where we are. While I never thought we could come here and get beat 9-0, I expected this season would be a real challenge for us in certain moments and games. It is a young team at this level.

“This is the toughest day I have had, as a player and certainly as a coach. This is the toughest day I have experienced for sure. The touchline today was pretty painful and I could sense it was painful for the players as well. They need some help.”

What happened in the summer transfer window?

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One of the complaints Parker had was the limited funds Bournemouth spent in the summer transfer window. Their promotion peers, Nottingham Forest, have so far spent over £100 million on new players in the window, adding depth in all areas of play.

Bournemouth have five new first-team signings players, but have spent only £24million - the second lowest spend in the division this summer - and have little expansion in their squad.

Defender Marcos Sensei and midfielder Marcus Tavernier were the only players the Cherries paid fees for, with Joe Rothwell, Ryan Fredericks and Neto all arriving on free transfers.

What was Scott Parker’s record at Fulham?

Previous to Parker’s managerial career, he was an accomplished midfielder and started his career with Charlton Athletic.

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From here, he moved to Chelsea, Newcastle (where he was club captain), West Ham and Fulham and was additionally an England international, making 18 appearances for his country.

Parker celebrates promotion with FulhamParker celebrates promotion with Fulham
Parker celebrates promotion with Fulham

After his retirement from the pitch in 2017, he became Fulham’s first-team coach, linking up with the then-manager Slavisa Jokanovic.

In 2019, after the following boss Claudio Ranieri was dismissed, Parker was appointed manager of the west London side and they achieved promotion to the Premier League, only to be dropped once again to the Championship the next season.

On 28 June 2021, it was then announced Parker had left the club by mutual consent and was appointed head coach of AFC Bournemouth, who he took back to the Premier League via automatic promotion last season.

With Fulham, Parker had an overall win percentage of 35.2% while at AFC Bournemouth, his win percentage was 50.9%

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