Bournemouth’s Scott Parker: ‘We need to be humble and understand where we are’

05-Aug-2021 18:18:37 | The Guardian

The club’s new manager is ready for a ‘relentless’ season in the Championship and has his sights on a return to the Premier League

“The other 23 teams in this league,” says Scott Parker, breaking into laughter, when asked what the biggest challenge is facing him at Bournemouth. “I believe in what I’ve got, I believe in my staff, in my players but there are 23 other teams in the most competitive league there is. I say 23 and not lightheartedly but with pure honesty: that is exactly going to be our biggest challenge and we need to be ready for that. There are going to be bumps along the way – they will always present themselves, probably throughout the rest of my career – and we need to be ready for a relentless season.”

Parker is an impressive character and it is easy to see why Bournemouth were keen to make him their manager. The club have long been admirers of Parker, whose brother-in-law Harry Arter was central to Bournemouth’s rise through the divisions under Eddie Howe. Last summer he was out of reach after guiding Fulham back to the Premier League at the first attempt but now the 40-year-old, in a cream cardigan, is in the red-and-black corner, talking about his first six weeks in the job, the rigours of pre-season, learning curves and building an environment that can help Bournemouth achieve. He has introduced music to training, with R’n’B soundtracking some sessions.