Bournemouth sack head coach Parker
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Bournemouth have sacked manager Scott Parker following Saturday’s 9-0 defeat by Liverpool, four games into the season.
After the defeat, Parker, 41, said he was “not surprised” and said the team was “ill-equipped at this level”.
It was their third league defeat in a row, having won their first game.
“In order for us to continue to progress as a team and as a club as a whole, it is imperative that we are aligned in our strategy to run the club sustainably,” said owner Maxim Demin.
“That is the approach that has given this club so much success in recent history, and that we will not deviate from now. Our search for a new manager will begin immediately.”
Gary O’Neil will take charge of the team on an interim basis and will be assisted by Shaun Cooper and Tommy Elphick.
“It will define us how we recover from this”
Parker, 41, joined Bournemouth in June 2021 and led them to promotion from the Championship as runners-up.
His departure follows what he described as a “humbling experience” at Liverpool, saying in his post-match press conference that the squad needed to strengthen if they were to be fit for the Premier League.
He added: “This is the hardest day, as a player and certainly as a manager. The touchline was quite painful and I could feel it was for the players as well. They need help.
“I’m not surprised. That’s where he’s at right now. Today was just too much of a challenge. The levels were too big.”
The former Fulham manager also made pointed comments aimed at the club’s hierarchy in an apparent bid to support the transfer market.
“We have a decision to make as a club,” Parker said. “There are going to be days like this. Time will tell. It’s my job and it’s going to be the definition of us as a group as to how we bounce back from this.
“We have a few days where we hope to be able to get help and support and help the current team that came out of the Championship.
“There’s a lot of work to do. The experience today, you never want to be at the end of that. That’s where we’re at right now. If that’s the group we’re going with, we’ll react and see where they are.”
More to follow.
