Parker, Bournemouth deserve credit for matching expectation
Scott Parker has his critics and is yet to truly prove himself, but matching expectation at Bournemouth should not diminish any achievements.
Scott Parker has his detractors, but the Bournemouth manager is on course to make it two promotions from as many Championship seasons. It might just be time to put some more respect on Parker’s name.
In a Championship season dominated by the exploits of British managers both young and old, Parker is receiving fewer plaudits for having Bournemouth in line for an automatic promotion place, largely because that is where many expected them to be.
So while Steve Cooper, Chris Wilder, Mark Warburton, Tony Mowbray, Neil Critchley, Paul Heckingbottom and Wayne Rooney all rightly take praise for jobs well done to this point, Parker has found his own eulogies more difficult to come by.
A mid-season lull which saw the Cherries win just three of 11 league games either side of Christmas saw many – this writer included – feeling vindicated about Bournemouth’s manager and his limitations. Four league wins in a row through February with games in hand on all those chasing goes just as far in underlining Parker’s credentials as a thoroughly good manager.
In his four seasons as a manager – this is his third full campaign in such a position – Parker has ended up either relegated or promoted. With every passing victory for his Cherries, combined with the teams below slipping in terms of form, it looks like that peculiar record will be extended.
Fulham’s second relegation under Parker last season is the real sticking point. The Cottagers made an instant return to the Championship after escaping through the play-offs. An inability to organise Fulham’s defence was the main criticism of Parker’s sole full season as a top-flight manager. He has more than righted that wrong in the second tier. Chock-full of defensive talent they may be, no side has conceded fewer than Bournemouth’s 27 goals.
“This season, #afcb have had two standout defensive strengths. A high press and an enviable ability to stop counter-attacks. Their defensive PPDA (Passes Per Defensive Action) was just 6.83 – better than 91 per cent of all teams on StatsBomb’s database.
— AFC Bournemouth – DorsetLive (@Cherries_Live) February 28, 2022
In Mark Travers, Parker has helped one of the youngest goalkeepers in the division become one of its finest. A previous holder of that title, Freddie Woodman, has failed to usurp the Irishman since signing on loan in January.
About that window. It would be all too easy to say Bournemouth threw money at their problems to such an extent that many other teams would struggle to compete. This is true, but the club’s resurgence on the pitch from their New Year stumble has been built upon more than just a Black Friday spending spree.
Deadline Day brought no fewer than five shiny new additions: Woodman, injured Kieffer Moore, forward Siriki Dembele, Liverpool centre-back Nat Philips and Norwich wide man Todd Cantwell, the latter two on loan. But Dembele aside, they have had little tangible impact on results.
Grading each Championship club’s January transfer window
Summer signing Jamal Lowe has started to find goalscoring form from the bench while Dominic Solanke continues to have the best season of his career; only record-breaking Aleksandar Mitrovic will keep him from claiming the Golden Boot.
Since returning to winning ways, Bournemouth have not been at the levels of their early-season form. In many ways, they were like the Chelsea of the Championship: winning games without having to get out of third gear. Many of their matches were a slog for the neutral because there was little drama. 1-0 to the Bournemouth and so on.
But dig deeper and there has been much to get excited about in this Cherries outfit; the left flank youth academy duo of Jordan Zemura and Jaiden Anthony provided many moments of magic through the team’s consistent periods, while Lloyd Kelly’s performances in defence have brought the attention of Premier League clubs. Either way, he will be in the top flight next season.
Parker has adopted the 4-3-3 formation almost constantly, just as he did through much of his time with Fulham. Doubts persist over his ability to devise a successful Plan B, but Plan Bournemouth is on track right now. They are third, nine points off leaders Fulham with two games in hand and one behind Huddersfield, having played five games fewer. Points on the board may mean more than games in hand, but a team on a four-game winning run should be putting a sizeable dent between themselves and the dotted line.
When he swapped Fulham for Bournemouth and allowed the Cottagers to bring in Marco Silva, it seemed like a win-win-win for all parties. But the biggest question marks were over Parker’s ability to bring more of his good points than bad to the south coast.
With three months and less than a third of the season remaining, the 41-year-old is looking like adding to his CV with the biggest positive yet. Bournemouth were expected to challenge for and earn promotion regardless of who was in charge, but so were West Brom. To have expectation thrust upon you is one thing; to succeed under it should still be celebrated.
