"What I stand for" - Scott Parker responds to reaction of Burnley supporters | OneFootball

Not everyone of a Claret persuasion has been wowed by the club's decision to go with Parker.

Highlights

Scott Parker has responded to some Burnley fans' lukewarm reaction to his appointment.

It's safe to say that not every fan of the Clarets was enamoured by the club's decision to bring in the former Club Brugge, AFC Bournemouth and Fulham boss, in large part because of a certain aspect of his record with those clubs.

The latter two were brought back to the Premier League from the Championship by Parker, which, ultimately, is what Burnley want to achieve.

However, once he got to the top flight, he largely crashed and burned.

His perception at the highest level wasn't helped by his short stint in Belgium either - Brugge sacked him after 12 games.

But he's Burnley's man now, and we are yet to see what he can do with this young, talented group of players. Judgement should probably be reserved until we see football back at Turf Moor.

That didn't stop some supporters from being underwhelmed when the 43-year-old was chosen, given previous links to the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy and other potentially more vibrant, inspiring options.

Scott Parker's response to Burnley fans' reaction to his appointment

The ex-Cherries and Cottagers boss has presented his case to fans to try and win over those who aren't quite convinced by him.

He said, via the Burnley Express: "I’m not aware of that because I don’t engage in the social media aspect of things, but I understand the way football is and how things on social media can transpire and how a narrative can be set.

"All I can say is that I’m a young boy out of inner city London off a council estate and there’s a driving ambition in me that I think correlates with this town.

"While there’s a tactical element and a real detailed element of how I want my teams to play, there’s also some core values that I stand for and represent.

"When I look at the people here, they represent that as well and I will put my absolute everything, my heart and soul into this job to get this club to the Premier League. There will be no stone left unturned in terms of the work ethic, in terms of the team they’re going to see."

"At times there will be a couple of bumps along the way, it’s not always going to be the most fluid, lovely football. That’s just part of professional football," continued Parker.

"But the one thing you can guarantee, this team will have big hearts, big souls and there will be a passion about this team that represents the local people and me. That’s what I stand for.

"While I get there might be some different opinions on that, it’s down to me and the group of players to change that and I’m hoping we can do that."

Scott Parker shouldn't be written off just yet

In terms of unpredictability and uncertainty, this appointment is probably as full of those aspects as the decision to go with Vincent Kompany as Sean Dyche's successor was back in 2022.

His record at Anderlecht was pretty good, but he had no experience of being a manager in England.

Parker does, and his history of being a boss in the Championship is a very good one, with two promotions under his belt. Maybe, because they have an idea of what they can expect, that's why not all the Burnley supporters are so enthusiastic about Parker.

But records are allowed to change, and often do. He shouldn't be written off just yet, because the past tells us that he's likely to prove a fair amount of people wrong, at least in the short term.