Everyone at Burnley has “something to prove” after relegation from the Premier League last season, says the club’s new head coach Scott Parker.
The 43-year-old succeeded Vincent Kompany, who joined Bayern Munich in a shock move despite the Clarets suffering an immediate return to the Championship.
Parker’s most recent job was at Belgian side Club Bruges, where he was sacked in March 2023 after lasting just 12 games, which he described as a “bad experience”.
The former England midfielder is familiar with English football’s second tier, having guided both Fulham and Bournemouth back to the Premier League.
“As a coach you always have something to prove,” Parker said in his first news conference as Clarets boss.
“I come here with two promotions with two different football clubs but this is a new challenge for me and I think we have all got something to prove.
“This is a team which was relegated last year but had real success the season before in getting out of this division so it’s just not me in that sense, it is everyone who is associated with the club and that’s exactly what we need to do.”
During his spell out of employment, Parker said he spent time working with former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel and had other job offers but he needed time to “recharge”.
Burnley also spoke to Ruud van Nistelrooy and Frank Lampard during their managerial search and Parker said the “long, thorough process” provided him with an “intimate understanding” of the club and the hierarchy.
‘I will put heart and soul in to get club up’
Parker left Fulham in June 2021 following relegation from the Premier League with a talented squad containing the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ademola Lookman, Joachim Andersen and Alphonse Areola.
He took over at the Cherries shortly after and led them back into the top flight in his first season in charge but was sacked just four games into his second campaign, following a 9-0 thrashing at Liverpool.
But supporters did not always take to Parker for his perceived conservative style of football and there has been a mixed reaction to his appointment by Burnley fans.
Parker told BBC Sport: “All I can say is I am a young boy out of inner city London, off a council estate and there is a drive and ambition in me which correlates to the people here.
“While there is a tactical element to how teams play there are also some core values that I stand for and I think when I look at the people here, I think they represent that as well.
“I will put my absolute everything, heart and soul, into this job to get this club into the Premier League and there will be no stone left unturned in terms of work ethic, the team they are going to see.
“There will be some bumps in the road along the way and maybe it isn’t going to be the most fluid, lovely football – that is just part of professional sport.”