When Vincent Kompany wrapped up his final post-match press conference of the season on May 19, the expectation at Turf Moor was continuity.
Fast forward 47 days and the former Manchester City defender has begun pre-season as head coach of Bayern Munich and Burnley have announced their new head coach, Scott Parker.
The 43-year-old, who has achieved Championship promotion with both Fulham and Bournemouth, was identified as the primary candidate after an extensive process, signing a three-year contract earlier this month.
Kompany’s departure was unexpected, even after a poor campaign which resulted in Burnley’s feeble relegation. His reputation as a blossoming young manager remained intact and there was no hope of standing in his way when Bayern Munich came calling.
Senior club sources, who spoke anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships, were disappointed he was leaving, but pleased with the compensation package — an initial €12million (£10m). It was a shock, but the focus quickly shifted to getting the next appointment right.
A technical committee involving chairman Alan Pace, co-CEO Matt Williams and other senior board members was formed as the search began. The senior hierarchy was keen to give themselves time to make the most informed decision possible.
A long list containing over 100 names was researched and collated by director of football development Paul Jenkins and football-financial strategist and analyst Lee Mooney, containing myriad types of candidates that fitted the club’s vision.
It was a data-driven search focusing on 12 different metrics, with every candidate assessed to determine their suitability. Key priorities included player development, style of play, long-term ambitions and their fit with Pace and the directors.
Craig Bellamy was a strong candidate to replace Vincent Kompany (Visionhaus/Getty Images)
The technical committee used data, scouting and gathered references to whittle the list down. Pace picked the brains of a number of well-respected people in the industry.
One important detail is that Burnley have appointed a head coach rather than a manager. Kompany was unique, holding a lot of power and involving himself in all football and non-football matters. There is little difference between the titles in modern football but the slightly altered strategy will see Parker focusing his attention just on football matters, while maintaining a key influence in recruitment.
Part of the realignment is to retain a nucleus of people who understand the club’s long-term ambitions and player development strategy so that continuity can be maintained when the head coach moves on. The staffing overhaul scheduled to take place with Kompany in charge was related to that, but retaining first-team coach Michael Jackson and the appointment of assistant coach Henrik Jensen are examples of it being implemented.
The list was reduced to around 15 candidates and Burnley began sounding out interest levels. Some, such as Steve Cooper, declined to be part of the process. He was admired internally but was never offered the role. Initial contact with Frank Lampard was encouraging and he was interviewed, as was Liam Rosenior.
Lampard and Parker were both interviewed for the role at Turf Moor (Clive Rose/Getty Images)
A hotel near Manchester airport was where many of the interviews took place. Burnley’s senior figures explained their overarching football philosophy, while the candidate presented their own vision, philosophy and staffing ideas. Some candidates impressed while others did not. Even some who interviewed well didn’t quite fit with Burnley’s direction of travel.
Parker was the first to be interviewed and impressed everybody with his honesty, enthusiasm, reflections and vision. His promotion record and his experience in developing and working with young players were in line with the club’s. He made it clear, when others didn’t, that the Burnley job was his priority.
Burnley’s players returned to training on June 24 with no appointment made and players none the wiser as to who would be leading them. Craig Bellamy (acting head coach) and Jackson (acting assistant head coach) had been placed in charge. They offered continuity and were trusted to oversee the opening stages of pre-season.
Multiple interviews and informal conversations were held between Parker and different senior directors, including Pace and minority investor, and former NFL star, JJ Watt. Parker duly developed his understanding of the club and built relationships.
Danish manager Kasper Hjulmand and West Brom’s Carlos Corberan emerged as candidates on the reduced shortlist. PSV Eindhoven manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, represented an appointment similar to Kompany. Talks took place, but the Dutchman joined Erik ten Hag’s coaching staff at Manchester United — in the end, he was not close to becoming Burnley’s manager.
Bellamy remained a strong candidate to step up from assistant manager. Before Kompany’s departure, his future at Burnley was in doubt but the Belgian’s move halted any exit plans. So it came down to a choice between two names: Parker and Bellamy.
Pace flew out to Portugal to meet Parker the week before his official appointment. When both returned to England at the start of the following week, they dined with the rest of the club’s directors. Talks were advanced and both parties agreed to move forward together.
The decision was made. Bellamy was informed and texted Parker to pass on his congratulations. The pair would not work together for long, though, as Bellamy was appointed as Wales’ new manager four days later.
Burnley tried their best to convince Bellamy to stay on as an assistant but understood his desire to manage his country.
(Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images)
Parker began his coaching career as a coach for Tottenham’s under-18s before joining Slavisa Jokanovic’s staff at Fulham in 2018.
His first taste of management was in a caretaker role at Craven Cottage in February 2019. He could not prevent relegation from the Premier League but earned promotion the following season. He left Fulham for Bournemouth in 2021 after a second relegation, helping the south coast side to promotion before leaving four games into the following campaign, shortly after a 9-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
His last job was a short unsuccessful stint at Belgian side Club Bruges.
Parker has been out of football since leaving Bruges in March 2023. He took time to reflect, recharge and build his knowledge, speaking and spending time with a variety of coaches including the former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel.
He has also joined a club in a different situation than in the two previous jobs he’s had in England.
At Fulham, he was thrown in at the deep end in a Premier League relegation battle when he stepped up to replace Claudio Ranieri in February 2019.
(Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
He left Fulham and walked into AFC Bournemouth to find a club in a state of malaise and a squad in need of a refresh in June 2021 after failing at the first attempt to return to the top flight.
Burnley are nursing their wounds from relegation and have a bloated squad of more than 30 players. Parker, who has been in charge for two weeks, is understood to be delighted with the quality he is inheriting, but there are a range of situations that need to be resolved.
Internally, there is an acceptance that an estimated four first-team regulars will move on to allow them to play at a higher level, and plug the hole left by the loss of television revenue. Sander Berge, James Trafford and Wilson Odobert may leave. Arijanet Muric has already departed to Ipswich Town and Wout Weghorst is likely to move on.
Parker has a core group of experienced, senior players in Josh Cullen, Josh Brownhill, Jay Rodriguez and Johann Berg Gudmundsson. Of those, only Cullen arrived under Kompany. The Belgian was key in attracting players. Many signed to play for him, so some may seek an exit as he is no longer there. There are also players returning from loans and those pushed to the periphery under Kompany who were considering their future.
Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury would have left this summer, but may reconsider if part of Parker’s plans. When he became Bournemouth’s manager, Parker had honest conversations with key players including Dominic Solanke and Philip Billing, and convinced them to stay.
Will Parker’s arrival benefit Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury? (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Parker prioritises man-management. In his first two weeks at Burnley, he has focused on building relationships to gain a better understanding of how his new squad work. In 2019, after being named Fulham’s permanent manager, he commissioned an external company to assess his squad’s personalities to improve communication.
At both Fulham and Bournemouth, Parker was described as personable, caring and someone with an open-door policy. He comes across as humble and honest as he aims to create a unity throughout the club. At Fulham, he helped to pick up a squad crushed after a bruising relegation in 2018, and took them straight back up.
Leadership was the key characteristic in Parker’s playing career and it remains. He has the ability to captivate a room and knows how to motivate his team. Sources close to players, who spoke to The Athletic anonymously to protect relationships, all offered good feedback on the initial impression Parker has made since his arrival. They have been engaged and impressed by training sessions. One senior club source highlighted Parker’s infectious personality and described him as a “workaholic”.
𝗚𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘀.
Here’s a bit more from half-time last week 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/NJLa7RqVQP
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) May 11, 2022
The approach has been collective and collaborative. He’s embraced the staff he’s inherited and is dealing with Burnley’s tricky squad situation well, knowing he is working with some players who won’t be at the club at the end of August. He is in regular contact with CEO Williams and is looped into transfer situations daily.
After overseeing and observing his new squad, Parker has begun to implement his core values — work ethic, desire and determination — and tactical principles on the training pitch and in meetings. Parker, like his predecessor, uses a combination of collective, position group and one-on-one meetings to help development and understanding.
His preparations are extensive and resemble the work ethic retained from the Sean Dyche era and built on by Kompany. Parker is the first in and last out at the training ground. His planning is meticulous and his attention to detail means he leaves no stone unturned.
Described as a highly intensive coach, when Parker arrived at Bournemouth he was keen to make them the fittest, most physically robust side in the Championship. He has been described as a taskmaster for pushing players to their physical limits. It is a similar goal to the one Kompany had when he arrived at Burnley so the foundations to replicate it are set and Parker is continuing to push standards.
He has a defined, detailed tactical philosophy and playing style. 4-3-3 has been his preferred system in the Championship. Parker likes players to be “dynamic” and wants wide wingers, building in a 3-2-5 shape with high No 8s in a 4-3-3 shape with his full-backs underlapping.
(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
He aims for a possession-based brand of football at a high tempo that is stylish and entertaining. He encourages his players to work in threes in all areas of the field and use passing combinations to find a third player free of his defender. Out of possession, he wants the ball recovered as quickly as possible.
Trusted lieutenant Jonathan Hill has joined with Parker, but he will be without his long-time assistant Matt Wells who he began working with at Tottenham. Wells, who is a coach at Spurs, led a lot of the tactical walkthroughs and while Parker is a strong communicator, Wells was the hands-on figure in sessions and would often join in.
Parker and his players will set off for a training camp in Spain at the end of July, a destination the new head coach is fond of. Ahead of his promotion campaign with Bournemouth in 2021, their Spanish training camp was crucial for team bonding and working on his key principles. Sessions consisted of understanding pressing systems and learning patterns of play.
During the season, Parker begins the week with a debrief before studying the next opposition by watching three or four matches. His observations on opposition strengths and weaknesses will shape training drills and patterns of play.
Success has not always followed Parker, as his spell at Club Bruges demonstrated. Appointed in December 2022, he made the same initial positive impressions — a stylish, charismatic gentleman with an attention to detail.
It was Parker’s first experience playing or coaching outside of England and, while there was no language barrier, the 43-year-old struggled in an unfamiliar football culture — although he had little time to adapt. Bruges, one of the biggest clubs in Belgium, were fourth but he lost his first game against league leaders Genk, then drew with Anderlecht.
Parker’s spell in Belgium did not go well (Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images)
The pressure was on instantly. Some sources felt that Parker became more insular, spending the majority of his time in his office with his English staff instead of picking the brains of his other staff members. They, and some of his players, began to feel more distant, while he struggled to build a rapport with the supporters.
He was sacked in March after two wins from 12 matches. In hindsight, this was a job he probably should not have taken and there was a sense too that it was not an easy environment to step into, particularly as those close to him felt there was some resistance to his ideas. He did, though, leave a very positive personal impression on some staff and was praised for the quality of his training sessions.
The situations at Fulham and Bournemouth turned difficult too. The common theme before both departures was Parker publicly airing frustrations at the ownership.
His frustration at Bournemouth was with the lack of backing he got in the transfer market ahead of the team’s return to the Premier League. As the club awaited new ownership, they felt he had been backed in the previous January with big money spent on six signings to bolster the promotion challenge. Parker felt that, of the six arrivals sanctioned, only Kieffer Moore and loanee Nathaniel Phillips had been influential.
Parker can be emotional during bumps in the road. During the second half of Bournemouth’s promotion campaign, his side picked up only 12 points from 12 games and he showed signs that the pressure was building. His style could become too pragmatic and one-paced, which didn’t endear him to supporters. This was a similar story at Fulham, too, when chasing promotion.
While he is largely liked by the players he has worked with, he can become insular during difficult periods. Those on the fringes of the squad tend to feel the effects of that the most. This was particularly apparent at Fulham during their relegation season in 2019-20.
(Clive Rose/AFP via Getty Images)
There was also a change in system to a back five in the Premier League with both Fulham and Bournemouth, which represented a shift from principles that had been successful in getting the sides into the division. The Fulham squad that went down was a strong one in hindsight, featuring Aleksandar Mitrovic, Andre-Frank Anguissa and Ademola Lookman. Many in the group, though, were loan players.
Parker and Burnley will hope those situations don’t repeat themselves. The outlook is positive and work is well under way. Ins and outs will continue as the transfer window develops, but the focus is on starting the season well. And should Parker get some momentum early on, history has shown there are few better contemporary figures to guide a promotion campaign from the second tier.
(Header photo: Carl Markham/PA Images via Getty Images)
