Alan Shearer’s ‘tough’ verdict shows Burnley pressure won’t faze Scott Parker on Newcastle return
Scott Parker will lead his Burnley team against Newcastle on Saturday afternoon
Burnley manager Scott Parker (Image: PA)
Burnley manager Scott Parker knows exactly what to expect when he takes his team to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United on Saturday.
After all, he spent two years at Newcastle as a player and succeeded Alan Shearer as the club’s captain following his retirement in 2006.
Parker left a year later to join West Ham and took in spells with Tottenham and Fulham before moving into management with the Cottagers back in 2019.
The former England international midfielder guided Fulham to promotion to the Premier League in his first season in the dugout before suffering an immediate relegation.
Parker then moved to Bournemouth, with whom he also won promotion from the Championship in 2022, before he was sacked after questioning how equipped the Cherries were to tackle the Premier League while airing his frustration with the club’s transfer policy.
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An ill-fated spell in charge of Belgian side Club Brugge followed before he was appointed Burnley manager last season. Parker led the Clarets to promotion from the Championship, his third promotion from the division as a manager, but now he heads to Tyneside as a man under pressure.
Burnley have picked up 10 points from their opening 14 Premier League matches and find themselves four points adrift of safety.
The Clarets have lost five successive league matches heading into Saturday’s trip to Newcastle and Eddie Howe’s side will be huge favourites to win the match ahead of kick-off.
But if the insight of Newcastle legend Shearer is anything to go by, Parker will not be fazed by the pressure situation he will be heading into.
Speaking about whether he saw his former team-mate becoming a manager, Shearer described Parker as being a great professional and having the qualities to succeed in the dugout.
“He’s as tough as they come, very astute, wants to learn the game,” Shearer told the Bournemouth Daily Echo back in 2021.
Alan Shearer and Scott Parker during their time together at Newcastle(Image: 2005 Getty Images)
“He was a great learner of the game and wanted to progress to that. He was always asking questions, so it’s no surprise to me that he’s gone into management.
“His attitude was brilliant. He didn’t say a lot but he was a great professional, always on time, gave everything in training and in matches. He was someone you could rely on.”
Parker made a decent impact during his time on Tyneside and many Newcastle fans will be hopeful he can turn things around in Lancashire – as long as that revival starts after Saturday.
