CHERRIES legend Tommy Elphick’s “whole demeanour” impresses head coach Scott Parker, after the 34-year-old re-joined Cherries in a coaching capacity this season.
The former skipper captained Cherries to promotion to the Premier League and made 145 first team appearances for the club between 2012 – in League One – and 2016.
Centre-back Elphick hanged his boots up for a final time after a spell with Huddersfield Town this summer, and now helps Shaun Cooper head up Cherries’ development squad.
Upon joining, he also claimed how he hopes to spend as much time as possible watching Parker, Matt Wells and Gary O’Neil operate with the first-team – suggesting he’s got aspirations of going into senior coaching or management himself in the near future.
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Elphick is the perfect character for the players left in Cherries’ academy, which is clearly producing quality with the introductions of Jordan Zemura and Jaidon Anthony, to learn from, having helped orchestrate the club’s meteoric rise from the third division under Eddie Howe – and amassing over 400 senior appearances in his career.
Elphick himself actually progressed from the Brighton academy, before joining Cherries in what was cited as a transfer with a six-figure fee back in 2012.
Asked about the addition of Elphick, Parker told the Daily Echo: “I’ve come across Tommy a couple of times. Always been really impressed with his whole demeanour, how he holds himself, enthusiastic and it’ll be brilliant to have him in and around the club.
“A familiar face of course for the players who have been around it and of course for Coops as well, for the developing of the young players.
“His experience will be invaluable for those boys in terms of giving them those experiences he’s faced to help them develop and try and get into the first team.”
I suppose it’s official, I’m retiring from playing, my mind is fresh but my body is tired. Thank you to all that followed me or my teams, loved, hated cheered or booed, it was all fuel. I’m looking forward to continuing my journey in football and adding to the fire. See you soon pic.twitter.com/B2zDfquX6N
— Tommy Elphick (@TommyElph4) August 19, 2021
Elphick, who won the 2013 Daily Echo-Micky Cave award, is also working alongside a former teammate in Simon Francis, who is the assistant technical director at the football club.
Cherries’ development squad recently snatched a draw during a Premier League Cup tie with Arsenal, after Christian Saydee snuck under the goalkeeper’s nose and tapped home when the defending team thought it was a dead-ball scenario.
"The fans were so good, they were on our side at all times and gave us an extra push" 🔥
— AFC Bournemouth Academy (@AFCB_Academy) October 7, 2021
Another goal for Christian Saydee in last night's Premier League Cup fixture.#afcb 🍒
They will face Southampton’s category A B team at AFC Totton’s Snows Stadium towards the end of November, in Premier League Cup action again.
Although everyone at Cherries will be getting acquainted with the table-topping, unbeaten first team spreading a feeling of joy across the board – Parker was asked how well he knows club legend Elphick.
He responded: “I’ve seen him as a player, I’ve come across him a couple of times in social company as well.
“And obviously since he’s been here we’ve had a number of conversations as well and been in and around it around training. So I’m looking forward to getting to know Tommy a lot more.”
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