TODAY marks a year since Scott Parker took charge of Cherries.

The former Fulham boss was revealed as head coach at the Vitality Stadium on Monday, June 28, signing a three-year deal.

It was a successful first year with Parker at the helm, as the 41-year-old led Cherries to promotion at the first attempt.

In total, Parker has taken charge of 50 games across three competitions, guiding his side to a second-place finish in the Championship.

Although he is only in his second role as a head coach, Parker has two promotions under his belt – with his first coming via the play-offs with Fulham.

Whilst his first steps as a head coach came in the Premier League, we have taken a look at Parker’s first 50 games as Fulham boss in comparison to his 50 matches in charge of Cherries.

We have chosen the 50-game mark as it is a nice, round number, but as it encompasses part of Fulham’s relegation from the Premier League, we will also compare Fulham’s promotion winning season with Cherries’ 2021-22 campaign.

 

As you can imagine, finishing second in the Championship with Cherries was partly due to a better record than the Fulham side that secured promotion via the play-offs.

Compared to his first 50 games in charge at Craven Cottage, Parker won only seven more games – but the biggest difference was the fact Cherries kept it much tighter at the back.

Last season Cherries were defeated 10 times – half the amount of times the Cottagers were beaten during Parker’s first steps in management.

When compared to Parker’s first full season as a manager, it is again the fact that Cherries avoided defeat that gives them the advantage in terms of points per game (PPG).

The other notable statistic is that Cherries were more potent, alongside keeping more goals out.

In terms of cup competitions, both of Parker’s teams were knocked out in the fourth round of the FA Cup – although the fact that Cherries were defeated by non-league outfit Boreham Wood is the biggest blot on Parker’s otherwise solid record at the Vitality Stadium.

Those are the numbers on the pitch – but what do those in the stands make of Parker’s reign so far?

Earlier this summer, Daily Echo readers kindly took part in an end-of-season survey.

One of the questions asked fans to rate Parker’s first year in charge – and predictably, after earning promotion, the head coach scored highly.

On average, he was awarded an overall rating just shy of 8 out of 10, ending up with an average rating of 7.95.

10 per cent of fans awarded him full marks for a job well done in terms of achieving automatic promotion.