Scott Parker has been sacked as Club Brugge boss - less than two months after being held up as an example for Steven Gerrard to follow.
The Belgian giants have confirmed Parker’s departure hours after their Champions League exit at the hands of Benfica. The former Fulham and Bournemouth boss had only been with Brugge since the turn of the year, but his miserable stint ended in humiliation as they crashed out 7-1 on aggregate in the round of 16.
The club confirmed the news in a brief statement on Wednesday, which reads: “Scott Parker is no longer head coach of Club Brugge. Parker was announced as the new head coach of Club Brugge on December 31 last year.
“The English ex-international previously worked for Fulham and Bournemouth and replaced Carl Hoefkens at Club. In 12 games, the Briton could only win two times."
Parker’s failure is the latest in a long line of ex-England stars who have struggled to replicate the successes of their playing careers in the dugout. Remarkably, this is the SECOND time Parker has been sacked this season alone, having already suffered the chop with the Cherries.
The 42-year-old is one of eight Premier League bosses to lose their job this term, with former England teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard suffering the same fate. Gerrard was the second of the trio to be axed, with Aston Villa parting ways with the Liverpool legend back in October after just 11 months.
Gerrard had arrived at Villa Park with a growing reputation, having guided Rangers to the title in Scotland - denying Celtic an historic ten-in-a-row in the process. But his disappointing time in the Midlands means it is unclear where and when his next job will resurface.
International football had been mooted, with Rangers boss Ally McCoist attempting to warn Gerrard off that route and that he should instead follow Parker into Europe: "No, I don't think so [go into international football]. Scott Parker just went to Brugge, didn't he? I said when Frank Lampard left Chelsea that I wouldn't have minded if he had gone to a European club," he said back in January.
“I think Steven could do the same somewhere in Europe. I don't know if this is an ageist thing to say but I think he is too young to do an international job.”
However, with Parker now proving the same managerial pitfalls are present across the world, Gerrard may instead hold fire for another job in England. Unless of course, an opportunity too good to turn down presents itself.
Eyebrows were raised last week when former Liverpool midfielder Gregory Vignal, who was also a part of Gerrard’s coaching staff at Rangers, tipped him to replace Christophe Galtier as manager of Paris Saint-Germain.
“I’m pretty sure that Steven is ready to crack on again. I think he is strong enough mentally to start a new project,” Vignal told the Scottish Daily Express. “Why not Paris Saint-Germain? They have been talking about him. I am sure he can get a good job soon whether that is in the Premier League or abroad.”
That claim certainly seems a fanciful one, even with Galtier’s position at the Parc des Princes a tenuous one. PSG take on Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday, knowing defeat could see another change in the dugout.
