Three-times KUMB Player of the Year Scott Parker has been sacked by Bournemouth - to be replaced by fellow former Hammer Gary O'Neil.
Parker, who won the award on three successive occasions between 2009 and 2011 was in charge as the Cherries were humiliated 9-0 by Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.And that, combined with the friction between him and Bournemouth's board has led to him becoming the first Premier League manager to suffer the axe during the 2022/23 campaign - just four games into the season.
"In order for us to keep progressing as a team and a club as a whole, it is unconditional that we are aligned in our strategy to run the club sustainably," read a statement on behalf of Bournemouth's board.
"We must also show belief in and respect for one another. That is the approach that has brought this club so much success in recent history, and one that we will not veer from now. Our search for a new head coach will begin immediately.”
And while that search is undergoing, fellow former Hammer Gary O'Neil - whose West Ham career overlapped Parker's by six months - has been placed in temporary charge at Dean Court.
O'Neil, 39 spent two years at West Ham between 2011 and 2013 making 48 appearances for the club in both the Championship and Premier League. He began his coaching career following his retirement in 2019 and was previously part of the team with Liverpool's Under 23s before taking up his current role with the Cherries in February 2021.
He will be assisted at Bournemouth by Shaun Cooper and Tommy Elphick. The news of Parker's departure has been generally welcomed by Bournemouth supporters.
* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.
