Bournemouth sack Scott Parker as manager after 9-0 defeat at Liverpool

Scott Parker has been sacked as manager of Bournemouth, three days after the team suffered a 9-0 defeat at Liverpool.

Parker led Bournemouth to promotion last season but has been dismissed, after 14 months, with the team having won one of their first four Premier League matches. That came on the opening day against Aston Villa. Since then they have also lost 4-0 to Manchester City and 3-0 to Arsenal.

Parker indicated after the game at Anfield that he felt the club had not spent enough this summer in paying £22.6m for two players and making three free transfers. “I have been clear how this season could look for us and I stick by that,” he said. “We need to make a decision and try and help this young group who at times are struggling for air. Every one of us needs to make that decision. We have been trying to get more quality in and there are a million reasons why [it hasn’t happened].”

Scott Parker's Bournemouth sacking is the earliest in the Premier League since August 2004.

Parker was dismissed 25 days into the season, which is the earliest since Paul Sturrock and Sir Bobby Robson lost their jobs in successive weeks in 2004-05.

Among managers who were sacked or left by mutual consent, Sturrock's dismissal by Southampton remains the earliest in a Premier League season. He departed on 23 August 2004 – just nine days into the campaign and only two days after James Beattie's stoppage-time penalty had earned his side a 3-2 win over Blackburn. Saints went on to be relegated at the end of the season.

A week later on 30 August, Robson was sacked by Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd, who had previously dismissed Kenny Dalglish after just 12 days of the 1998-99 campaign.

The sackings of Peter Reid at Manchester City (1993-94), Christian Gross at Tottenham (1998-99), Gianluca Vialli at Chelsea (2000-01) and Howard Wilkinson at Leeds (1996-97) also came earlier than Parker's dismissal by Bournemouth.

However, the Cherries have acted quicker than any club has in the past 18 years, beating Watford who sacked Javi Gracia after 29 days in 2019-20 and Crystal Palace, who fired Frank de Boer 31 days into the 2017-18 campaign.

Bournemouth’s owner, Maxim Demin, appeared to react to those comments as part of his statement confirming Parker’s sacking.

“I would like to place on record my gratitude to Scott and his team for their efforts during their time with us,” he said. “Our promotion back to the Premier League last season under his tenure will always be remembered as one of the most successful seasons in our history.

“However, 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. 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.”

Gary O’Neil will take interim charge, assisted by Shaun Cooper and Tommy Elphick. Bournemouth host Wolves, who are below them in the Premier League table and are yet to win a game, on Wednesday.