Scott Parker getting the Fulham job after Claudio Ranieri was a fairly unremarkable story when the appointment was announced. He is the club’s third manager this season and their relegation from the Premier League is almost guaranteed. His inability to halt Fulham’s slide into the lower league should not take away from the fact that Scott Parker is someone with a quietly remarkable career featuring a couple of unique records.
An all-action midfielder in his prime, Parker holds the record of appearing for the highest number of top-level clubs from one city. He played for 5 London clubs in the Premier League namely Charlton, Chelsea, West Ham, Tottenham, and Fulham.
While at West Ham, he was named Football Writers Association (FWA) Player of the Year for 2010/11 season. He was also on the 6-man shortlist for the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Player of the Year for that season. He received these honours despite West Ham suffering relegation that season. An impressively unique feat.
At the International level, Scott Parker also holds a record. He was the first Englishman to win his first four caps for the country with four different clubs. Each of those caps came at his various spells at Charlton, Chelsea, Newcastle and West Ham.
Who knows which other unique records awaits him in his managerial career? Let’s park for a while and see.
Written by Oladimeji Sapoloso
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