Southampton appoint former Blackburn Rovers boss Parker as new head coach | OneFootball

Southampton have appointed former Blackburn Rovers boss Simon Parker as their new first team head coach.

WSL Full-Time were informed of the news via an official club press release from The Saints this evening.

The 39-year-old joins Southampton after recently leaving his role at Blackburn Rovers following the club’s decision to withdraw from Barclays WSL2.

Parker is one of the most highly-regarded young managers in Barclays WSL2. In his previous head coach roles at Lewes and Blackburn Rovers, he guided the two clubs to their highest-ever league positions, breaking points records along the way. Parker has a good track record with individual player management while he has excelled with the tactical side of the game.

With the right financial backing, Parker could be one of the best coaches in England and he will be hoping to get the very best out of the players at new club Southamption.

After being appointed Southampton’s first team head coach, Parker said “This is a club that means quite a lot to me, I’m local to the area, a club that my family supports, my friends support, so it means a lot to have the opportunity to be here and it’s a great project. I’m really excited to get started.

“For me this is a higher level in everything that surrounds the club, so it’s also an opportunity for me to show I can do more – I’m looking forward to expanding on that and showing there’s a different side to me.

“I’m really excited to meet [the fans], one of the big parts of Southampton, they’re massive. You get good, good crowds which is really needed in a competitive league like this.

“Hopefully, regardless of everything else, we want them to be proud of what they see and the effort that’s put in, that’s what we want to give them.”

Parker returns to Southampton a decade on from working in the Saints Foundation.