Cherries on top: Bournemouth and Scott Parker the perfect match
Tonight on the south coast, AFC Bournemouth will be looking to continue a start to the Championship season that has gone from impressive to record-breaking.
Heading into their match against struggling Preston North End, the Cherries have amassed 37 points from their opening 15 games, with a positive goal difference of 18. That’s the best undefeated start to a Championship season since the division’s inception in 2004.
Sheffield United matched the 37-point tally in 2005-06 under Neil Warnock, but lost two games in their opening 15 matches.
At the helm of Bournemouth’s fine start is manager Scott Parker, who took the reins in June after leaving Fulham by mutual consent.
His task is to lead Bournemouth back into the Premier League, something he accomplished at his former club in 2019-20. This time he will hope not to suffer immediate relegation back to the second tier, as he did while at Fulham.
On Saturday, after winning 2-0 at Reading to cement Bournemouth’s landmark start, Parker said: “It’s a massive achievement, certainly in this division.
“They [the players] need to understand how that got there and they do understand. It’s through hard work and a real desire.
“I’m not one for records but in saying that, they’re records you want to break. The main focus is moving and driving forward.”
In Parker, Bournemouth have found a coach who has them well drilled, quick to capitalise on the opportunities that come their way and rock solid in defence.
The Cherries haven’t conceded a goal since 2 October, when Morgan Gibbs-White netted for Sheffield United, and have only seen the opposition find the back of their net eight times since the start of the season.
Former England, Charlton, Chelsea, West Ham, Tottenham, Fulham and Newcastle United midfielder Parker earned a reputation for being a tough tackler who kept it simple. Taking Bournemouth back to their basics has paid dividends.
It is also keeping his new club five points ahead of his last one, who lie second. While at Fulham, Parker won just 35 per cent of his 105 matches in charge, albeit this included a season in the Premier League. In his current position at Bournemouth, his win rate is above 70 per cent.
For now at least, Parker and the Cherries seem to work well together, an impressive squad with a manager making an instant impression.
Following their win on Saturday, Cherries’ chairman Jeff Mostyn said: “Another huge three points on the road. Congratulations to Scott and the boys. What a start to the season.”
Unlike some of the clubs in the league above them, and around them, Bournemouth look to be on the same page from top to bottom.
They’ve got goals, with former Chelsea and Liverpool forward Dominic Solanke finally blossoming, and ex-Huddersfield man Philip Billing weighing in from midfield.
Defensively they have been even better and have now topped 11 playing hours without conceding a goal away from home.
Bournemouth, naturally, are favourites tonight against a Preston side lingering in 19th.
Ultimately, though, promotion is the goal in the Championship and in Bournemouth’s choice to cherry-pick Parker, they have been rewarded with a near perfect start in their quest to go straight back up.