Garry Parker
Encyclopedia
Garry Parker is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder
for Luton Town
, Hull City
, Nottingham Forest
, Aston Villa
and Leicester City
, mostly in the top division of English football, in the 1980s and 1990s. He was capped
by his country at under-21 and B international
level. He is now the first team coach of Celtic.
player through whom teams would gain their creativity in goalscoring chances. He signed as an apprentice with Luton Town
in 1982 and made his first team debut the following year.
Parker's progress under David Pleat
at Luton was gradual owing to the presence in the midfield of England
international Ricky Hill
. Although Parker featured in 33 League matches over the next two seasons – plus a starting place in the 1985 FA Cup
semi final defeat to Everton
– he became frustrated at the lack of regular football and looked for a move in the summer of 1986.
, a club outside the top flight, who were managed at the time by Parker's former captain at Luton, Brian Horton
. At Hull he was an automatic choice and rebuilt his career to the extent that he was called up to play for England at under-21 level. His only downside was a lack of goals – he didn't score at all in his first two seasons at Hull. His third season, however, racked up eight goals – including a memorable clincher at rivals Leeds United and a free kick against Plymouth Argyle
in what turned out to be his last game for the club. A 260,000 pound
offer came in from Nottingham Forest
. This was accepted by Hull and so, in the spring of 1988, Parker was back in top-flight football.
preferring a partnership of England internationals Neil Webb
and Steve Hodge
in the centre of midfield. However, over the Christmas
period of 1988, he was given a role on the left wing and proved so successful that he stayed there for the rest of the season. He wasn't an orthodox winger
– he didn't have great pace to beat full backs – but he had good crossing ability as well as his known eye for an incisive pass, and this galvanised Forest's midfield.
Parker won his first domestic honour that season as Forest won the League Cup
at Wembley, beating his old club Luton. He had scored the winning goal in the semi final against Bristol City
. A week after winning the League Cup, he was in the Forest team which took to the field for an FA Cup semi final against Liverpool
which was abandoned as the Hillsborough disaster
unfolded. He was in the team for the game when it was re-scheduled at Old Trafford
, although Forest lost 3–1 and he was substituted.
He also scored twice at Wembley as Forest took the dimly-remembered Simod Cup in a 4–3 win over Everton. One of Parker's goals was a full-length run of the Wembley pitch with the ball at his feet after it was cleared to him on the edge of his own penalty area. But for the relative insignificance of the occasion, the goal would be recalled as one of the stadium's best.
Webb left Forest for Manchester United
that summer and Clough paid Leeds United three quarters of a million pounds for John Sheridan, a Republic of Ireland
international midfielder as an earmarked replacement, but Parker had already taken a chance to fill Webb's role in the centre of midfield – his preferred position – and Sheridan was unable to get a game. Three months later he was sold on to Sheffield Wednesday
and Parker remained in place. He was in the side as Forest retained the League Cup at Wembley with a 1–0 win over Oldham Athletic.
The next season, Parker maintained his midfield place and when a teenage Irish midfielder called Roy Keane
emerged at Forest, again it was the international star – this time Hodge – and not Parker who made way in the midfield. Parker played one of his best games for Forest as they defeated West Ham United
4–0 in the FA Cup semi final. It was his third such game (after the semi finals of 1985 and 1989) and the first in which he had emerged victorious.
and was a hit in their midfield, contributing to the team which came close to winning the FA Premier League
in 1993. He later struggled to maintain a place in the side under Ron Atkinson
and was sold in February 1995 to Leicester City
, by which time Brian Little
(who had arrived at Villa from Leicester) had taken over from the dismissed Atkinson.
in the 1997 final after a replay.
Parker's last game for Leicester was in 1999.
, Parker was called up once by England coach Graham Taylor to the full squad, although he didn't feature in the team and never won a full cap, although a number of appearances at 'B' level came his way.
in 2001. His only match in charge was a 6–0 League Cup
loss to Leeds United
.
On 1 July 2010 the new Celtic
manager Neil Lennon
appointed Parker, a former team-mate at Leicester City
, as a first team coach at Celtic.
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
for Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, mostly in the top division of English football, in the 1980s and 1990s. He was capped
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
by his country at under-21 and B international
England B national football team
England B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the England national football team. At times they have played other nations' full teams; they have also played matches against 'B' teams from other football associations...
level. He is now the first team coach of Celtic.
Luton Town
Parker was a cultured midfieldMidfield
Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...
player through whom teams would gain their creativity in goalscoring chances. He signed as an apprentice with Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
in 1982 and made his first team debut the following year.
Parker's progress under David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
at Luton was gradual owing to the presence in the midfield of England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
international Ricky Hill
Ricky Hill
Ricky Hill is a former English footballer and the current head coach for Tampa Bay in the second division North American Soccer League.He was born in Paddington.-Playing career:...
. Although Parker featured in 33 League matches over the next two seasons – plus a starting place in the 1985 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi final defeat to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
– he became frustrated at the lack of regular football and looked for a move in the summer of 1986.
Hull City
Parker joined Hull CityHull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, a club outside the top flight, who were managed at the time by Parker's former captain at Luton, Brian Horton
Brian Horton
Brian Horton is an English former footballer and manager, who is working as Phil Brown's assistant at Preston North End.Horton played for Hednesford Town, Port Vale, Brighton & Hove Albion, Luton Town and Hull City as a midfielder...
. At Hull he was an automatic choice and rebuilt his career to the extent that he was called up to play for England at under-21 level. His only downside was a lack of goals – he didn't score at all in his first two seasons at Hull. His third season, however, racked up eight goals – including a memorable clincher at rivals Leeds United and a free kick against Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
in what turned out to be his last game for the club. A 260,000 pound
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
offer came in from Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
. This was accepted by Hull and so, in the spring of 1988, Parker was back in top-flight football.
Nottingham Forest
Parker struggled to make the team initially at Forest, with Brian CloughBrian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
preferring a partnership of England internationals Neil Webb
Neil Webb
Neil John Webb is an English former footballer and television pundit. He played as a midfielder and defender between 1980 and 1997 notably for Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United...
and Steve Hodge
Steve Hodge
Stephen Brian Hodge is a retired English footballer who enjoyed a high-profile club and international career in the 1980s and 1990s.- Playing career :...
in the centre of midfield. However, over the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
period of 1988, he was given a role on the left wing and proved so successful that he stayed there for the rest of the season. He wasn't an orthodox winger
Winger (sport)
In certain sports, such as football, field hockey, ice hockey, handball, rugby union, lacrosse and rugby league, the term winger is the name of a position. It refers to positions on the extreme left and right sides of the pitch . In American football and Canadian football, the analogous position...
– he didn't have great pace to beat full backs – but he had good crossing ability as well as his known eye for an incisive pass, and this galvanised Forest's midfield.
Parker won his first domestic honour that season as Forest won the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
at Wembley, beating his old club Luton. He had scored the winning goal in the semi final against Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
. A week after winning the League Cup, he was in the Forest team which took to the field for an FA Cup semi final against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
which was abandoned as the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
unfolded. He was in the team for the game when it was re-scheduled at Old Trafford
Old Trafford (football)
Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe...
, although Forest lost 3–1 and he was substituted.
He also scored twice at Wembley as Forest took the dimly-remembered Simod Cup in a 4–3 win over Everton. One of Parker's goals was a full-length run of the Wembley pitch with the ball at his feet after it was cleared to him on the edge of his own penalty area. But for the relative insignificance of the occasion, the goal would be recalled as one of the stadium's best.
Webb left Forest for Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
that summer and Clough paid Leeds United three quarters of a million pounds for John Sheridan, a Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
international midfielder as an earmarked replacement, but Parker had already taken a chance to fill Webb's role in the centre of midfield – his preferred position – and Sheridan was unable to get a game. Three months later he was sold on to Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
and Parker remained in place. He was in the side as Forest retained the League Cup at Wembley with a 1–0 win over Oldham Athletic.
The next season, Parker maintained his midfield place and when a teenage Irish midfielder called Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
emerged at Forest, again it was the international star – this time Hodge – and not Parker who made way in the midfield. Parker played one of his best games for Forest as they defeated West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
4–0 in the FA Cup semi final. It was his third such game (after the semi finals of 1985 and 1989) and the first in which he had emerged victorious.
Aston Villa
The following season, Parker was sold to Aston VillaAston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and was a hit in their midfield, contributing to the team which came close to winning the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
in 1993. He later struggled to maintain a place in the side under Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
and was sold in February 1995 to Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, by which time Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...
(who had arrived at Villa from Leicester) had taken over from the dismissed Atkinson.
Leicester City
His first season ended in relegation, but they bounced back through the play-offs the following year (with Parker scoring in the final), and Parker won his third League Cup winners medal when Leicester defeated MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in the 1997 final after a replay.
Parker's last game for Leicester was in 1999.
International career
In the 1990/91 season1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
, Parker was called up once by England coach Graham Taylor to the full squad, although he didn't feature in the team and never won a full cap, although a number of appearances at 'B' level came his way.
Coaching career
Parker retired as a player and joined the coaching staff at Leicester, later taking over briefly as caretaker manager after the sacking of Peter TaylorPeter John Taylor
Peter John Taylor is an English football manager and former player and current head coach of the Bahrain national football team...
in 2001. His only match in charge was a 6–0 League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
loss to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
.
On 1 July 2010 the new Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
manager Neil Lennon
Neil Lennon
Neil Francis Lennon is a former footballer from Northern Ireland. He is the current manager and former captain of Celtic....
appointed Parker, a former team-mate at Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, as a first team coach at Celtic.