Everything Scott Parker said about his Burnley future and relationship with fans

The Clarets’ fate can be officially sealed tomorrow night with a defeat to title-challenging Manchester City at Turf Moor.

Previewing Wednesday night’s clash, Parker was asked a number of questions about his future, whether he still wants to be here next season and his difficult relationship with the club’s fans – which has threatened to turn toxic throughout the campaign.

Here’s a selection of what he had to say:

Booing from fans after Forest

“I think I'm pretty honest and I'd like to think I'm pretty fair and at the weekend, I totally understand and totally deserve the boos.

“The confusion that our fans must have had is a confusion that obviously I have as well, because for 60 minutes of that game you're looking at it thinking: ‘okay,this is perfect. We've written a script and we're acting it out’. Then in the space of 30 minutes, the game just falls away from you and you lose 4-1.

“That frustration and the pure not understanding of it is what lives with us all. So I totally, totally understand the booing.

“Now, there's been other occasions where I have absolutely no idea why that's the case. There's been other occasions where there may be unrest or there may be booing which I don't really get.

“I get in football now, it's become very common that if another team scores against you as another team, the instant reaction is to boo. If you're 1-0 down at half-time, the instant reaction is to boo. That's become a bit of a trend now in a game of football. At any moment, your team can be losing.

“In this case here, I totally, totally understand it and I take full responsibility for it and never would I judge that. I get that.

“I'd probably be exactly the same if I was standing as one of those fans watching this team at that moment in time.

“So yeah, we let ourselves down for 30 minutes and we have done that in the course of the season.”

While you might not always agree, can you empathise with those fans that have paid their money? Can you put yourself in their shoes?

“That message is constant.

“Every time I prep this team, every time we leave a changing room, every time, an hour, they're here having a meeting, there's always one common theme - and that common theme is that the fans that are coming into our stadium, our duty and our responsibility, first and foremost, is to walk out onto that pitch and just leave everything.

“These guys that come and pay their money, first and foremost, I think they'll forgive certain elements, our mistakes, but what they'll never forgive us for is not giving absolutely everything.

“Now, I think there's always been a constant in between of, or a doubt whether the players are giving everything or not. But I can guarantee you these players are giving absolutely everything.

“At times we've lacked quality, but yeah, that's a constant theme. Every one of these players understands that.

“Trust me, like I said, we go out there, first and foremost, for ourselves, of course, but our duty is these fans who are supporting us all over the country and the fans who are paying their hard-earned money to come into the stadium to give over something to them.

“At times, we've not managed to do that and, of course, I understand the frustrations in that, but that's what we're always trying to endeavour to do, really.”

The Burnley Express has launched a new WhatsApp channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our Burnley Express WhatsApp channel.

Do you still want to be the man sitting here next season?

“There's been a huge challenge for us this season, me personally, there was a huge challenge here last year as well.

“That challenge was pretty similar to here, the only difference is obviously, we were winning games and we were hugely successful, but then challenges are there.

“Like I’ve said before, at this present moment in time, this season still has five games left to go and that's my main focus, along with everyone else at the club.

“So discussions and where we're going in the future and what we need to do as a football club will take place in due course.”

Can you get the fans back on side?

“I think that's the biggest challenge.

“Let's be honest in terms of my relationship. I get that there is a huge challenge there for me in terms of that and the bottom line is really, in terms of how do I get them back, is by winning. That's just really it. That's like any manager really sitting in this position.

“But what I can say also is that I walked in here 18 months ago and every single minute I walk in here, I'm the first in this building, I'm the last out and since I've come here, I've put a Burnley shirt on and I've done absolutely everything in my power and I dedicate everything.

“I sacrifice my family, I sacrifice a young 10-year-old who moves up, changes school. There's loads of sacrifices I made, all for one cause, of course, a personal cause in terms of my career, but a cause which is that all I want is for us to do well as a football club.

“Now, constantly I get it, this year's been not successful and we failed and that finger solely just gets pointed at me and I have reasons why that could be the case, why that couldn't be the case.

“I take accountability in certain moments, but the only thing I can say is exactly what I'm saying to you. This is a fan base that are probably bred and have some core values that represent me and are exactly the same.

“Like I said, there is no stone unturned. In fact, probably at times it's probably unhealthy how hard I work and how hard I work just for one cause and that's for this club to try and be successful.

“That challenge was exactly the same last year. The only difference is last year I was successful, this year as a club we've not been.

“But yeah, my ambition is, of course, to try and turn those fans back if I can because I know how important it is. I know how important it is for the group and if I feel that I'm a burden and that can't be the case, then of course I understand that.”

Have those sacrifices been too much for you to handle at times?

“Those personal sacrifices were exactly the same last year.

“The challenges we had last year, while everyone just sees it, it's like anything, and this is just football in general now, it's just like people just see 100 points, lost two games, went on a record-breaking season, unbeaten in 33 games.

“It was a monumental achievement and those sacrifices happened then, but those challenges are still there and it's been a huge challenge for us this year.

“Me personally, of course it is. It's probably been the hardest challenge of my coaching career to date, for sure it has, and there's been many reasons for that. One being the fans and my relationship with the fans.

“I played football for 20 years and for 20 years I've been relegated two or three times. I've had poor performances. But there’s one thing that a fanbase never didn’t appreciate, didn't absolutely worship in terms of the way I played and that's just what I am and that's who I am.

“It kills me that for times this year that's not been the case with the fans. Now while I try and in my rational head I look at every football club around and that's how it is now. But it's something I’d obviously like to turn around for sure.”

You’ve said before you take responsibility, but do you think the finger can be pointed elsewhere as well?

“Definitely, 100%. And I'm not saying that in a way that I'm trying to pass a buck. I absolutely take full responsibility.

“I sit in a chair where fundamentally I'm the guy that has to take responsibility, but I think us as a whole organisation have to take some responsibility for sure.

“I think also there is a level of the facts and the cold hard reality of the challenge we face this year. I said it to you last week and I say it again that really we needed to overperform this year. There's certain things that we physically can't do as a football club and that can't be thrown back at you.

“In an ideal world of course we'd love to be able to invest, and at times your hands are tied at the level of what you're at, but I think while of course I take the majority of that, I think all of us and I think it's a football club that from ownership to players and these players are taking it as well we all know that we've just come up short this year.

“We've come up short and we've not managed to overperform at times and at times we've let ourselves down in certain moments. I don't think that's been over many, many games but the facts are we have really.”

Your next Burnley FC read: 'Never in question': Scott Parker bats away doubts over Burnley's perceived lack of effort