'Fundamentally': Scott Parker on the dynamics of being Burnley's head coach, rather than manager

The 44-year-old was noticeably given the title of head coach when he took over in June, replacing Vincent Kompany who had previously been manager.

Sean Dyche had also worked under the same moniker during his ten-year tenure at Turf Moor.

Despite the change of job title, Parker is still overseeing both aspects of the role – whether it’s coaching his players or managing them in the dressing room or away from the pitch.

“That’s probably just a title really just to be honest with you, my role here has been very similar to my other jobs,” he said.

“Fundamentally I’m a coach, fundamentally I love being on the grass and developing players in terms of technically, tactically and getting over ideas of us as a team and the team I want us to be.

“There’s the other side though where I enjoy the management side as well. As a head coach or as a manager, there are different facets you take into consideration when you’re doing that.

“There’s personal relationships and there’s that constant dialogue with players, which is really important.

“But for me, the most enjoyable bit is when I’m out there on the grass with the team and trying to develop the players and give over every bit of my experiences. That’s what got me there quicker, when I was around players or taking on information from coaches and that’s probably where I’m at my best.”

Parker brought just one member of staff with him in Jonathan Hill when he first arrived at Gawthorpe during the summer. The duo worked together at all of Parker’s previous clubs, Fulham, Bournemouth and Club Brugge.

Since then, he’s worked within Burnley’s existing coaching structure of Henrik Jensen, Mike Jackson and Elliot Tybebo, coaches who were already at the club.

Sometimes it can take some time for a new dynamic to settle into place, but Parker has been pleased with how the backroom staff have gelled together so far, adding: “Sometimes it does [take a while to settle in], but I don’t think that’s been the case here.

“The coaching staff and the people that have been here have been absolutely first class and have helped no end.

“Sometimes it can be difficult when there’s people who have been at football clubs for a long time under different regimes. Sometimes a person comes in with different ideas which means it can sometimes be difficult to adjust or they’re stuck in their ways a little bit. But for sure the guys that have been here have really helped me, they’ve adapted to me and I’ve adapted too.

“The dynamics of that has been very good and that’s overall for the whole football club, even the staff that are on the periphery of the day to day have quickly understood how we want to go about things. They’ve been a real help for me.”