Parker, Davies, Rosenior and a salute to the upwardly mobile

Quite the weekend for Burnley in London. They thumped QPR 5-0 on Saturday and victory at home to Millwall next weekend will see Scott Parker’s side hit a century of points. Last night, Parker was acclaimed Championship Manager of the Season at the EFL awards in London. Parker won the honour ahead of Daniel Farke (Leeds United), Régis Le Bris (Sunderland) and Chris Wilder (Sheffield United) for getting Burnley up with his mix of possession, pragmatism and clean sheets. His players have engaged with Parker’s coaching and tactical demands. They have responded fully to his man-management. When Parker talks about his players, he invariably references their qualities as human beings as well as their footballing strengths.

Scott Parker. Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images.

Burnley’s may not be the most beautiful football to watch at times – ahtough Saturday was impressive - but it makes them more defensively robust than some promoted sides in recent years. Burnley will not be open like more naïve promoted sides like Southampton, who never gave themselves a chance this season. English football really needs a promoted side to stay up. The three going up going straight back down is unhealthy for both the Premier League and the EFL.

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Chris Davies scooped the League One award. He’s had considerable resources at Birmingham City, as rival fans point out. Blues bought 17 players last summer. They spent £15m – a chunky fee in the third tier of English football – on Jay Stansfield, who has scored 19 in 35 league games. But Davies’ tactics and man-management have rightly been applauded. An astonishing 105 points has broken Wolves’ record for the third tier.

All the experience Davies acquired as an assistant at Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City and Celtic has been put to good use. He’s stayed calm under pressure, he’s played good football, he’s liaised well with high-profile owners.

So has the manager who could easily have deserved the award. Phil Parkinson has done a remarkable job at Wrexham. Like Davies, Parkinson has enjoyed significant resources. But to do back-to-back-to-back promotions requires more than funding. It demands strong leadership in tense moments. Parkinson showed that. It demands constant drive across a long, gruelling season where opposition fans and players want to drag you down.

To get another promotion with documentary cameras all around shows the authenticity of Parkinson as a manager. He doesn’t do anything for show. He’s hard-working, he’s very real and he really deserves more credit for a remarkable career of longevity and successful team-building. Parkinson, 57, has managed 1,020 games, a remarkable achievement, and his passion for the job remains undimmed. Charlton Athletic's Nathan Jones and Richie Wellens at Leyton Orient were also short-listed.

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The League Two award went to Graham Alexander and that’s some going as Bradford City have not even secured promotion yet. They are guaranteed the third automatic spot behind Doncaster Rovers and Port Vale if they beat Fleetwood at home next Saturday. Alexander has handled the pressure calmly. Expectations have been rising with the attendances. The last three games at Valley Parade have been 20,000+, incredible for the fourth tier of English football.

That is down not only to the club’s inspired pricing strategy and offers for local schools. It’s down to passionate appreciation of a team that plays with pride in the shirt, and a head coach working tirelessly to get Bradford back up.

Alexander paid credit to the two managers above him in the table, Grant McCann of Doncaster Rovers and Darren Moore of Port Vale. Both would have been worthy recipients of the League Two award. Rovers secured promotion with the weekend win over Parkinson’s men. McCann has kept them strong at the right time, and their 10-game unbeaten run has led to promotion. Surprisingly, McCann wasn’t on the shortlist.

The sight of Moore going up with Vale will lift many hearts in the game. Moore is incredibly popular and really seems to have found the perfect home and fit at Vale Park. He’s not always been fairly treated by clubs. He was sacked by West Brom when in contention for automatic promotion. He left Sheffield Wednesday by mutual consent after issues with the controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri. So he deserves the good owners he’s got at Vale. And, like McCann, deserves promotion. Alexander will hope to follow them. Also on the four-man short-list were Andy Woodman of Bromley and Mat Sadler at Walsall. Any frustration that McCann at not being named will doubtless be offset by a glance at the League Two table.

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Back in the Premier League, what more can be said about Liverpool’s title? It’s totally deserved. Best manager in Arne Slot. Best player in Mo Salah. Best leader in Virgil van Dijk. So what next? They need a centre-forward and some strengthening elsewhere, perhaps a back-up left-back to Andy Robertson if Kostas Tsimikas leaves. Perhaps another right-back when Trent Alexander-Arnold goes to Real Madrid but Conor Bradley deserves his chance, and Curtis Jones has filled in ably there. Liverpool might need a young left-sided centre-back. Whatever names get thrown around in the media, Liverpool are so well-run, and have so many smart minds working on recruitment, that they will be way ahead. Liverpool could be even stronger next season than this. Other clubs have to respond.

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Having started with Scott Parker, I feel it’s only right to end this post with a celebration of another English manager. Championship clubs have made many mistakes down the years and Hull City’s decision to dismiss Liam Rosenior in May 2024 was up there with the maddest. Hull finished just outside the play-offs but were clearly developing under Rosenior. If Hull lose at Portsmouth next Saturday, they will be relegated to League One.

Rosenior, meanwhile, goes from strength to strength at Strasbourg. They are currently a point off the Ligue 1 slot that offers a spot in Champions League qualifying. European football of some description looks very likely. Rosenior’s successful work with a young squad has just earned him a contract extension until 2028. Chelsea fans are following Rosenior’s progress with interest. Strasbourg are owned by BlueCo, Chelsea’s owners. It will be fascinating to observe Rosenior’s start to next season should Enzo Maresca struggle at the Bridge. It’s probably too early for Rosenior but he’s developing very promisingly away from the English limelight. He’s only 40, got plenty of time on his side, doubtless still learning, but he’s clearly one to watch. Rosenior has unfinished business with English football.

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Thanks for reading. Enjoy the week. Henry.