Josh Parker departs for Burton
Apparently Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants a leader, so away Josh Parker goes.
The thing that most surprises me reading the Burton press release is that he's only 30. I assumed he was coming to the end of his career, not still at his peak. It must have been even more frustrating to spend the last 18 months on our bench at best.
https://www.burtonalbionfc.co.uk/news/2021/january/1501-parker/
Oh well, good to get a player off the books who had no chance of being played. Even though one of Gareth's finest strengths is his ability to pick a player in the transfer market I think even he would accept this one was a failure of his. When he signed him at the end of last summer he just seemed like one player too many. And that's before we get to the insane conspiracy theorising.
However I will say I think our release announcing he's gone is somewhat graceless. Would it have killed us to have put in an anodyne comment summarising his contribution to the club?
https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/2021/january/parker-makes-burton-move/
Comments
The announcement is strangely brief. I don't want to speculate any further than saying it feels like maybe both sides haven't left on the greatest terms; given he was part of a historic promotion winning squad you'd expect something a little more thankful.
Good luck to him
Does seem a brief statement leaving a void for speculation as to why. Seems a complex guy who was a valued member of the squad dynamic. I was excited when we signed him after his play off exploits with Charlton. Never let us down when he played but never made the leap up the pecking order he needed.
Good luck at Burton Josh.
Good luck to him.
One of the least successful signing of recent years. Perhaps one day we’ll find out what the issue was that led to him playing so few games. In any case, his attitude during rare appearances seemed ok and it is certainly best for everyone that he’s allowed to move on.
Did his finest work leading the cheerleading at the playoff games.
Never really got near it on the pitch as we were stacked with attackers last year let alone this year in a higher league.
Someone on here was adamant he'd been a success which is a real stretch.
I'm surprised he managed as many as 22 games! His minute per appearance ratio must be extremaly low
Both clubs statement make it clear that parker joins Burton AFTER leaving Wycombe rather than joining from Wycombe. Suggests we must have paid some or all of his contract off.
If Burton's statement is right, didn't realise he was an ex Wycombe schoolboy.
Those speculating that the briefness of the statement might suggest there have been a falling out between club and player should remember that staff are currently all self isolating due to the Covid outbreak at the club.
Under the circumstance I'm greatful for any news at all.
It can't have been easy for any of the players over the last year - not as bad as a great number of others though, I realise - and no one knows what effect that has had on Josh.
Personally I wish him well, hopefully he gets to play regularly and has some successful years ahead.
I hope he makes a roaring success of it. Burton feel a little like a kindred club - one of the traditional non-leaguers (basically, clubs promoted from 1986 onwards) who made it to the second tier, along with ourselves and Yeovil.
One of the strangest aspects of 'Close Quarters' (to me) was the extensive interview with the peripheral Parker, when JJ never received a section. I suppose that must goes to show that Parker is an interesting character beyond what he was able to contribute on the pitch, but I always wondered why the player who sums up the season best (to me), scoring the goal which took us into the second tier, plus the only hattrick of the season and is a great interview to boot, did not make it in.
Interesting that Josh, who has his conspiracy views re Covid-19, leaves the day we have to cancel vs QPR because of ........
Certainly a ‘complex’ character, his experiences in Serbia, his Ringing the Blues interview and the cheer leading mentioned above point to one person. Some of his more ‘strident’ opinions point to another side to his character.
As for JJ interviews ‘the wand’ let’s his feet do the talking.
Bizarre opinions aside, certainly an odd career with us...his lack of game time when Bayo was not at his best a bit perplexing given his pedigree. Seemed a part of the close group. who got us up. Strange. For some the best player who never played. Good luck to him and I hope he does well at Burton.
And I don’t remember his previous 2010 loan spell either, although I think he pretty much turned up, played a game and got broken again, so perhaps not the most outstanding acquisition.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wycombe_wanderers/9221409.stm
All the best to Josh. Hopefully he can find his feet at Burton and get some much needed game time over the next few seasons!
I love this - I always think of us as one of the original non-leaguers too with Burton and Yeovil. Even though they were rivals back in the day I liked it when Macclesfield, Boston and Kidderminster made it into league too. Part of the 80s Conference line-up.
Agreed re JJ not being heavily featured in the book, be interesting to know why.
I always enjoy Phil’s feature interviews and the episode where Josh told the absorbing and incredible story of his time at Red Star Belgrade (also known as Crvvdddna Zvdddnrzzazz or something) was fascinating. I do often wonder if he has a niece or nephew who sings about his time there in a Billy Bragg voice.
Feels like he was never going to be the solution for us as not an out and out goal scorer but clearly well liked by his teammates.
Anyway, good luck Josh!
I always liked him and his effort when he played. Not sure what position he was suited to and the arrival of wide men probably pushed him further down the pile and to play him as a striker was never going to be likely. Which left him in the lurch somewhat. Same as Nick Freeman. Not sure we have a formation that suits Nick either.
Wish him well. Hope he scores a sh1t load for burton and they survive league 1.
I blame myself. He was my tip for top scorer last season thereby guaranteeing a slide into oblivion. As a player I thought he had class and could have shone in the right formation but when he did play I thought he did pretty well.
Wish him well for the future
If I may, by way of an explanation with regards Close Quarters, the pandemic rather got in the way of so many remarkable interviews I did throughout the season.
For instance, Curtis Thompson, Nick Freeman and Nnamdi Ofoborh offered me wonderful insight into their lives that never saw the light of day. I apologised to them all in person - JJ too of course (and he never let’s me forget it as you can imagine ??).
I only had so many pages to work with and Josh’s story about the arrival of his child, his vegan regime, his strong views on health and welfare and his own talents during the lockdown was very potent material.
I had to make editorial decisions within the parameters I was afforded.
When the time comes for a sequel, I hope I can make it up to those who ended up on the cutting room floor.
Good luck Josh, sounds like a good move and hopefully he gets more pitch time there.
I think Josh's story of his time in Belgrade could probably fill a book on its own.
It's fascinating, appalling, inspiring all in one
Thanks for the explanation and makes sense! Don’t suppose there’s any chance of writing them up and them being posted as articles on the club website? Would be great stories for people to hear but appreciate it’s a lot of work now the book is done!
Is the sequel in the planning then?
Cheers
@OldEchoMan - thanks for the insight, Neil. That must have been one of the most difficult aspects of putting the book together - making those kind of editorial decisions.
Sequel - or maybe bumper 'director's cut' second edition? I'd buy it all over again if those four were in it!
I would too along with an expanded play off bit too. Great book that just seemed to cut the final games off a bit short. I understand deadlines didn't help but would love to know more, especially as most of us are missing the 'we were there' memories.
Parker on the bench for Burton today.
Not part of our Covid isolation then?
Certainly will be interesting to find out what's going on.
To get a game called off you'd imagine we'd have had to have a significant amount of players positive, or at the very least one player having a high risk of infection from a relative, and us needing to shut things down to ensure it doesn't escalate.
And in both examples you'd have thought Parker would be under some sort of isolation period.
The only explanation is that he hasn’t been at training since before the outbreak was identified. Or he tested negative this morning and that’s enough.
Josh Parker was last in the squad on Dec 19 against QPR - it's conceivable he was told after that he was no longer in Gareth's plans and to start looking for a club in Jan, maybe also to stay away from training.
Coincidentally enough Dec 19 was also the last time Nick Freeman was in the squad. ?
Hmm. We don’t seem like a ‘stay away from training,’ kind of club tho so we?
Parker came on for the last 15 minutes today - as did Sean Clare who's on loan from Oxford where's he's been getting dog's abuse all season from their fans for his defensive abilities.
I dont see Freeman having the ability to play at this level or even making the matchday squad at the moment. However, his contract doesn't expire until 2022. I think he'll probably secure a loan move to a club in League 1 till the end of the season. He could easily hack it in that division and he would be getting some game time.