It’s just Scott to be done my way

SCOTT PARKER knows all about the highs and lows in football – but he is determined to not suffer the lows once again.

The South Londoner, 38 (left) enjoyed a stellar playing career with Charlton, Spurs, Chelsea and England before being crowned the 2010 Footballer of the Year in a season when West Ham were relegated.

And it’s that memory of relegation that drives him on. He knows the pain and doesn’t want to suffer it again, although the odds are stacked against him after being appointed caretaker manager in the wake of Claudio Ranieri’s short reign at struggling Fulham.

This was part of his first key speech to his players when he was elevated from first-team coach to boss.

He said: “It was important to get this message over to them. It hurts. It’s something you never forget.

“It made me even more determined to do well in this game. I modelled myself on Paul Gascoigne as a player. He was my idol. I loved his style and passion, his will to win.

“I tried to carry that on as a player and now I want to see that in this side.

“We seem to have lost our way, distanced ourselves from the fans. I want passion. I want the fans who pay their money to witness it.

“We make mistakes, we miss goals, tackles, but fans will forgive you if you have given 100 per cent. To me that’s minimum.

“I always knew I wanted to be a coach. This is my opportunity to put across my ideas.”

One of Parker’s first jobs is to restore the confidence of Ryan Sessegnon, 18, once one of the hottest properties in football but pushed on to the sidelines by Ranieri.

Parker said: “He is an outstanding talent, someone who was pivotal to getting this club into this division.

“Certainly we’ll be trying to get the best out of him because he has so much quality. I want him back to

his best.”