Tom Parker (footballer)

Infobox Football biography
playername = Tom Parker
fullname = Thomas Robert Parker


height = height|ft=5|in=10
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|1897|11|19|df=y
cityofbirth = Southampton
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath = death date and age|1987|11|1|1897|11|19|df=y
cityofdeath = Southampton
countryofdeath = England
currentclub =
clubnumber =
position = Right back
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1919–1926
1926–1933
clubs = Southampton
Arsenal
caps(goals) = 246 (11)
258 (17)
nationalyears = 1925
nationalteam = England
nationalcaps(goals) = 001 0(0)
manageryears = 1933–1937
1937–1943
1955–1957
managerclubs = Norwich City
Southampton
Norwich City
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Thomas Robert "Tom" Parker (November 19, 1897 – November 1, 1987) was an English football player and manager.

Playing career

outhampton

Born in Woolston, Southampton, Parker began playing with local sides, such as Sholing Rangers and Sholing Athletic, before joining Southern League side Southampton as an amateur in 1918, just before the end of the First World War. In his first season for the Saints, he was playing in the War League and in friendlies, and made a total of 39 appearances, scoring 12 goals, of which 10 were penalties, thus making him the club's second highest scorer behind Bill Rawlings. In 1919, after the end of hostilities, professional football restarted and for the next seven seasons he was a virtual ever-present at right back, forming a successful full-back partnership with Fred Titmuss.

Parker was described in Holley & Chalk's "The Alphabet of the Saints" as "never the fastest of players, he had wonderful positional sense and his tackling was always well-timed" [cite book |author=Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk |title=The Alphabet of the Saints| publisher= ACL & Polar Publishing | year=1992| pages=p.266 | id=ISBN 0-9514862-3-3] . Southampton became founder members of the Third Division for the start of the 1920-21 season and were promoted (as champions) to the Second Division in 1922. Southampton reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 1925 but in the match at Stamford Bridge on 28 March 1925 they were eliminated by Sheffield United when Parker had a dreadful afternoon, first scoring an own-goal, then suffering a rare miss from the penalty spot (shooting straight at the 'keeper) before a mix-up between him and goalkeeper Tommy Allen gave Sheffield their second goal.

During his time at Southampton, Parker also won a solitary cap for England, against France on May 21 1925.

Eventually bigger clubs started making overtures towards Southampton for Parker's services. At first these were resisted, but with money needed to finance the purchase of The Dell, Southampton reluctantly accepted an offer of £3,250 from Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in spring 1926, and he was on his way to Highbury. In all he played 275 first-team matches for Southampton, scoring 12 goals (not including his wartime appearances).

Arsenal

Parker made his Arsenal debut against Blackburn Rovers on April 3, 1926. This was the first match of 172 consecutive first-team matches for Arsenal, a club record that still stands today. Reliable and assured at the back, Parker soon became Arsenal captain, and skippered the club to their first Cup final (1926-27), which they lost 1-0 to Cardiff City. Parker's luck was better with his next trip to Wembley in 1929-30 – Arsenal beat Huddersfield Town 2-0 and Parker became the first Arsenal captain to lift the FA Cup trophy.

Parker went on to captain Arsenal to their 1930-31 Championship triumph, and the 1931-32 Cup final (which they lost 2-1, controversially, to Newcastle United). Throughout all this time Parker was a near ever-present in the side, missing just six league games in seven seasons with the club. However, by 1932 Parker was nearly 35, and at the start of the 1932-33 season he was replaced at right back by George Male. He made his last appearance in an Arsenal shirt on October 8 1932 against Derby County, and left the club in 1933 to become manager of Norwich City.

In total, he played 294 matches for Arsenal, scoring 17 goals (the majority of them being penalties, as he was the club's first-choice taker for much of his career). Despite being an FA Cup and League-winning captain, he never won any further England caps to add to the one he picked up at Southampton, with Roy Goodall and Tom Cooper keeping him out of the national side.

Management career

Norwich City

With Parker as manager, Norwich City won the Third Division South in 1933-34 and thus promotion to the Second Division.

outhampton

Parker moved back to his old club Southampton in 1937. On his arrival at The Dell, with money available for new players, he set about building a side to push for promotion from Division 2. Over two seasons he spent £9,000 on new players, bringing in winger Billy Bevis, goalkeeper Sam Warhurst and centre-half Bill Dodgin. The most important signing, however, was when he signed Ted Bates from his former club Norwich City. Bates was later to go on to transform Southampton into a First Division team.

By 1939, Parker had built a settled side but the Second World War soon intervened and put a halt to competitive football, making all Parker's planning wasted. Parker continued as secretary-manager throughout the difficult initial years of the war, fielding sides made up mostly from guest players. In June 1943, after a row with the Saints' board, he resigned his position to take up employment outside football as a ship's surveyor in Southampton Docks with Lloyd's registry.

Norwich City (second spell)

He later had a second, less successful spell at Norwich in the 1950s which saw the club finish at the bottom of the League.

After management

Tom returned to his job as a ship's surveyor until he retired in 1962. Soon after retirement, he was asked by Ted Bates (who by then was Saints' manager) to take on a part-time scouting role later becoming chief scout, a post he finally relinquished in 1975. He died aged 89 in 1987.

Honours

As a player

;Southampton
* Football League Third Division South - Championship 1921-22

;Arsenal
* First Division Championship winner 1930-31
* FA Cup winner 1930
* FA Cup finalist 1927
* FA Cup finalist 1932

As a manager

;Norwich City
* Football League Third Division South - Championship 1933-34

Footnotes

References

*cite book
author=Harris, Jeff & Hogg, Tony (ed.)
title=Arsenal Who's Who
publisher=Independent UK Sports
year=1995
id=ISBN 1-899429-03-4
*cite book
author=Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk
title=The Alphabet of the Saints
publisher= ACL & Polar Publishing
year=1992
id=ISBN 0-9514862-3-3

External links

*
*Englandstats|id=730|name=Tom Parker