Scott Parker hopes to replicate the “warmth and love” he enjoyed as a player West Ham after being named the club’s new coach on Wednesday.
Parker succeeds Nuno Espirito Santo, who was fired yesterday with the Hammers eighth in the Championship table and having suffered back-to-back defeats at home to promotion rivals Southampton and West Brom.
The 46-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the London Stadium and will be in the dugout for tonight’s game in Cardiff.
It is an emotional return to the capital for Parker, who made 129 appearances for West Ham as a player and was named Hammer of the Year three times, as well as winning the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award in 2010/11.
He told the club’s official website: “It’s a very proud moment for me to step into this role and to return to a club that means a lot to me and my family. Lots of very good memories from my time here – four years of probably the best football I’ve played in my career.
“There was a warmth, a love, a feeling that I probably didn’t have anywhere else. There was something that consistently stood out and that was the relationship that I built with the fan base here. That relationship and respect, that I felt instantly.
“More than anything, this is an opportunity that I’m very excited about. I feel privileged and honored to be the guy who wants to take us back to the Premier League and to be the head coach of this football club at the moment.
“My energy levels, my enthusiasm, my desire, my passion, it’s absolutely happening and that’s the feeling I had as soon as there was a conversation that this was possible. That’s exactly why I’m here and why I want to be here.”
Parker is aiming for a fourth promotion to the Championship with West Ham
Parker has experience of getting out of the Championship having achieved it with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley. He added: “I’ve been in this division three times and I’ve been out of this division three times. This is a tough division, there’s no denying that. And I’m going to use every ounce of my experience, every ounce of my knowledge, to understand what we’re going to need to bring consistency.
“And that’s going to be the key word for all of us really. The consistency of what we do and the levels of commitment that we get to will give us the best chance to get out of this division and be the team that we can be.”
West Ham United interim CEO Karim Virani added: “We are delighted to welcome Scott and his family back to the club. He is someone who is held in high esteem at West Ham United and throughout the game, and was the unanimous choice of the board to become our new head coach.
“He has fantastic experience and pedigree in an outstanding playing and coaching career, a clear and proven track record of success as a head coach in the EFL Championship, and a deep understanding of West Ham United, its identity and our loyal and passionate fan base.
“We believe all of these factors together make him the right man to take us forward and help the club achieve our goals this season and beyond. Scott has the full support of everyone here and, based on the conversations we’ve already had with him, we believe he will represent West Ham United and our supporters in a way we can all be very proud of.”