A new era at Bournemouth…

Scott Parker has been sacked by Bournemouth, with the club citing differing views on the sustainability of the club for the reason behind the two parting ways.

While results haven’t been too bad for Bournemouth since returning to the Premier League, the most recent 9-0 defeat to Liverpool will be tough for the side to bounce back from.

From an Irish perspective, many will be wondering what this news means for goalkeeper Mark Travers.

Parker put faith in Travers in the Championship last season, and the young Irishman repaid it and then some, helping his side get promoted by coming second in the league.

On top of that, no other goalkeeper in the Championship kept more clean sheets than Travers, and he showed he was at the top of his game consistently last season.

As a result, he was praised regularly by his now former manager, who was clearly a big fan of the Ireland international.

Scott Parker on Mark Travers

“Mark was pivotal for us last season,” he stressed recently. “He was outstanding throughout the season and is someone that we feel has great potential and showed that.”

“Big saves today, again,” Parker told Dorset Live on another occasion. “That’s what you need to do as a goalkeeper. You need to be in the game for the big moments and Travs was. He pulled off some big saves for us.

“I’m very pleased with him overall and in his whole game. He has developed into a very good goalie and a very good person as well. I sense a presence about him now and he’s growing.”

Parker leaving the club does leave the door open for Travers to be replaced by former Barcelona goalkeeper Neto, who was brought in just two weeks ago.

On the other hand, it gives the youngster a chance to impress whoever it is that does get the job, and based on how he performed last season, he should be well able to do that.