Tony Parkes facts for kids

Anthony Parkes (born 5 May 1949) is an English former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder. After he stopped playing, he became a football coach. He was known for stepping in as a temporary manager, called a caretaker manager, many times. He did this six times for Blackburn Rovers and once for Blackpool. As of 2011, he worked as a scout for Blackburn Rovers, looking for new talented players.

Playing Football

Tony Parkes started his football journey in 1969. He played for a team called Buxton. In 1970, he moved to Blackburn Rovers. He stayed with Blackburn Rovers for the rest of his playing career.

Rovers Career

Tony played a lot of games for Blackburn Rovers. He appeared in 350 league matches. During his time as a player, he scored 38 goals. He stopped playing professional football in 1982.

Coaching Football

After retiring as a player, Tony Parkes continued his career at Blackburn Rovers. He joined their coaching team. He became an assistant manager, helping the main coach.

Caretaker Manager Roles

Tony Parkes became a "caretaker manager" for Blackburn Rovers six times. A caretaker manager is someone who takes charge of a team temporarily. This happens when the main manager leaves or is fired. Tony stepped in when different managers left the club. He took over from Bobby Saxton, Don Mackay, Ray Harford, Roy Hodgson, Brian Kidd, and Graeme Souness.

Blackburn Rovers' Big Changes

During Tony's time as a coach, Blackburn Rovers went through huge changes. When he first became a caretaker manager in 1986, the team was struggling. They were in the Second Division and had not been in the top league for about 20 years.

Five years later, during his second caretaker spell, something big happened. A local businessman named Jack Walker bought the club. He invested a lot of money. Blackburn Rovers became a rich and ambitious team. They aimed to get promoted to the new FA Premier League. They achieved this goal under their new manager, Kenny Dalglish.

By the time Tony was caretaker manager for the third time, Blackburn Rovers had won the Premier League title. This was their first top league title since 1914. However, their performance had dropped. Tony took charge until the end of that season and helped the team avoid being relegated.

His fourth time as caretaker manager was in 1999. Blackburn Rovers had been relegated from the Premier League. Tony hoped to get the team promoted back up. He also hoped to become the full-time manager. He was in charge for four months. Then, Graeme Souness was appointed as manager, and Tony stayed on as his assistant.

When Souness left in 2004, Tony took temporary charge again. He managed the team until Mark Hughes became the new manager.

Leaving Blackburn Rovers

In November 2004, Tony Parkes left Blackburn Rovers. He had been with the club for 34 years. The new manager, Mark Hughes, wanted to choose his own coaching staff. Tony was upset because he found out he was sacked from his daughter, who heard it on the radio. He felt he deserved more respect after so many years with the club.

In May 2005, Tony was given a special "testimonial match." This is a game played to honor a player or coach for their long service. Many former Rovers stars, like Alan Shearer, came back to play in the game.

Time at Blackpool

In December 2005, Tony Parkes became the assistant manager at Blackpool. He worked with Simon Grayson, who was the caretaker manager at the time. Tony helped Blackpool win promotion to the Football League Championship in the 2006–07 season. They won a play-off final against Yeovil Town at Wembley.

In March 2008, he signed a new contract to stay at Blackpool until 2010.

Seventh Caretaker Role

In December 2008, Tony Parkes became a caretaker manager for the seventh time in his career. This happened after Simon Grayson left Blackpool to join Leeds United. Tony's assistant was Steve Thompson.

After his first game in charge, Tony said that the Blackpool board might give him the job permanently. This would happen if the team kept playing well. Blackpool finished the 2008–09 season in 16th place in The Championship.

In May 2009, Tony met with the club chairman, Karl Oyston. They disagreed about the terms of a new contract. Tony felt the offer was unfair and left Blackpool. He said he couldn't understand why he received such an offer after all he had done for the club.

Managerial Statistics

Here is a summary of Tony Parkes' record as a caretaker manager:

Personal Life and Health

In 2020, Tony Parkes was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This is a condition that affects memory and thinking. To help support Tony and his family with the costs of his care, a special football match was held. The game between Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool on 9 April 2022, was dedicated to him. Fundraising efforts are also planned to continue helping his family.