Bobby Parker (footballer, born 1891)
Robert Norris Parker (27 March 1891 – 1950) was a Scottish professional footballer whose position was centre forward.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Norris Parker[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 March 1891 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 1950 (aged 58–59)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1910 | Ashfield | ||
| 1910–1913 | Rangers | 17 | (17) |
| 1913–1921 | Everton | 84 | (68) |
| 1916–1917 | → Rangers (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1917 | → Morton (loan) | 18 | (9) |
| 1921–1923 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| 1923–1925 | Fraserburgh | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1925–1926 | Fraserburgh | ||
| 1926–? | Bohemians | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He played professionally in Scotland with Rangers and Morton[2] and in England with Everton and Nottingham Forest during a career interrupted by World War I, in which he was seriously injured. He later served as manager of Fraserburgh in Scotland and Bohemians in Ireland.
Playing career edit
Born in Glasgow, Parker started his career with Junior team Ashfield, followed by three seasons at Rangers,[1][3] during which he had a scoring record of a goal every game but was always a backup to the equally prolific Willie Reid; Rangers won the Scottish Football League title in each of those years, but it is unclear if Parker was awarded any medals, having only featured in 2, 3 and 9 of the fixtures respectively.
With the situation unchanged at the beginning of a fourth campaign, he moved to England to play for Everton in 1913 for a fee of £1,500.[4] He finished as the top goalscorer for the Toffees in the 1913–14 and 1914–15 seasons, the latter of which he was the top goalscorer overall in the First Division while Everton was crowned champion.[5]
The First World War then interrupted Parker's career and ultimately robbed him of cementing a place amongst Everton's greats as he returned home from the conflict with a bullet lodged in his back.[4][6] The injury made him a shadow of his former self, and he was later sold to Nottingham Forest.[4]
Coaching career edit
In retirement, he worked as manager of Irish club Bohemians, where he coached them to the Clean Sweep in 1927–28, winning the League of Ireland, FAI Cup, Shield, and Leinster Senior Cup.[4]
Personal life edit
Parker was a private in the Royal Scots Fusiliers and Labour Corps during the First World War.[6]
Honours edit
Everton
Bohemian
- League of Ireland: 1927–28[7]
- FAI Cup: 1927–28[7]
- League of Ireland Shield: 1927–28[7]
- Leinster Senior Cup: 1927–28[7]
References edit
- ^ a b c Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 224. ISBN 978-1905891610.
- ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ (Rangers player) Parker, Bobby, FitbaStats
- ^ a b c d "Parker Bobby Image 1 Everton 1920 – Vintage Footballers". vintagefootballers.com. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ . www.evertonfc.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ a b "Robert Norris Parker | Service Record". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "The Sharpshooter and The Bullet". Scots Football Worldwide. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
External links edit
- Bobby Parker's Story, Liverpool Echo, 2008
- , Everton FC