'Pressure drives me' - Scott Parker offers insight into handling the rigours of his Bournemouth role

Scott Parker has opened up on how dealing with pressure has provided the backbone to his success on the pitch and in the technical area, and admitted the burden has helped him forge a path to his current role.

Bournemouth head coach Parker, 41, enjoyed a stellar playing career with the likes of Charlton Athletic, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham, and entered the wild world of coaching shortly after hanging up his boots in 2017.

He went on to take up roles with former clubs Spurs and The Cottagers, and led the latter to the Premier League as their manager. Following their relegation back into the Championship, however, he left by mutual consent and later took up the mantle at the Cherries.

With a spot in the top-flight secured at the first time of asking, the weight has firmly returned on Parker's shoulders. Speaking freely to DorsetLive on the subject, he admitted that his life would look very different without the everyday stresses of the sport.

The tactician also cast his mind back to his time at Lilleshall, the Football Association's former School of Excellence, which was founded to allow the best 14-year-old footballers in the country to play together under the finest coaches.

"I'm all good with pressure. Pressure has been constant for the last 20 odd years, really," he said. "It's the pressure that drove me to have the career I had, and it's the pressures that drive me to try and be successful in what I do now.

"Without those pressures, I probably wouldn't be sitting here, to be quite honest with you. I'd probably be spending time with my family, my four sons, and my wife and just chilling out and relaxing.

"It's those pressures, and the failure of failure, the fear of not being successful, that keep