Michael Jackson set to take charge at Burnley after Parker parts ways

Premier League side Burnley has appointed Michael Jackson as interim manager after parting ways with Scott Parker, a week after the club’s relegation to the Championship was confirmed for the third time in five seasons.

Jackson, who had been serving as Parker’s assistant, will take interim charge for the remainder of the season alongside the club’s existing backroom staff while Burnley searches for a permanent manager.

His first game in charge will come against Leeds on Friday, before Burnley wrap up their campaign with fixtures against Aston Villa, Arsenal and Wolves.

Burnley announced on Thursday that Parker had left his role by mutual consent following the club’s relegation from the Premier League. Burnley’s drop was confirmed after a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City at Turf Moor last week — their 22nd loss of a disappointing campaign that has left them 19th in the table with just 20 points from 34 matches.

Having also been relegated in the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons, Burnley will now return to the Championship next season alongside bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers. “Following confirmation of the club’s relegation from the Premier League last week, Parker and the Board held discussions and mutually agreed that his time at Turf Moor would conclude,” Burnley said in a statement.

Parker had guided Burnley to what the club described as a record-breaking 2024-25 campaign, with the club finishing second in the Championship to secure automatic promotion. Burnley had also gone on a 31-match unbeaten run in the second tier and kept 30 clean sheets on their way back to the Premier League.

The former England international, appointed in July 2024 following Vincent Kompany's departure to Bayern Munich, had earned his stripes with previous promotions at Fulham and Bournemouth.

His Burnley side lost just twice while amassing 100 points, narrowly missing out on the title to Leeds United on goal difference. But while fellow promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have managed to stay out of the drop zone with four games remaining, Burnley's Premier League return quickly turned sour.

Despite their defensive prowess in the Championship, where they conceded a record-low 16 goals, they shipped a league-high 68 goals this season and managed just four wins. They have been sitting in 19th place since November with only one victory in their last 25 games.

'Immense Privilege'
“It has been an immense privilege to lead this great club over the past two years,” Parker said.

“I have enjoyed every moment of our journey together, but feel that now is the right time for both parties to move in a different direction. I reflect back with great pride on what we achieved during my time at the club, especially our unforgettable promotion season in 2024-25, and it was a true honour to lead this team into the Premier League,” he added. 

“The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Scott for his professionalism, dedication and contribution,” Burnley said.