SCOTT Parker explained his decision to join Club Brugge, insisting: “The most important thing for me was to be around people who align with how I see things.”

Parker was sacked by Cherries in August, less than four months after guiding them to promotion.

His exit came on the back of three successive heavy Premier League defeats, and comments made about a lack of backing in the transfer market.

Brugge currently sit fourth in the Belgian top flight, but are still in the Champions League, having progressed through to meet Benfica in the knockout stages.

Asked if he only joined Brugge because they are competing in the Champions League, Parker replied: “That wasn’t the driver for me, one bit.

“The next job I took, the most important thing for me was to be around people who align with how I see things.

“A clear strategy, a clear plan. While you can have ups and downs and there’s bumps in any road, which we all understand, just a real, clear strategy of how things are done here.

“I recognised that looking from the outside that there’s a clear structure here.”

He added: “I’m a young manager that wants to be successful. I realise the challenges every manager has and I realise the pitfalls and where it needs to be.

“For me to do my job at my optimum and to be successful, you need to be around that, so that’s the main reason.”

Leaving England to take on jobs abroad is not a particularly well-trodden or successful path for British coaches in recent years.

Gary Neville, Alan Pardew and David Moyes to name a few have all found life tough on the continent.

Asked if he is looking to break that mould, Parker said: “This is a big challenge for me.

“An English coach, stepping out of England where I’ve been all my life and coming into a new environment, a new culture.

“It’s something I can’t wait to embrace and be around. I believe I’ll have a big impact on everyone, hopefully.”