THE AFC Bournemouth Emiliano Marcondes arrived at is quite different from the one he leaves behind.
With the club facing up to a second season in the Championship, they turned to Scott Parker to try and guide them back into the Premier League.
Within days of arriving, he made Marcondes his first signing, the Dane having just scored for Brentford in the play-off final and been named man-of-the-match.
Cherries’ squad was going through a transition, using a lot of academy players in the team, with Marcondes’s experience vital in the early weeks.
He scored on the opening day of the Championship season, a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion, and played his part as the club embarked on a 15-match unbeaten run to start the league campaign.
Marcondes would eventually fall out of favour, released this summer having made just 24 appearances in total, scoring seven goals, spending much of the past two seasons out on loan.
Reflecting on his time at Cherries in an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo, Marcondes said: “I really enjoyed my three years in Bournemouth.
“I think we had some very good times – promotion, some great games. I got my Premier League debut at Bournemouth and got my first hat-trick at Bournemouth. It was a great time.
“Obviously I wanted to play more and I also had three managers while I was there, so it was also a good learning experience to have three different managers and living in a different town in the UK, very different to London.
“They welcomed me from day one, the fans and the whole community there was amazing.
“It’s something I’m not going to forget, how they were towards me, even though I didn’t play as much as I wanted. But their support was always there.
“I’m going to miss Bournemouth, for sure.
“With the highs and lows, it was a big learning experience in my career and life.”
Winding right back to Marcondes’s early time at the club, with a depleted squad, the midfielder started each of the first seven games of Parker’s reign in league and cup.
“I was the first player he signed,” explained the 29-year-old.
“We were speaking before he got the job about how if he went to Bournemouth, he wanted me to go there.
“Two days after he signed, I signed as well. It was a great feeling to be a part of the new Bournemouth, also with the new owner Bill Foley.
“But you could already feel the change with Scott Parker and the change in the movement of the club, that they wanted to take it to the next step.
“Scott Parker did an amazing job. He got a lot of good players in, changed the style, the culture, the environment and training intensity. I really liked that.
“I learned a lot from him as manager in how things were done.
“I think I flourished in that pre-season, was a big part of pushing the team to the new level. Also going into the season, scoring on my league debut. That was a good take-off of the new season.
“I remember the bench was all under-23 players.
“Everyone was just excited. You could feel the buzz around Scott Parker and the stadium.
“That was special.
“It was quite amazing to have two promotions in two years. It was a good time of my career.”
After playing a key role early on, Marcondes found his game-time limited, watching on from the bench as others took his spot, such as Jefferson Lerma after his suspension, alongside Ben Pearson and new signing Ryan Christie.
More players were then added during the winter transfer window and Marcondes found himself not even in the matchday squad towards the end of the promotion-winning campaign.
Discussing his spell out of the side, Marcondes said: “We had a chat and he (Parker) was quite fair. It was quite simple in the beginning.
“They got some new players in and they did well. They were winning, so I completely understood there was no guarantee to get a lot of playing time.
“Over the winter we started to lose a bit, I got a bit more playing time. When I got my time, I think I did well, in the FA Cup (scoring a hat-trick against Yeovil Town) and also against Luton I scored.
“I was maybe missing a consistent run of three games where I did well, to really get into the team.
“That is maybe what I am a little disappointed in myself, that I didn’t really get into the team there and become a starter for the rest of the season.”
He added: “There were six new players coming in on the last day of the transfer window.
“I played a few games until March, but I was quite focused on not showing any bad attitude.
“I knew we had one goal together and that was promotion. My job was not to show disappointment or a bad attitude.
“Some people are sometimes a bit surprised I can be like that, but for me, the team and the club, I think it’s best to show positivity, get your head down and work.
“I also tried to do other things outside of football that gave me some more joy, more fire. Working in the community at Bournemouth was something I enjoyed.”
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Given his lack of game-time by the end of the season, did Marcondes think about leaving Cherries that summer?
“I was in talks with a few clubs,” he revealed.
“But we had a lot of loan players, so the squad was not that big.
“That was also what Scott Parker mentioned a few times in the press. For the players, that was a bit hard to take.
“It was not in my hands whether I was staying or not. In the Carabao Cup I played and scored.
“I was close to playing also before that in the Premier League. I was ready with my game shirt on against (Manchester) City at the Etihad and Jamal Lowe came on instead.
“I had a few of these experiences where I was so close to playing, so why should I move?
“Then obviously I played at Liverpool and Everton in the Carabao Cup also, where I also scored. Every time I played, I felt like I did well, so felt I might get the chance in the next game.
“Unfortunately I didn’t happen.
“Then in the winter, we got Gary O’Neil and with him I don’t think I played much.
“It was quite a clear signal it wouldn’t work out.
“So I was in talks with a few clubs, in the Championship as well as Belgium and Holland, but I chose Denmark and Nordsjaelland.”
The comments Marcondes refers to came from Parker after the embarrassing 9-0 loss at Liverpool, which coincidentally marked the Dane’s one and only Premier League appearance.
Parker was sacked following the defeat, having said his squad was “underequipped” for the level.
Reflecting on how things unfolded with Parker after the game, Marcondes added: “Now, it was a good experience to have in your career, to see how the football world can be.
“With a small change of mindset in the players and a new manager, the confidence of the squad can change and mentality.
“That experience, 9-0, was quite traumatic in some way and a big shock to all of us.
“Obviously all the comments from people and also from the manager. The club chose to get rid of Scott and to get Gary O’Neil in.
“So it was a big change. I remember also there was a lot of talk in the club and in the team.
“Everyone was quite professional to get on with it.
“Like in life, time doesn’t stop, you have to keep moving. Sport in general is a good way of moving on. You’re always in the now, dealing with mistakes or failure.
“Now I’ve also experienced loss in my family, I’ve lost my mum and my dad.
“These things in football, when you lose a manager, or you lose 9-0, or you don’t get a promotion, you have to think what can you control and what is the next step.”
The next step for Cherries came last summer, when they replaced O’Neil with Andoni Iraola.
Marcondes returned from his spell at Nordsjaelland injured, eventually working his back into the matchday squad at Cherries, before heading out on loan to Hibernian in January.
Asked how he found working under Iraola, Marcondes said: “When I was injured in the summer, he was quite excited to wait for me to come back.
“It was a long injury, so I only came back in November or December, to train with the team, then I had to get fit again.
“The first game I was on the bench was at the beginning of January and I felt quite close to playing in those games.
“But it was a strong team and a manager who had his players he already trusted.
“I thought it would be difficult to get some playing time. With only half a year left on my contract, I needed to go and play.
“We had some conversations about that, that I might be able to play and that he would love to have me in the squad. But he couldn’t promise anything.
“So it was the same signal as the previous manager Gary O’Neil, liked what I was doing in training, which was nice to hear. But obviously the game-time was the most important.
“That was my focus, especially after a big injury.”
He added: “Hibs was another big experience, to play in a new league, a new country.
“It was different. I didn’t actually expect Hibs to be that big of a club, but it’s actually a massive club up there, with a bigger stadium than Bournemouth.
“The infrastructure in the club is good, so it has good potential.
“We should have done better. I really like the idea of the multi-club ownership, the partnership with Bournemouth.
“I think that’s what Hibs need to take it to the next level.”
Marcondes’s mother, Marilia, died in 2012. His father, Kim, died suddenly just last month, which, understandably, put a halt on the search for a new club.
“It was quite traumatic in a way, because he was healthy, playing football, swimming, then just had a heart attack,” said Marcondes.
“So a lot of things to take care of with his things, my brother and a lot of papers and the funeral I’ve had to sort by myself.
“It’s delayed my transfer to a new club, but sometimes there is something more important than football.”
He added: “There is not a big rush to find something, I’m just waiting now to see what the best club is for me in the situation I’m in now.
“I still have a few things to take care of, but I know all the pre-seasons are starting now.
“I’m keeping myself fit here with my personal trainer, training every day with him.
“It also helps me to get over this and digest it all. I always use football to move on. It’s a great tool to get on with things and get your mind on something else.
“I think I’m at a great age to play well. My best time is ahead of me.
“I feel healthy, I feel good. I’m very excited to find a club that fits my style.
“I feel I have my best years coming up.”
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