Joe Parkinson arrived at Everton from Bournemouth for £250, 000 on
transfer deadline day in 1994. His signing was overshadowed by the
capture of Anders Limpar from Arsenal on the same day but this seemed to
sum up Parkinson in a nutshell. The quiet midfielder was to become a
vital member of the first team over the next few seasons but it took
quite a while for him to achieve the sort of recognition that a more
creative player can gain instantly. Although it was Mike Walker who had
brought him to the club, it was under the stewardship of Joe Royle that
Parkinson was to excel. The midfield, featuring Parkinson together with
Barry Horne and John Ebbrell, earned itself the nickname of 'Dogs of
War'. Desperate to avoid any more relegation battles, Royle
revolutionised the team's style of play and Parkinson epitomised the
fighting spirit that the club was quickly becoming known for.
He would
harass the opposition, closing down the man on the ball as soon as he
had received it. His never say die attitude won over the fans and
Parkinson became a vital cog in the side that lifted the 1995 FA Cup. He
finally managed to score his first goal for the club during a 5-0 fifth
round victory over Norwich City. During the 1996/97 season, Parkinson
began to finally win plaudits from more neutral observers as he added a
new creative dimension to his game. He was only just emerging as a top
class midfielder when injury struck. The next 2 years were spent either
on the operating table or in the physio room in the hope of one-day
being able to resume his blighted career. There was a brief hope at the
beginning of the 1999/2000 season that he may be finally able to start
playing football again. It was in vain, however, as he was forced to
announce his retirement from the game in November 1999 at the age of
only 28, his Goodison days reduced to 4 goals from 107 appearances.
(Chris Williams)
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CLUBS.
1989–1993 Wigan Athletic 119 (6)
1993 Bournemouth 30 (1)
1993–1999 Everton 90 (3)
Total 239 (10 goals)
Joe was on Sky Sports show "Where are they now" series in May 2008 and is now a forklift driver
at "Smith Bateson". He said he got a normal day job because he just got so bored being at home all the time.
In an interview for the BBC in October 2011 Joey Barton said that Joe Parkinson is his favourite footballer of all time.
Parkinson later took on a coaching role with Wigan Athletic, progressing from working with the youth team to first team coach.