Lindsay William Parsons (20 March 1946 – 12 April 2019) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played in

The Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

for

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...

and

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

Playing career

Parsons is from the Barton Hill area of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and played football as a schoolboy for South Gloucester Boys Club and New Cheltenham before signing as an apprentice with Bristol Rovers in 1961 at the age of 15. He signed his first professional contract with Rovers on his eighteenth birthday and made his League debut shortly afterwards. He stayed with Bristol Rovers until 1977, fifteen years after he originally joined them, and made a total of 358 League appearances without scoring any goals. His only other Football League team was Torquay United, for whom he played between 1977 and 1980, and from there he went on to play for a number of

non-League Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to d ...

teams in the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glo ...

–

Taunton Town Taunton Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Taunton, Somerset. They compete in the , the sixth tier of English football and play their home matches at Wordsworth Drive, which they moved into during the 1953 season. ...

, Gloucester City,

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...

, Yate Town, Hanham Athletic and Frome Town, finally retiring in 1990 at the age of 44.

Non-playing career

Parsons took his first coaching job while still playing non-League football, coaching

' schoolboy teams between 1983 and 1988. He later gained employment as a coach at

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league sy ...

in 1990, and after Ally Robertson vacated the manager's position in 1992 Parsons was appointed to the position in a caretaker's capacity, and was later given the job permanently. He later forged a strong working relationship with his former Bristol Rovers teammate

Tony Pulis Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday. Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him on ...

, working with him in various coaching and scouting capacities at Gillingham,

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, Stoke City, Plymouth Argyle, and at Stoke City again from 2007. In April 2013 Parsons conducted an interview in which he criticised manager

' style of play and stated that a number of players he recommended to Pulis went on to join other

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

club's. Pulis then stated he has no problems with Parsons views. However, on 3 May 2013 Parsons was fired by Stoke for a "breach of contract".

Career statistics

Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Lindsay 1946 births 2019 deaths Footballers from Bristol English men's footballers Men's association football defenders English Football League players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Torquay United F.C. players Taunton Town F.C. players Gloucester City A.F.C. players Forest Green Rovers F.C. players Yate Town F.C. players Frome Town F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. managers Plymouth Argyle F.C. non-playing staff Cheltenham Town F.C. non-playing staff Gillingham F.C. non-playing staff Stoke City F.C. non-playing staff Hanham Athletic F.C. players English football managers