Newcastle United legend and BBC pundit Alan Shearer believes AFC Bournemouth manager Scott Parker will do 'really, really well' during his tenure at the Vitality Stadium, as he spoke to the Bournemouth Daily Echo.
The 41-year-old, who left Championship rivals Fulham to join the Cherries in the summer, has adapted well to life on the south coast as he aims to register a second second-tier promotion on his CV at the end of the campaign.
He is on track to do so, winning ten, drawing four and losing none of his 14 league games as Bournemouth boss thus far and looking as though they will run away with the title at this rate.
Despite the likes of recently relegated duo Fulham and West Bromwich Albion living up to expectations, with the pair currently sitting in second and third place respectively, slip-ups from both sides have allowed Parker's side to establish themselves as early title favourites.
At this stage, the Cherries are currently five points clear at the top of the Championship and could even extend that throughout next month, with an arguably favourable run of fixtures to come up until the start of December, when Parker faces his former side in the Cottagers.
Former teammate Shearer, who played with the south-coast side's manager at Newcastle, isn't surprised the 41-year-old is progressing well at the Vitality Stadium despite only being in the early stages of his managerial career.
Speaking in an interview with the Bournemouth Daily Echo, Shearer said: "He’s done really well. I wasn’t surprised that Bournemouth came in for him.
"He’s as tough as they come, very astute, wants to learn the game.
"I think he will do really, really well."
The Verdict:
The start of Parker's tenure at the Vitality was so important. Not only did he have the stigma of his recent relegation with Fulham hanging over him, but this was his first managerial move and he needed to get off to the best possible start to convince doubters that he is the right man for the job.
Things can't have gone much better for him in fairness, conceding just eight goals in 14 games and making it almost impossible for teams to beat them with that record.
Although a lot of the credit for that must go to the defence for such a superb record, Parker recruited well in attracting former Chelsea and Crystal Palace centre-back Gary Cahill to the club, with Ryan Christie also proving to be a shrewd addition after a fast start for the ex-Celtic man.
It hasn't all been plain sailing for the 41-year-old though. Arnaut Danjuma's summer departure to Villarreal must have been a considerable blow after seeing him make such an impact last term, but they have carried on regardless and have done well to do even better than the likes of Fulham and West Brom who look strong after their recent relegation.
How the Cherries respond to their first league defeat will determine whether they are ready to return to the Premier League at the second time of asking though - and considering how they reacted to their 6-0 Carabao Cup loss at Norwich City earlier in the season - the signs are looking good.