Page "Tony Parkes" Paragraph 3

During this time Rovers experienced something of a revolution.

During his first caretaker spell, they were a struggling Second Division club who had not tasted top flight football for some 20 years.

Five years later, during his second caretaker spell, they had just been taken over by local steel baron Jack Walker and were a wealthy, ambitious side building for a challenge for promotion to the new FA Premier League-which was ultimately achieved at the end of the season under new manager Kenny Dalglish.

By the time of his third caretaker spell five years later, barely 18 months had passed since their Premier League title triumph-the club's first top division title since 1914.

His fourth spell came in 1999 after Rovers ' shock relegation from the top-flight ; while Parkes hoped to secure promotion and the manager's position on a full-time basis, this in fact proved to be his least successful stint as caretaker, and he was replaced by Graeme Souness in March 2000 with the club looking in danger of a second successive relegation.

However, Parkes still remained at the club as Souness's assistant.