Forgotten Blackpool man links up with ex-Celtic boss and Rangers hero in USA

Former Blackpool goalkeeper Elliot Parish has landed himself a position at Atlanta United.

Deila was appointed the manager of the Five Stripes in December, and he's since assembled his backroom team. Parish will be heading to Georgia to work as a goalkeeping coach.

Parish finished his playing career in 2023 following a four-year stint with St Johnstone. He was working as their goalkeeping coach from December 2022 for a couple of months, but departed in the summer of 2023.

The former Aston Villa youth goalkeeper put on his LinkedIn that from July 2024 he was goalkeeping coach at Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates. He was working with Deila, who himself had only taken over in the summer, and so Parish has opted to follow him Stateside from the Middle East.

Parish will be working alongside former Rangers striker Kenny Miller. Miller was also with Deila at Al Wahda, and he continues his coaching journey after managerial spells at Livingston and Falkirk.

The pair will be working alongside Matt Lawrey and Carl Robinson, who worked as part of Rob Valentino's backroom staff before Deila's appointment.

Elliot Parish at Blackpool

Signed by Jose Riga, Parish was at Blackpool during the 2014/15 season, and he made 13 appearances in total. It was a disasturous campaign for the Seasiders, who later parted company with Riga, and replaced him with Lee Clark. They ended up finishing bottom, a whole 20-points off of safety.

During those 13 games, he kept a clean sheet against former club Cardiff City and also Brighton, which were his only wins whilst in between the sticks. For most of the campaign, he played back-up to Joe Lewis, who he had crossed paths with at Cardiff.

Following Blackpool's relegation, he joined Colchester United, and ended up playing 28 times for the League One outfit. During a 14-year playing career, he represented England at the U-20 level and played for multiple clubs in England and Scotland, such as Bristol City, Lincoln City, and Newport County, totalling 178 appearances.

What awaits Atlanta United

Atlanta finished ninth in the Eastern Conference last season, finishing in an overall position of 20th. They progressed to the semi-finals of the play-offs narrowly losing to Orlando City.

Unlike the English system, America's league runs from February till October, and then the play-offs take place during November and December. Their season will begin on February 23, when they host Montreal at the Mercedez-Benz Stadium.

Premier League cult hero Brad Guzan is one of the goalkeepers that Parish will get to work with. Guzan was at Aston Villa for eight-years of his career, and also turned out for Hull City and Middlesbrough. Since 2017 he's been with Atlanta, and lifted the MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup, and the Campeones Cup with them in 2019.

Josh Cohen is also on their books. He's another American goalkeeper, and has mainly played in the lower leagues of football in the USA. He did have a spell out in Israel though with Maccabi Haifa.