"David (former chairman David Moores) and I thought we would be out on our ears in December," Parry told the Independent.
"We thought they might fire us. They didn't, to be fair, though what we did has not been forgotten.
"It's been a nightmare throughout, a dreadful year."
Hicks wrote to Parry this week to demand his resignation, but Gillett has underlined his support for the chief executive.