So, we saw the much vaunted Captain Scott in operation last night, and it was not a pretty sight. People moan that Upson lacks leadership skills but Parker is no better. True he scored the winner in the final minute, but I had no sense of him captaining the team over the course of the 90 minutes.
In fact, if there was a leader out on the pitch, it was the much maligned James Tomkins, who defended well, carried the ball into midfield and, at one point in the second half, had a thing or two to say about the lack of movement and options ahead of him. For a boy suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome after the Wolves and Villa games, he looked remarkably in control.
Parker, on the other hand, like the proverbial 9 year old, was reduced to trying to win the game on his own, running up blind alleys with the ball time and time again. I don't recall him interacting with the rest of the team verbally over the course of the whole game. He was clearly "in the zone" and could not see five yards beyond it - certainly when it came to spotting a pass!
But then, when you hear him speak, it strikes you that Scotty is not university material. It's not just the London accent and the use of "done" instead of "did", there's something slow and faltering about his speech, like a guy with Special Needs.
Reading his comments on the upcoming game at Old Trafford is certainly not inspiring! Scotty admits to "dreading" the game and compares our challenge to that of Oxford at Upton Park! Funny, I had the idea that we are in the same division as the Mancs, not playing a team three divisions above us. Of course it is a challenging game, but to equate West Ham with Oxford is insulting.
But Scotty doesn't stop there! He goes on to say, "It's going to be a difficult season and that's the way it is." Great, so after 2 league games, Captain Scott has resigned himself to a relegation struggle if he stays at the club! With leadership like that, what chance do we stand? Apparently, half way through the interview, Mark Noble shuffled out of the ground, with the parting words, "I am just going outside and may be some time."
The sooner we cash in and use the funds to get some new players that aren't haunted from last season or the world cup or just injury prone the better.
ReplyDeleteAt this rate we will be lucky to beat last seasons points total!!
We have so much dead wood in Ilunga, Upson, Gabbs, Spector, Noble, Kovac and McBenni.
What a ridiculous article, why attack arguably our best player simply for the sake of a few web clicks?
ReplyDeleteYes, he's hardly the brightest and yes, he's not captain material either but does he need to be either? He was stand in skipper for one night and I doubt we'll see him on Mastermind anytime soon so does either really matter? He's a bloody footballer for god's sake.
Some of his performances last year where phenomenal. Anyone that spent time at the majority of our matches would clearly see that he was (and probably still is) our best player by a country mile.
Don't get me wrong I'd sell him for anything over £10m but while he's still in our team and WINNING us games then he should have our support not micro criticism like this.
He deserves more respect from WH fans and has earned the right to receive that respect. He has far, far more better games than he does bad ones. I wish I could say that about more of our players.
I know you like to be controversial HF but this smacks of desperation and is completely unjustified. He scores the winner in the 93rd minute and you give him a write up like that? Who needs enemies when we've got fans like you!
Parker's comments about the Man U game might hardly be inspiring but they're certainly realistic. I would have thought of all people that you would apreciate that HF.
ReplyDeleteWe may well be in the same division as Man U but do you honestly not see the huge chasm in quality between our two teams. The top 6 might as well be in a different league now as they are that much better than the rest.
Wake up and smell the coffee. We're awful and Man U are definitely as much better than us than Parker has said!
He looks even more spazzy in this one!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate terminology.
ReplyDelete