Now what have I been saying for three years now? Wasn't it something along the lines of Parker being part of the problem, that his inclusion caused all sorts of difficulties with balance in midfield, that he didn't offer enough going forward and lacked the positional discipline and tackling technique to play the role of the more defensive partner in a centre midfield pairing? I think that's a pretty fair summary don't you?
Well one swallow does not a summer make and I will not claim vindication quite yet, but the Forest game is hopefully a clue as to what is to come. For too long, a team has been cobbled together around Parker, a player who lacks the ability to be a King Pin. As a result, we have lacked shape and looked toothless time and time and time again.
Well at last the "King" is dead and we will all now see if I was right when I called repeatedly for Parker to be jetisoned so that his wages and transfer fee could be used to strengthen the team in other key areas. I will not hold my breath in expectation of wholesale apologies from all those who have called me a Spud, a traitor, a cnut and a fool for daring to criticise Claret and Blue to the Core Scotty Parker, but you will know who you are and you will soon have to live with the knowledge that you shared the myopia that cost us our place in the Premiership. Had Parker been sold to Spurs 12 or 18 months ago, we would still be a Premiership club today!
As for the Scott Parker fan club, I wonder if you will all now wear your Tottenham Hotspurs colous with pride?
The name of this article led me to believe you would be commenting on the game, or the highlights...
ReplyDeleteMhhh HF, I don't know. Personally, I liked Parker and I rated him as a person and especially his commitment when he was wearing the claret and blue shirt. I think most people didn't like him because of his skills and technique, they liked that guy because he was nearly the only goddamn player on the field who seemed to care. There are a lot of "what would have been if...". The fact is, we're in the Championship. Our team shape totally sucked when Parker didn't play last season so I wouldn't dare to say we'd have avoided relegation without him. We didn't play as a unit. We didn't play as a team. We didn't play UNITED.
ReplyDeleteBig Sam did an excellent job so far, he sorted the players out who lacked in commitment and brought in several jewels as Matty Taylor, Kev Nolan, Linda and so on. We got a highly motivated and loyal Carlton Cole, who is one of my favourites for years, despite his ups and downs. With our midfield which is actually capable of serving flanks I'm sure we'll see him back at his best.
btw. good to see you're back, hope the holiday was relaxing. Kinda missed the blog and your critical point of view
I see... so please explain the 0-4 performance at Watford which included Parker in midfield. Not that I am a Parker fan myself.... he is a good player as an individual but he is not good for the team.
ReplyDeleteLets just hope the king of pirouettes keeps the spuds glued to the bottom of the table as well
ReplyDeleteWell said! Legend? No way - good player mind but has cost us a lot. He's bound to either get injured or just not shine at Totts.
ReplyDeleteI hope Spurs go down with or without Parker. But this is typical of you HF. A half decent game without Parker and you call everyone who pointed out that you were too keen to criticize a player that is good enough for England and clearly had the best attitude on and off the field. I wish Scott the best and Spuds the worst.
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted to pick on someone there is a guy called Mark Noble who keeps losing the ball in the middle of the field and is a liability in defence. I wonder why you have never criticized Noble whose frailties are far more obvious to all?
To be fair, I do say that one swallow does not a summer make!
ReplyDeleteAs for those who say that parker "seemed to care", hold on to that word "seemed". How much did he really care? Well Carlton stayed when he could have left, but Parker demanded a move when the door was open for him to stay. Says it all really.
I like Carlton Cole as a person. But to be fair, Cole rejected a move to Stoke. We don't know what he would have done if he had an offer to join say Arsenal or even Tottenham. Scott would have rejected a move to Stoke as well, if he hasn't done so already!
ReplyDeleteOn Sav's point....in this very game when it was 1-0 and Forest were in the ascendency, our Nobes made a ludicrous two footed challenge that should have been a straight red. It's the kind of challenge you say Parker does HF, but Noble does more of them and in every game. Had he got sent off then, we'd have lost. The guy tries too hard as he clearly lacks in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way he should get into our team with the squad we have now.
simpleton - he was with us 4 years - ran his socks off when others had given up, which you cannot deny - if he wants, at his age to improve his chances of international football by playing for a premiership team - then why not? the only outcry against the man is on here, nowhere else do I see the guff that you come out with.
ReplyDeleteI searched the whole blog and you've never said "one swallow does not a summer make!"
ReplyDeleteCarlton Cole came out in the papers basically saying that he didn't want to live in Stoke! Pretty selfish reason to stay at West Ham. I'm sure his inflated wages had nothing to do with him staying. As long as he keeps banging in goals, I don't care that he's on high wages. But don't make him out to be different to Parker.
ReplyDeleteParker knew that his wages were too expensive for us. No doubt he was looking after himself moving to Spurs, but he left knowing there were people to fill his boots and left to join the club that his dad supported, maybe he supported? I don't know. The point is that Parker moving is not a sign of him jumping ship, or going back on his loyalty to West Ham. I would rather have a player give their all, every game, for the time they are at the club, rather than be 'loyal' but only give 70%, like Carlton Cole has done in the past.
"You say it best, when you say nothing at all"....ahh those geniuses Weslife, how wise they speak. Ahem. Had to pick up on the point Sav made actually (that I've raised in another forum) about Noble. Its been evident that his lack of stamina (particuarly running on empty after 65 mins) has driven Allerdyce to really beef the midfield up with "engines" (Diop, Demmel). I'd argue it was Noble who caused the imblalance whilst Parker was there. Parker is a better tackler and running with ball at feet (including circles) whilst Noble has a better passing range. However, if you can only do it for 3/4 of the game, what use are you? Parker for me all day long. Wish him well.
ReplyDeletewell sav basically you think pakrer is a players who can do no wrong whereas noble is a player you think can do nothing but wrong. Noble was qaulity against forest and i wonder why both game we dropped points the goals have been after noble was taken off
ReplyDeleteI'm plagiarizing myself quite a bit here. Easier than retyping.
ReplyDeleteAs I watched the NF game, I couldn't help but notice how well we flowed. Balance was the key, and we had it.
I am willing to go so far as to say that Sam was PRAYING he would go. Sure, he had to say he wanted him to stay. He is no dummy at the PR game. But he recruited Nolan with the idea that Parker would go. When he didnt, it caused a complication in his starting 11. Its about balance, and the best balance we have had in ages was this past Sunday.
The written request was likely engineered by SuGoBrat. Lets us keep the whole fee. " Hand in a request, Scotty. That will add the extra dough we need to make this happen. We will even post some heartfelt nonsense on the website for ya. Cheers!"
This is not sour grapes at Parker. He was very good, and he tried hard every time out. But his faults were regularly ignored by both the press and the supporters. His work rate made him seemingly immune to criticism. Not his fault, either.
From a pure, footballing standpoint, void of emotion, I think this is a very good move. And he may regret it if we do come back up. If he thinks this move will assure him a place with Capello he could be in for a surprise. That is one fickle Italian. He could have a bad latte and WHAM! Gareth Barry is in his place.
More cleansing. And it feels good.
Jep, but that "seemed" was relating to his efforts on the field. He's already 30 and he was desperate to play Premierleague football. I was pretty sure he'd leave us in the transfer window, it's just sad he joined the filthy Spuds. Our team might be better off without him anyway, now we're one team again, not Scott Parker and the rest of the squad. Personally, I wish him all the best and Spuds the worst, just as Sav. I mean, we went down and he was voted Premier League player of the year, so why shouldn't Scott shine once more when the Spuds ship is sinking ? Would be a joy to watch.
ReplyDeleteThis has been quite an ill-thought out analytical view on Parker. Parker didn't seem to care, he did care. He might have not been good for the team as a whole (I don't agree with this sentiment, see the Watford 4-0 score with him playing, and numerous other scores where we've lost without him), but without Parker's immense tackling skills and heart our goal difference last season would have been FAR worse.
ReplyDeleteIt was the lousy defence going to sleep time after time that cost us a premiership place. And how you haven't even bothered to mention Avram Grant and his shoddy uneducated approach to football management is astounding. Putting the blame solely on Parker, which you have, is frankly narrow-minded.
I haven't got an issue with Parker going for Spurs. Rednapp has said time and time again that he is a Parker admirer. Combine that with Parker's place in England and it's only natural for him to leave the Championship. It's a no-brainer and comparing him going to Cole staying is absolutely ridiculous seeing his England place is long gone and has been off-form for a very long time.
You've also missed quite a fundamental point. If Parker did cost us the premiership (which I don't think he did), the blame technically shouldn't fall onto the player, as that's the way he plays after all.
ReplyDeleteThe blame falls directly onto the manager for playing him in the first place. If we were consistently losing with Parker's playing style, Avram should have made a note and not played him in future games. Which he didn't do. It was Grant's faulty managing and him consistently picking a sub-par squad and mis-managing it with or without Parker.
So all in all, it makes little to no sense to put the blame solely on Parker. That's not me being part of the Parker fan club, that's just common sense.
LOL The Parker fan club is still working in overdrive I see!
ReplyDeleteFacts, let's deal in facts. We finished bottom with Parker in the team. You can't do worse than that! The previous season we finished on 35 points, which was the lowest West Ham had ever secured in the Premiership. Different managers, but Parker was in both Zola's and Grant's team.
Now, we finished bottom and were relegated, and over the 12 months that we mistakenly retained Parker, we paid him £4m in wages and lost £4m in transfer value. And for what exactly? To finish bottom! Think. Was he worth it?
Now, had we collected £10m last August and spent it on two decent full backs and a decent holding midfielder, might we have survived? Nobody can say for sure but you can't do worse than finish bottom! And who knows, had Keane joined us last August on a season long loan, he might have arrived wearing his shooting boots!
Jamie, by many accounts Cole had a relegation clause in his contract lowering his wages. So as a family man myself, I am going to take him on his word that he didnt want to uproot his family. I wouldnt unless it was truly life changing.
ReplyDeleteAnd relegation should never be put at any one players feet. The majority of the blame is still Grants. He will go down as the greatest con man in the history of the game. And talented con men can weave their spells over the best of us.
But HF, had we sold him last summer it would have been Grant spending the money! We were doomed regardless.
ReplyDelete0906, I say it in this article!
ReplyDeleteAgain, (sigh) focusing on what Parker's worth is has nothing to do with the actual player. If you're bitter with the values and figures of the player you should be focussing it on the manager and chairmen.
ReplyDeleteYou're saying we finished last with Zola and Grant with Parker in the team...you've answered your own query. Zola and Grant have little to no professional managerial experience whatsoever. No qualifications at all. Says something about the chairmen and managers, not the players.
FACTS speak for themselves. Parker was not a one-man team. Poor analysis. LOL