Expert Opinion

parker-16-jan
16Jan

Parker won’t be disregarded so casually by Spurs again

by Mike Calvin avatar

How quickly we forget. Scott Parker was Tottenham’s heartbeat; the player who helped make the concept of professional footballer as role model viable, rather than the sort of bad joke that belongs in a Christmas cracker. He was Footballer of the Year, England captain. His name echoed around White Hart Lane, where Tottenham fans of a certain vintage admired his straight-backed, selfless approach. He was depicted, with due reverence, as a throwback to previous generations.

Then, suddenly, he was assumed to be expendable. An Achilles injury, aggravated while playing for England at last summer’s European Championship, threatened to ruin his season. He needed surgery, and during his four-month hiatus the burgeoning partnership of Sandro and Mousa Dembélé in Tottenham’s midfield compromised his status.

There was even a brief interlude when it seemed Spurs were contemplating the unthinkable – moving him on. Speculation linking him with Harry Redknapp at QPR was inevitable, immediate and faintly demeaning. Though Parker’s temperament is ideally suited to a protracted relegation battle, his talent deserves to be utilised in a top-six team.

Parker has been around long enough to know that in football, a door tends to open only when it slams in another man’s face. He has had to wait for his chance, after being consigned to the bench, but Sandro’s injury at Loftus Road last Saturday offered him the perfect platform. His performance wasn’t enough to eke out the type of win that defines teams of the highest quality, but it highlighted his leadership qualities. His authority was unforced, and even if he did offer a sharp word or 10 as those around him struggled to find sufficient imagination to break down conservative opposition, his strictures were accepted.

Signs that a tipping point had been reached were everywhere. André Villas-Boas, who has rotated Tottenham’s squad adroitly, was fulsome in his praise for a player he admitted to coveting while he was in charge at Chelsea. Roy Hodgson was also an interested spectator. Once Parker regains match sharpness, he has an unanswerable claim to be included in the England squad for next month’s showpiece friendly against Brazil at Wembley.

Parker concedes that this blip in his career has been unexpected, and frustrating in its length, but he has been enriched by adversity. One thing’s for sure: he won’t be disregarded so casually again.

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Comments

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  • Elephant Martussis

    I’ll tell you what will be casually disregarded Mike Calvin: this feature.

  • Enders356

    Casually disregarded by who?! Every Spurs fan has missed him, despite the success of the Sandro-Dembele partnership and we’re all delighted to have him back. The management haven’t disregarded him either, using him as a substitute while he regains match fitness and not popping him straight back in ahead of in-form players, as they did with Lloris. I really don’t understand this article, and there’s little justification here as to who exactly Mike Calvin believes had disregarded Parker. I’d suggest it was himself alone.

  • manning

    disregarded? what are you talking about?

  • KennyM

    Elephant Martussis…Your an idiot…..great article and very astute….good work…COYS!

  • Sean

    Did you not hear the cheers echo around White Heart Lane when he made his return against Swansea?
    They certainly weren’t cheering for someone they ‘disregarded’

  • KennyM

    Tripe! This is pure hot air, Michael. I have lost all respect I had for you.

  • Elephant Martussis

    KennyM, don’t give up your day job sir. This spelling lark is beyond you. You’re dealing with the heavyweights now. Stick to the saxophone.

  • David

    What an article! Utter crap! Do really get paid for writing this nonsense? Look up journalism in the dictionary, you ignorant man.We sit third and still the negativity from so called sport writters,media etc.It took some time for the AVB witch hunt to go did it not? And it took some time for most of you to take your heads away from Harry’s rear did it not? Well you had to seeing where we are at this moment in time.You West ham & Arsenal mob make me laugh.

  • appleroe

    come on Kenny are you Mike Calvin ? No one form ball boy to DL disregarded Scott Parker QPR had no hope , and Harry would not even try as he knew it would be a wast of time. You need two good players in each position and we have two great players in Sandro and Parker. Parker got injured and now he is back i cant see how he has been disregarded at all ,when you have two great players there is no need to rush one back in quickly , slow and easy is just good management .If he was disregarded there would of been a replacement in the summer , none came and as Mike said AVB wanted him at Chelsea and now has him why in the hell would he want to move him on or disregard him, so the article has no foundation what so ever at best is confused and contradictory.

  • http://twitter.com/quicustodiat colm

    Mike, don’t give up your day job just yet. Expert opinion? I hardly think so… this article is really so poor I had to comment- normally I try and avoid doing so but this article is really a crock. sorry Mike

  • http://twitter.com/spurs_fanatical Spurs Fanatic

    Who has disregarded him? He’s been out for a long while with injury, no need to rush him back when we have two more than capable players in Sandro and Dembele. If you want to read something decent on Scott Parker, try this…
    http://www.spursfanatic.com/blog/scott-parker-change-game/

  • http://www.facebook.com/daniel.shevlin1 Danny Shevlin

    Oh Michael,what the fuck are you waffling on about.He was only only ever missed by Spurs fans in your dreamy deluded head mate!

  • http://www.facebook.com/daniel.shevlin1 Danny Shevlin

    If ever I saw a declaration of fact turn out to prove the contrary this indeed is it Sir :/

  • http://www.facebook.com/daniel.shevlin1 Danny Shevlin

    Wasn’t that Kenny G lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/daniel.shevlin1 Danny Shevlin

    When we played QPR and Sandro limped off I was naturally concerned as a Spurs fan as he has been one of,if not our most consistently best player this season but my was this a nice feeling to know that we had Scotty to come on in his place.I think fellow Spurs fans,they call this good squad depth and in such a vital position as holding midfielder I’m proper feelin’ it.I do think also that after Harry ran him into the floor last year and Scotty was allowed to play in the Euro’s with an achilles injury and a shit load of injections,Andre has managed him well by giving him the proper recovery time and giving him the right amount of game opportunities whilst he regains match fitness.Hence the reason Scotty was able to come straight in and do such a sterling job.I liked the way he seemed to want to go forward more than last season.As Spurs fanatic said in his comment I would seriously recommend reading this if you want to read something decent about our Scotty! http://www.spursfanatic.com/bl...

  • Matt

    Is this man a professional journalist or another misguided wannabe who wants to be a reporter instead of a mailman (apologies to all mailmen). Parker was injured therefore not picked – now he is fit he might well be. End of story. Where do they get these guys from? Nothing to say – so they just spout garbage.

  • Peter Ag

    Hang on – Parker was not disregarded – he wasn’t fit. I think Scott Parker is great however I can’t understand why he went to the Euros and played every game even though it was clear at the back-end of last season that he had an injury that would need an operation. As you say one door closes and another opens – AVB had no option but to play Sandro and Sandro in return has been magnificent so with Parker fit again why would he expect t walk straight back into the side. Since Parker has been available for selection AVB has done exactly the right thing – without any pre-season and given we don’t have a reserve team, he has brought him on for 10 – 15 minutes at a time to build up fitness. Sandro will be a massive loss so hope he gets fit ASAP, however if the team is doing well and if Scotty excels AVB will not just drop Parker, Sandro will be brought back in gently. AVB is a much better manager than the media would have you believe. The treatment he has had, especially at the beginning of the season has been nothing short of disgusting. I’ve been very pleased with how he has managed the squad, the fact that he doesn’t disrespect cup competitions and generally how decently he has acted even when provoked by all the idiots that pass themselves off as pundits .. (take a bow Mr Durham)

  • greenman

    this must have been written by a gooner

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