Scott Parker

[nayimfromthehalfwayline]

It was pitiful to see how deep we were, and the amount of aimless hoofs we resorted to.

This is, IMO, because we do not have a set and rehearsed style of play. We dont have a "template" to fall back to to work with when its not our day.

This is, IMO, grossly negligent on behalf of the management. It is difficult to think of other teams in this league that work as we do - set out a basic tactic and then just wing it. Wolves spring to mind, and look where they are...

EVERY other team has a style of play to work with though. Norwich know what they are doing in every game, Utd, Arsenal, Stoke, Saudi Sportswashing Machine.... All have a style of play to work with. We dont.

Its one thing that excites me at the prospect of a new manager. Redknapp has achieved a hell of a lot on a wing and a prayer, imaging what these players could do under someone with a plan?!

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

IMHO Parker doesn't "control" passing (conciously) he's just slow on the ball, poor first touch, slow to turn, too many touches etc.

But I absolutely agree, in particular last night that might have made a big difference.

Another thing: Modric is playing too deep. I discussed it with another poster before the game. Now I made up my mind. We play Modric too deep. He should be the one pushing into space behind out attackers, when we control games. Not Parker or Sandro. He's the one with the mercurial runs and the deep, lethal passes. I'd say we need a Michael Carrick (... or Utd need a Modric!)

I think that is just Modric's natural game to be honest. It's the major reason why we don't look at all threatening when we play 4-5-1 with him alongside Parker/Sandro. I stated this after the Sunderland game that if you had Parker/Modric/Poyet (from 2001 obviously!) then you have a great balanced midfield and Poyet would be the main attacking threat.

Modric and Parker are a great midfield partnership when complimented with two wingers and a deeper lying forward. We just have to stick to that.

 

[totman]

I cant believe people are banging on about Livermores pass, yet not mentioning the fact that Parker would never have let Bennett have a free shot for their goal.

What Parker would have done, was drag Modric further forward, and give him the ball more often so he could create more through balls for our attackers.

F#ck me, some people are clueless ](*,)

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

He would have never in his entire career considered the pass to Defoe - forward and longer than 5 yards, (assuming he would have been in for Livermore) so we could have either lost 0:2 or drawn 0:0 but to concude we would have comfortably won a game we struggled to dominate due to his inclusion is speculative at best.

He can motivate all he wants but soft bottling qunts, not getting stuck-in for eachother is a far bigger issue than a single DM, imv.

He has attempted a few passes like that this season actually.
And it's pointless having a player do one amazing pass a game, and be invisible for the rest of it. I felt sorry for Livermore though as he clearly needs to play alongside a DM and not be the DM.

 

[ArcspacE]

Modric and Parker are a great midfield partnership when complimented with two wingers and a deeper lying forward. We just have to stick to that.

But how do we counter-act teams who stick 5 in the middle and our wingers fail to track back and help out (Gareth, I'm looking at you) leaving us terribly exposed. Arsenal away was the first rude reminder of that.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

I cant believe people are banging on about Livermores pass, yet not mentioning the fact that Parker would never have let Bennett have a free shot for their goal.

What Parker would have done, was drag Modric further forward, and give him the ball more often so he could create more through balls for our attackers.

F#ck me, some people are clueless ](*,)

Some people are stubborn more like. They've been calling for Parker's head for some time. They've been stating Redknapp doesn't squad rotate enough and needs to do so, for some time. So he does what they want, it fails (which to me was obvious) and they can't be seen to be proven wrong so will shift the blame elsewhere instead like we have no Plan B, or are unfit etc.

 

[ArcspacE]

He has attempted a few passes like that this season actually.
And it's pointless having a player do one amazing pass a game, and be invisible for the rest of it. I felt sorry for Livermore though as he clearly needs to play alongside a DM and not be the DM.

He has attempted and largerly failed - although the has other duties in our team so I have little problem with his limted passing range as long as he helps out the CBs.

Main reason Arry insists on using Livermore as a DM (imho) is due to his strong physical presence and natural athleticism. He's much better on the ball than closing down players and tackling opponetns - Parker's forte.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

But how do we counter-act teams who stick 5 in the middle and our wingers fail to track back and help out (Gareth, I'm looking at you) leaving us terribly exposed. Arsenal away was the first rude reminder of that.

The same way we countered it before Xmas. Make it irrelevant because we have the ball and are the biggest attacking theat.

 

[ArcspacE]

But teams figured us out by then and dis-armed us with ease - starting at Anfield.

We had to adapt in order to reamin competitive but didn't

 

[DanishWhite]

The same way we countered it before Xmas. Make it irrelevant because we have the ball and are the biggest attacking theat.

We aren't the biggest attacking threat, even WHEN we have the ball.

THAT's what has changed.

Our entire attacking plan is on the instincts of VdV, Ade, Bale and Modric. No plan whatsoever. Now when PL defences have learned how to deal with these players one by one, there is no threat.

fudge Norwich banging two past us. It's irrelevant.

It's our attacking, that's the problem. We are not scoring and not looking very likely to either bare set pieces (the last few games) and 25+ yarders from Bale and others.

 

[DanishWhite]

I think that is just Modric's natural game to be honest. It's the major reason why we don't look at all threatening when we play 4-5-1 with him alongside Parker/Sandro. I stated this after the Sunderland game that if you had Parker/Modric/Poyet (from 2001 obviously!) then you have a great balanced midfield and Poyet would be the main attacking threat.

Modric and Parker are a great midfield partnership when complimented with two wingers and a deeper lying forward. We just have to stick to that.

I don't disagree bout the personel, but I still disagree on the configuration. Parker is no good in the final third and Modric is little good in our third. We need Michael Carrick. It's quite obvious.

Not a patch on Parker there, it's an adaption issue.

 

[totman]

fudge Norwich banging two past us. It's irrelevant.

No, its the difference between playing poorly and winning, and playing poorly and losing. We were brick, but still scored, and could have scored 4 on another day.

If its not happening up top, but we still get a goal, we HAVE to stand up in midfield, and at the back. Both Norwich goals were a joke, defense wise.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

We aren't the biggest attacking threat, even WHEN we have the ball.

THAT's what has changed.

Our entire attacking plan is on the instincts of VdV, Ade, Bale and Modric. No plan whatsoever. Now when PL defences have learned how to deal with these players one by one, there is no threat.

fudge Norwich banging two past us. It's irrelevant.

It's our attacking, that's the problem. We are not scoring and not looking very likely to either bare set pieces (the last few games) and 25+ yarders from Bale and others.

I disagree. What made us potent is we were balanced. You had Ade up top, VDV roaming behind him. Two wingers stretching the play, and Modric/Parker maintaining the quality of possesion in midfield.

We go back to that, and it will work again. We deviated from that and that's where we are going wrong.

 

[scaramanga]

Agree.

It was pitiful to see how deep we were, and the amount of aimless hoofs we resorted to.

While Parker may not be an attacking driving force (as he is a DM funnily enough), he sets his stall out on the halfway line, not the edge of our box, and his efforts to challenge, close down space and pass the ball simply to a creative player was massively missed yesterday.

Their second goal was a throw back to 2004, with players jockeying back and allowing their striker line up a shot for 30 seconds, then just bang it in. Parker would have challenged that player, and even though it may have resulted in a dangerous free kick, it MAY not have resulted in a goal.....a perfectly preventable goal.

How ironic that he gets slated for "chest thumping" and flying into challenges. Could have killed for that yesterday.

As I've been saying for some time now, a match like yesterday is precisely what we need Parker for. When teams come at us and push 2/3/4 players high up the field to press us, Parker's little 4-5yd passes can get Modric/BAE/Walker into space. We also needed someone to break up their attacks - Parker or Sandro could have done that quite well.

What I can't believe is the utter stupidity in thinking that if Parker can only play one match over the weekend, that he should be played against a team that will sit deep rather than one that will press high. How can anyone even begin to consider that sensible?

I underestimated the number of teams that would come at us this season, not sure if that's recklessness on their part or us clearly being there for the taking, but we need Parker (or preferably someone with his tackling talent and some passing talent thrown in) when they commit players forward.

 

[PochettinoPochettinoPochettino]

Great point.

Thats so true. Modric was half the player without Parker dictating the space further up the pitch. Pathetic that people call that pointless passing.

Thanks. Not often that I get credit for a post but I'm with you all the way on Parker. If he had have played instead of Livermore, and had we played Defoe and Ade or VDV and Ade I'm sure we would not have lost that game yesterday.

Where was Sandro by the way , benched or injured?

 

[totman]

Probably benched after Sunderland

 

[PochettinoPochettinoPochettino]

Yeh he did have a shocker didn't he....

 

[DanishWhite]

No, its the difference between playing poorly and winning, and playing poorly and losing. We were brick, but still scored, and could have scored 4 on another day.

If its not happening up top, but we still get a goal, we HAVE to stand up in midfield, and at the back. Both Norwich goals were a joke, defense wise.

Should have had 4 ? Jesus christ we barely deserved the one we got. How many did Norwich deserve, then 12 ? 18 ???

Our attack isn't doing it. I don't disagree that we defend poorly, but people who say we are "dangerous" need a reality check. We are no more dangerous than the likes of Aston Villa, Everton and West Brom in this form and significantly less dangerous than the likes of Saudi Sportswashing Machine and Chelsea, who are direct competitors now.

How the hell can people try to talk this away by arguing that we should keep clean sheets and win 1-0 ?

 

[DanishWhite]

I disagree. What made us potent is we were balanced. You had Ade up top, VDV roaming behind him. Two wingers stretching the play, and Modric/Parker maintaining the quality of possesion in midfield.

We go back to that, and it will work again. We deviated from that and that's where we are going wrong.

We haven't played like that most time since new year, so you're wrong. As I said, we aren't looking dangerous.

 

[totman]

Should have had 4 ? Jesus christ we barely deserved the one we got. How many did Norwich deserve, then 12 ? 18 ???

Our attack isn't doing it. I don't disagree that we defend poorly, but people who say we are "dangerous" need a reality check. We are no more dangerous than the likes of Aston Villa, Everton and West Brom in this form and significantly less dangerous than the likes of Saudi Sportswashing Machine and Chelsea, who are direct competitors now.

How the hell can people try to talk this away by arguing that we should keep clean sheets and win 1-0 ?

We could have gone gone 2-1 up twice before the 50th minute in the second half, and then Bale hit the bar.

I know our attack isnt doing it....but we are still creating chances to score, and we did score. The fact that both their goals should never have happened, defense wise, shows that their goals are far from irrelevent, as you said.

We should, and could have played poorly and won yesterday.