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Scott Parker
- Thread starter punk_is_back`
- Start date
Spursalot
Jimmy McCormick
No, just a bad choice of players from yourself.
If you'd raised consistency issues about Bale, Lennon and Dembele then i would agree.
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
just had a look at the Vertonghen thread, and surprise surprise not a peep from anyone regarding his outrageously poor performance against Leeds:-k
so if Parker plays poorly and we dont get 4th its all basically his faukt, or AVB's for picking him?rightio
Have a look in the match ratings thread.
Who has said or implied that if we don't get 4th it's all basically his fault?
punk_is_back`
Ilie Dumitrescu
I'll excuse Parker for not being up to Speed. However, the mistakes he is making, such as lack of positional sense, diving into tackles, lack of positional discipline leaving the AM to defend whilst he bombs forward to little effect, poor decision making / general awareness of others around him when he has the ball, all contribute to him negatively effecting the tempo of the game and have been part and parcel of his game since he started playing for us, therefore having nothing to do with his fitness. I can't fault the guy for his commitment nor for the fact that he lacks the physical and athletic ability to compete with more physical CMs; thats something you can't blame him for. It also shows how important Sandro is for us, I cannot believe that there are still Spurs fans who think that Parker is the superior player.
I believe however that we should persist with Dembele and Holtby in CM for the majority of the games and call parker in when its going to be a scrap. Dembele and Hotlby can't be any worse defenisvely than the Hudd and Modric magic combo.
I believe however that we should persist with Dembele and Holtby in CM for the majority of the games and call parker in when its going to be a scrap. Dembele and Hotlby can't be any worse defenisvely than the Hudd and Modric magic combo.
For what it's worth, Parker has averaged 4 tackles and 5.8 interceptions per 90 minutes this season (compared to 3.7 and 4.1 for Sandro)*
From what I've seen he's done a typically excellent job of winning possession back, but has at times been worse than his usual self when he has the ball. I think people are right to say that he should stop trying to do too much when we have the ball, but at the same time I think Dembele should be looking at Parker to see what he should be doing! (Anticipating suggestions that Dembele is being held back in that respect because Parker is taking on too much, let me say that I've felt this way about Dembele all season. Seems very talented but just doesn't impose himself enough on games for my tastes).
*Stats based on http://www.whoscored.com/Teams/30 (theirs are flawed as they do it per 'app' rather than per 90 minutes).
From what I've seen he's done a typically excellent job of winning possession back, but has at times been worse than his usual self when he has the ball. I think people are right to say that he should stop trying to do too much when we have the ball, but at the same time I think Dembele should be looking at Parker to see what he should be doing! (Anticipating suggestions that Dembele is being held back in that respect because Parker is taking on too much, let me say that I've felt this way about Dembele all season. Seems very talented but just doesn't impose himself enough on games for my tastes).
*Stats based on http://www.whoscored.com/Teams/30 (theirs are flawed as they do it per 'app' rather than per 90 minutes).
Jurgen the German
Erik Thorstvedt
I'm a big fan of Parker, he was one of our most important players last season. But nothing annoys me more than when forum posters simply refuse to criticise one of their favourite players, now matter how badly he is performing, happens all the time on GG so I won't make excuses for Parker, he has been poor in the last few games.
We all know he is limited going forward, but his biggest fault to me is he is simply not as good as Sandro. We've been spoilt by Sandro's performances this season and Parker isn't going to be able to match that. But I agree he does need to improve when it comes to areas that he excels in such as breaking up play and keeping it simple, like he was doing last season.
Let's face it, he's the best replacement we have for Sandro as it stands. Livermore isn't good enough to be starting regularly and Hudd is cumbersome, slow and massively overrated by some Spurs fans. People still hark back to the days when he played great alongside Modric against Arsenal and Chelsea in Two Thousand and fudging Ten! What's he done since then?
We all know he is limited going forward, but his biggest fault to me is he is simply not as good as Sandro. We've been spoilt by Sandro's performances this season and Parker isn't going to be able to match that. But I agree he does need to improve when it comes to areas that he excels in such as breaking up play and keeping it simple, like he was doing last season.
Let's face it, he's the best replacement we have for Sandro as it stands. Livermore isn't good enough to be starting regularly and Hudd is cumbersome, slow and massively overrated by some Spurs fans. People still hark back to the days when he played great alongside Modric against Arsenal and Chelsea in Two Thousand and fudging Ten! What's he done since then?
Er, been injured? 8-[
Jurgen the German
Erik Thorstvedt
And how about when he's played this season? He's been back for ages now. I don't see you giving the same leeway to Parker when he came back from injury. Hudd is going to have an Afro forever.
He's been woefully below par by his standards, I agree. He's still shown way more productivity than Parker though.
tynesidespur
Terry Yorath
Its more than one bad game for caulker, he almost cost us a defeat against Utd when he fouled Rooney and he was at fault against Everton a few weeks back when he ignored a shout from Lloris which ended up with them winning a game we had in the bag. He didn't learn from that mistake as he has ignored shouts from Loris since which have almost cost us goals.
Modric THFC
Jimmy McCormick
http://www.lifesapitch.co.uk/opinions/spurs-top-four-hopes-rest-on-parker-filling-sandros-shoes/
Spurs’ top-four hopes rest on Parker filling Sandro’s shoes
Michael Cox - Editor of the football tactics website Zonal Marking
Scott Parker was out injured for six months, but he was unfit for considerably longer. The second half of his debut season at Spurs was punctuated by constant niggling injuries: a knee problem, a hamstring strain and a calf injury.
By the time Spurs lost 5-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, Parker was absolutely exhausted – unable to chase when Chelsea launched counter-attacks, simply not capable of his usual charging around in midfield. He desperately needed a rest but his determination to make Euro 2012 – at 31, his first major international tournament – meant he put his body through more pain. He soldiered on throughout England’s four matches but the quarter-final with Italy saw him departing, yet again out of gas – this time there was a troublesome Achilles’ tendon. With such an assortment of lower body injuries, it’s clear the root cause was simply too much football.
Parker has now been returned by necessity to the Spurs starting XI owing to Sandro’s season-ending injury. In fairness, André Villas-Boas deserves great credit for slowly integrating Parker into the side before Sandro’s injury occurred at QPR, with five substitute appearances in the league and one start in the FA Cup. A sudden return to first-team action could have been disastrous.
“I think the break has really done me good, and I feel fit and sharp,” Parker says. “In a weird way I think my body needed that rest because I’ve played a lot of football for many years now and that was probably the longest I’ve been out.”
Parker has been tasked with adapting immediately to Villas-Boas’ system, which is somewhat different to the way Spurs played under Harry Redknapp. Last season Parker played an all-action, combative role in front of the back four, but Sandro has performed a much calmer, more disciplined screening role this term.
In truth, that might suit Parker following his fitness problems, although there remains a question about whether he can adequately play in that role. Sandro is a classic example of the type of player allegedly performing very simple duties, but his positional sense and his reliability in possession were both crucial. Mousa Dembélé felt comfortable enough to slide forward and leave Sandro protecting the back four on his own, but since Parker has come into the side – particularly against Manchester United – the Belgian has stayed deeper, assisting Parker in his defensive responsibilities but weakening Spurs’ attacking potential.
There has certainly been a dip in Spurs’ performances. They collected 13 of 15 available points from Sandro’s last five games, but since Parker replaced the Brazilian have won just one in five – Sunday’s 1-0 win over 10-man West Brom. The balance of the side is not quite the same, and Sandro’s authority is already being missed.
The next four games will provide a big test for Parker: a battle against Saudi Sportswashing Machine’s new-look central midfield, the derby against Arsenal, a return to former club West Ham and then a trip to Liverpool. His performances could mean the difference between Champions League football in 2013-14 or a third consecutive campaign in the Europa League.
Spurs’ top-four hopes rest on Parker filling Sandro’s shoes
Michael Cox - Editor of the football tactics website Zonal Marking
Scott Parker was out injured for six months, but he was unfit for considerably longer. The second half of his debut season at Spurs was punctuated by constant niggling injuries: a knee problem, a hamstring strain and a calf injury.
By the time Spurs lost 5-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final, Parker was absolutely exhausted – unable to chase when Chelsea launched counter-attacks, simply not capable of his usual charging around in midfield. He desperately needed a rest but his determination to make Euro 2012 – at 31, his first major international tournament – meant he put his body through more pain. He soldiered on throughout England’s four matches but the quarter-final with Italy saw him departing, yet again out of gas – this time there was a troublesome Achilles’ tendon. With such an assortment of lower body injuries, it’s clear the root cause was simply too much football.
Parker has now been returned by necessity to the Spurs starting XI owing to Sandro’s season-ending injury. In fairness, André Villas-Boas deserves great credit for slowly integrating Parker into the side before Sandro’s injury occurred at QPR, with five substitute appearances in the league and one start in the FA Cup. A sudden return to first-team action could have been disastrous.
“I think the break has really done me good, and I feel fit and sharp,” Parker says. “In a weird way I think my body needed that rest because I’ve played a lot of football for many years now and that was probably the longest I’ve been out.”
Parker has been tasked with adapting immediately to Villas-Boas’ system, which is somewhat different to the way Spurs played under Harry Redknapp. Last season Parker played an all-action, combative role in front of the back four, but Sandro has performed a much calmer, more disciplined screening role this term.
In truth, that might suit Parker following his fitness problems, although there remains a question about whether he can adequately play in that role. Sandro is a classic example of the type of player allegedly performing very simple duties, but his positional sense and his reliability in possession were both crucial. Mousa Dembélé felt comfortable enough to slide forward and leave Sandro protecting the back four on his own, but since Parker has come into the side – particularly against Manchester United – the Belgian has stayed deeper, assisting Parker in his defensive responsibilities but weakening Spurs’ attacking potential.
There has certainly been a dip in Spurs’ performances. They collected 13 of 15 available points from Sandro’s last five games, but since Parker replaced the Brazilian have won just one in five – Sunday’s 1-0 win over 10-man West Brom. The balance of the side is not quite the same, and Sandro’s authority is already being missed.
The next four games will provide a big test for Parker: a battle against Saudi Sportswashing Machine’s new-look central midfield, the derby against Arsenal, a return to former club West Ham and then a trip to Liverpool. His performances could mean the difference between Champions League football in 2013-14 or a third consecutive campaign in the Europa League.
braineclipse
Steve Sedgley
That's a good article and pretty much spot on about the importance of Parker for us now. We really need him back at his best as soon as possible.
Maltese Falcon
Niko Kranjcar
=D>
As we saw so clearly yesterday night - if that is what a plonker offers the team, please put on 11 plonkers on the team sheet every game!!
Rorschach
Sonny Walters
Like Arsenal?
Scott Parker's appearance at the Nightingale Academy in Edmonton Green this week went down as well as you'd expect, with students keen to show off their football skills on the school's pitches and then attentively participating in a Q and A session with the England midfielder.
Spurs' partnership with the academy is one of many that the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has forged in the area. The school was struggling both academically and with behavioural issues amongst the students, but by basing coaches from the club at the school and offering both sporting activities and educational assistance, Nightingale Academy is already experiencing a turnaround in fortunes.
Parker was impressed by what he saw, saying, "Grassroots work is something I'm aware of from growing up and I think it's good that a club like ours can support something like this and offer help to kids. When you can come into a school like this and they see a player representing the club it gives them a lift."
Transition
Despite the weekend's defeat at Liverpool, which the player believes was a setback in the pursuit of a Champions' League place, Spurs are making fine progress this season. The travails of the early part of the season seem a distant memory.
"I think we've done very well. There has been a lot of transition," added Parker. "We've moved to a new state-of-the-art training ground which is very, very good. We've had a new manager come in too. There was a lot of negativity around his appointment but he's done a fantastic job. He's turned a lot of opinion round, including some of our own fans.
"I think we're progressing steadily. Things have gone pretty well, we're playing some good stuff. It was disappointing at the weekend, especially coming out of such a long run of games where we were unbeaten. I suppose runs do come to an end, albeit you want them to last as long as possible. But we need to keep improving and fighting for that fourth spot."
So much of the focus recently has been diverted on to Gareth Bale's form. The Welsh winger appears to be getting better by the week, but Parker was keen to stress that it is more than just a one-man team.
"We're a very exciting team, we've got a lot of pace in our side. Our forward play is very eye-catching. But we've also got a good defensive base behind that which is important. It's a very good squad to be involved in."
Stronger
Parker has endured a frustrating wait for to get a run in the side this season. He picked up an Achilles tendon injury while away on international duty at last summer's European Championships and has only recently put the problem behind him. As he prepared to fly out to Italy for the second leg of the Europa League tie with Inter Milan, the 32-year-old acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead for the remainder of the season.
"When you play Thursdays and Sundays it can put a lot of pressure on you as a team but I think we're coming stronger. We realise that we've got some difficult fixtures coming up, but I think we're in a good place at the moment, but we need to bounce back from the defeat at the weekend, which I'm sure we will. There's a great attitude amongst the lads and that's our first aim, to do that and go on another run."
The players are clearly driven on by a desire to be successful at home and abroad. I also asked Parker how long it would be before Spurs could be spoken of as genuine title-challengers. It wasn't a question he shied away from but he recognised the dangers of getting too carried away, preferring to focus on the here and now. The priority has to be Champions' League qualification but there has been enough evidence in recent months that Spurs have the ability to challenge higher up. The supporters can look forward to an exciting future under Andre Villas-Boas.
You can see an extended interview with Scott Parker on Soccer Saturday at the weekend.
http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,,22712_8562265,00.html
Spurs' partnership with the academy is one of many that the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has forged in the area. The school was struggling both academically and with behavioural issues amongst the students, but by basing coaches from the club at the school and offering both sporting activities and educational assistance, Nightingale Academy is already experiencing a turnaround in fortunes.
Parker was impressed by what he saw, saying, "Grassroots work is something I'm aware of from growing up and I think it's good that a club like ours can support something like this and offer help to kids. When you can come into a school like this and they see a player representing the club it gives them a lift."
Transition
Despite the weekend's defeat at Liverpool, which the player believes was a setback in the pursuit of a Champions' League place, Spurs are making fine progress this season. The travails of the early part of the season seem a distant memory.
"I think we've done very well. There has been a lot of transition," added Parker. "We've moved to a new state-of-the-art training ground which is very, very good. We've had a new manager come in too. There was a lot of negativity around his appointment but he's done a fantastic job. He's turned a lot of opinion round, including some of our own fans.
"I think we're progressing steadily. Things have gone pretty well, we're playing some good stuff. It was disappointing at the weekend, especially coming out of such a long run of games where we were unbeaten. I suppose runs do come to an end, albeit you want them to last as long as possible. But we need to keep improving and fighting for that fourth spot."
So much of the focus recently has been diverted on to Gareth Bale's form. The Welsh winger appears to be getting better by the week, but Parker was keen to stress that it is more than just a one-man team.
"We're a very exciting team, we've got a lot of pace in our side. Our forward play is very eye-catching. But we've also got a good defensive base behind that which is important. It's a very good squad to be involved in."
Stronger
Parker has endured a frustrating wait for to get a run in the side this season. He picked up an Achilles tendon injury while away on international duty at last summer's European Championships and has only recently put the problem behind him. As he prepared to fly out to Italy for the second leg of the Europa League tie with Inter Milan, the 32-year-old acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead for the remainder of the season.
"When you play Thursdays and Sundays it can put a lot of pressure on you as a team but I think we're coming stronger. We realise that we've got some difficult fixtures coming up, but I think we're in a good place at the moment, but we need to bounce back from the defeat at the weekend, which I'm sure we will. There's a great attitude amongst the lads and that's our first aim, to do that and go on another run."
The players are clearly driven on by a desire to be successful at home and abroad. I also asked Parker how long it would be before Spurs could be spoken of as genuine title-challengers. It wasn't a question he shied away from but he recognised the dangers of getting too carried away, preferring to focus on the here and now. The priority has to be Champions' League qualification but there has been enough evidence in recent months that Spurs have the ability to challenge higher up. The supporters can look forward to an exciting future under Andre Villas-Boas.
You can see an extended interview with Scott Parker on Soccer Saturday at the weekend.
http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,,22712_8562265,00.html
If Parker plays for England in the next couple of internationals and picks up an injury and misses our next few games perhaps the short sighted people on here will realise just what he gives us, with Sandro out if Parker was to go missing it would cause us to miss out on a top four finish, if Arsenal or Chelsea had him then they would be above us now!
punk_is_back`
Ilie Dumitrescu
Of course we would miss Parker given that Sandro was out. Doesn't mean we can't ask for a better younger backup to replace him next season. Parker has heart, but is limited in what he can do with the ball and doesn't appear to understand the tactical side of the game, often playing by instinct. The same can be said for people like Walker. I expect my CMs to be able to move the ball quickly, without taking a million touches and slowing the tempo down.
We have to think now, against inter and Liverpool Parker was class, I would play Sandro over Parker any day, he can slow play down I agree but not has much as Dembele, the number of times he gets caught in possession because he has no right foot is awful, I like Dembele but you could not play him at DM, lets finish top four and then think about what we need, I still think AVB will play 4-3-3 when he gets the players he wants, since Xmas I think Walker has curbed his forward runs and improved, we are third in the table we must be doing something right.