Scott Parker - Not good enough.

[Greg]

I've become increasingly pissed off with the performances of Scott Parker and more so how we play as a team when Parker is in the starting XI. He only ever seems to stand out when we have a s*** game and lose and bar the odd good performance such as against Liverpool at home this season I feel we are a much better side without Scott Parker.

 

So I decided to have a little look at how we have done since he arrived at St James' Park in June 2005.

 

 

These statistics are for League games only and I have only counted games where Parker starts.

 

Home record with Scott Parker

 

Played 24 Won 12 Drawn 7 Lost 5 Points 43 Average points per game 1.79

 

Home record without Scott Parker

 

Played 9 Won 6 Drawn 2 Lost 1 Points 20 Average points per game 2.22

 

Away record with Scott Parker

 

Played 24 Won 4 Drawn 3 Lost 17 Points 15 Average points per game 0.62

 

Away record without Scott Parker

 

Played 9 Won 5 Drawn 1 Lost 3 Points 16 Average points per game 1.77

 

Overall with Scott Parker

 

Played 48 Won 16 Drawn 10 Lost 22 Points 58 Average points per game 1.20

 

Overall without Scott Parker

 

Played 18 Won 11 Drawn 3 Lost 4 Points 30 Average points per game 1.66

 

Against the top 6 (Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Bolton, Tottenham)

 

With Scott Parker

 

Played 18 Won 5 Drawn2 Lost11 Points 17 Average points per game 0.94

 

Without Scott Parker

 

Played 4 Won 2 Drawn 0 Lost 2 Points 6 Average points per game 1.5

 

 

He has scored 4 league goals at an average of a goal every 12 games.

 

He has two assists, an average of an assist every 24 games.

 

 

All these stats show that we are better without Scott Parker, away from home especially. We have gained more points away from home without Parker than when he is in 15 less games.

 

There is no doubt he can go in hard and slide tackle and will always give 100% but he is not a great passer of the ball, his touch is not good enough and he often needs a second touch, his positional sense is not as good as it should be and he passes the ball sideways and backwards far too much, and his stupid insistence on turning in circles in the middle of the pitch.

 

He needs to at least be dropped, I'd prefer to see N'Zogbia in central midfield along side Nicky Butt than Scott Parker, but I doubt Roeder has the balls to do that. It was a big mistake making him club captain.

 

Thoughts on Parker? And more so how we play as a team with and without him in the side?

[Guest Bellers]

We've been here before. Scott Parker IS a great individual player. He can tackle, distribute the ball well and has a half decent shot, you can't really fault his effort and work rate either.

 

The issue is his ability to play in a team. He tries far too hard. During one game he will: Come back to provide numbers in defence, aid the attack, raid the flanks, etc. Now most people won't have an issue with this but it definetly has a detrimental impact on the side's preformance.

 

The first issue is the gap he leaves in the position he is supposed to be filling. When he goes walk-abouts it leaves a hole where he is supposed to be filling in, giving the opposition attack an advantage. He really needs to become more disciplined. A word from Glenn wouldn't go a miss reminding him of his position.

 

The second issue is his team mates, particularly his midfield partner. When he plays with Butt, a defensive midfielder, he'll frequently defend, leaving the attack short. When he plays with Emre an offensive midfielder he'll attack leaving us short in the defence short. In basic terms he leaves his partner not knowing whether they're on their head or their arse, which demonstrates poor decision making.

 

Like I've said before Scott Parker is a fine individual player, but to be make the step up he needs to develop the skills to work in a team. If he doesn't develop this ability he'll continue hindering the team's cause rather than helping it.

[Nate]

We've been here before. Scott Parker IS a great individual player. He can tackle, distribute the ball well and has a half decent shot, you can't really fault his effort and work rate either.

 

I can count on one hand the number of central midfielders i've seen with worse distribution and what's this 'decent shot' he has? Has he ever produced anything more than a 'toe punt' from outside the area? To describe him as a 'great individual player' is laughable.

[Yorkie]

The stats make sense tbh. Decent player, decent squad player.

 

Still unsure about what he actually gives to the team when he plays, though. We're undoubtedly better without him. And, it's not really a case of second season syndrome either... we've just found him out.

 

However, i still like Scott Parker and i wish he'd improve. I crave for him to become an integral part of our team because i reckon he's got the potential to. I wish he would be the powerful, driving midfielder that he could be. If his passing was more accurate and direct, i think he'd do well - but he's far too negative a player. Thing is, i think he's great at rushing into the box, a la Bowyer, and sticking it in the net.

 

But like i say - he's too negative. Which simply unbalances the side catastrophically when he plays like that with Emre - because Roeder seems intent on playing Emre defensively when he's with Parker, which makes him resort to long balls and picking up the pieces - which simply isn't him.

 

And it doesn't work for the side when Parker plays with Butt either, because Butt's naturally a defensive player - therefore giving us zilch attacking prowess when those two are together. And if the wingers are off form, like yesterday, we ain't got a hope going forward.

 

If Parker was more direct...  he'd work with Butt - and it could be a decent partnership. However, our midfield should be about Emre anyway in my opinion - the naturally driving, powerful centre-mid with a good eye for goal (despite inconsistency), who works with Butt. Parker should be cover for Emre anyway tbh.

[Keefaz]

He's not perfect, but you can twist stats all different ways. I hear we've won or drawn nearly 80% of matches Luque's started. That doesn't mean we should play him every match.

[Guest TheOrder]

Billy bollocks imo. We're just shit, and people look for scapegoats. Our entire midfiled is wank. Our wing play was awful yesterday, both of our CM's were all over the place. The only thing that looked half decent was our cocking defence, and even then Hunty can't play a pass.

 

We're far too negative away from home. Parker wouldn't of made a difference on top form.

 

 

Playing with confidence, wing play, drive and PASSION. Parker will play well.

[Keefaz]

We've been here before. Scott Parker IS a great individual player. He can tackle, distribute the ball well and has a half decent shot, you can't really fault his effort and work rate either.

 

I can count on one hand the number of central midfielders i've seen with worse distribution and what's this 'decent shot' he has? Has he ever produced anything more than a 'toe punt' from outside the area? To describe him as a 'great individual player' is laughable.

 

Even with his poor shooting, I think he's still our 4th highest scorer in the league even after injuries.

[Dave]

We've been here before. Scott Parker IS a great individual player. He can tackle, distribute the ball well and has a half decent shot, you can't really fault his effort and work rate either.

 

I can count on one hand the number of central midfielders i've seen with worse distribution and what's this 'decent shot' he has? Has he ever produced anything more than a 'toe punt' from outside the area? To describe him as a 'great individual player' is laughable.

 

Even with his poor shooting, I think he's still our 4th highest scorer in the league even after injuries.

 

Joint third with three. Same as Shola.

[Baggio]

Billy bollocks imo. We're just s***, and people look for scapegoats. Our entire midfiled is w***. Our wing play was awful yesterday, both of our CM's were all over the place. The only thing that looked half decent was our cocking defence, and even then Hunty can't play a pass.

 

We're far too negative away from home. Parker wouldn't of made a difference on top form.

 

 

Playing with confidence, wing play, drive and PASSION. Parker will play well.

 

But we look better as a team when he's out injured, the best performances I've seen this club put in in the last 2 seasons was at the end of last season when we went on a run and just before Xmas when we had Butt and Emre in midfield, Parker was missing from both.

 

That's not me using stats to back up my point or looking for a scapegoat, that's me telling it how I've seen it with my own eyes.

 

 

[Guest Knightrider]

Parker at his best - can match and outplay Steven Gerrard as he did to great effect against Liverpool recently so to say he's not good enough is outlandishly stupid when he has shown himself to be more than capable. He's a decent Premiership player who has proven himself. More than good enough.

[Dave]

Parker at his best - can match and outplay Steven Gerrard

 

Nowhere near. He could out-try anyone, but that doesn't mean much at the top level.

[Guest *newcastle 4 life*]

Parker at his best - can match and outplay Steven Gerrard

 

Nowhere near. He could out-try anyone, but that doesn't mean much at the top level.

 

then how did he outplay steven gerrard, AS he did in the liverpool match?

[Guest Knightrider]

Parker at his best - can match and outplay Steven Gerrard

 

Nowhere near. He could out-try anyone, but that doesn't mean much at the top level.

 

He did a few weeks ago, obviously he'll never be able to pass the ball like him or score the goals he can, but he can outplay him, i.e. getting the better over him, and not many players can do that.

[Dave]

Parker at his best - can match and outplay Steven Gerrard

 

Nowhere near. He could out-try anyone, but that doesn't mean much at the top level.

 

then how did he outplay steven gerrard, AS he did in the liverpool match?

 

I'd suggest that was probably a combination of Gerrard underperforming and Parker trying especially hard for that game. I didn't see the game, so i'm not in a great position to comment. My point was that rating him on the basis of that one game is nonsense imo.

[Cajun]

Boumsong outplayed Henry, tbf...

[Dave]

Boumsong outplayed Henry, tbf...

 

Exactly.

[Baggio]

Parker at his best - can match and outplay Steven Gerrard

 

Nowhere near. He could out-try anyone, but that doesn't mean much at the top level.

 

He did a few weeks ago, obviously he'll never be able to pass the ball like him or score the goals he can, but he can outplay him, i.e. getting the better over him, and not many players can do that.

 

The pitch was waterlogged which massively hindered Gerrard's passing game.

[Guest Knightrider]

Parker at his best - can match and outplay Steven Gerrard

 

Nowhere near. He could out-try anyone, but that doesn't mean much at the top level.

 

then how did he outplay steven gerrard, AS he did in the liverpool match?

 

I'd suggest that was probably a combination of Gerrard underperforming and Parker trying especially hard for that game. I didn't see the game, so i'm not in a great position to comment. My point was that rating him on the basis of that one game is nonsense imo.

 

Maybe so, but from what I saw, Parker's own performance had a negative effect on Gerrard's own performance, and that is what it is all about, winning your personal battles for the team, which he did to great effect.

 

Like I said not many can subdue Gerrard never mind perform above him, whether the Red's midfielder is having an off day or not, he's still better than most even at 50%.

[Shak]

One thing Souness had right, if Parker was ever gonna amount to anything it was as a defensive midfielder. Have him sit in front of the back four, work hard and never let the opposition settle. And, when he gets the ball, play simple passes to someone else.

 

He could have been quite effective for us in that role, much like Makelele is for Chelsea. The unsung hero of the team.

 

But between himself and Glenn Roeder they seem to have determined that the holding role is somehow beneath Scott Parker. I remember Roeder claiming at the start of the season that he saw Scott Parker as our Steven Gerrard, the box-to-box heart and soul of the team. However comparing Parker to Gerrard on any level is comically absurd, Parker isn't even close to being in the same league as Gerrard. Yet, for some reason, this hasn't become apparent to the manager as of yet and as a result we still try to persist with Parker as our main creative force in center midfield.

 

As a result we've been treated to a headless chicken running around trying to be a hero doing everything, and consequently doing nothing, all season.

 

He has a shocking first touch, dreadful passing range, poor vision, takes far too much time on the ball, doesn't have any real eye for goal, has a dreadful final ball and doesn't get into any good positions in the box. Not what you look for in an attacking midfielder tbh.

 

When he plays with Emre in CM its a shambles to watch. They have it completely ass backwards. Emre sits in front of the back four trying to protect, while Parker tries to get forward. Emre is very poor at tracking back and often leaves our back four exposed, while Parker is completely incapable of providing any sort of service to the front men and wingers.

 

With Butt it's a marginally better tandem, cos at least Butt can do the holding midfield job quite competently. But still we can do nothing going forward, due to Parker.

 

When Butt and Emre pair up in CM, it's no coincidence we look a whole lot better. Emre can go and be our playmaker, something he's a lot better equipped than Parker to do, while Butt protects the back four. Emre still doesn't quite do enough for me in that role, but at least we have balance.

 

With Emre likely to hit the road this summer, I feel one of our biggest needs will be an attacking midfielder. Parker could still be a very effective holding midfielder for us, but he needs to shape up very fast. Stop going for the glory tackles, stop getting pulled out of position and PLAY AS PART OF A TEAM. Do your job.

 

Otherwise he can get lost and it's no loss as far as I'm concerned.

[Dave]

One thing Souness had right, if Parker was ever gonna amount to anything it was as a defensive midfielder. Have him sit in front of the back four, work hard and never let the opposition settle. And, when he gets the ball, play simple passes to someone else.

 

He could have been quite effective for us in that role, much like Makelele is for Chelsea. The unsung hero of the team.

 

But between himself and Glenn Roeder they seem to have determined that the holding role is somehow beneath Scott Parker. I remember Roeder claiming at the start of the season that he saw Scott Parker as our Steven Gerrard, the box-to-box heart and soul of the team. However comparing Parker to Gerrard on any level is comically absurd, Parker isn't even close to being in the same league as Gerrard. Yet, for some reason, this hasn't become apparent to the manager as of yet and as a result we still try to persist with Parker as our main creative force in center midfield.

 

As a result we've been treated to a headless chicken running around trying to be a hero doing everything, and consequently doing nothing, all season.

 

He has a shocking first touch, dreadful passing range, poor vision, takes far too much time on the ball, doesn't have any real eye for goal, has a dreadful final ball and doesn't get into any good positions in the box. Not what you look for in an attacking midfielder tbh.

 

When he plays with Emre in CM its a shambles to watch. They have it completely ass backwards. Emre sits in front of the back four trying to protect, while Parker tries to get forward. Emre is very poor at tracking back and often leaves our back four exposed, while Parker is completely incapable of providing any sort of service to the front men and wingers.

 

With Butt it's a marginally better tandem, cos at least Butt can do the holding midfield job quite competently. But still we can do nothing going forward, due to Parker.

 

When Butt and Emre pair up in CM, it's no coincidence we look a whole lot better. Emre can go and be our playmaker, something he's a lot better equipped than Parker to do, while Butt protects the back four. Emre still doesn't quite do enough for me in that role, but at least we have balance.

 

With Emre likely to hit the road this summer, I feel one of our biggest needs will be an attacking midfielder. Parker could still be a very effective holding midfielder for us, but he needs to shape up very fast. Stop going for the glory tackles, stop getting pulled out of position and PLAY AS PART OF A TEAM. Do your job.

 

Otherwise he can get lost and it's no loss as far as I'm concerned.

 

 

Everyone has had him down as a defensive spoiler (Mourinho, McClaren, Souness), but we're just not using him as one.

[Guest Knightrider]

Parker at his best - can match and outplay Steven Gerrard

 

Nowhere near. He could out-try anyone, but that doesn't mean much at the top level.

 

He did a few weeks ago, obviously he'll never be able to pass the ball like him or score the goals he can, but he can outplay him, i.e. getting the better over him, and not many players can do that.

 

The pitch was waterlogged which massively hindered Gerrard's passing game.

 

Pathetic, making excuses. Even if you don't rate him, or dislike him passionately which you seem to do, at least give the bloke some credit for a fine performance and stop making daft excuses for his opponent in that match, Parker subdued him, he wasn't allowed to pass the ball like he can and does, are you saying Gerrard is uncapable of passing a ball about on a wet pith? Didn't stop Parker pinging a few 40-yarders to the flanks. And I seem to remember Gerrard playing a few cracking balls in that match too. Gerrard is more than about passing you know, with players like that you have to subdue or they run riot. Parker did that, some would say that's his game, well Gerrard's game is to stamp his considerable ability or mark on a match and because of Parker he failed to do that.

 

 

[Yorkie]

 

Playing with confidence and PASSION. Parker will play well.

 

But, as the Captain, is that not his job to ignite those things during certain periods? If he doesn't get either of those things buzzing throughout the team in certain parts of the game, then he can't be a very good Captain.

[Shak]

One thing I forgot to mention in my uber-post was that with Parker as our AM we're almost gauranteed to lose a game once we go behind, as teams can then play it safe against us. As a result we need someone who can take the initiative in the middle of the park and really start to run the game. Wigan looked half asleep during the second half yesterday but, because we had absolutely nothing to offer in terms of our playmaking, the game just farted off into nothingness. They were there for the taking, and we didn't even give them a bit of discomfort.

 

He may have had a good game and kept Gerrard quiet a few weeks ago, but its those games that are the only thing he'll excell in. Where the game turns into a high paced war and he can charge around like a headless chicken, doing what he does best.

 

Never mind that we only got level in that game because of a fluke and were torn to bit in the first half and should have been a few goals down.

[Leazes1986]

Its Parkers fault that we blew the 12 point lead in 96 tbh.

[Northern Monkey]

We've been here before. Scott Parker IS a great individual player. He can tackle, distribute the ball well and has a half decent shot, you can't really fault his effort and work rate either.

 

I can count on one hand the number of central midfielders i've seen with worse distribution and what's this 'decent shot' he has? Has he ever produced anything more than a 'toe punt' from outside the area? To describe him as a 'great individual player' is laughable.

 

we've had at least two of these over the past few years.