‘Scott Parker is the worst player ever to wear a Spurs shirt’ – is probably your opinion if you spent the weekend freebasing crack cocaine and touching yourself looking at Jodie Marsh pictures. With 4,800 other Spurs masochists, I travelled to Wigan on Saturday with reasonable expectations of a nervy away win only to watch […]
Is Scott Parker Spurs’ worst ever player?
‘Scott Parker is the worst player ever to wear a Spurs shirt’ – is probably your opinion if you spent the weekend freebasing crack cocaine and touching yourself looking at Jodie Marsh pictures.
With 4,800 other Spurs masochists, I travelled to Wigan on Saturday with reasonable expectations of a nervy away win only to watch our beloved team scrape a late 2-2 draw. Creditable player performances were as rare as working taps in the Paxton toilets after a game at White Hart Lane (I am convinced Danny Levy turns the water off at 4.55pm).
Despite our shared frustrations, I did not hear a single, dissenting voice about Parker’s performance at the DW Stadium though obviously we did not have the benefit of a grainy internet feed being streamed from a Chinese high rise. I understand the Mandarin commentary was particularly scathing.
Only on the train back, did I discover Parker had been widely slaughtered via (anti) social media. The level of abuse was quite mystifying and carried the reasoning of a pre-menstrual elephant. And clearly this had an influence on others with Parker rated the match’s worst player with a paltry 4.8 user rating on one respected Spurs website. The entire team was way below par and to pinpoint Parker who was not responsible for providing the game’s creative spark nor directly at fault for either of the conceded goals was bemusingly selective.
With Emmanuel Adebayor god knows where, probably listening to Toto’s ‘Africa’ on a loop with tears in his eyes, a new scapegoat was needed. Step forward honest midfield battler Parker, a more than capable understudy for the desperately missed Sandro as well as being arguably twice the player ‘fan favourite’ Steffen Freund could ever claim to be.
Saturday’s affair was flat and disjointed and the majority of the Spurs team disappointed until bewilderingly finding late impetus in the final five minutes and added time. The game was a maddening and frustrating spectacle as Wigan’s greater hustle and proficient timewasting took advantage of a listless Tottenham lacking cohesion and any discernable tactics. At one point, Arouna Kone faked his own death to get the ball knocked out of play only to rise from his grassy resting place to sprint past the mourning Spurs defence and test Hugo Lloris with a rasping shot. The unwelcome presence of phantom goal ‘referee’ Martin Atkinson (the ‘Sh’ in his surname is silent) did little to cool frustrations.
Every fan is entitled to be disappointed and to criticise, but the toxic levels of vitriol aimed at a Spurs player was unacceptable and wildly out of context. It is worth remembering our team has lost THREE league games in FIVE-AND-A-HALF-MONTHS shorn of key players like Younes Kaboul and Sandro. Such has been the level of abuse from some vocal (possibly mentally ill) quarters, I could barely believe this run when I cast an eye over recent results.
One problem is that some fans are ‘less articulate than others’. Saying someone is ‘sh*t’ and ‘must die’ may be a persuasive argument on The Jeremy Kyle Show or a council block stairwell but this line of debate has yet to hold up in a British court of law. An opinion has far greater resonance with reasoning and restraint. A collection of gibbering expletives loses the argument.
But too many people talk in extremes. One such football sage (and alleged Spurs fan) told my dad before the win over Man City that, ‘Tottenham are sh*t’. When my 66-year-old father disagreed, the ‘Spurs fan’ said he would punch him were he not an old man. I understand the fan has since been headhunted by the United Nations as a diplomatic envoy.
Context is not an SMS promising millions from a stranded Nigerian Prince. It is that necessary space between passion and a rubber-walled room. Spurs are still in the hunt for a Champions League place with four games remaining and need your support more than ever. Let’s hope the players manage to keep their heads unlike some of their ‘fans’.
* Congratulations to Gareth Bale for winning the PFA ‘Player of the Year’ and ‘Young Player of the Year’ awards and Jan Vertonghen for joining the Welshman in the ‘Team of the Year.’ Um, ‘Where’s Walcott?’ Overpaid geezer in a red and white striped hat?
All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.
29 Comments
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29/04/2013 @ 2:36 pm
Scott Parker has been apalling all season FACT! Anyone that won’t admint this is a blinkered Spurs fan. We need Sandro back massively and also need to buy another CM so we can ship him out in the summer!
29/04/2013 @ 4:22 pm
Well, since you’ve written ‘fact’ in uppercase letters then it must be true!!
29/04/2013 @ 2:47 pm
Scott parker must give it up. Why does AVB still plays him
29/04/2013 @ 3:03 pm
Scott Parker serves a purpose at the THFC.
Ats some teeth in the middle of the park and is strong defensively.
However, Modric obviously compensated for some of Parker’s deficiencies moving forward and they have been exposed badly this season. Dembele is damn solid, but doesn’t have the depth to his game that Modric possessed. As a result, those teams that sit back where Parker needs to be much quicker and simply more accurate, he has really been very counter-productive to Spurs attack.
AVB is my boy and has my full support. But for a man who knows his tactics rather well, I still dont understand why Parker is an automatic selection in the Starting 11.
Vs City –> Parker makes a ton of sense
Home vs Fulham –> Parker should Not be in the starting 11
This Starting 11 vs Southampton will be interesting and I’ll be shocked and not shocked at the same time seeing Parker in that starting 11.
29/04/2013 @ 3:04 pm
“With Emmanuel Adebayor god knows where, probably listening to Toto’s ‘Africa’ on a loop with tears in his eyes, a new scapegoat was needed.”
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaha
That was a riot
29/04/2013 @ 3:30 pm
Parkers best days are well and truly behind him and he should have never started at wigan,, Slows our game up, can`t pass (only backwards) .. Hopefully AVB will drop him for our last coming games.
29/04/2013 @ 3:35 pm
Probably the same people who were picking on walker, get behind the players for a change and stop moaning, who is going to be next, probably Bale as he only scored 3 goals in the next game, idiots the lot of you
29/04/2013 @ 3:42 pm
Interesting you said “Parker who was not responsible for providing the game’s creative spark” that’s the job he has had for many months this season under AVB. I think Parker has been shocking this season and one of the reason for this is AVB. Playing Parker in a box to box midfield role just doesn’t work he hasn’t got the ability to that and AVB just can’t see it. AVB got it wrong AGAIN on Saturday (I do like AVB but he has a lot to learn) it seems AVB this season has done the complete opposite to what he did at Chelsea and never drop the players who are playing awful. It has happened all this season for example with Friedel getting played over Lloris it had to take Friedel having the worse game of his spurs career against Man City for him to be dropped. It took about 6 months for AVB to realise Gallas was costing us goals every game. Now it’s Parker’s turn to be dropped and we will have to wait for the penny to be dropped for that to happen. I think Parker would be fine If AVB told him don’t go past the half way line but yet that’s doesn’t happen and it probably will cost us top 4.
29/04/2013 @ 5:02 pm
it’s not AVB. yes ur right that he should not go past the half way line but without sandro who do we have to play there? no one
Mr Levy is the 1 to blame. for the last 2-3 years he has stop us from making in the CL. he see spurs as a selling club not a winning club just like arsenal are, the only thing the saves them is that they in the CL each year.
29/04/2013 @ 5:24 pm
“Without Sandro who do we have to play there”? Let me think…..Parker of course. AVB has got his tactics wrong a lot this season and I’m sick of some Tottenham fans thinking he can’t do know wrong as I said before he has a lot to learn. Let’s me honest If Bale didn’t save us on so many occasions this season where would we be? Fighting with Liverpool for six place no doubt it isn’t good enough. I do blame Levy for a lot of it, it’s unbelievable he never bought another striker in January and instead of bringing a player of quality to replace Modric he brought in Dempsey the most average player I have ever seen in a Tottenham shirt for many years because he failed to sign Moutinho.
If AVB didn’t play Parker as a box to box midfield, if he didn’t play Naughton a average right back at left back, If he never played Friedel and Gallas for half the season I’m sure we would be guaranteed champions league football with 4 games to go. It’s not just Levy who has messed up this season you have to have a look at the manager for so much of it as well.
29/04/2013 @ 6:33 pm
If AVB hadn’t played Gallas and Friedel etc then I’m sure we wouldn’t be nailed on for top four. We’d have injuries to players that we need instead. A combination of the Europa and not enough quality squad players to rest our best players occasionally is what has made it a struggle. That and not having a striker who can both score goals and hold up the ball.
29/04/2013 @ 6:51 pm
Yes yes it’s all because of the injuries *NEWS FLASH* every team gets injuries I don’t see why people don’t see how bad AVB has done with some of his tactics this season. There are many examples I could use playing to CDM’s at home, playing Gallas and Friedel and STILL playing the high line it’s a joke and if any one with a footballing brain can see it not the idiots who watch match of the day.
Adebayor is a thousand times better then Defoe has ever been you could see how bad Defoe was on Saturday he is a impact sub nothing more. Adebayor makes everyone around him play better and idiots out there who rate Jermain Defoe are deluded fools the same fools who think Brad Friedel and Michael Dawson are good players as well.
29/04/2013 @ 4:10 pm
That was Mandarin? I thought it was Italian!
…and gawd knows how anyone could tell who was shit, on that feed, because frankly I couldn’t tell which team had the ball for most of it. It was like watching an animated Lego movie shot on Betamax and the tape was stored in a box of magnets.
Still…. we may have thrown it away this time. The Wigan draw might be the one we look back on with sadness.
And I my get some hate for this comment but I’m not really sure we’re ready for another shot in the CL. I think most of us are probably more concerned about holding on to our key players than CL qualification? I do realise of course that one does very much depend on the other…
29/04/2013 @ 4:13 pm
Parker is a year on from last year, but what many forget that far from being Modric who made Parker look good, it was Parker who did the water-carrying for Modric. It was Parker the ball winner.
When I read an opinion about Parker’s job being the creative spark this year, it makes me wonder just what Scott Parker these blokes have been watching for some dozen years. He’s never been the midfield maestro, he’s been the battler. I keep hearing the crop-circle’s thing mentioned – a valid POV, except go watch a game where there’s another midfielder making a run into space for the bloke to offload.
It’s like taking a shot at Rooney for not saving a penalty. He’s a blioke whose played a shitload of games, been kicked up in the air all career, kicked a few people and is happy in midfield winning a ball and laying it off. He’s not Modric, FFS. That’s not his job. That job has been vacant all season, not filled since August. All Applications and CV’s to Danile Levy.
And lets face it, AVB is playing with a stacked hand. This is not his team. This is Redknapp’s team and with all due respect, being in 5th place with 4 games to go and still with a shot at the title is some achievement.
Our biggest issue are three-fold. A creative fulcrum in the middle third of the pitch to fill Modric’s boots. A top notch striker (let’s just discount Adebayor’s woeful performance this year). And BAE, who has been utterly caught out this year for the fraud that he is. When you get taken apart by Jenkinson, something is up with you.
Three signings for the above, some faith in our younger players and Bale stays. Next year will look better.
29/04/2013 @ 5:17 pm
u forget this season Parker was cover for Sandro not to play week in week out. Mr Levy should have got a player on loan or buy a young one for the future cause for next season we need to replace him anyway
29/04/2013 @ 5:38 pm
Well then Levy’s master plan went up shit-creek didn’t it? Does this make Parker Spurs worst player ever? Jeez, you never saw Nethercott. Or the Ginger Pele.
29/04/2013 @ 4:18 pm
Parker is definitely not Spurs’ wort ever player. If you remember back to the beginning of last season, before Parker sigmned, we had two heavy defeats. Parker ( and ironically Adebayor )signed and we went on a long unbeaten run whenever they played. His defensive work last year was immense. He is not as effective without Modric to complement him, and he probably takes too much on himself this season. His effort level is alwasys high and he never hides. It is sad to witness the abuse that he gets. If his performance are not what we have come to expect, his efforts cannot be denied.
29/04/2013 @ 4:25 pm
Whats with all this Scott Parker hatred. Last season he was outstanding for us. This season under AVB we have changed the way we play and unfortunately it doesn’t suit Scott Parker. You can see he’s being told to push forward and he’s willing to do that, but it’s not his game.
Last season when he sat behind the midfield and broke up play he was remarkable and that is his game. He’s still a fantastic player, he just doesn’t seem to fit into our current system whereas both Sandro and Huddlestone do. Parker wouldn’t be playing if Sandro was fit and now Huddlestone is fit I can’t see him getting many games, AVB has been forced to play him down to the injuries we’ve had.
I think we should sell Parker this summer as we can get a good price for him and he will do well elsewhere, but I don’t see why there is so much hatred aimed towards him. He has been an important player for us and is still a great talent and should be one of the first names in the England squad. I wish him good luck whatever happens to him next season.
29/04/2013 @ 6:27 pm
Parkers job last season was to win the ball and give it to Modric or VdV. This team doesn’t have the same creative focus so it’s here where I disagree with the original article. Parker has to share creative responsibility in this team. If it wasn’t ‘his job’ then why would he frequently be found ahead of dembele on the pitch… Just prior to losing possession? He is far from the worst player that I’ve seen, at this club or any other but I feel he isn’t anything like the modern footballer. The modern midfielder needs to be able to tackle, press, pass, move and create. Having a midfielder who cannot create is a liability. An injury to the first choice and then he plays more than he should. If a player can’t pass the ball quickly (because he knows where he wants to pass it before he recieves it – watch Holtby) and move into position to get it back, it slows down the whole midfield if there is no sole creative focal point. It’s my opinion that Wigan almost beat us because they were the better passing team and we couldnt move the ball quickly enough to pull them out of defensive shape…. A team in the bottom three! The modern game has moved on. I also happen to think that this is the problem with the national team. Parker has heart, but it’s no longer enough.
29/04/2013 @ 4:52 pm
I must say that Pivot Parker has been pivoting more than ever this season.
Its like watching a ballerina. He gets the ball does a 360 degree turn and passes
it back to Dawson. I admire his work ethic but he rarely scores or hits a killer
ball. A prime example was in the Man City game when Huddlestone came on and threading
through some beauties. I do like Parker but I do wish he would stop pivoting. COYS
29/04/2013 @ 5:18 pm
Of course Scott Parker is not Spur’s worst ever player, but he is certainly the most over rated player, or at least the most over rated midfielder ever. He is at best a good midfield player because of his work rate. Full stop. Even if a player’s job is to ‘ break up ‘ play, surely he must have the ability to play more than that if you are playing for a big club. If that is all you can do, then look for a day job and play part time football where no one would moan about your lack of ability. Defenders of Parker said that he is just not suited to play in our new system of play. Then why is he still playing ? By the way, I’ve made a promise not to watch the game if Parker is included in the starting line up. I did the same thing with our most over rated goalkeeper ever a few seasons ago. He was England no 1 mind you. Oh ! Someone also said Parker should be the first name in the England squad. Good luck England !
29/04/2013 @ 5:22 pm
scott was outstanding last season broke up play, defended well and then gave the ball to Modric,who made the killer passes This season he is doing the same job but asking him to make the passes and score goals is a bit much and not really his game
He gives a 100% every game. It time fans started supporting the team these are still good times for us even if we finish fifth and for any one to think he is the worse spurs player ever you must be very young or have a very poor memory
29/04/2013 @ 5:55 pm
u forget this season Parker was cover for Sandro not to play week in week out. Mr Levy should have got a player on loan or buy a young one for the future cause for next season we need to replace him anyway
the first and WORST player on the team is MR LEVY.
we needed to a CF before the seaso start but no Mr Levy waited for the season to start to get Ade, then he say his going to play for his country.
his the only person who could’nt see that we needed to buy a forward jan for us to finish in the top 3 and what make it worst for the 2nd season he plays us for fools, goes for player that don’t want to come on the last day when the tranfer windows is open for a month.
i have 1 question for u Mr Levy
u go on about balancing the books but by not buying what was needed and not making the CL for the 2nd year. how much money has the club lost out on?
29/04/2013 @ 10:38 pm
Parker must be dropped for holtby that is where he wants to play any way and he’s got the engine for it. So the hudd and dembele or gilfy can open the game up. We needed to have signed mountino mr levy !!!
29/04/2013 @ 11:49 pm
To anyone who genuinely believes that Scott Parker is one of the worst players to play for Spurs.
Sergei Rebrov
Ramon Vega
Gary Doherty
That is all.
01/05/2013 @ 1:00 am
you know what sometimes I just give up! some of you are simply twats fuck off and support someone else. Every player at some point this season has had abuse from so called spurs fans even Bale! I ve see this sort of crap tweeted about every one of them. But its this squad of players who have us in the position we are in. We do not have the right to turn up and expect to win, nobody will roll over for you and I dont want them to. I dont want a rich arab or Russian playing with my club. I love my spurs I love the shirt everything else is frills around the edge TTID
01/05/2013 @ 9:46 am
sign moutinho in the summer and all of our midfield problems will go away. A striker is also obviously needed and a new left back!
01/05/2013 @ 10:57 am
Last year Parker was my vote for Player of the season, He was an absolute warrior in the middle and he and Luka complemted each other really well.. Mousa and Sandro were the same at the start of this season, but Sandro was injured since Xmas and it’s not been the same dynamic between Scott and Mousa… (combine that with the fact Dembele has got very tired and is not as swift as he was at the start of the year, making things harder) Yes, Sandro is the future, but people need to get off Parkers back and support the team instead of always looking for excuses..
01/05/2013 @ 5:25 pm
Technically, Mark, the respected Spurs website gave Parker a rating of 4.9, which is 0.1 more than initially listed in your article. Please fix that ASAP.