Scott Parker - disillusioned...
by jayayseekay on Fri May 16, 2008 10:31 am
I was talking to someone related to Parker on Monday night, and apparently the boy is getting pretty disillusioned with football at the moment. They said that after failing to make big progress after his Chelsea move, and the string of injuries since signing for Newcastle and now us (in addition to the fact he was never really that keen to join us anyway), he's getting a bit fed-up with the game and as far as he's concerned he has enough money now to see him through anyway.
This source is a good, genuine person and it makes sense in my mind given some of his half-hearted performances towards the end of the season. I only hope something happens to really get the boy motivated again, as he used to be truly exceptional back at Charlton. Maybe if he sees that Upson and Ashton are getting England call-ups while playing for us, he might realise there's still quite a lot to play for? I certainly hope so...
jayayseekay
Posts: 28
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 9:03 pm
Judas Parker !!! Ruined our/my European dream. Gutter snipe !!! I dont care that he wanted bigger wages he could and should of had the decency to end the campaign back then. Stabbed the fans in the back. And Curbishley aswell. Git.
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Charlton are too lower class for him. Probarbly have washed his hands of us like a certain Rob(sic) Lee.
Who wouldn't want to have moved in his circumstance?! More money, Champions League football etc..
All you can really ask of a player is to give 100% in a Charlton shirt when with the club, I personally can't remember him giving any less than that.
I think most bitterness probably comes from the fact that we knew exactly how good/instrumental he was and that he went elsewhere when we were poised for a great season. When we lost him it the start of our demise IMO, was too hard/nigh on impossible to replace.
he had the world at his feet and he chose money instead of football - if he had stayed with us until the end of that season (and maybe 6-12 months longer) he would have got the move he rightfully deserved - liverpool/man u. Instead he chose the fast buck to oblivion.
He could have been an england regular alongside lampard and gerrard - doubt whether he will ever play for his country again.
For me he stupidly went to perhaps the worst possible team from a footballing perspective. They had a plethora of quality midfielders, and his chances of getting into their first choice eleven was pretty small.
I think Curbs was right to want him to stay, not just for Curbs narrow self-interest reasons but he had just broken into the England squad, he was playing superbly and another season or two would not have harmed his career at all.
It is sad that he has lost his drive, it's understandable but somehow a real waste of his talent.
The beginning of the end were his replacements. Dennis Rommedahl, Bryan Hughes, Danny Murphy and Jeffers.
Rommedahl was universally welcomed when Curbs signed him, indeed I read in one of the heavyweight dailys (can't remember which) said that possibly his signing was the best/shrewdest of that particular "window" (Of course that was before anybody saw him play in a Charlton shirt)
Bryan Hughes was only ever going to be a squad player but he was half decent.
Danny Murphy was a quality signing and after his stuttering first season when he wasn't fully fit for much of it, he started his second season looking every bit the player we'd hoped we'd signed. Unfortunately he was too much the Billy Big Bollocks and when he failed to get into the England squad, he threw his toys out of the pram and "engineered" his departure. Still an excellent player though, and still playing well at Foolham.
Jeffers was a gamble and Curbs pretty much admitted that when he signed him. Wenger (who spots a decent player thought it was worth parting for some cash for him), again I don't think he was a bad signing but didn't quite do enough to make him undroppable. I suspect he couldn't take being on the bench/in the reserves for whatever team he played for and was too self-destructive. On his day he was capable of being the "fox in the box".
I don't really want to imagine what would have happened to us if we'd finished 4th/5th and squeaked into Europe (it'd probably have had terrible consequences, like when Everton finished 4th), but Parker would have had a proper move to a proper club which wasn't an oligarch's trinket if he'd waited 6/12/18 months. Hey, he'd probably have become an England regular and then... who knows?
But what we do know is that what's happened has been awful. He got his head turned by a no-class bunch of no-marks with cash, and in the process buggered up his career. My heart bleeds. Shame few have learned the lesson of Parker's greed, eh?
Well, the beginning of the end was finding that Curbs couldn't spend a windfall properly. Although, that said, in the summer of '04 it looked like we'd arrived by signing two England internationals and Rommedhal. Heh. The benefit of hindsight...
That was my point as well Inspector.
Ah, the famous "relative" that spills the beans on their close kin to a total stranger. Where would the world of rumours be without them and the equally famous "friend who works in the office/delivers to the ground/knows someone high up"
Parker made the wrong move at the wrong time but he's laughing all the way to the bank. His extended family and he have all done well out of the three moves and the wonga he gets/got from each club. I doubt he has taken a huge cut from his Chelsea days.
What has really "finished" his top class/England Career, IMHO, are his injuries and glandular fever. He even doesn't look anything like the player he was when he was with us let alone pushing on and improving as he should have done.
He could have stayed at Charlton, got injured and glandular fever here and we could be booing him in a red shirt now.
I remember that when we spent the Parker money on those players - I was convinced that we were taking a step up...
Like has been said - hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I don't blame Curbs - he wasn't to know that the players would ultimately be such a let down, and I don't blame Parker; he was young and had his head turned.
I have heard today that Stelios has been released by Bolton. Only two seasons ago, Liverpool were after him and he could have had a crack at Champs league footy etc. I don't think he'll ever get that chance again (unless he has already played in a Greek CL team). So maybe he just had to see how it went. Of course, it went badly and he is where he is now. I would have him back in a hot minute, although by the sounds of it, he might not ever be any good again unless he ends up with a manager who can relight his fire, as it were.
Ditto, I thought they were good signings.
Same the year before with Di Canio and Carlton Cole - the experienced creative player with the good young English striker, sure to be a god partnership - shame Cole was awful!!
And read Wright- Phillips at Man City, Chelsea seem to have formed a pattern here, buying up a mediocre club's best player, then leaving him out of the team.
Like Henry said though, probably a made up story anyway...
Good point well made.
And no, I wouldnt forgive and forget if he came back, guys a scum bag in my eyes, plain and simple
OK, I know it's never gonna happen but I would relish the sight of Scotty back in a Charlton shirt.
He has done very well for himself out of football and I doubt he has regret.
I just regret his leaving, totally out played Chelsea boxing day, as a team not one player. Forth place ahead of Chelsea and then they buy our best player. Ruined our season.
If you were earning £20K per week, and somebody came in with a large signing on fee and offering to double your money, could you easily turn it down? I doubt many on here would/could. I don't blame him for going for the money, especially when a PL footballers career is over by mid-thirties. I just think he chose the wrong club.
I take Henry's point about injuries and illness but there is no telling what would have happened if he stayed or went to someone else. Chance plays a large part in all of this.
I think Curbs kind of gave up a bit after that.
As for players like Rommedahl, if you ask them to play in defence then you're obviously not going to get the best out of them. All that business is another matter tho, I spose.
But I still think that if we had a more positive manager with the squad that included Murphy (say whatn you want about him, but he was well up for it when he joined), Dennis and Bent; we could have played attractive football and at least some exciting matches, if not maybe getting to a cup final etc.
But like I say, I think Curbs just got despondent, and didn't give them the motivation. Just had his sights set on not doing anything risky to jeapodise hetting the WHUFC job. Nice to see he's been such a success there.
Agree with inspector sands and the others. Parker is all that's wrong with football. Most young lads on this kinda money - well, let's just say it's changed the game for the worse re effort & loyalty etc. But we all know that anyway!
Oh what might have been etc...
I have never thought about it that way Boggzy, but you have a good point. Looking back I think that may well have been the point when Curbs realised he had taken it as far as he (anyone) could possibly do with the resources available. Not his fault, not the club's fault. Just a fact of life in the Premier league.
I'd rather Danny Murphy came back.
No class any of em.
Not fit to lace Kinsella's boots.
Many of us may now never live long enough to see us in a similar position again.
I would love to see him playing for us again, but he would need to apologise to the fans first or at least express his regret.
If I was him, given the amount of money that he has made, I would want to come back to try to redeem my actions.