Fantastic player who played a huge role in our survival/improvement in the Premier league. When he left, it signalled the beginning of the end of our top flight adventure.
Not sure it was that bad a move to Chelski. Not long after I remember seeing a news picture of the £2million mansion he had just bought. But everyone is right, it was a bad career move, partly for that terrible injury. I think he was a better player than Lampard, if he was a better goal scorer he would have been a regular Englander in preference to Lampard. Lamps and Gerrard rarely looked totally comfortable together, I think Gerrard and Parker would have been a better fit.
Curious to know what he does next, perhaps another McDonald's commercial?
He is a player that should not have had a trophy-less career. Quite a shame that. Seems an injustice.
The decision to join Chelsea at that particular time was a really poor one ...mostly for himself. Whoever his agent was he was a complete twat.
Parker obviously did not care that much for charlton but he was a 22 year old man at the time and in that position when you've become a name, maybe you think you deserve more. Things go to your head and you think you are wasting time by sticking with what he considered to now be beneath him - charlton.
Simply what happened was, we found out that he's not a charlton hero. He was just a young footballer that had all the talent and dedication in order to look heroic while he was on the pitch. It was confusing and very disappointing. He was just a man. Not a bad person.
He was an exceptional midfielder. Not always everyone's cup of tea. Not every manager would want him in their side but he was also a great reader of the game.
I just think things could have been different if he was managed by a sir Alex. He could have trophies and medals to his name and become a one club man. Those accolades and plenty more England caps to reflect on.
Massive mistake going Chelsea mid season.
Funny what we tell ourselves eh. In parkers case, he became stupid and thought he was worth more then what charlton gave him.
Fantastic player who played a huge role in our survival/improvement in the Premier league. When he left, it signalled the beginning of the end of our top flight adventure.
I dunno. The first few months of the final Curbs season were very good, until Murphy had a hissy fit, especially as we had our best striker (Bent) of our PL time
Oh I've held a grudge, pure jealousy I'll admit but him leaving was the beginning of the end of any assault on higher things
He was that Charlton team, he made us tick, nobody was safe from his challenges, spread the ball brilliantly and had dynamism and a eye for a peach of a shot.
I don't personally wish him harm but I don't think I'll ever get over how he left. Good on him for having a decent career truly class player who I wish hadn't left in the way he did.
Yep, spot on Carter. Except with me it wasn't jealousy, but selfish resentment that any chance of Europe in my lifetime or any further attack on the top 4 had just left the building.
I should man-up and add, good luck Scott you were a truly exceptional player and are part of some of my greatest memories over 55 years supporting this club.
Absolutely gutted when he left, but he was an outstanding footballer for Charlton while he was with us. Thanks for the good moments, Scott, you were effing awesome.
Could've been world class and +50 England caps if he would've stayed and gone to united to replace Keane.
Agree. Chelsea poached him when we were 2nd in the Premiership to deliberately spike our season (after we'd beaten them) and Parker was dumb enough and greedy enough to go for it. If he'd stayed we would have finished a couple of slots higher than 7th that year and qualified for Europe.
Whilst his career recovered from Chelsea and he did OK (though he never lifted any trophies and his 18 x England caps didn't produce anything either) I'm not sure we ever really recovered from his departure. Despite Curbishley's best efforts it started a trend: Cole didn't want a second spell with us, Di Canio changed his mind, Murphy blew out and the club went into auto-pilot mode.
But, if Parker had stayed and seen that season through to May both he and Charlton would have been much better for it.
I'm delighted that this boy's career never fulfilled its potential. All he deserved after walking out at the very moment he could have become a Charlton legend and an England regular. Let's not forget where we were, what we were on the verge of becoming. Still hurts all these years later, like nothing else has ever hurt me in football. Gutted to this day.
Devastated when he left and flew into a rage when he appeared on the big screen at the Bridge first game after, but he was the best player I've seen in a Charlton shirt and he had a great career, even captained England so that rage has long gone though I do feel the day he didn't turn up for training started the great decline.
Fantastic player who played a huge role in our survival/improvement in the Premier league. When he left, it signalled the beginning of the end of our top flight adventure.
The thing is our relegation came 3 years later. For two years after Parker left we still held our own in the Premier League. Parker would have long left before relegation even if it hadn't been when he did leave and stay on. And had we not gone down in 2007 I thing we would have finally had our luck running out by now just like lots of other clubs.
All this stuff about what we could have been blah blah blah. We fell away at the end of every Premier League season and chances are the same thing would have happened that year. As it was we finished 7th. 7th!! Do people really truly believe that we would have qualified for the Champions League that season? Honestly?? He was brilliant, by far and away the best player I have ever seen in a Charlton shirt, but he was just one player and, although he left us in bad circumstances and I was very angry at the time, this concept that it was the beginning of the end and we could have gone on to massive things is fantasy in my opinion. We might have squeaked into the Europa League and he would have left anyway at the end of the season-would that have made that much of a difference? Probably not.
Although absolutely gutted at the time and for a long time thereafter, I'm big enough to forgive and move on and reading that statement has just made me love him even more. And he has a son called Sonny just like me. Can't be having the name Rafa though.....
There were games (and not just one or two) where watching him felt worth the entrance fee alone.
That is why I was so disappointed when he left. It felt like something changed that day - and, even though it was inevitable that he would move on, it felt like it was the end of something.
Looking back now I appreciate how lucky we were to have such a talent playing in a Charlton shirt in the highest league in the land.
Great times - even if they didn't seem to last long enough.
If he'd stayed a few more months, think about where we could have got to. I still have the league tables from early 2004 pinned to a board at home, showing Charlton in fourth as late as 26 matches in. Just think.
But then...
Think about where he could have got to. He was greedy enough to become an oligarch's trinket, wasting his career sat on the bench. I can't help suspecting he regrets it as sorely as we do. Just a few more months... a better move, a better club, a better career.
At least he matured into an honest pro. And we were privileged enough to see him at his most promising. Good luck to him.
He pissed me right off at the time.If he'd waited until the end of the season to move I'd have driven down, got him a drink and lunch and dropped him off at any club...if he'd stayed we would of had European football..99% sure.Im over it now.good luck to him.
Another annoying thing about missing out on European football that season is that millwall took the final place by reaching the cup final. They never beat a single premiership team in reaching the final and then got spanked at Wembley . We finished 7th in the premiership and missed out. Not that I'm still angry or anything.
He stropped off with no class whatsoever but to me totally understandable to take the life changing dough cos he didn't have a crystal ball to know where things would end up and you have to make hay when the sun shines .
If he'd have just stayed and played for the remainder of that season we may not have lost to Gillingham in the Cup and would have ended up with the route the scum took to get to Cardiff for the Cup Final (saying that would our best team in recent years have beaten the Zampa Road muppets) I'm not too bothered about us not getting to a Cup Final or Europe but I am bothered that the filthy pondlife shitbag sluts got all that glory instead of us when they weren't fit to lace our boots at the time .
All this stuff about what we could have been blah blah blah. We fell away at the end of every Premier League season and chances are the same thing would have happened that year. As it was we finished 7th. 7th!! Do people really truly believe that we would have qualified for the Champions League that season? Honestly?? He was brilliant, by far and away the best player I have ever seen in a Charlton shirt, but he was just one player and, although he left us in bad circumstances and I was very angry at the time, this concept that it was the beginning of the end and we could have gone on to massive things is fantasy in my opinion. We might have squeaked into the Europa League and he would have left anyway at the end of the season-would that have made that much of a difference? Probably not.
Although absolutely gutted at the time and for a long time thereafter, I'm big enough to forgive and move on and reading that statement has just made me love him even more. And he has a son called Sonny just like me. Can't be having the name Rafa though.....
We finished 4 points off 5th and a UEFA Cup place so yes I do think we'd have qualified for Europe. We were 8 points off 4th so even that wasn't impossible had Parker stayed.
I reckon Parker (at his best) was the most effective player I have seen in a Charlton shirt (in over 50 years). It is well documented that he behaved badly when he left for Chelsea and that is disappointing, to say the least.
Parker started his coaching badges at Spurs where he achieved his A and B licences. Last year he graduated through the testing UEFA pro licence (which is a mandatory qualification for premier league managers). He has previously stated that punditry is not for him - he is committed to the game in a more hands on way.
I wish him the best of luck. However, a tiny bit of me would take delight if a future linchpin, star of the team he is managing demands out and puts him through the same dilemmas, frustration and bitter disappointment that Curbishley must have felt. Especially if that same player owed everything to the club he’d joined as a 10 year old under his stewardship. Maybe, just maybe, he would then understand.
All this stuff about what we could have been blah blah blah. We fell away at the end of every Premier League season and chances are the same thing would have happened that year. As it was we finished 7th. 7th!! Do people really truly believe that we would have qualified for the Champions League that season? Honestly?? He was brilliant, by far and away the best player I have ever seen in a Charlton shirt, but he was just one player and, although he left us in bad circumstances and I was very angry at the time, this concept that it was the beginning of the end and we could have gone on to massive things is fantasy in my opinion. We might have squeaked into the Europa League and he would have left anyway at the end of the season-would that have made that much of a difference? Probably not.
Although absolutely gutted at the time and for a long time thereafter, I'm big enough to forgive and move on and reading that statement has just made me love him even more. And he has a son called Sonny just like me. Can't be having the name Rafa though.....
We went up to Anfield in March / April (?) and won 1-0 that day we were singing about beating Liverpool to the Champions League... Had Scott stayed would we have lost at Stamford Bridge just after the move, I dont think so because we were their proper bogey team.
And look at our results around then.
Lost 2-1 to Bolton and Arsenal, drew 3-3 with Leeds... It was so tight between us and the UEFA Cup positions that yes we would have made them because Scott was such a key marshall of our Midfield and team
Comments
Curious to know what he does next, perhaps another McDonald's commercial?
The decision to join Chelsea at that particular time was a really poor one ...mostly for himself. Whoever his agent was he was a complete twat.
Parker obviously did not care that much for charlton but he was a 22 year old man at the time and in that position when you've become a name, maybe you think you deserve more. Things go to your head and you think you are wasting time by sticking with what he considered to now be beneath him - charlton.
Simply what happened was, we found out that he's not a charlton hero. He was just a young footballer that had all the talent and dedication in order to look heroic while he was on the pitch. It was confusing and very disappointing. He was just a man. Not a bad person.
He was an exceptional midfielder. Not always everyone's cup of tea. Not every manager would want him in their side but he was also a great reader of the game.
I just think things could have been different if he was managed by a sir Alex. He could have trophies and medals to his name and become a one club man. Those accolades and plenty more England caps to reflect on.
Massive mistake going Chelsea mid season.
Funny what we tell ourselves eh. In parkers case, he became stupid and thought he was worth more then what charlton gave him.
Very slightly deluded.
Except with me it wasn't jealousy, but selfish resentment that any chance of Europe in my lifetime or any further attack on the top 4 had just left the building.
Never again in my lifetime, I fear. But at least we saw it.
Thanks for the good moments, Scott, you were effing awesome.
Whilst his career recovered from Chelsea and he did OK (though he never lifted any trophies and his 18 x England caps didn't produce anything either) I'm not sure we ever really recovered from his departure. Despite Curbishley's best efforts it started a trend: Cole didn't want a second spell with us, Di Canio changed his mind, Murphy blew out and the club went into auto-pilot mode.
But, if Parker had stayed and seen that season through to May both he and Charlton would have been much better for it.
The best testament to him from my perspective is that as a club we lost the ability to play an effective 4-4-2 for years after he left.
The Powell league 1 Championship season was the first year we managed it in my view and arguably we've struggled since too.
He was brilliant, by far and away the best player I have ever seen in a Charlton shirt, but he was just one player and, although he left us in bad circumstances and I was very angry at the time, this concept that it was the beginning of the end and we could have gone on to massive things is fantasy in my opinion. We might have squeaked into the Europa League and he would have left anyway at the end of the season-would that have made that much of a difference? Probably not.
Although absolutely gutted at the time and for a long time thereafter, I'm big enough to forgive and move on and reading that statement has just made me love him even more. And he has a son called Sonny just like me. Can't be having the name Rafa though.....
There were games (and not just one or two) where watching him felt worth the entrance fee alone.
That is why I was so disappointed when he left. It felt like something changed that day - and, even though it was inevitable that he would move on, it felt like it was the end of something.
Looking back now I appreciate how lucky we were to have such a talent playing in a Charlton shirt in the highest league in the land.
Great times - even if they didn't seem to last long enough.
But then...
Think about where he could have got to. He was greedy enough to become an oligarch's trinket, wasting his career sat on the bench. I can't help suspecting he regrets it as sorely as we do. Just a few more months... a better move, a better club, a better career.
At least he matured into an honest pro. And we were privileged enough to see him at his most promising. Good luck to him.
If he'd have just stayed and played for the remainder of that season we may not have lost to Gillingham in the Cup and would have ended up with the route the scum took to get to Cardiff for the Cup Final (saying that would our best team in recent years have beaten the Zampa Road muppets)
I'm not too bothered about us not getting to a Cup Final or Europe but I am bothered that the filthy pondlife shitbag sluts got all that glory instead of us when they weren't fit to lace our boots at the time .
Parker started his coaching badges at Spurs where he achieved his A and B licences. Last year he graduated through the testing UEFA pro licence (which is a mandatory qualification for premier league managers). He has previously stated that punditry is not for him - he is committed to the game in a more hands on way.
I wish him the best of luck. However, a tiny bit of me would take delight if a future linchpin, star of the team he is managing demands out and puts him through the same dilemmas, frustration and bitter disappointment that Curbishley must have felt. Especially if that same player owed everything to the club he’d joined as a 10 year old under his stewardship. Maybe, just maybe, he would then understand.
And look at our results around then.
Lost 2-1 to Bolton and Arsenal, drew 3-3 with Leeds... It was so tight between us and the UEFA Cup positions that yes we would have made them because Scott was such a key marshall of our Midfield and team