It was announced 24 hours before England take on Holland in their rescheduled friendly that Scott Parker had been voted England’s Player of the Year in an official online poll, in which the former Newcastle captain won with 17% of the vote. In Manchester City’s Joe Hart, who is yet to be on the losing side in an England shirt, and Manchester United’s Ashley Young, Scott Parker beat off strong opposition to win the award, previously held by the likes of Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham.
In arguing his case for the award, back on December 6th, I described Parker as one of the few “blazing beacons” at The Boleyn Ground last season. His consistency and leadership, cited for in his inspirational team talks, ensured he stayed well and truly in Capello’s plans: providing he re-joined the Premier League first.
Since leaving The Hammers for Premier League high-fliers Tottenham, Parker has become the lynchpin of a dynamic and fluid Spurs midfield, making 5.96 tackles a game. It was his ability to perform to the same calibre on the international stage that won England their friendly against the European and World Champions, Spain: a man-of-the-match performance was churned out by the Charlton graduate and his passing ability and defensive duties saw England take away a 1-0 victory, in a game where Parker would’ve looked more at home in the red shirt of Spain, dictating the tempo of the game with the precision of Xavi and starting attacks from defence with the clinical approach of Sergio Busquets.
It is, however, despite his stellar 2011 for England and his evergreen performances in the top flight of English football for the past seven years, his late starting international career that has so far seen the front runner position for the vacant England captaincy elude Parker.
He is sat behind Steven Gerrard, the favourite to succeed John Terry as England captain: yet, for a player that conducts himself in such an admirable fashion on the pitch and has been one of the most reliable English midfielders for the best part of a decade, playing for five different clubs in England’s top flight, it seems an injustice that Parker isn’t the called for captain.
His infrequent appearances for England, just three between 2003 and 2010, were undoubtedly down to the paradox that was fitting both Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard into an English midfield that just couldn’t house the both of them in the centre. However, managers persisted and if it wasn’t for Owen Hargreaves’ timely breakthrough and commendable success in a less than commendable 2006 World Cup squad, Scott Parker may’ve got his chance earlier.
2011 gave the workhorse midfielder his chance, following a bright finish to 2010, and during the calendar year, Parker featured in seven of England’s nine games. His efforts have been recognised with the reward, one in which Parker holds in great esteem: “just looking at the names that are on the trophy it’s quite an achievement. It’s a proud moment for me, I’m delighted.” Surely now, with Harry Redknapp the favourite for the managerial post, it should be his midfield dictator at Spurs commanding the play for England, with an armband tightly squeezing one proud man’s bicep.
However, with Stuart Pearce in charge for the Holland game, a fixture that kicks off within the next 24 hours, a captain still hasn’t been named, with Pearce delaying the decision until tomorrow. It may well just be a friendly, but if Pearce is to pick his squad on the basis of showing prospective managers what different players have to offer, then the same should be said for his tactics. His only well-boding words came in his description of his hypothetical captain: “[The captain has to be] somebody who’s got the respect of the other players in my eyes and someone who is unselfish and puts the group above himself.”
Look no further than Scott Parker then.