Parker

[clipboard]

Anyone that thinks he will be dropped in favour of starting Hudd or Holtby is absolutely crazy. I see a vast amount of people calling for him to be dropped. With just a few games left now is not the time to be experimenting on new formations that consist of taking the steel and only true warrior out of our team. Its nice to have the luxury of bringing Hudd on with 25 mins left if we are behind or tied to add a more direct option to the style of play, but to break up team harmony by starting him or anyone else over Parker at this point would be madness

 

[E17yid]

I wouldn't change the formation necissarily, just the player. I see what your getting at with regards to Hudd seeming more effective as a sub but I think his recent off the bench performances warrants a start. Similar to how I thought Sig deserved a start earlier in the season when he did well against Stoke, Everton and Fulham.

Parker has been poor of late. I've said before that I do not lay all the blame at Parkers feet, he still does some great work breaking up play infront of the back 4. The problem is, he is losing the ball or getting caught out of position. He seems to get forward more than Dembele, why is this? Whenever Moussa gets forward we look more likely to score, whenever scotty does he falls over, pirouettes or gives the ball away in some pathetic attempt at a pass.

I love AVB but under Harry Scotty was a better player, mainly because he had Luka next to him but also because he only had to do 2 things

1. run around in our own half when we dont have the ball, protecting the back 4
2. If he won the ball, pass to Luka

AVB expects more from his CMF, Parker can't deliver IMO. This is not to say I don't have any worries about Hudd but he deserves his chance

 

[clipboard]

I wouldn't change the formation necissarily, just the player. I see what your getting at with regards to Hudd seeming more effective as a sub but I think his recent off the bench performances warrants a start. Similar to how I thought Sig deserved a start earlier in the season when he did well against Stoke, Everton and Fulham.

Parker has been poor of late. I've said before that I do not lay all the blame at Parkers feet, he still does some great work breaking up play infront of the back 4. The problem is, he is losing the ball or getting caught out of position. He seems to get forward more than Dembele, why is this? Whenever Moussa gets forward we look more likely to score, whenever scotty does he falls over, pirouettes or gives the ball away in some pathetic attempt at a pass.

I love AVB but under Harry Scotty was a better player, mainly because he had Luka next to him but also because he only had to do 2 things

1. run around in our own half when we dont have the ball, protecting the back 4
2. If he won the ball, pass to Luka

AVB expects more from his CMF, Parker can't deliver IMO. This is not to say I don't have any worries about Hudd but he deserves his chance[

I agree with most of the points you make, however with a healthy Bale, Lennon, Dembele and a few others we should have enough creativity to cope with our remaining opponents. I am not a big lover of Parkers football skills, I just think that dropping him now at this crucial period would be crazy these remaining games are going to be very physical. I would however been in favour of giving Carroll or Hudd a chance 7 or 8 games ago, but not now

 

[beats1]

My issue with Parker is that he is not playing deeper and when he does he gets attracted to the ball too much and leaves us open at times. Also Dembele has also played deeper than Parker and he two is getting attracted to the ball too much when he doesnt need to. Also playing someone else deeper in a midfield 3 should mean less responsibility on Dembele to play deeper and more opportunity for him to go forward

 

[absolute bobbins]

Anyone that thinks he will be dropped in favour of starting Hudd or Holtby is absolutely crazy. I see a vast amount of people calling for him to be dropped. With just a few games left now is not the time to be experimenting on new formations that consist of taking the steel and only true warrior out of our team. Its nice to have the luxury of bringing Hudd on with 25 mins left if we are behind or tied to add a more direct option to the style of play, but to break up team harmony by starting him or anyone else over Parker at this point would be madness

You think that 4 3 3 is an experiment? This was not just some throw of the dice. It was AVB putting a well drilled tactic into play, that is the formation (signings willing) that we will be lining up with next season!

I love Scott Parker but his is as outdated as his hairstyle. He is the player we should be bringing on late in the game when we are home and hosed. Terms like steel and warrior are for defenders, a midfielder must be flexible, adaptive and dynamic and be able to pass the ball into attacking positions like Hudd and Holtby can

 

[E17yid]

I see where you coming from with the "if it aint broke" thing, but we are not playing like a well oiled machine at the moment. I don't just blame Parker for that, I accept it's a team effort but he's been poor, Thudd has looked good.

One of the things I love about AVB is the SQUAD spirit he has created. Sig got his chance, people have to work there way back into the team after injury or lack of form. What message does it send to Hudd if we don't play him even when Parker is playing distinctly average

 

[carpediem991]

Parker works hard, was great last season but I think he can't help us anymore.

I don't know what he offers. Nearly every attack ends with him getting the ball, and his circles slow it down.

Good leader, but i think it's time in summer to get some millions for him an thank him for his business here.

 

[tototoner]

I just think we look far more balanced and a better football side with Huddlestone playing in CM instead of Parker

 

[mw828]

Ha, "only true warrior". How embarrassing. Must not have watched a single game.

I would be fine with just using Hudd as a sub as his lack of pace would matter less since he will be fresh enough to sprint a lot more frequently and teams will start sitting back a lot more if they have a positive result in the 2nd half. Parker is not all that though. He kills so many attacks with 720 degree turns into trouble. He can tackle better than the alternatives, but we wouldn't need that as much if we had someone there who didn't give the ball away at the halfway line repeatedly.

 

[HodisGawd]

Do people not remember Huddlestone earlier in the season? I've got nothing against the guy, and thought he was very good before his injury, but we've only seen him playing well in the last couple games and those outings were a few minutes of him coming on in the last half an hour when everyone else is tired. A good pass does not make him our saviour, and is not enough evidence to justify starting him ahead of Parker. I'm sorry, but if he starts the next game he will probably disappoint and then all you knee-jerk supporters will be saying he's crap again. He needs a few more good performances and then maybe he'll deserve a start. But until then, calm down, get some perspective and don't rock the boat. Parker hasn't been at his best this season but he has his qualities.

 

[beats1]

You think that 4 3 3 is an experiment? This was not just some throw of the dice. It was AVB putting a well drilled tactic into play, that is the formation (signings willing) that we will be lining up with next season!

I love Scott Parker but his is as outdated as his hairstyle. He is the player we should be bringing on late in the game when we are home and hosed. Terms like steel and warrior are for defenders, a midfielder must be flexible, adaptive and dynamic and be able to pass the ball into attacking positions like Hudd and Holtby can

If anything 4 2 3 1 is a experiment, his whole tactical philosophies and to his interviews, it doesnt seem like he is the type of person to change that philosophy. He is trying to play his system suited to our preferred style because imo he is scared that it maybe too much too soon for our team like it was at Chelsea, but imo unlike Chelsea our team doesnt have this one way of playing ingrained in to their minds.

I think if anything he should of implemented his way sooner as we lost 2 players which laid the foundations for old system not to mention a lot of new faces. One of the first thing AVB said was that he would use Huddlestone when we EVENTUALLY move to 433.

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

Look at how Dembele played with Sandro in the team, look at how he played when we switched to 4-3-3 on Sunday and then compare that to how he has played when Parker is alongside him.

Parker is a classic 'Arry signing, good for a very short time but poor long term, you can add him to a lengthy list that includes Friedel, Gallas and Adebayor.

How anyone can ignore his obvious shortcomings this season and roll out terms like "warrior" is beyond me.

 

[ItsBoris]

So we're going to keep him in the team because of cliches like 'experience' and 'he gets stuck in', even though we beat City as a result of him coming off.

Btw we were doing just fine earlier in the season without him so I don't see how it is 'madness' for him not to start a game. Note your reason to keep him wasn't that we need a purely defensive player in midfield, it was because of personal attributes and team harmony.

Parker is sort of like a Nigel de Jong type player, good off the bench to help see the game out but there's a reason Mancini stuck with Barry instead. In an attacking sense, Parker is a dead weight that is difficult for the team to carry. We usually look better when he comes off imo.

 

[balalasaurus]

I have to agree with OP on this one. Parker is the type of player who brings a certain defensive solidity in midfield that Thudd just can't reproduce. Don't get me wrong I personally can't think of a better placer of a ball in our squad than Thudd. His passes can really unlock defenses especially when we find ourselves running out of ideas. However under the AVB system our play is inherently more probing meaning that it takes time for us to find that bit of space to take advantage of but also makes us more vulnerable to a counter when the attack doesn't come off. Thudd isn't a very good tackler (as shown by the citeh game when he made that tackle after the third goal which Jan still had to clear up) nor is he the fastest player to track back meaning that for all his pirouettes Scotty is the man we need to temper the opposition and break up their play just as they look to break up ours. Teams like Ssshhhhtoke are going to look to breaking down our attack as much as possible with their physicality and Parker helps us return the favor enough to weaken them and allow for a more offensive outlet when we bring on impact players like Thudd.

 

[whitelightwhiteheat]

Parker's gone, he's more of an hindrance to us now than anything. Anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't watched us much this season.

What I don't get is why with a Parker/Dembele pairing - why the fuck is Parker the one bombing forward?!?!?! As soon as Hudd came on against City, Dembele was instantly further forward - and instantly we had a lot more threat going forward! It was a joy to behold!

No more Parker trying to be the playmaker. Please.

 

[ginger]

Ha, "only true warrior". How embarrassing. Must not have watched a single game.

I would be fine with just using Hudd as a sub as his lack of pace would matter less since he will be fresh enough to sprint a lot more frequently and teams will start sitting back a lot more if they have a positive result in the 2nd half. Parker is not all that though. He kills so many attacks with 720 degree turns into trouble. He can tackle better than the alternatives, but we wouldn't need that as much if we had someone there who didn't give the ball away at the halfway line repeatedly.

Agree 100%, and would be happy to make the parker/hud switch on 60 minutes for all our remaining games this season.

Huds freshness against tiring legs mitigates his immobility/unfitness after almost 2 full seasons injured. And because Parkers 'Manic energy' normally only extends for the first 60-70 minutes so he can pace himself accordingly as we battle to win the pressing/possession battle in games.

- This tactic of dominating a game by aggressive pressing and controlled possession percentages, before pushing to win a game in the last 30 (against tiring legs from that starting platform) is one AVB used plenty at Porto in his 4-3-3, and states to be a philosophy of his in his biography- it is one most ticka taka football is based upon.

The other advantage of introducing Hud late (as with the Pirlo performance that knocked the legs out of England in the European Championships) is that he is one of the best deep passers ever (a big claim I know) and can find the holes that apear as the game gets stretched without vacating his defensive role, and surely will get a chance or two to unleash one of his power-blast shots needed to cut his hair before the end of the season...one against Chelsea who will surely be doubly tired in the last 30 after their 65 game schedule and a tough away game to Man U 3 days earlier would be delicious...

 

[JohanTheYid]

Parker just needs to get back to basics i.e win the ball, give it to someone creative, nothing more, nothing less.

Thudd's cameo was brilliant on Sunday for sure, but that is him all over. When he feels he has a point to prove i.e coming from the bench, he excels. Whenever he gets a run in the side and feel comfortable he regresses.

 

[nicdic]

Why is there this fallacy in football that if someone isn't good enough to command a starting berth every week they are rubbish and must be sold? Parker still has a role with us next season, he's still a good player.

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

Parker has been consistently our worst performer since coming back from injury. The Inter (H) game when they made him look like Xavi is an exception, he is pants, and doesnt warrant a starting place.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Parker has been consistently our worst performer since coming back from injury. The Inter (H) game when they made him look like Xavi is an exception, he is pants, and doesnt warrant a starting place.

So our player of the season last season is pants?

I despair.