Paul Parker
  • Spurs will be dangerous at Old Trafford

    Match of the weekend: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur

    Tottenham's recent record at Old Trafford is absolutely woeful, but perhaps this time they might have a chance of getting something from the game.

    Rafael van der Vaart must be the top candidate for signing of the season, especially considering the price Spurs got him for.

    He looks like a man at the top of his game at the moment whereas his opposite number, Paul Scholes, is all too often going missing when teams don't allow him the time and space to pick out the passes, which he can still do brilliantly.

    Whether United line up with

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  • Gerrard should keep armband

    I think Steven Gerrard
    should keep the England
    captaincy whether or not Rio Ferdinand plays against Montenegro on Tuesday.

    We need some continuity in
    the side, and that means not passing the armband around from game to game.

    The England
    captaincy and it should be held by someone who is assured of his place in the
    side, and who is not a permanent injury risk.

    I think it was a rash
    decision handing the captaincy to Ferdinand in the first place, and England have
    played well under Gerrard's leadership - it seems to have brought something
    extra from him.

    There is talk that Capello
    will leave

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  • Saddened by Gazza plight

    I was saddened and disappointed to hear that
    my old England colleague Paul Gascoigne has again been arrested for
    drink-driving.

    I was caught driving over limit myself
    about 20 years ago, and I didn't expect any sympathy then. I knew I'd done
    something wrong and learnt my lesson.

    Gazza has to realise the same thing, that he
    has done something ridiculously stupid and only has himself to blame. Hopefully
    this time will be the moment when he realises that this has to
    stop.

    However, it's not as though this is the
    first time he has been in trouble with the law. There is only so much patience
    people

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  • Rooney fighting the flab

    Blog originally published on July 15... 

    We've all seen the photos of Wayne Rooney in the newspapers, squeezed into his United shirt for the friendly up in Aberdeen, along with all the usual 'fat' puns in the headlines and comparisons with other generously proportioned footballers.

    Poor Wayne. He's the type of person who is liable to put weight on without too much effort. His body shape will not allow him to do as he pleases and he's one of those players who simply cannot afford to let himself go.

    But that is what he has done this summer - he has been pictured smoking fags, eating fast food

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  • Rooney walking a fine line with Fergie

    Under pressure: Alex Ferguson - Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion

    After Wayne Rooney went against his manager's comments about an ankle injury dogging him all season, claiming that he had no such problem, he has given Ferguson a dilemma.

    Whether Ferguson rests his out-of-form striker, maintaining his stance that he is not fully fit, or plays him against West Brom, the decision will be heavily scrutinised.

    I think he will say to Rooney that if he has no problem with his ankle, go out on to the pitch and prove it. In doing so he will deflect the attention back on to Rooney. If he thrives,

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  • Wembley semis killing Cup

    Yet again we have the ridiculous situation of two FA Cup semi-finals being played at Wembley this weekend.

    I know why the FA made its decision a couple of years ago to stage all last-four clashes at the national stadium; I just don't agree with it.

    Playing a final at Wembley is what the FA Cup is supposed to be all about. Isn't it every boy's dream to lead out their team at the famous stadium in the final? I doubt a semi-final appearance features in many young lads' dreams.

    Using the stadium at that stage of the competition only serves to devalue the achievement of actually reaching the

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  • City still not title contenders

    Come the end of the season, Manchester City's win over Chelsea may well have an effect on the title race, but I don't believe it adds too much credibility to their credentials as championship candidates this season.

    City have shown on a number of occasions that they can raise their game against the big clubs, but equally they have carelessly dropped points against sides that on paper they should be beating.

    Even the victory on Saturday was not emphatic, with the three points secured via one piece of individual brilliance by Carlos Tevez.

    His undoubted talent will only stretch so far. Playing

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  • Brutal De Jong deserves punishment

    I can't
    quite fathom just how Nigel de Jong escaped a card for his challenge that broke
    Hatem Ben Arfa's leg during Manchester City's clash with Newcastle on Sunday.

    It was both
    reckless and dangerous and the FA should retrospectively punish the midfielder.

    I have no
    idea how the referee could deem a challenge like that a fair one; the official
    himself should also face some kind of punishment for missing it.

    De Jong is
    a destroyer and only a destroyer. He has little else to his game, and we have
    seen him making challenges like this before. He just hasn't been able to tone
    his aggression down

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  • Is Hodgson brave enough to drop Torres?

    Under pressure: Arsene Wenger - Chelsea v Arsenal

    Arsene Wenger is under a huge amount of
    pressure following Arsenal's calamitous 3-2 defeat to West Brom at the Emirates
    last week, and there is no tougher place to go than Stamford Bridge.

    The Gunners have to show a bit of backbone
    to be honest and Wenger has to stop whingeing and moaning. In the Frenchman's
    position, he should be whipping up his players to show some guts and fighting
    spirit, not lamenting the physicality of other sides.

    Chelsea suffered their first defeat of the
    season against Manchester City, and that was a poor result.

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  • Rooney under the microscope

    Match of the weekend: Everton v Manchester United

    Wayne Rooney always gets a hard time when he goes back to Merseyside, but he will be in for an especially rough ride at Goodison Park this weekend. It's a fantastic ground to play at because the fans are right on top of you, the atmosphere is so loud and intense. Even when I went there with United the crowd were always up for it, but since Rooney left them for Old Trafford the fixture has taken on extra significance.

    Everyone will be waiting for him to slip up, to lash out or to lose his cool. Even if he has a below-par game, people will be

    Read More »from Rooney under the microscope

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About Paul Parker

Paul Parker enjoyed a distinguished career for club and country. The versatile defender won 19 England caps and played the 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany. After spells at Fulham and QPR, Paul joined Manchester United in 1991, where he helped the club claim their first league title for 26 years, and won the Double twice. During six seasons at Old Trafford, he played with legends such as Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and David Beckham.

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