Tip of the hat to Our Man at the Valley, who unearthed the following clip of future England captain Scott Parker, aka “the only England international to appear at World Cup ’94,” as OMATV put it:
Parker wore the captain’s armband for the first time yesterday, in England’s exciting 3-2 loss to the Netherlands. OMATV remembers seeing him suit up, and star, for Charlton at the Valley not long after the above footage was shot.
It wasn’t as bad as his U.S. teammate Jozy Altidore’s game against Sunderland, but Jonathan Spector’s performance in West Ham’s must-win game with Wigan on Saturday was not one he’ll want to remember.
He scored an own goal in the opening minutes—putting his team behind the eight-ball four minutes into the critical relegation game—and was yellow-carded for a foul in a dangerous spot in the second half, with his team clinging to a 2-2 scoreline.
Spector also struggled to contain speedy Wigan winger Charles N’Zogbia for much of the game.
Fortunately for the Yank defender, his gaffes faded to the background as West Ham won the game 3-2 on goals by Ilan, Radoslav Kovac and a scorching 76th-minute winner by Scott Parker.
When Liverpool blitzed 19th-place Burnley 4-0 on Sunday, West Ham had clinched another season in the top flight.
Here is a Parker highlight reel, including Saturday’s season-saver:
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