Zola praise for Parker masterclass

MONEY may be too tight to mention around Upton Park these days but Gianfranco Zola refuses to hide one of his most saleable assets under a bushel.

The opening of the January transfer window is just days away and Scott Parker is arguably in the form of his life.

Many expect the struggling East London club’s Icelandic owners to be receptive to offers for its most valuable players and right now no one is catching the eye quite like Parker. Still, following West Ham’s 2-0 win over Portsmouth, Zola said he would “take the risk” of singing the 29-year-old midfielder’s praises.

“He is very consistent. He is a good player and he puts a lot of passion, a lot of desire and thought into his play. He is amazing. He is such a good player to have in the team because he interacts with everybody on the same level,” said the West Ham manager.

Parker’s career started at Charlton but he left after seven years for an unhappy spell at Chelsea, where he started just 18 matches in a season and a half before spending two years at Newcastle.

After some bad luck with injuries, the defensive midfielder seems to be mining a rich vein of form and those around him, such as Jack Collison, are benefiting from his experience.

“Since day one I’ve said that Scotty has been great for me, on and off the pitch,” said the 21-year-old. “It’s his whole game – the amount of tackles, his leadership, his quality. He’s not the loudest but he leads by example.

“He gives everyone else the confidence to play around him. He’s running about, making tackles, getting us playing. He’s great to have in the team and someone we are really looking up to at the moment.”

Where Fabio Capello is looking is to the forefront of many people’s thoughts but Parker is happy to let his form lead him where it will.

“When things are going well in football you have to keep momentum going,” he said. “There are times when things go bad but at the moment it’s going well on a personal level.”