Ray Parlor

Ray Parlor
Personnel
Surname	Raymond Parlor
birthday	March 7, 1973
place of birth	Romford , London ,  England
size	183 cm
position	midfield
Juniors
Years	station
1989-1992	Arsenal FC
Men's
Years	station	Games (goals) 1
1992-2004	Arsenal FC	333 (21)
2004-2007	Middlesbrough FC	46 0(0)
2007	Hull City	15 0(0)
National team
Years	selection	Games (goals)
1992-1994	England U-21	12 0(0)
1998	England B	1 0(0)
1999-2000	England	10 0(0)
1 Only league games are given.

Raymond "Ray" Parlor (born March 7, 1973 in Romford , London , England ) is an English football player . The twelve - time senior national player , who was mostly used in central midfield or on the right wing, became known, especially for his time at Arsenal . There, the “ Pele from Romford” was characterized above all by a high level of willingness to run, strength in duels and the willingness to subordinate themselves to technically talented players. During his professional career he won three English championships ( 1998 , 2002 , 2004 ), four FA Cup trophies (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), once the league cup (1993) and in 1994 - always conspicuously because of his blond curly hair - although only sitting on the bench in the final - the European Cup Winners' Cup .

Athletic career

Club career

The first years (1988–1996)

On January 29, 1992, the then 18-year-old Parlor made his debut at Anfield Stadium against Liverpool . Parlor had been in the youth teams of the "Gunners" since the late 1980s and in this "jump into the deep end" he immediately owed a penalty that was partly responsible for the 2-0 defeat. However , he was sure of the appreciation of coach George Graham , which was mainly due to the fact that he was never too good for the labor-intensive running work in midfield and thus created space for offensive players like Ian Wright and Paul Merson .

Seven months after his debut, he returned the favor at the next appearance in Liverpool with the reverse game outcome. In his first two full professional seasons in 1992/93 and 1993/94, the role was still limited to that of a supplementary player - 21 appearances in the opening season of the Premier League followed 27 league appearances up to the summer of 1994. During this time, the FC's first three titles were won Arsenal in the 1990s, to which Parlor made only a marginal contribution. His largest share was in the 1993 League Cup, when he was in the final team, which won 2-1 at Wembley against Sheffield Wednesday . In the FA Cup final in 1993 he was missing in the crucial replay game against the same opponent (2: 1) after he had been set up in the first game without a winner (1: 1). Also during the appearances in the European Cup Winners' Cup in the following season 1993/94 he paused to a large extent; in the 1-0 final triumph against FC Parma , he was at least on the bench.

Parlor achieved his sporting breakthrough in the club in the 1994/95 season. Coach Graham not only valued the constant "plowing" between the two penalty areas and the ability to conquer the ball, but with his increasingly high accuracy of fit he promised to fill the vacant position on the right side since the end of 1991 after Michael Thomas left . After 30 appearances in the Premier League, he was also in the final team in the planned defense of the European Cup , which, however, was defeated by Real Zaragoza 2-1 after extra time . Even under the new sporting director Bruce Rioch , Parlor remained "first choice" in his only season in the service of Arsenal FC, although further development steps were opposed by injury problems in the spring of 1996 - in the end he only booked 22 league appearances.

Collaboration with Arsène Wenger (1996-2004)

The coach Arsène Wenger, who was newly signed up in 1996, finally made him a regular player . The 1996/97 season was still a bit bumpy. In 15 of his 36 competitive games, he was only used on substitutions and the prospect as a supplementary player paired with his lack of scoring risk in the increasingly tech-savvy Wenger team did not make an upcoming transfer seem unrealistic. A change to West Ham United , which was rumored in the media , did not materialize; rather, Parlor went through the most significant progress in the Arsenal team, which won the " double " from the English championship and the FA Cup in the 1997/98 season . In the 2-0 final win against Newcastle United , he was also voted best player as "Man of the Match"; he prepared Nicolas Anelka's second goal . Not only did he score six goals this season and thus almost as many as in all of his previous professional years, he also impressed with a newly gained self-confidence in a team that Wenger had completely renewed. At the side of dominant midfielders like Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit , Parlor also grew and he played his way into the preliminary squad of the English national team for the 1998 World Cup in France with consistently good performances.

Although the great success was not repeated in the subsequent 1998/99 season, Parlor remained an important pillar in the team. He contributed six league goals to winning the runner-up, won the fan vote for the best player and not only convinced on his traditional right side, but increasingly helped out in central midfield or dropped back to the full-back position. The next sporting success for Parlor in 2000 was reaching the final of the UEFA Cup . Before that, he probably had his best performance of the season in the competition when he contributed three goals to the 4-2 win in the quarter-final second leg against Werder Bremen . The final was lost on penalties - despite a penalty converted by Parlor - against Galatasaray Istanbul ; In addition, a knee injury caused a further dissonance at the end, as this also robbed him of his participation in the Euro 2000, which he had already believed to be safe. Other examples of increasing parlors eye for goal in the 2001/02 season were his three goals against Newcastle United (5: 0) and a quarter-final he shot goal in the Champions League against FC Valencia . Wenger placed him more often in the midfield center and the renovation work paid off with the second double win. The personal highlight for Parlor was the opening goal in the victorious FA Cup final against Chelsea (2-0) in the 70th minute of the game - like against Valencia with a long shot.

During the last two years leading up to 2004, Parlor struggled with both knee problems and up-and-coming competition from players like Freddie Ljungberg . However, he remained part of the squad and represented the injured Patrick Vieira in May 2003 on the occasion of the FA Cup final against FC Southampton (1-0). The last season of 2003/04 brought him another championship with Arsenal without losing a single game. Shortly before, he had led his team as captain in a spectacular 5-1 away win in the Champions League against Inter Milan . With Parlor, after 466 games and 32 goals, a “gunner” who had won numerous titles for the club, but was often only seen in the shadow of other top players in the Arsenal team, said goodbye after 466 games and 32 goals.

Career conclusion (2004–2007)

Although the contract with Arsenal still had a remaining term of one year, Parlor moved to Middlesbrough FC in the summer of 2004 ; he accepted a significantly reduced salary in favor of the possibility of being able to play again. In Steve McClaren's up-and-coming team , he strengthened the already well-filled midfield on his traditional right side, made his debut in a 2-2 draw against Newcastle United and, despite a hip injury in the meantime, played 41 of the 52 competitive games for “Boro”. In addition to the problems on his hip, he injured his knee against Sunderland AFC in September 2005 and after a surgical procedure due to cartilage damage he did not return to the action until the new year 2006. When Middlesbrough FC moved into the UEFA Cup final at the end of the 2005/06 season , they were only on the bench in their 4-0 defeat by Sevilla FC . He did not come to any other missions at Boro in the 2006/07 season and the new coach Gareth Southgate gave him the end of January 2007 the clearance for a free transfer.

On February 9, 2007, he moved to the second division Hull City and played for the first time in his career not in the highest English division. With a so-called “pay-as-you-play agreement”, which measured the remuneration for parlor individual stakes, he usually trained a few days within the week at Arsenal FC, which enabled him to mostly stay with his children. From a sporting point of view, the relegation was a success, but beyond the season there was no agreement on further employment. His 400th league game against Plymouth Argyle was Parlor's last appearance in the professional career.

English national team

After twelve games in the English U21 youth team between 1992 and 1994 and a deployment for the B-Elf in 1998, Parlor made his debut for the English senior team at the relatively advanced age of 26 . Despite the consistently good performance in the "double season" 1997/98, the previous national coach Glenn Hoddle had not considered him for the upcoming 1998 World Cup in France and instead appointed Darren Anderton from Tottenham Hotspur to the squad . On March 27, 1999, he played the first international match by substitution in the Euro 2000 qualifier in the Netherlands and Belgium against Poland .

During his ten appearances for England's A team, he could not score a goal, but on October 11, 2000 in a qualifying game for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea against Finland (0-0) after a long shot on the crossbar , he failed to score a regular goal was recognized even though the ball had completely crossed the goal line. Parlor was not used in any internationally significant tournament, although he only missed the jump into the European championship squad in 2000 due to a knee injury. He played his last international match against Italy on November 15, 2000 and was then nominated by the new coach Sven-Göran Eriksson . However, there was no further use on the field under the reign of the Swede.

Away from the soccer field

Since the end of his active career, Parlor can often be found in the media as a football expert. These include engagements for Setanta Sports , BBC Radio 5 Live and Talksport .

The divorce case Parlor from his wife Karen, whom he married in 1998 and from whom he separated in 2001 after the birth of three children , received a great deal of public attention. Karen Parlor was granted extensive property and maintenance claims following a precedent trial in July 2004. In the aftermath of the process, a future trend was predicted that income convergence, taking into account future incomes of former spouses, would increase, which could lead to an increase in marriage contracts .

successes

• European Cup Winner: 1994
• English champion: 1998 , 2002 , 2004
• FA Cup winners: 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003
• English league cup winner: 1993
• Charity Shield Winner: 1998, 1999, 2002

Web links

• Profile page at Arsenal FC
• Ray Parlor in the soccerbase.com database
• Ray Parlor as England international

Individual evidence

1. ^ Phil Soar & Martin Tyler: Arsenal - The Official Illustrated History 1886-2008 . Hamlyn, London, 2008, ISBN 978-0-600-61889-8 , pp. 182 ff .
2. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1995-1996 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1995, ISBN 978-0-09-180854-9 , pp. 162 .
3. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1996-1997 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1996, ISBN 978-1-85291-571-1 , pp. 187 .
4. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1997-1998 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1997, ISBN 978-1-85291-581-0 , pp. 208 .
5. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1998-1999 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1998, ISBN 978-1-85291-588-9 , pp. 229 .
6. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 1999-2000 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 1999, ISBN 978-1-85291-607-7 , pp. 232 .
7. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 2000-2001 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2000, ISBN 978-1-85291-626-8 , pp. 247 .
8. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The 2001-2002 Official PFA Footballers Factfile . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0-946531-34-9 , pp. 235 f .
9. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2002/2003 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2002, ISBN 978-1-85291-648-0 , pp. 319 f .
10. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2003, ISBN 978-1-85291-651-0 , pp. 330 .
11. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2004/2005 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2004, ISBN 978-1-85291-660-2 , pp. 315 .
12. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2005/2006 . Lennard Queen Anne Press, 2005, ISBN 978-1-85291-662-6 , pp. 317 .
13. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2006–2007 . Mainstream Publishing, 2006, ISBN 978-1-84596-111-4 , pp. 315 .
14. ↑ "Boro release midfielder Parlor" (BBC Sport)
15. ↑ Barry J. Hugman (Ed.): The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2007-2008 . Mainstream Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84596-246-3 , pp. 316 .
16. ↑ "Parlor not offered Hull contract" (BBC Sport)
17. ↑ "England endure scoreless draw with Finland"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (RTÉ)  
18. ^ "Q&A: Karen Parlor divorce case" (BBC News)