Parker: Ditch Joey as captain
Paul Parker has urged his former team-mate Mark Hughes to strip Joey Barton of the QPR captaincy.
Parker, a popular skipper during his time at Loftus Road, insists sacked boss Neil Warnock was wrong to give the armband to Barton following the controversial midfielder’s move to west London.
“I don’t see what Barton did to warrant being made captain.”
Hughes will be without the suspended Barton for his first two matches in charge, after which time he is likely to have signed at least a couple of influential players.
And Parker told West London Sport: “I think ‘Sparky’ should take the captaincy off Barton.
“I hope he brings in someone who’s earned the right to be captain – someone who knows how to conduct himself off the pitch as well as on it.
“I don’t see what Barton did to warrant being made captain. I totally disagreed with Warnock’s decision to give it to him.
“Leave Barton to get on with being what he is, which is a half-decent Premier League player.
“I’m quite happy to eat humble pie if he proves to be more than that, but I just don’t see it.”
Parker, who played alongside Hughes at Manchester United, is also hoping the new Rangers manager can get the best out of Adel Taarabt.
He believes Warnock was too quick to sideline the Moroccan after Taarabt struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
“I was extremely disappointed with the way Warnock handled Taarabt this season,” said Parker.
“He should remember that one man got QPR out of the Championship: Adel Taarabt.
“He’s a very talented player. Hopefully Sparky can nail him down and get the best out of him.
“Taarabt’s got as much talent as Paul Gascoigne with the ball at his feet, but he doesn’t have Gazza’s mentality when he’s not got the ball.
“Working with Mark Hughes will be good for him in my opinion. He can make him a more complete player.”
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17/06/2012 @ 10:30 pm
As I fan I can be very passionate of my beloved Queens Park Rangers.
Football and passion = Madness… I get so passionate about football I say and do things I regret, moments of madness…
Its not clever what joey Barton has recently done on the final day of the season against man city and hes not a good role model (understatement) . but passion and football
15/05/2012 @ 8:49 pm
QPR HAVE A HISTORY OF GREAT BALL PLAYERS, ENTERTAINERS AND AMBASSADORS FOR THE GAME OF FOOTBALL.
What a shame that that reputation should be tarnished by a hooligan called Barton.
I apologise to any hooligan reading this. No matter how bad you may or may not have been, you do not deserve to be compared with that odious creature that has so tarnished the name of QPR
15/01/2012 @ 9:58 pm
Parker was a great player for QPR and Barton could learn a lot from the like of him and Macca.
13/01/2012 @ 12:27 am
Paul Parker is absolutely spot on with his views on Barton and Taarabt! I didn’t want to sign Barton in the first place. No doubt, as well as the large salary he was being offered, Barton was also promised the captaincy as an inducement to sign. Totally agree that he is no more than a middling Premiership player at best. All that Tweeting should have been nipped in the bud by Warnock. I also think Warnock handled Taarabt very badly this season, which I really couldn’t understand after he got the best out of him last season by accommodating his eccentricities. Taarabt is a massive talent who needs to be handled sensitively. I hope Hughes will recognise how lucky he is to have Taarabt and find a way of getting the best out of him.