Ray Parlour
Parlour in 2006
Personal information
Full name Raymond Parlour[1]
Date of birth (1973-03-07) 7 March 1973[1]
Place of birth Romford, England
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1989–1992 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–2004 Arsenal 339 (22)
2004–2007 Middlesbrough 46 (0)
2007 Hull City 15 (0)
2012 Wembley 0 (0)
Total 400 (22)
International career
1992–1994 England U21 12 (0)
1998 England B 1 (0)
1999–2000 England 10 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raymond Parlour (born 7 March 1973) is an English former professional footballer and sports radio pundit for BBC Radio 5 Live and Talksport.

He was a midfielder from 1992 to 2007, and spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. He totalled 466 games and 32 goals for Arsenal, winning honours including three Premier League titles, four FA Cup and the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. He played ten games for England in 1999 and 2000.

While at Arsenal he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé", an ironic sobriquet reflecting his combination of solid performance with a humorous, self-deprecating, down to earth personality and an image wholly lacking in glamour. He has been described as an "unsung hero" and praised as a "fans' favourite" for his high work rate and commitment.[3] After retiring, Parlour became a pundit on television and radio. In 2012, he briefly came out of retirement to play for Wembley in the club's FA Cup fixtures.

Club career

Arsenal

Parlour is most famous for his time at Arsenal, where he played for fifteen years. He joined the club as a trainee in 1989 and made his debut for the Gunners against Liverpool on 29 January 1992, conceding a penalty in a 2–0 defeat.

He rose to greater prominence in 1994–95, when he took part in Arsenal's European UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final loss to Real Zaragoza (having been an unused substitute in the Gunners' 1–0 triumph over Parma in 1993–94). After the arrival of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal's manager in 1996, he became a regular fixture on the right wing or in central midfield. In 1997–98 Arsenal won the Double, and Parlour was instrumental in his club's achievement: he was man-of-the-match in the Gunners' FA Cup Final win over Newcastle United, setting up Nicolas Anelka for the second goal in a 2–0 win. His increasing success in his Gunners shirt did not, however, secure him a place in England's 1998 World Cup squad, coach Glenn Hoddle preferring Spurs' Darren Anderton instead.

In March 2000, he hit a hat-trick in a 4–2 away win at Werder Bremen (6–2 aggregate) in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.[4] He was the only Arsenal player successful from the penalty spot in the team's shoot-out defeat by Galatasaray in the final.[5] Seven months later, he contributed another hat-trick to a 5–0 win over Newcastle United at Highbury. In April 2001, at the same ground, he struck a 30-yard winner as Arsenal beat Valencia 2–1 in the first leg tie of a UEFA Champions League quarter-final.[6] In 2002, another year in which Arsenal won the Double, he opened the scoring in the Gunners' 2–0 FA Cup Final victory over Chelsea, putting his club ahead with a 30-yard strike that Soccer AM's commentator Tim Lovejoy famously failed to anticipate: "Oh, it's all right, it's only Ray Parlour".[7] In November 2003, he was the stand-in captain who led his team to a 5–1 victory over Internazionale at the San Siro.[8]

In total, Parlour played 466 games for the Gunners, scoring 32 goals in all competitions. His curriculum vitae with the club includes three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, one League Cup and one European Cup Winners' Cup. As of April 2020, his record of 333 Premier League appearances for Arsenal has not been surpassed by any other player in the club's history. Even at the peak of his success, though, he was less acclaimed by football journalists than several of his Arsenal contemporaries, spending much of his time at the club in the shadow of Patrick Vieira in particular. Many Arsenal fans believe him to have been one of the most underrated players of his generation.[9]

Middlesbrough

In July 2004, Parlour joined fellow Premier League club Middlesbrough on a free transfer, signing a three-year contract at the Riverside Stadium.[10] He played 60 games for Boro in two and a half years, and was an unused substitute in their 4–0 defeat by Sevilla in the 2006 UEFA Cup final.[11] In October 2005, he was ruled out for two months for knee cartilage surgery. He was released from his contract on 25 January 2007, and returned to train at Arsenal.[12]

Hull City

On 9 February 2007, Hull City signed Parlour until the end of the 2006–07 season in the hope that his experience would help them to avoid relegation.[13] With their place in the Championship secured, it was confirmed on 1 June that the club would not be retaining Parlour's services for the following season's campaign.[14]

Wembley

In June 2012, Parlour was one of several retired footballers enlisted by the semi-professional Wembley to assist them in the forthcoming season's FA Cup. His fellow former internationals Claudio Caniggia, Graeme Le Saux, Martin Keown and Brian McBride joined him as players, David Seaman was recruited as a goalkeeping coach and Terry Venables, formerly the manager of England, served as the club's technical advisor. A television documentary recorded the team's improbable quest for Wembley Stadium glory. In the event, although Wembley knocked out Langford, the club proved unable to progress beyond a replay against Uxbridge.[15]

International career

Parlour made his debut for the England under-21 team on 12 May 1992; he played the whole game as England drew 2–2 with Hungary in a friendly.[16] He was a part of the squads that participated in the Toulon Tournament in 1992 and 1994, England would ultimately win the tournament in 1994 with Parlour playing in the final against Portugal.[16][17][18] Parlour won the Prix Spécial award for his performances in the tournament.[18], Overall, he appeared for the U21s on twelve occasions without scoring any goals.[16] On 10 February 1998, he played for the B-team in a 1–0 loss to Chile at The Hawthorns.[19]

He made his senior team debut as a substitute in a UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier against Poland on 27 March 1999; he won ten caps for England altogether, without ever scoring any goals. The closest he came to one was in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Finland on 11 October 2000, when he 'scored' with a 30-yard strike which hit the crossbar and crossed the goal-line but was incorrectly disallowed by a linesman, the match finishing 0–0. He did not feature in any tournament finals, a knee injury forcing him to withdraw from England's squad for Euro 2000.[20][21] His final cap came in a friendly against Italy on 15 November 2000. He was called up into the squad several times by new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in 2001, but was never sent onto the pitch.[19]

Media career

Parlour began his career as a pundit with Setanta Sports in 2007.[22] He has since appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live and Talksport.

In 2019 and 2020, Parlour featured in both seasons of ITV show Harry's Heroes, which featured former football manager Harry Redknapp attempting get a squad of former England international footballers back fit and healthy for a game against Germany legends.[23]

Personal life

Parlour and his wife Karen were a couple from their early youth, although they did not get married until 1998. They have three children: Charlotte, Frankie and Georgina. Their separation in 2001 led to a very high-profile divorce. In July 2004, they agreed how to divide their existing wealth – Parlour giving Karen two mortgage-free houses and £250,000 – but they were unable to negotiate a mutually satisfactory arrangement over their income. Parlour thought that £120,000 a year would be enough to meet Karen's and their children's needs: Karen wanted more. The ensuing court case concluded in an award that increased Parlour's annual payment to £212,500, but neither party was satisfied with this outcome, and both appealed against the finding. The couple's second round of litigation resulted in Karen's being awarded an income of £440,000 a year to be paid for five years, an amount that the Court of Appeal thought sufficient to allow her to put aside £250,000 a year to add to her capital. The case led media commentators to suggest that the finding heralded a new era in the divorces of wealthy couples, with non-earning spouses being awarded a larger share of their former partner's income than hitherto, and some pundits forecast an increasing use of prenuptial agreements in consequence.[24]

Career statistics

Club

Source:[25]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal 1991–92 First Division 610000000061
1992–93 Premier League 2114140——292
1993–94 Premier League 27230200000322
1994–95 Premier League 30020508[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]0460
1995–96 Premier League 2200040——260
1996–97 Premier League 30230102[lower-alpha 3]0—362
1997–98 Premier League 34571402[lower-alpha 3]0—476
1998–99 Premier League35670004[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 5]0476
1999–2000 Premier League301102012[lower-alpha 6]31[lower-alpha 5]1455
2000–01 Premier League 334400010[lower-alpha 4]2—476
2001–02 Premier League 27042108[lower-alpha 4]0—402
2002–03 Premier League 19060002[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 7]0280
2003–04 Premier League 25030305[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 7]0370
Total 339224442605760046632
Middlesbrough 2004–05 Premier League 33020006[lower-alpha 3]0—410
2005–06 Premier League 13020004[lower-alpha 3]0—190
2006–07 Premier League 000000——00
Total 4604000100—600
Hull City 2006–07 Championship 150————150
Wembley 2012–13 Combined Counties League —10———10
Career total 400224942606760054232
  1. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  2. ↑ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  3. 1 2 3 4 Appearances in UEFA Cup
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  5. 1 2 Appearance in FA Charity Shield
  6. ↑ Four appearance in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and three goals in UEFA Cup
  7. 1 2 Appearance in FA Community Shield

International

Source:[26]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
England 199950
200050
Total100

Honours

Arsenal

Middlesbrough

England U21

Individual

References

General

  • Parlour, Ray; Lawrence, Amy (2016), The Romford Pelé: It's Only Ray Parlour's Autobiography, Century, ISBN 9781780895048

Specific

  1. 1 2 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 330. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.
  2. ↑ "Ray Parlour Midfielder, Profile & Stats | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "Ray Parlour profile". BBC Sport. 7 July 2004. Retrieved 17 February 2007.
  4. ↑ "Parlour rampant as Arsenal triumph". BBC News. 23 March 2000. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "Penalty heartbreak for Arsenal". BBC News. 17 May 2000. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  6. ↑ Ridley, Ian (10 December 2000). "Parlour restores Arsenal's drive". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  7. ↑ Hurrey, Adam (25 May 2017), Bradley Walsh vs Tim Lovejoy: 2002 FA Cup final, archived from the original on 22 December 2021, retrieved 15 April 2019
  8. ↑ "Arsenal rejuvenated by Henry". UEFA. 25 November 2003. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Parlour & Lawrence 2016, p. 281
  10. ↑ "Middlesbrough sign Parlour". BBC Sport. British Broadcast Corporation. 23 July 2004. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "Parlour sidelined for two months". BBC Sport. 11 October 2005. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "Boro release midfielder Parlour". BBC Sport. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  13. ↑ "Tigers add Parlour's experience". BBC Football. 9 February 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  14. ↑ "Parlour not offered Hull contract". BBC Football. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  15. ↑ Calvin, Michael (25 August 2012). "The Last Word: TV show sours FA Cup dream of Wembley". The Independent. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 "Match Results Under 21 1990–2000". England Football Online. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  17. ↑ "20th Maurice Revello Tournament". Festival International Espoirs. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  18. 1 2 "22nd Maurice Revello Tournament". Festival International Espoirs. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  19. 1 2 "Ray Parlour". England Football Online. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  20. ↑ "Keegan names Euro 2000 squad". BBC Sport. 1 June 2000. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  21. ↑ "Euro heartache for midfield duo". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 30 May 2000. Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  22. ↑ "Viv's heroic slouch helps Setanta stand apart". The Observer. 19 August 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  23. ↑ "Who is taking part in Harry's Heroes: Euro Having a Laugh?".
  24. ↑ Silverman, Jon (7 July 2004). "Q&A: Karen Parlour divorce case". BBC News. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  25. ↑ Ray Parlour at Soccerbase
  26. ↑ "Ray Parlour". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  27. 1 2 "Ray Parlour: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  28. 1 2 3 Parlour & Lawrence 2016, p. 279
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