Scott Parker: Why He Is the Safest Bet as England's Captain

On Wednesday, we witnessed England face off against The Netherlands in a scintillating friendly that saw the Dutch win a phenomenal match after England's resurgence in the latter part of the second half. 

The night also laid witness to Scott Parker put on the captain's armband for the first time in his professional career for England. 

Parker was chosen by Stuart Pearce, the caretaker manager of the England National Team, ahead of seasoned veterans like Steven Gerrard, James Milner and Joe Hart. 

For a man with only 10 caps to his name since his debut in November 2003, the news came as a huge surprise to many. 

Parker bestowed gratitude on his part by stating: "Captaining England was the proudest moment of my career."

And while many have seen the designation of Parker for such an important job with much surprise, he is perhaps the safest and the best option. 

Scott Parker has proved himself to be a phenomenal player and has been in the form of his life for the past couple of years. 

Only last Tuesday, he was voted England Player of the Year by fans. 

This season, he has established himself at the heart of midfield beside Croatian maestro Luka Modric. 

He is, essentially, to Tottenham Hotspur as Claude Makalele was to Chelsea/Real Madrid—under-appreciated by others, but definitely the most integral part of the squad. 

If you follow the matches of Tottenham, you will realize one thing—the level of praise bestowed upon him. Every commentator and sports analyst knows this: Scott Parker is the backbone of the Spurs squad.

Since he signed from West Ham for a diminutive sum of £5 million, he has been instrumental in the almost meteoric rise of Tottenham this year.

He provides a sort of world-class resilience to the Spurs squad and could be the key man against the heavyweights. 

He is great at destroying play and setting his teammates for a swift opposition. 

Besides being a phenomenal player, he is also captaincy material. 

Last year, he captained a resilient West Ham United side and, although they faltered at the last hurdle, Parker received a great number of plaudits. 

This led to him winning the coveted FWA Player of the Year. 

People like Wayne Rooney and John Terry are embroiled in too much controversy, whilst the likes of Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand have been marred with injuries and inconsistent performances over the last year. 

In Scott Parker, England have a player performing at the height of his career, someone who shies away from controversy and has a tremendous work-rate.