Exclusive: West Ham’s Parker rated 50/50, but he did not train Tuesday

Hammer Parker having tests ahead of Blackburn Rovers match

West Ham midfielder Scott Parker has a 50-50 chance of playing against Blackburn on Saturday, but did not break down in training Tuesday as reported in the national media.

Parker, who has been struggling with an Achilles problem, did not even train with the squad on Tuesday, but is undergoing tests to see if he can play against Blackburn this weekend.

A source at the club confirmed the Hammer of the Year is a doubt for Saturday’s match.

“He didn’t train yesterday, but that doesn’t mean he won won’t play on Saturday. They are doing various things to try and get him fit. Often players don’t train earlier in the week but will closer to the game,” the source said.

“The player is obviously desperate to play and with time running out in the season, it is likely he will play. We need the points.”

There was further positive news that captain Matthew Upson is likely to be fit to take on Rovers this weekend.

The centre half had to be withdrawn against Manchester City at the weekend with a dead leg, but should be okay for Saturday.

Fellow defender James Tomkins is a bigger concern however. Tomkins suffered a bang on the knee at Eastlands and is doubtful, while Mark Noble is definitely out.

Noble had a successful operation on his hernia earlier in the week and could yet still play this season.

“He is definitely not ready for Saturday, but as we have seen in the past, Mark recovers from injury very quickly, so he could still play this season,” the source added.

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