SCOTT Parker last night admitted his World Cup dreams had all but disappeared after he was omitted from Sven Goran Eriksson's England squad for Wednesday night's friendly with Uruguay.
Despite being Newcastle's most consistent performer since his summer move from Chelsea, the midfielder has been unable to force his way into the international picture this season.
The most recent of his two England caps came in a 1-0 defeat to Sweden in March 2004 but, with Manchester United's Alan Smith having broken his leg last weekend, there were hopes that Eriksson would have a last minute re-think before he confirmed his squad on Saturday evening.
Instead, the Swede sprang no surprises and even claimed he would consider using centre-halves Ledley King and Rio Ferdinand in a holding midfield role rather than call up re-inforcements from outside.
Parker admits to being baffled by his repeated exclusion and, with time running out, accepts he is now extremely unlikely to be featuring in Germany this summer.
"To be honest, I don't really know what to say," said the Londoner. "It would be a very long shot if I got to the World Cup now. If I was to make it, it would be like coming from nowhere to be honest.
"If I had any chance, I would think I would have been selected for friendlies a long time ago. It will be big ask now - I'm a realist and I realise it's going to be tough for me.
"If he (Eriksson) liked me, I would have been involved. The last time I was part of a squad, I was still at Charlton and that's quite a while ago now.
"I would love to be in the squad and love to be going to the World Cup - every time one is announced, I am disappointed if I am not in it. But I can't afford to dwell on that. The reality is that I am here at Newcastle and I want to do well. Everything else has to go to the back of my mind."
Parker's exclusion would be baffling enough if England were blessed with tough-tackling midfielders.
As it is, they will travel to Germany with a complete absence of ball winners in the central third.
Eriksson clearly wants to pair Steven Gerrard with Frank Lampard, but King's appearance in last October's 2-1 win over Poland underlined the value of a more defensive presence at the base of midfield.
The Tottenham defender's subsequent performance against Argentina suggested he might not the best man to provide it.
"I would not try to choose somebody else's team," said Newcastle caretaker boss Glenn Roeder.
"But I am confident Scott would not look out of place in the England team alongside Lampard and Gerrard.
"We have 52,000 people in our ground who know exactly what he is capable of. They know he is a darling and they know he can play.
"Scott is one of those people who needs to win at everything he does. Just like Alan Shearer, he would sulk if he lost a game of tiddlywinks.
"He left Chelsea in the summer and I'm sure he will feel a little bit peeved that he didn't make the breakthrough.
"For that reason, Newcastle United are an extremely lucky club to have him."
Parker's qualities were again apparent in Saturday's 2-0 win over Everton. Displaying all of his usual assurance, the 25-year-old calmly controlled a midfield battle that ultimately ended in his side's fourth success since Graeme Souness' dismissal
The former Charlton trainee was always one of his former manager's staunchest supporters but, with Roeder having made an instant impression at St James' Park, he is honest enough to admit that the change of manager might have come at just the right time.
"Perhaps Graeme's departure took some pressure away," said Parker.
"There is no doubt that, when the previous manager was here, you could sense he was under pressure.
"That meant we were under pressure as well because, when you play, you have pride in what you are doing.
"It was probably even more so for me because the manager was the person who brought me to the club.
"His departure cleared the air a bit, but simply winning games has been the most important thing in our run."
Roeder's input has undoubtedly helped as well but, with Martin O'Neill remaining Newcastle's number one choice in the long-term, Parker has admitted the current uncertainty cannot continue indefinitely.
"The managerial situation is not an issue although, as a player, you would probably like a manager in as a permanent figure-head sooner rather than later.
"Glenn has done very well. He has come in and results have picked up straight away, but you would have to ask him about whether he has changed his mind about staying on as manager or not."
* Albert Luque's poor recent form also looks like putting pay to his World Cup hopes. The Spaniard has been left out of coach Luis Aragones' squad for this week's friendly against Ivory Coast.
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