West Ham “game-changer” is looking like the modern-day Parker

This weekend might be the first one in a long time that West Ham United fans are actually looking forward to.

The East Londoners have been subjected to some terrible football and even worse results over the last year or so, but finally, the London Stadium was treated to an impressive win over Newcastle United last week.

It was Nuno Espírito Santo’s first win in charge, but he’s not got an altogether different challenge to face in Scott Parker’s Burnley.

The Clarets’ manager is still a firm fan favourite among West Ham fans, and it could be argued that one of their current players is now emulating him – and no, it’s not Freddie Potts.

West Ham’s record against Burnley

West Ham’s game against Burnley this afternoon will be the 97th competitive meeting in all competitions.

The two claret and blue sides first met back in November 1923, in a league game that the Hammers sadly lost 5-1.

However, while their first meeting didn’t end well for the East Londoners, they have won 40 games, drawn 21 and lost 35.

Moreover, the last five meetings between the two teams have been more fruitful for the Irons, with them winning twice and sharing the spoils three times.

Their last meeting was a Premier League match on March 10th, 2024.

The game ended 2-2 courtesy of goals from Lucas Paqueta, Danny Ings, David Datro Fofana, and an own goal from Dinos Mavropanos.

While another draw wouldn’t be the end of the world, Nuno and Co. will be looking to make the most of last weekend’s win and go on something of a run.

While the whole team will have to play their part to make that happen, much of the goalscoring burden will fall on the player who’s something of a modern-day Parker for West Ham.

West Ham’s modern-day Parker

Parker joined West Ham from the Toon in the summer of 2007, and while he had to deal with a number of injuries early on, he established himself as one of the team’s most important players.

In fact, he was so crucial that he was named Hammer of the Year for three consecutive seasons and was even named England’s Player of the Year in 2011.

Unfortunately, when the Irons were relegated at the end of the 11/12 season, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur to keep his place in the national side.

Now, when it comes to a modern player who could be talked about in a similar way, there is only one who comes to mind: Jarrod Bowen.

Yes, he plays in an entirely different position, but over the last few years, he has been just as, if not more, important to the club.

For example, in 249 appearances, totalling 19881 minutes, the incredible “game changer,” as dubbed by journalist Roshane Thomas, has scored 77 goals and provided 53 assists.

That comes out to a staggering average of a goal involvement every 1.91 games, or every 152.93 minutes, over a period of more than five years.

On top of that, he has also taken the responsibility of the captaincy, which, as things stand, must be a particularly heavy burden.

Finally, not only has he been a constant source of goals and assists for the club, but he is also the scorer of the goal that secured them their first European trophy.

Ultimately, while someone like Potts might come to resemble Parker’s style of play more, Bowen embodies his spirit and truly is the current Mr West Ham.