Scott Parker is happy to be back playing regularly and does not mind one bit if he is not in the limelight as long as he is performing well for West Ham United.
After the stop-start nature of his first season at the Boleyn Ground, Parker said he was delighted to be able to show the fans what he could do. Recalling how he felt after suffering a pre-season knee problem, he said: "I had a bit of a bad time last year with injuries which didn't go well for me. I suppose if I had been here for three years and got the injury it would have been a bit easier but I had just signed."
Things improved as the campaign went on. He started each of the last ten games in the run-in and has been an ever-present in the Barclays Premier League this season. "I feel strong," Parker added. "I am starting to feel like I have come back there now and starting to enjoy it." With good club form, naturally comes talk of international recognition but the 28-year-old, who has three caps, is playing down such speculation.
"I don't think if only with England," he said, when asked for his thoughts on his prospects. "It is such a fine line I suppose and all I can do is really play well. If I get my chance, I'll get my chance and, if not, as long as am I doing well for West Ham that is my priority. After the season I had last year, my priority is to stay fit and to perform well for West Ham. If I do that, then you never know."
The next step in that mission is Sunday's trip to Hull City and Parker knows the high-fliers will pose a stern test to a West Ham United side that can go fourth with victory. "It is going to be a tough game for us," he said. "We all know how they have started the season. They have done very well so it is going to be difficult and we are going to have to go into it very prepared."
As the senior figure in the regular trio of central midfielders including Valon Behrami and Mark Noble, Parker's experience is key. He has also put that to good effect in coping with the change in manager and the introduction of a new system and new ideas. "When things change so quickly like they do in football you have to adapt to that and I think I have learnt over the years that the quicker you adapt the better things are."
While respectful of Alan Curbishley's positive impact on his career, firstly at Charlton Athletic and then after bringing him to the Boleyn Ground, Parker is enjoying the new regime under Gianfranco Zola. The West Ham way is central to it all. "The [club's] philosophy is a very strong reason for being here. There is no doubt that we try and play the right way and play football. For sure this year there have been times when we have played some really nice stuff.
"It is a massive factor to enjoy the game and to have someone who wants to play the right way and our manager certainly wants to do that. It has been a big impact. It gives you the confidence to go out there and try stuff because when you want to play football, when you want to make things happen there is a fine line between making mistakes and not.
"He gives you the confidence to go out there and do that. You keep trying because that is the only way it is going to happen. I think as a player that is what you need ... his ideas and his training has been fantastic."
Parker said there was plenty of attention to detail in the manager's work and "he has helped everyone". He added: "If there is one thing he is going to do, it is improve players. It is just techniques, he is out there with certain players doing different finishing techniques or he might be there with the defenders ... he has set his stall out and every player knows what he wants."