MightyTips's interview with Ray Parlour (13/09/2023)

In the world of football, some names persevere the test of time, etching themselves into the annals of the magnificent sport's rich history. Ray Parlour is one such athlete, an exemplary footballer whose contributions to the game are celebrated by fans and revered by peers. As we sit down for an exclusive interview with the legendary midfielder, it is impossible not to be filled with respect for the man who adorned the iconic Arsenal jersey for over a decade, earning the nickname 'The Romford Pele' in the process. 

Ray Parlour's career is a story of unwavering dedication, incredible talent, and a relentless pursuit of excellence on the pitch. Join us as we delve into the thoughts of the player who remains synonymous with class and skill in the world of football.

MT: Who do you think is likely to be the first Premier League manager to be the most under pressure this season, or maybe even sacked? 

RP: Well, I'll be honest with you, I think every single manager is under pressure. The Premier League is lethal, the managers know that now. They've got to perform. I think it’s more the teams who've spent a bit of money. I think what he's [Rob Edwards] done at Luton has been brilliant to get them up - Sheffield United as well, you know, those guys are just really pleased to be back in the Premier League. 

Burnley again, Vincent Kompany, they love him. So, you know, the three probably coming up will probably be safe. You look at other teams, it's usually someone who struggles who you’d expect to do well. 

It can't be Chelsea or someone like that again, they can't get rid of another manager! Sean Dyche has got no money, so Everton have got to just go with Sean, I should imagine, though they're going to be in a bit of a bother, I should imagine. 

But it's probably someone like the Fulham manager [Marco Silva], someone like that - people expect him to do the same as he did last year, but they've lost Mitrovic and players like that so he might be under a little bit of pressure because he did so well last year. 

Thomas Frank, they love him down at Brentford; Villa, Emre's done a very, very good job; Brighton, no chance; Newcastle at the moment, no chance; Chelsea have got to give him [Pochettino] time; Liverpool, I think they'll have a decent season, so I think Jürgen Klopp will be alright; Spurs have a new manager already; Roy Hodgson would be steady as Palace manager.

It's a difficult one, really. But I will probably go somewhere like Fulham, or if Wolves don't do well at the start of the first 10, 15 games, I think Gary O’Neil’s always going to be under pressure - they’ll look at a big name to come in to try and save them probably! 

So, I'll probably put him [Gary O’Neil] as the favourite - he probably knows that anyway – and I'll go with Fulham manager, Marco Silva. 

MT: Do you agree with Man Utd fans that the Glazers should sell the club and move on? What do you think of the current situation there? 

RP: Well, it's a bit of a mess, really. But the supporters are the most important thing in any club. You know, players come and go, managers come and go, boards come and go, owners sometimes come and go. But the fans will always stick behind their team. 

So, I think they've got to make a decision for the fans and say, ‘look, we're going to sell up’. I don't know what the problem is at the moment, it looked like it was all going to go through - and I think Manchester United were hoping it would go through, the supporters especially. 

And then they can really get going again because we all know how much of a great club it is around the world. One of the biggest, if not the biggest. So, they just need to get back to winning ways and challenging Man City again, really.

That's what they should be up to now with the squad and the infrastructure of Manchester United. But, obviously, with that hanging over the club, who's going to be taking them forward? I think the fans just want to know, and I think the Glazers have done enough damage now. I think they've just got to move on. Sell the club for as much as they can and then move on. 

MT: Based on money spent in the transfer window general team expectation, do you think there are any teams that could be deemed as a failure at the end of the year? So, if you look at someone like Chelsea that are spending so much money, Newcastle and the expectation on them for example, do you think there are any teams that could have a tough road ahead? 

RP: You look at Manchester United at the moment with the results going their way, but I think they will turn it around, certainly. We've got to see how the good the youngster is up front; we've not really seen him play yet. 

But Chelsea is the obvious choice. They've got a lot of players who are going to be very, very good; if they all gel together in the next four or five years, they could be very strong because they're all at a young age and that's what they're trying to do. But if it all goes wrong, because they give people big contracts, it could absolutely ruin the club really, because if you want to get a player out these days, it's so difficult. If they're on contracts and they're on good money, sometimes they don't want to leave, and they know they're going to guarantee their money for the next seven, eight years.

For example, Mudryk, if it doesn't work out for him, will he end up moving on in three or four years? I don't know. I mean, he could just sit on his contract and run it down, some players do that. I think Chelsea is the obvious choices, if I'm being honest. 

Chelsea have obviously spent so much money, and to be fair to him, he's put his money where his mouth is, the owner. He’s said ‘look, we're going to try and build this club back to where it was’, but it's not easy sometimes. You've got to have the right characters in the dressing room, and that’s down to Pochettino to get the balance right.

What I've seen so far this season, though, is there’s more of a team ethic than there was last season; I went and watched them quite a few times and it was just a load of individuals playing football. So, now they've got a little bit more team structure which Pochettino can bring in, and there's no doubt they've got good players at Chelsea.

Newcastle are just on a high at the moment. Champions League football back at St James Park. I think they've got a very good squad as well; I think they've got a decent squad. And obviously Manchester City will have been looking at Manchester United to see how that goes, with the midfield not clicking at the moment. 

Liverpool I think have spent well as well. Arsenal spent a lot of money, but obviously the expectation goes up. They've got to try and challenge Man City again next season. So, I think the biggest one is Chelsea, it's got to be. 

MT: Which players do you think need to up their game to prove themselves and to boost their club's chance of success this year?

RP: Who's got to up their game? I think most Man City players will all up their game every single week, if I'm being honest. I think the obvious one now is Sancho, isn't it? You know, he's come for big money, he's got big wages. I know a lot of people have said you [XX] shouldn't have come out and said what you did in the press, but he's not seeing enough in training.

Training is so important. I promise you now, that gets you prepared for the game on the weekend. Arsene Wenger was brilliant Monday to Friday with our squad. When you got to Saturday, it was down to you. But he got us so prepared, that we were ready to go, and we knew exactly what our jobs were.

If people are not putting it in training during the week, then sometimes it can affect you at the weekends - certainly in competitive games. So, I think Sancho is the obvious one at the moment. 

There's quite a few players who've got to prove a point now. I mean, Mason Mount's got big money at Man Utd as well. I really like Mason. I think he's a genuine player who give his all every game. It’s just whether the combination is right at the moment in midfield. They're trying to get to know each other. 

I think Salah now, that that he’s staying, it’ll have been a relief for a lot of Liverpool fans. We all know he's a top player, but now the speculation’s gone away, he's got to really knuckle down, because Liverpool could have a really good season this year. I think they're bought well, the midfield looks totally different, there’s a little bit more energy. I think Salah's going to be their main man, but he's got to knuckle down and say, ‘right, I'm going to be the main man and make sure we score enough goals to get us near Man City this year’. 

And really, some of the Chelsea squad, I think Raheem Sterling had a pretty poor season last year, and he certainly has to up his game this year with a new manager. He's done that so far, so Raheem as well has got to keep that going. 

MT: How about anyone for Spurs? Obviously with Kane leaving, the team need to fill those shoes.

RP: Son is the obvious choice, he's going to say, ‘well, okay, I'm the main man’; Kulusevski on the right-hand side has got an opportunity now; and the obvious choice with a big gap up front now is Richarlison.

For Richarlison, this is really an opportunity for him to say this is why I'm in the Brazil team, because I can play like this. I think Tottenham fans are a little bit 50/50 with him at the moment. I think they're still waiting to see whether he can really come to life, so certainly he's the main person who could really step up, because he was a big money moved from Everton, and he's not really done it yet in a Spurs shirt. But he's certainly one who, if he starts banging the goals in and gets a little bit of confidence, then he could be a, a decent player for Spurs this year.

MT: Do you think Arsenal can win the league this season? Or do you think City can keep up what they've done and win it again? Or do you think now Arsenal can pounce? 

RP: I think Arsenal have got every chance. Last year they came close, but there were a couple of bad mistakes last year from an Arsenal point of view: the West Ham game, 2-0 up, and ended up drawing; Liverpool 2-0 up. They’ve just got to see games out a little bit more. But Fulham was similar this season if I'm being honest. 2-1 up with 10 men, and they conceded, and that could be a big two points. Every point is so important in the Premier League. 

I played against Man United teams that didn’t drop points on a regular basis, so you’ve always got to keep picking three points up and putting pressure on the opposition, but I certainly think they got the squad for it. 

I think Jesus is back now, I’m really pleased he got the third goal against United; that’ll have given him a bit of confidence. I feel Eddie's done well up front and he deserves his England call up. The midfield is pretty strong now, though I know they lost Xhaka, who was very good last year. Keeping everybody fit is so important as well, and you need a bit of luck along the way, but certainly they've got every opportunity to.

I can see why Man City are big favourites to win it again, because of the squad they have, but I can see why the bookmakers probably position Arsenal as second favourites, because they pushed them quite a way last year. They've just got to learn from their mistakes. But certainly, they're capable of winning the league, definitely.

MT: You mentioned mistakes there, do you think, is there any area you would say in the Arsenal team that needs the attention and improvement to maybe get them to that next step? 

RP: Do you know what it is? It's just seeing games out. It's sometimes about using common sense. It's a situation where, you got five minutes left in the first half and you're 2-0 up. Play in their half! Sometimes it isn’t great to watch but you're ticking the clock down - you can get throw ins in that corner and peg people in and waste a couple of minutes and suddenly the attitude’s slightly different, especially away from home. 

At West Ham, 2-0 up and cruising. I was with a few West Ham guys, and they said, if it goes 3-0, we are leaving. And then they [Arsenal] conceded in the 42nd minute, and the attitude in the bar at half time was totally different from what it should have been if it was 2-0. And then the West Ham fans are getting behind the team a bit more. So, I think you've got to see games out a little bit better. And that's a group situation, it's not just individuals. That's where you need a few leaders around the pitch. Declan Rice might become important in that situation, where they're trying to see the game out at times. 

In our teams, we were very good at that and, though we weren’t always great to watch, no one remembers that. Say you're playing Luton away and you're 1-0 up with four minutes to go, and you're playing in their half, and you boot it out for throwing - no one remembers that when you win the league, I promise you now. So, there's certain times where you have to mix the game up a bit, to win the game, and I think Arsenal have got to learn that. 

It's not always about playing out from the back. It looks lovely, but sometimes they've got to just mix it up and say, we're leading, there's a few minutes left in the first half or second half, now we've got to try and just see the game out. 

MT: Do you think Man City could replicate what you did? Do you think they could be a new Invincibles? Do you think they've got it in them to go undefeated? 

RP: Well, that's the obvious choice, isn’t it? Liverpool came close to that a few years back and I think Watford beat them 3-0 at Vicarage Road and that was unbelievable, really, because they got relegated that year.

But, certainly, Man City are the team you'll be looking at; they're so competitive. It's going to be when the Champions League starts, though, as you always get one off day. We had quite a few off days, to be fair, but we managed to get a draw out of it. We had a lot of players who could change games off the bench, which of course Man City have got as well.

I'm hoping it doesn't happen, but if it does happen, I’ll congratulate Man City because it is very difficult to do it. I know we had lots of draws, but it's still an amazing achievement to do that. All I say to him [Pep Guardiola] is that we got there first! But, if there's any team who could do it, it's certainly Manchester City.

But, when you start the season, no one thinks about going invincible or unbeaten. You've got to look to say we've got to win the league this year. That was a bonus for us. The most important thing was drawing the game at Tottenham and picking the trophy up.

But then the next four games were vital because we thought, well, we've got an opportunity now to go unbeaten. But when we started the season, there was no talk whatsoever in our dressing room about going unbeaten. It was Arsene Wenger who was saying we've got a very good squad of players who could probably push to go unbeaten, but the players themselves never mentioned it until the press did. The press got involved and that's when it started ramping up a little bit. Who's going to be the first team to beat Arsenal this year? And it'll be the same as Man City, if they can keep going the way they're going. You get to March, and that's when the press will be going, ‘Can they do the same as Arsenal?’.

But there's a long way to go until March, and I'm hoping they do get beat if I'm being honest. It's being a bit selfish. But credit to them if they do it, and fair play to them, they are a fantastic team. 

MT: What are your thoughts on Harry Kane's move to Bayern Munich? Do you think he'd ever return to the Premier League and maybe try and get that record? Or do you think he's just got his eyes on Champions League and winning over there? 

RP: He's certainly got time because he looks after himself these days, he can play until a little bit longer, and he's a clever player, isn't he? He can play that number 10 role. I always go look at Teddy Sheringham, Teddy was that sort of player as well. He'd play until late 30s, 40s even. I know there's a lower division, but you know he could play at a good standard in the Premier League. So, I think Harry will [return]. 

If it all goes well for Bayern Munich and they can win a few trophies, Harry will be delighted. And the Champions League is obviously the one from Bayern Munich's point of view. Again, I'm sure he would come back at a certain time. 

It's all about your body, really, and whether you can handle games. I think German football will be a little bit easier than the Premier League, so maybe that gives him a little bit more time to come back.

But I'm sure he will look at that record and say it’s still there to be beaten, and If I can get a few good years in Germany, win a few trophies, who knows, I could come back and still win that the record off Shearer, which would be an amazing achievement to have the Premier League record and England record. After a few trophies in Germany, that would probably be the icing on the cake for his career. 

MT: Do you think there needs to be a transfer spending cap? What do you think of the current amounts that teams are spending on players and price evaluations? Do you think they're accurate? 

RP: The only thing with transfers is what you want to pay for someone. Look at Declan Rice: they said ￡105 million. If you aren't going to give us 105, he's not going to go anywhere. So, people know exactly where West Ham stood.

What I think they've got to look at is when teams pay a transfer over a certain amount of time. Because, on that spreadsheet it’s only a certain amount. You've just spent a hundred million, but really out of that, out of that hundred million, there's only fifteen million going that year and then fifteen the next year. I think that's got to be looked at because that's a little bit unfair for some other clubs. 

But the transfer window's gone crazy, hasn’t it? You’ve for ￡100 million pound players now, and it's unbelievable. I mean, I don't know what the sort of players I played with would go for now in this current market. It'd be ridiculous money, but it is what it is. 

I'm sure the Premier League will look at it to make it a little bit fairer, because there's loopholes in certain transfers. And they'll have lawyers looking into the next loophole, if they close this loophole. That's how it is in football, someone's always trying to get an edge. Chelsea are a prime example by saying, ‘we've got eight-year contracts and we're going to pay for him over eight years’. I think that rule’s got to be looked at, definitely. 

MT: According to FIFA, agent fees are near on 800 million. Do you think FIFA needs to step in and maybe stop agents having such an influence over decisions and costs when really it should more be a focus on the club and the player? 

RP:  The problem is, these players will always have agents. They'll be looking at their next life if you like. This is why they're trying to get their social media following up already as a player, to carry that on. But yeah, I don't agree with it because it does go out of the game, but you're never going to stop agents from doing deals, and I'm afraid that they're here to stay. 

Everybody needs a representative, and a player should have a representative – though, it's going to be an agent who gets paid off the player and the club. That's how it works, I should imagine. But it's wrong, really, ￡800 million pounds is a lot of money that could go elsewhere. But agents will always be there, I'm afraid, because players want to know they're getting the best deal, and agents are trying to get the best deal for the players and themselves, and that's always going to happen.

MT: Through your experience in the Invincibles, what does it really take to win the league in that manner? Do you think there's any players in the Arsenal squad that can really drive the key role and influence the dressing room?

RP: We had so much togetherness. Everybody was always going the right way. When we had a poor result, everybody would get into a meeting room and we’d sort it out between us and the players would always respect each other. If you were having a go at players, it wasn’t always being negative, it was to make the scene better. Everybody's been in a situation where you've made mistakes and you've just got to put your hand up and say, sorry guys, it won't happen again and make sure it doesn't happen again. So, I think there was a lot of instances where everybody agreed how to act. And I think we had a winning mentality. 

As Wenger said in 2003, the team was very, very strong. The attitude was excellent in training, and an 8 v 8 would be dangerous on a Friday before a game on Saturday because one 8 would always want to beat the other 8, and you’d have tackles flying in. But if you put those 16 players together, you've always got a chance. 

What I see with this squad, which is very similar, because I'm very lucky to go on preseason, is there's a lot more togetherness now. Mikel Arteta has had to work very hard to get certain players out early in his career, like Mustafi and Kola?inac. Then obviously, Aubameyang was the big one who was probably setting a little bit of a bad example. I'm not too sure because I wasn't there, but it sounded like he was turning up late for training, as the skipper, and you can't do that when you have young players. You've got to set the example as captain. 

But what I see in the squad now is they're very much together. When I go and watch training, they're all having a bit of fun with each other as well, which you've got to have outside of football. You've got to concentrate when you train, but you've got to have a little bit of bit of laughter after training as well, and I can see that.

You can see they're happy with how things are going, and it's a young squad. And it's going to get better, I should imagine. But they've just got to learn how to win games of football and how to get over the line. It's how, when you've got a chance to win, you get over that line. And there's certain times that Arsenal have got to see games out a bit better. And I think they know that. Mikel Arteta certainly knows that as well. And hopefully they can learn from last year. If they can do that, then they're going to go close.

MT: You mentioned Mikel Arteta there. He will have learnt so much from Pep Guardiola in his previous role. But, do you think he's got everything he needs now to build a legacy? Like Pep is doing. Do you think Arteta could achieve a similar feat? 

RP: He's got a lot to go to get to near Pep Guardiola at the moment, but he started pretty well. He obviously got the FA Cup, giving him a chance. But what I notice about this squad and supporters now is, if you go to the Emirates, it's a totally different atmosphere. You go over there and everybody's together, everybody's behind each other. Supporters can see that the players are giving everything. You can see Mikel Arteta on the sideline trying to kick every ball, and I think the supporters respect that and say, right, come on, let's get behind this team because I think it's a very good team.

But whether you can achieve a legacy like Wenger really - Wenger has got a legacy at Arsenal, with two doubles, the Invincibles, seven FA Cups - whether you can do that is a tall order, because the league is so competitive now. But that's what you've got to aim for as a manager. You need the tools to do it, you need the players and the right people around you, but if you can get the right tools, then there's no excuses. You've got to try and do the best you can, and I do like the way he's managed at the moment. I've had a chat with him a few times, and he seems a nice guy. I think he's a fair guy as well. If you put it in for him, he'll always look out for you. 

So that's all you need to know as a player; that's what Wenger did for me. If he knows you’re putting it in, he'll always try and help make you a better player. I think Mikel Arteta is very similar in that respect with the young players. And if they can improve, like they should, the young players, I think they'll have a very good squad for many years.

MT: Aside from Erling Haaland, which strikers do you think are going to really perform this season? 

Haaland’s a certainty isn’t her. And Salah's not going to be too far away, if I'm being honest. Nunez, too. I know he's scored two cracking goals at Newcastle, but we’ll have to see if he can get his scoring boots on and start delivering on a weekly basis. I really like Isak, I think he's going to be a very good striker for Newcastle, a very important player for them because they've always had one of the best drivers in Alan Shearer, and they love a number nine up front. 

For Arsenal: you can have great play, but you've always got to finish the ball up. Jesus has got to score more goals as well, if I'm being honest. He's got to try and bang a few more in. He needs to be 15 to 20. And I'm looking forward to seeing Man United’s striker. I don't know what he's going to be like, I’ve not really seen a lot of him, but he's got potential.

Other players who I really like, who's not playing at the moment is Ivan Toney. I also think Watkins is unlucky at Villa, not to be in England's squad. I think he's done everything right so far. All of these guys have got an opportunity now. We mentioned Richarlison and Son and people like that, but I would say definitely Ivan Tony would have been the one I would have gone for. 

I think he [Toney] would have been perfect for Arsenal; he would have been the one I really, really would have gone for if he was available. We'll have to wait and see what happens next summer, what Brentford do, but he's always going to score goals for you, definitely.

MT: You mentioned Mo Salah then, do you think Liverpool will keep hold of him or sell him on? 

RP: No, I don't think he will, and I think Liverpool know that as well. But how the deal was proposed, it didn't suit Liverpool whatsoever, because they would’ve had to replace him very quickly. The window was just about to close, and you're losing a guy that will score you 20-25 goals a season. But I think they'll be back, the Saudi Arabians look like they're in it for the long haul.

They want the best players; they want the stars of the Premier League and they even offer big money. From Liverpool's point of view, they can plan a bit better. They can plan for next summer or January, but whether they let him go or not depends on how Liverpool are doing, I should imagine.

If they're doing well in the league, they’re not going to let him go in January. But maybe they'll deal with the player and say, look, give us the rest of the season, a little bit like Ronaldo at Manchester United. They gave him their blessing and said, look, off you go, earn some money, and do whatever you want to do. I'm sure he's not short of money now, at Liverpool, but he's going to earn ridiculous amounts.

But at least Liverpool can go out and try and spot players now or take a gamble on a couple of players with the money and see if they can get another Mo Salah. He failed at Chelsea, and Liverpool got the best out of him, so there are players out there who can probably do a job as well. You've just got to find them, that's the hard bit, that's where the recruitment comes into it - and that's why Brighton are so good, because they scale the world, especially South America.

MT: Declan Rice is obviously a key signing for Arsenal this summer - what do you think his mentality is going to add to the team? I'm referring back to the Invincibles team again, people like Patrick Vieira, that sort of captain mentality. Do you think Declan Rice will grow into that? 

RP: I spoke to Declan and he's really looking forward to his Arsenal career. Everybody’s embraced him so well. I mean, he's unbelievable. He’s really enjoyed the reception he’s got - all the players have come up to him, but you need leaders all around the pitch, if I'm being honest. A captain, for me, though a very important player, is there to toss the coin and say what end we're going to go. However, when you're in a game situation, you need leaders right down the spine of the team; a centre half who can have a little go at players; you need a midfielder; you need strikers. 

We had Bergkamp who could lead it a little bit as well. It's all about standards. What I like about Declan is I think he’s going to play against the bigger teams. He’ll do well against the smaller teams, don't get me wrong, but you'll see him come out in the bigger games, like the Man City games, when you have to put a performance in.

I'm really looking forward to him playing. I thought he played really well against Manchester United, obviously, he got his goal. So, I can see him playing really well against the bigger sides. 

But you've got to drive the team on at times. There's always flat spots in certain games where you're up against it. We've been up against it many times in my teams, but you have to have leaders to say, ‘right, they're getting down the left-hand side too much, you go sit in there for a minute. Just make sure they don't get past you’. And once their wave of attacks have gone, then you can get back on the front floor and start pushing. You've got to have players to boss people around - you can't be looking at the bench and looking at a manager. And I think Declan Rice can do that. He can sense danger, and we had some great players in that invincible side like Gilberto Silva who sensed danger. Sometimes he was in the back four when the ball would come across and he'd be the one heading it

It's just common sense sometimes in football, and I think Declan's got a lot of that, he's got a lot of ability, and I really like the way he started his career because a lot of people say ￡105 million is a lot of money and a big price tag. But people forget about it if you keep putting good performances in. Everyone forgets about the price tag. A little bit like Van Dijk when he went to Liverpool, ￡80 million for the centre half. After three seasons, though, everyone's going, what about it? Because he's done such a great job. And I think Declan will be the same for Arsenal. I'm sure he’ll do a great job in that midfield area. 

MT: Which players do you think have been the best signings this summer? 

RP: For me, and I’m going by the money as well, for what they paid for him, one is certainly James Maddison. I think Spurs have got a real gem on their hands now. I'm really pleased he's back in England squad. I like players like him because he's not always strait-laced. Some people are ticking the boxes now, but I want to see flair players and players doing something different. So, I think James Madison will really be a big star at Tottenham. I certainly believe that. 

And another one who always gives 100% whenever I've seen him play, he always does his shifts, is James Ward-Prowse. I think West Ham have had the right result there, because you know he's a genuine player. You know he's going to give everything, and I'm sure they're going to score a lot more from set pieces this season with his deliveries. I really like what he's done so far - I think he played really well at Brighton, and he's a good solid player in the England squad, which he deserves. So, I think West Ham have got a real steal there, so they'd be my two signings of the summer definitely. 

MT: What are your predictions for top four and who to get relegated?

RP: I'm not going to change my mind. I've done this already and I know a lot of people say, ‘oh, I'm not too sure about this’, but I've gone Arsenal to win the league. I might be just a little bit optimistic, but it could be their season. Who knows? I've got Man City, obviously second, and Liverpool third.

And I'm going to stick with Manchester United in fourth because I think they could turn it around and come good, but, and they played all right in patches against Arsenal. Other sides obviously include Newcastle, Spurs, and Chelsea who’ll all be breathing down their necks, but I'm going to go Man United. 

The bottom three, I hate to say it, but I think Luton probably will go down. I hope that they have a good season and they do really well because it's a great story that they’ve come up. I can't see past Sheffield United either. 

You’ve always got a lot of the teams coming up, it's so difficult for them to compete. Though, I think Burnley might be okay. I know they've not started great, but I think Vincent Kompany might get enough out of Burnley. But I’m really worried about Everton. I watched them against Sheffield United, and at times that they look okay, but they need goals. 

So, I'll stick with Everton at the moment, but I think Fulham will be further down than people think, I think Fulham might struggle, and the obvious one is Bournemouth. Bournemouth is a team that could struggle as well, but I stick with Everton. I did put that at the start of the season, but Everton's a great club. Whoever goes down, it's a nightmare to pick, but you've got to pick three, and it's only opinions!

As we conclude our enlightening conversation with the footballing icon, Ray Parlour, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to him for sharing his incredible insights. His passion for the game continues to inspire football enthusiasts around the world.

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