parker ready for battle.
Newcastle captain Scott Parker is determined to prove himself for England if, as expected, he is named by Steve McClaren in his latest Three Lions squad. McClaren is set to name his part for the Euro 2008 qualifiers with Macedonia and Croatia. With Owen Hargreaves out injured, Parker and Ledley King look set to compete with Michael Carrick for a starting role. Parker helped Newcastle into the group stages of the Uefa Cup on Thursday with victory over Levadia Tallinn and he could not hide his excitement about the prospect of his first England call-up in two years. \"If Steve McClaren decides to pick me, then that's fantastic and I'll do my very best and see where it gets me,\" he said, \"I know Owen Hargreaves isn't going to be fit, but in the past things have entered my head and haven't turned out to be. \"Having the captaincy has helped my game develop here. I thrive on the responsibility' I like the fact that I've got the task of driving the team on when times are bad and things are down. \"I know that's when I've got to come to the forefront and do something to try and drive the rest of the lads on. As captain, there aren't that many days off, but it's definitely helped me a lot.\"