Injuries can really slow one down. Look at what they did to Paul Stalteri when he was with Spurs - and he got hurt
early. Never did quite regain his Werder Bremen Pokal-Meister year form and ended up back in Germany after a couple years (He's currently on hiatus from football, having a bunch of surgeries done). I'm hoping THudd doesn't end up in a lower league or even at a lower Prems club because of his injuries, but sometimes that's the way it goes.
That said, completely agreed about Parker. He's just what the doctor ordered for Spurs. I dunno, he just suits the style Spurs play. Heh, why do you think I want an avatar of the guy?