We won't roll over

Parker and his West Ham team-mates can certainly do Chelsea an enormous favour if they squeeze at least a point out of their trip to Manchester United but the former England star knows only one way of playing - and that has never involved backing out of challenges, even when the odds are not in his favour.

Parker, like so many of Alan Curbishley's squad, has spent much of this season on the treatment table and is only now coming back to anything approaching full match fitness.

The former Charlton and Newcastle player isn't too fussed who ends up picking up the Premier League title. He has his sights set a little lower.

The Lambeth-born star loves a tackle the way Wayne Rooney relishes a goal and he will, as usual, be launching a few in the direction of red shirts tomorrow.

"Me ease up? I don't know how," said Parker. "I will keep playing and tackling the way I normally do.

"I will try and do my best, as always, and see what happens. Of course it's a massive game for Manchester United and Chelsea but from where I am it's a big game for us as well.

"We want to finish in that 10th spot. We would see it as a massive disappointment if we did not manage it after being in that position in the table for so long.

"We're going into the game focusing on what we have to do. We can't spend too much time looking at what the game means for Manchester United.

"We're certainly not going to roll over. We're professional footballers and we take pride in what we do. We have to try and take something out of the game for ourselves." West Ham have recent form on their side. They have beaten United the last three times the two clubs have met but tomorrow Curbishley is again without a host of first-team players.

Parker made a total of only 15 Premier League appearances for Chelsea in the two seasons he was at Stamford Bridge but spent enough time in and around the squad to appreciate just how resilient they can be.

"Manchester United are still top so they would still be slight favourites but you can never write off Chelsea," he said. "There have been times this season when people thought they had dropped away but here they are, at the most crucial time of the season and they're still in with a big shout.

"It's in United's hands so they are in the best position but Chelsea have that something in them, that spirit. They never give up. There is a massive belief there. They grind out results.

"The spine of their team is so important to them, with Petr Cech, John Terry and Frank Lampard. You only have to look at what Frank did against Liverpool on Wednesday to see just how strong he is. There's a combination of big characters there who pull the rest together."

Parker said he found the criticism of Blues boss Avram Grant puzzling.

"Avram Grant is winning games and he's put then into the Champions League Final," he said. "That's the bottom line."

You sense that, far from winding down at the end of the season, Parker is going up through the gears. He added: "It's been a disappointing season for me personally. The injury stuck around for a lot longer than I thought and it's only probably now that I feel I'm over it.

"When I came back a couple of times before I wasn't 100 per cent right. I've learned that I need to be more patient at times. I'm getting there now though.

"I'm looking forward to putting in a decent performance tomorrow and see where it takes us."

Curbishley could have Matthew Etherington back in the squad but will be without Freddie Ljungberg, who faces a race to be fit to join up with Sweden in time for Euro 2008.

Ljungberg has a fractured rib following a challenge on him by Newcastle's Steven Taylor last week. Curbishley said: "Having seen the incident again, we're a bit disappointed.

"We feel Taylor could have done more to avoid him."