in which Newcastle finished in seventh place, despite having a very poor start under Graeme Souness. His first Newcastle goal came against his former club Charlton in a 3–1 defeat on 25 March 2006. Later that month he was diagnosed with glandular fever, putting an end to his season. The timing was especially unfortunate for Parker, who had been playing well for Newcastle, as it ended any hopes he may have had of forcing his way into the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In July 2006, he was named Newcastle United's new captain by manager Glenn Roeder, succeeding the retired Alan Shearer. His first goal as captain came against Wigan Athletic on 19 August 2006, in a 2–1 win on the first day of the season. Parker scored his second goal of the season against Fulham in September 2006, but after he was substituted Newcastle conceded 2 goals and subsequently lost the match. Despite Newcastle's poor form, his performances earned him a recall to the England squad in September after an absence of more than two years. In November, Parker scored a goal in the 116th minute against Watford in the League Cup and then scored in the penalty shoot-out to allow Newcastle to progress in the competition. He scored his fourth goal of 2006–07 against Tottenham Hotspur in December 2006. Scott Parker was found to be the second best player in the country for December 2006 by Sky Sports and Opta Index. He led Newcastle on their way to UEFA Intertoto Cup victory and was presented with the Intertoto Cup plaque in March 2007 before the UEFA Cup first-leg tie with AZ. West Ham United In June 2007, West Ham United signed Scott Parker for a £7 million fee. Due to injury, he did not make his first-team debut until 26 September 2007 in the 1–0 League Cup victory against Plymouth Argyle. His full Premier League debut came on 29 September 2007 in the 1–0 home defeat to Arsenal, a match which saw Parker sustaining another injury and being substituted for Hayden Mullins at half-time. Parker scored his first goal for West Ham, a last-minute winner in the 2–1 win at Middlesbrough on 22 December 2007. In 2008–09, Parker played a major part of West Ham's season and on 24 May 2009 was voted Hammer of the Year, by the club's supporters. and became the first player since Julian Dicks