IT was good to see Fabio Capello at Upton Park on Sunday checking out how Scott Parker was doing in the Championship – even better that he has assured the midfielder he does not have to leave West Ham if he wants to play for England.

Before the 2-2 draw with Leeds United Hammers boss Sam Allardyce claimed Parker had been told by one of Capello’s people that he must be playing in the Premier League if he was to be considered for selection.

“It doesn’t matter if we’re in the mix at the top of the Championship because Scott’s expressed his opinion that he wants to be in the Premier League – because someone in the England camp has told him that’s where he needs to be,”

Allardyce said.

“There’s very little I can do about it. But it’s one of those things where I don’t see why it should be necessary.”

Nor do I. Parker is no less a player now than he was last season when he won the Footballer of the Year award. I reckon a spell of Championship football – he’s been there before – could be beneficial.

I certainly don’t see how his international prospects would be enhanced by a move to QPR, which has been mooted.

And that’s how Capello sees it.

“I never pushed for him to change the team,” the England chief insisted, suggesting it was a domestic issue between Parker and West Ham. “This is a problem for the club, not me.”

Things might have changed since the Premier League began, which has placed a greater workload – 46 games – on lower division players but there was a time when it didn’t matter at which level a player plied his trade. If he was good enough for England, he was selected.

Terry Paine, a member of England’s World Cup winning squad won all his 19 international caps playing Second Division football with Southampton; another Saints favourite, Mick Channon, was an England regular when he was playing in the second tier and Trevor Brooking, who was sitting beside Capello at Upton Park on Sunday, continued to be selected for England when West Ham lost their top-flight status – as they seem to do with amazing regularity.

Now that he has been assured he can continue playing in the Championship and, for England, will Parker have second thoughts about quitting the Hammers, or will he find some other reason for demanding a return ticket to the Premier League?