Parr Out to Become Norway Regular Thursday, 9th Oct 2014 06:00 Jonny Parr is hoping to display his best form for Town and in turn claim a regular place in the Norway team. Parr, who joined the Blues on a free transfer following his release by Crystal Palace in the summer, is still to taste defeat having made seven appearances for Town. Oslo-born Parr, 25, may have played nine times for his country but he has never been a regular choice, thanks largely to the presence of former Monaco, Liverpool, Roma and Fulham star John Arne Riise, who is the country’s most capped player with a whopping 110 appearances. Parr, who has something in common with Riise in that they have both played for Aalesund, said: “I have been involved with the national team for the last four or five years but I have never really had a regular chance to play in the first 11. I have always come off the bench or had a couple of chances here and there, with Riise playing there for a long time. “One of my goals is to play for my national team. It is a great honour and it is something I want to do. Riise is Norway’s most capped player and in one way it was great for me when I first joined the squad because I learned a lot from him. “He has been a great player but he’s not playing there at the moment because he has retired from the national team and that means it is a spot that is kind of open to take. “I’m hoping that I can keep on playing well and get my chance. Like I said, it’s a goal of mine. I have been involved pretty much all the time for the last five years, when I’ve not been injured, but I’ve never had a chance to play every game or to settle into the team. We’ll see what happens and whether I get that chance.” Parr was frustrated to be left out of the initial squad for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers against Malta and Bulgaria - “I am surprised and very disappointed,” he told the Norwegian media last week - but manager Per-Mathias Høgmo subsequently looked to add him to the party after a couple of players dropped out. However, the full-back opted to stay with Town having suffered a groin problem at Forest on Sunday. Norway last qualified for a major tournament 14 years ago and they were beaten 2-0 by Italy in their opening qualifier for Euro 2016, leaving them a difficult — but not impossible — task to reach the finals from a group that also includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Azerbaijan and Malta. Parr added: “It has been a couple of tough years for Norway and I think we have dropped 60 positions in the FIFA rankings, from 12th to 72nd or something like that. It’s not been good at all. We have got a new manager and a lot of new young players coming through, so it’s a shift between a lot of older players going out and a new generation of players coming in. “That normally takes a bit of time before it settles and you get results. Hopefully we can qualify for Euro 2016 but we’re in a tough group and our results over the last couple of years haven’t been that great. But it doesn’t take too much to turn that around if you can start building a bit of confidence again and get a few good results. “We have a lot of good young players coming through at the moment and it’s exciting because of that. We have a lot of things to work on but we can get better, although how long it is going to take is difficult to say. I want to be a part of it and help to rebuild it so that we can get back to the level where we want to be.” Parr revealed that he actually started as a forward, launching his career up front before switching to the role of winger and later taking a further step back to become a full-back. He added: “I was a striker when I was young, until about 18 or 19, and I got my first professional contract as a striker. Then I started to play on the wing in a 4-3-3 system and later 4-4-2 before I dropped back. “Getting forward has always been a big part of my game and I want to contribute offensively. We had some injuries and I had to play at full-back. I did well and I kind of just stayed there. “In many ways it suits me well. I like to get forward from that position and one of my strengths is that I can run a lot and get up and down the pitch. “In recent years I’ve also been quite good defensively, so although it was a role I got into by chance I’m really enjoying it now. “Getting forward is a big part of it for me and I am keen to contribute as much as possible. Some games you can, other games you can’t, but I get the chance I want to do it. “Despite my years as a striker the defensive side actually came quite naturally to me to be honest. Of course it takes a bit of time but I’ve been playing there for four or five years so it’s alright now.”
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