THE walking-wounded figure of Scott Parker insisted that Newcastle United remains after he hobbled out of the club's victory over Sheffield United.

Seven days after being subjected to heavy criticism from sections of the natives on Tyneside, Parker delivered a captain's role at Bramall Lane that was met by a standing ovation from the huge throng of travelling support.

Battle scarred from what was effectively a relegation scrap, Parker had to go off injured just before the hour mark and is unlikely to face Arsenal this afternoon at St James' Park.

The England international had strapping around a dislocated thumb sustained in the first half and heavy bandaging on an ankle problem as on Saturday night.

He is also suspended for the games with Portsmouth and Chelsea after picking up his tenth yellow card of the season in South Yorkshire.

But the wounds highlighted his determination to emerge from Sheffield a winner and, despite apparent interest from Tottenham in taking him back to the capital, he wants to lead Newcastle through better times.

"There's no doubt (about my future)," said Parker, who also had a heated exchange of words with fans back in November when the Blades won 1-0 in the North-East. "The manager made me captain last year and it hurts, of course it hurts.

"I wouldn't be human, I have feelings, but there was never a question in my mind that I would leave here. I feel that I've been playing some good football here and they're close to my heart.

"It wasn't hard to go out there, it's what I do. It's just a job, you have to go out there and be professional and do the best you can. I like to feel I did that when I was on the field.

"You're always delighted when people say nice things about you and you feel like you're being supported and being wanted, of course there's no better feeling."

Newcastle, incredibly, are now up into the top half of the table and from the prospect of ending the campaign in a relegation fight they are now only six points shy of eighth.

And with Arsenal struggling for form, United will be confident of a second successive win today, which could revive slim hopes of an Intertoto Cup place.

"I don't think it (relegation) ever entered our minds as a team but we did need to prove to ourselves, to stick together as a team and I think that's what we done," said Parker.

"As a team and as lads, we needed to look after each other. We've had a lot of pressure over the last couple of weeks from all angles, at times from our own fans, at times quite rightly so, and from all directions.

"I suppose that comes from playing for a big club but we needed to come here and get a result and a performance and I feel that's what we did.

"It was a game most people, including the people nearest to us, thought we'd get turned over in and we've proved a lot of people wrong. We've proved to ourselves that when we want to mix it up we can and when we want to play football, we can do that as well, so I'm very pleased."