There were reports yesterday evening that Mark Noble has finally tired of being snubbed by England. Noble has represented England at all under-age levels, including 20 caps and captaining the side at U-21 level. Yet, regardless of his level of performance for West Ham, he has failed to be named in a full England squad. It is quite puzzling why Noble has not hitherto been selected and tested at full international level. It must be very galling to now see the likes of Colbeck and Delph being selected ahead of him. Anyway, Noble’s omission from the latest England squad may have proven to be the final straw and he has allegedly made the decision to exercise his qualification to play for the Republic of Ireland, through his Irish grandparent, and (Martin O’Neill permitting) join their 2016 European Championships campaign.
If this report is true then surely no one can repproach Noble for making this difficult decision. Noble’s loyalty to the country of his birth is of enormous credit to him. But at 27 years of age, he must now think of himself and grasp the opportunity to experience senior international football via the Republic. I say without hesitation that Ireland’s gain will be England’s loss.
Meanwhile, the Sports Mirror are also reporting that Hull City have had a £3m bid for Mo Diame rejected. My problem with this story is that it is common knowledge that Diame has a £3.5m release clause in his current contract. So, why waste your time pitching a bid £500,000 under that figure? Perhaps Hull City are just chancing their arm, but will they come back with a revised bid? In the same article, it is claimed that confusion reigned over Bournemouth’s supposed £1m interest in Carlton Cole. According to Sports Mirror sources, Sam Allardyce informed Cole that he was surplus to requirements and that a bid had been accepted from Bournemouth, only for the south coast club to deny all knowledge of the interest/bid when Cole’s representative made contact with them. Confused? And none more so than poor old Carlton Cole. Now we are informed that Cole is staying at the club for the time being, but his future will be reviewed in the January transfer window.
There is an old saying about ‘give a dog a bad name.’ And that seems to very much apply to West Ham Utd these days. Do you remember the days when West Ham Utd were the ‘great entertainers’ and renowned for our brand of free flowing, attacking football. Now various contemporary media mouth peices and ‘top four’ groupies might try to tell you that is all a myth, but those of us lucky enough to have lived through the Fenton, Greenwood and Lyall eras can most certainly assure you that it was very real. However, as we are all too aware. the club is now firmly associated with a very different kind of football style and philosophy, direct play, agression and physicality. In recent months, players like Foster of WBA and Dier of Spurs have made public reference how direct and physical we are as a team. Even when, as in Dier’s case, West Ham played/passed his side off the Park. Now, the new Southampton Manager, Ronald Koeman, has made some very similar comments ahead of Saturday’s match, namely:
‘West Ham have started in a good way this season and it is a tough team to beat. It’s an aggressive team – they play in a aggressive, physical way and I think it is a little bit different from our philosophy, but it is always difficult to beat that kind of team.’
You find that there is often a lag between perception and reality in life. People are often trapped by cliche and orthodox opinion. And this prevails even when the latest evidence points in an entirely different direction. It is clear that the club have some way to go before this direct/physical reputation is overcome. Perhaps we will never entirely overcome it while still under the current management? However, within this context, I draw some comfort from the transformation of Arsenal’s reputation under Arsene Wenger. Contrast the common perception of Arsenal now to that which existed under George Graham. It shows that there is hope for the future and redeeming the famous reputation of West Ham Utd in time and, maybe, in different circumstances. Hope, as they say, springs eternal and thank goodness for it.
Finally, Sam Allardyce has raised the prospect of the club making one final high profile signing. Apparently, the club has the resources for a final major signing and some sources are linking us with a move for Barca’s Alex Song! It could never happen, could it?
SJ. Chandos.