Guest Post by Littlefork
Why don’t we produce International players anymore? The nostalgia pieces we have read from time to time often refer to the “West Ham Way” and days of old when the club produced players who a) stuck around and b) represented their country at the highest level. Younger readers, well, a lot younger than my near 63 years must groan every time they hear about Moore, Peters Hurst, and Brooking. But at the same time I ask them to question why Mark Noble, so imposing as the England Under 21 captain, never got his full international cap?
I’d have thought Mark would have been a nailed on certainty to reach such heights but maybe to become a better, or should I say a “complete” player, then he should have moved to a “top club” to finish off his development and boost his career further.
Perhaps he should have followed the example of say Rio Ferdinand for one, a player who came up through the ranks of the club who certainly showed great potential. As a West Ham centre back he was good but not a world beater. But when he moved clubs, when he had great players around him, he developed into a genuine world class player.
Or, maybe Joe Cole? We all saw the potential in Joe, we loved the flicks and tricks and his enthusiasm for the game. But his development didn’t really come to deliver anything outstanding until he moved to Chelsea. I don’t know what it is about top clubs but they seem able to take a player who has shown real potential and boost their performance considerably. For a while, after some infuriating spells in the first team at Chelsea, as well as some maddening England performances where he would do too much and lose the ball in the final third, he blossomed into a great, complete player.
The same could be said of Frank Lampard. Whilst at West ham, he was good player, not a great one. Not even one who had shown glimpses of genius. But after his move to Chelsea, with better players around him, with better coaching maybe, he became one of the best attacking midfielders the PL has seen. His International career was probably hindered by the Lampard/Gerard issue, but still he didn’t do too badly did he?
And then there is Glen Johnson of course, who left us for Chelsea, developed his skills and awareness at full back, moved to Liverpool and became a real force for both club and England.
And then of course there’s Jermaine Defoe. Harry reckoned he was the best promising forward to wear the West Ham shirt. In his early development he joined the Hammers aged 16 and then rose through the ranks. But his international career only really took off when he moved across London to Spurs. 19 goals in 55 appearances for England wasn’t a bad return.
If Mark is reading this, then there’s the case of Michael Carrick. After his move to Spurs and then Manchester United he’s another player to blossom after getting away from West Ham.
Admittedly, it’s going back a bit but then there was Paul Ince. Another player we couldn’t hold on to but after his acrimonious move to Manchester United what a force did “the guv’nor” become.
When I look back at the talent that has really blossomed after they left West Ham I have to ask what might have been for players like Noble and Tomkins. Have they hampered their careers by sticking with the club?
What might have been had they received higher level coaching with better, more experienced and talented players around them? Would they have reached greater heights and established themselves as regular Internationals?
The answer to those questions we will never know. We applaud their club loyalty but perhaps we have never appreciated how much they have given up as a price for that loyalty?