Joe Cole has announced his intention to play again for England, saying ‘I’m hoping if I can keep fit to get back into the England squad and have another go. Playing for your country is the pinnacle.’
Are you on Facebook? Excellent, so are we http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ForeverWestHamcom/200938616608282
The man’s not had a bad run for England in the past, earning 56 caps and scoring 10 goals overall. He last played for England in 2010, making two substitute appearances in the World Cup and let’s not forget his phenomenal track record as a schoolboy- he scored 7 goals for the England youth team in a match against Spain, and made his senior team debut at the age of 20.
There’s a strong argument for him playing again for England. Fresh off a great return to Upton Park, Cole is dynamic, talented, creative, and a great addition to the West Ham midfield. He’s scored 2 goals for us in 11 appearances, including putting us ahead against Spurs. At 31, he has slowed down physically since his heyday, but a slower Joe Cole is still worth ten Emile Heskey’s on any given day (maybe even 20.)
Having said that, I don’t think Cole will pull on an England shirt again. But I don’t think the fault for that lies with him.
Looking for experience? Just want to be heard outside of the Boleyn? We are currently looking for writers, drop us an email at foreverwestham@snack-media.com for more details
England today is a team that plucks its members solely from top of the table clubs. The entirety of the England squad for the two recent friendlies were representatives of Manchester City and United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Arsenal and Spurs, with only two players not from those clubs.) Stands to reason, you might argue, surely the best players play for the top clubs- and you’d be right. The best players do tend to play for the top clubs- but they are not necessarily the best English players.
What about Ryan Shawcross, Matt Lowton, Rickie Lambert, and of course, Joe Cole? All have had fantastic seasons, but their names and skill levels are not associated with wins- and that upsets their chances of playing for England. Players that play outside the top seven clubs have to work ten times as hard to get noticed, and even then, the best way to get into the England squad is to transfer to a club with a higher win ratio (a la Scott Parker, and pretty much the entirety of the West Ham team that got relegated in 2003.)
Joe Cole has played an ace season for us, but Hodgson is not making regular visits to Upton Park to see him- or Matt Jarvis and Mark Noble for that matter
It’s shocking that Noble hasn’t had a senior international game; especially given that he captained England’s U-21s to a runner up position at the 2009 European Championships. What he lacks in in creativity he makes up for in dogged determination and hey- by some miracle even Carlton Cole has earned 7 caps, so there must be a chance for Nobes (provided he promises never to take any international corners.)
Jarvis has earned one England cap in 2011, and has had a good season (mainly coming to life in the second half of it.) With a little work on his fitness, he could be a strong contender to push for a place in the England squad.
Forever West Ham is now on Google+, so be sure to find us on there by quite simply (and rather unsurprisingly) searching ‘Forever West Ham’
But both Noble and Jarvis, provided they stay at West Ham, will also suffer from Hodgson’s selection syndrome and inability to move past mainstays from big clubs. The England team of today has no room for hard work amongst the bloated ‘old guns’ traipsing around the pitch. It even seems to be part of the criteria to lead England out nowadays that you have to be of dodgy moral character and a nationally disliked figure (John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole.)
The lackluster and uninspiring performances we’ve seen from a sluggish and -let’s be honest- boring England side this past week have been screaming out for the creativity of Cole. Let youngsters like Oxlade-Chamberlain, Welbeck et all do the running; Cole can provide a spark of genius, inspiration and finesse that is so lacking in the players provided by the top 7 clubs.
Should Joe Cole play for England again? Yes, but with the current selection process as it is, sadly, he won’t get that chance.
If Cole performs well enough I think he will be given the chance. He used to be one of England’s star performers a year ago actually. But he hasn’t shown any form worthy of an England call-up since he’s returned imo. There’s a Joe Cole hysteria which can often distort how good he actually he is. He’s done ok since he’s been back, I wouldn’t expect him to pull up trees and hopefully he can push on and stay fit next season, but hasn’t impressed enough for a call-up! If he did get called up on recent form it wouldn’t say much for English footballers. Would rather Jarvis in there
It’s true about having to be at a “top 4 club”
Jarvis is a lot better than the likes of young and can track back as well as Milner.
Unless joe cole fitness improves considerably, to the extent where he goes back to those silky skills I can’t see him getting called back up.