Shaka Hislop gave his all in 121 league appearances for West Ham, with the big man earning a respected reputation as a top tier goalkeeper. At 6’6″, Hislop was a fantastic keeper and a real asset once he joined the club in 1998. In his inaugural season, the keeper won the honorable “Hammer of the Year” award. Towards the end of his stint at the club, he had to compete with new signing David James, but even when he came off the bench once James went down injured he still had the ability to keep five clean sheets during the twelve games he played during the 2001-2002 season. It would be Hislop’s last at the club, minus his handful of appearances upon his return during the 2005 season, where he played in the epic FA Cup Final against Liverpool, saving a penalty. So what’s happened to Hislop since he left the game in 2007?
Perhaps as impressive as Shaka’s playing career has been his quick rise in the ranks of football journalism. In 2008, the former keeper started a blog cover MLS action for The Guardian. He’s currently a commentator for ESPN’s SoccerNet Press Pass, along with Tommy Smyth. Hislop’s opinions are very insightful, he’s well spoken, and he isn’t afraid to deviate from the current trends of being politically correct. He is also involved as an assistant coach for Quinnipiac University, with a focus on goalkeeping. One has to wonder why he hasn’t gone on to work for a bigger club in a coaching capacity, but I feel that the only possible explanation is that he is not willing to give up a plush job and a pleasant pace of life. After all, not every ex-player has to be a coach, but Shaka could be among one of the better goalkeeper coaches.
I agree regarding Shaka, as he was always an atypical intelligent footballer, who’s interviews as a player were always worth reading. I recently read an interview regarding Shaka’s views on Joe Cole and the reasons for his poor development as a footballer, whose foundations lay with Cole’s introduction to first team football under Twitchy Redknapp!
Although I also feel Shaka has been lost by our game, It’s worth remembering that he actually came to English football Vis the U.S and it’s probably where he’s happiest being based.