Are West Ham key to England’s World Cup chances?

West Ham United has a very British feel about it again after a summer which saw two England internationals join the club. Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing have been a feature in the England squad for a number of years now.  And with the emergence of Ravel Morrison, the now veteran Joe Cole, and an improving Matt Jarvis, West Ham United have a crop of players who are all fighting for a place in Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad.

Downing and Carroll have no doubt joined the club to enhance their chances of getting picked. With the likelihood of being in and out of the Liverpool team under Brendan Rogers, they both know that at West Ham, they will be first choices. We already know that on his day, Carroll is a real handful for even the best defenders in the league, and with less pressure on Downing, and the guidance of Sam Allardyce, he could be the left sided midfielder that England so desperately miss!

Joe Cole has made his feelings known about the international set up, and I’m sure he will be eager to impress Hodgson as well. There is no doubt that a fit, and in form Cole would be an asset to any team, even if he was just in the squad.  Then there is Jarvis, who had a sniff of the England set up whilst playing for Wolves.  Hopefully the arrival of Downing will take some of the pressure off of Jarvis, and he will be able to play to the levels we have seen in the past.

Hodgson has commented that he will be keeping an eye on Ravel Morrison over the course of the season. However, I think the World Cup will come a bit too soon for him, but you can be sure that should he impress, he will get game time with the Under 21 squad. Let’s not forget Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan – Rickie Lambert has proven that you’re never too late to get a call up, and should James Tomkins have a solid season, and develop some more, then the backbone of the country could once again be provided by players connected to the mighty Hammers!