FIVE reasons why West Ham ace is always overlooked for England

^{The West Ham tag}

^{As a West Ham supporter, in many ways I am glad that the club appear to have been blacklisted by Roy Hodgson in terms of selecting England players. It is almost beyond incredible to me that Stewart Downing hasn’t been selected for the latest squad with the displays he has shown so far this season, for example. With the injury record West Ham players have had in the past whilst on England duty, it is something of a relief that the likes of Noble, Downing and perhaps even James Tomkins cannot make the squad.}

^{A theory as to why the English talent at West Ham can never get a look in for the England set-up, is due to the perceived style of play of the club. Even though West Ham have been playing some excellent football this season, Sam Allardyce still struggles to shake off the long ball/defensive tag that he was given many years ago. Perhaps Hodgson, therefore, refuses to pick West Ham players on that basis – he feels they would be less able to adapt to the style of play of the national team. If this is the case then all I can say is that Roy hasn’t been watching much of West Ham this season.}