Like most club supporters, my concern with the national team is lukewarm at best. If there's a West Ham player in the team, the temperature of the interest rises a couple of notches. If it's an important tournament, and there's a West Ham player in the team, it might reach tepid .
Mostly, it's depressing because of might-have-beens for the England team. Not what the all-that-glitters-is-not-golden generation might have achieved, but how many England players could have been in the West Ham team. There are those that seem authentically to be West Ham players, like Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson, Rio Ferdinand and Fat Frank. There are those that have played at West Ham like David James, Rob Green, Carlton Cole, Matthew Upson and even Super Scotty Parker. And then those passing through (like little shits) on their way to 'big clubs' like Jermaine Defoe.
Some are really West Ham, went away and came back and then moved on, like Bobby Zamora.
But it's quite a contribution from a chronically underachieving club.
Other clubs will have more in the we-bought-them-to-play-for-us international category. Many of the players who started with us improved out of all recognition in their new clubs (from Fat Frank to Bobby Z).
Some started with us and left without troubling the senior squads such as John Terry and Kieran Richardson (and wasn't the first one a bonus whatever his footballing capability).
But for a corner shop kind of outfit, Tony Carr and his set-up is something special. Shame about the rest of organisation.
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