Sports pundit dishes out swift rebuttal to Everton supporter who suggested West Ham United fans are blinkered on national radio phone-in.
Everton manager Ronald Koeman greets West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
The Hammers have endured a torrid start to Slaven Bilic’s second season at the helm and sit 17th in the Premier League table, one point above the relegation zone.
Everton, the early cup exit at the hands of Norwich City and the 5-0 humbling to Chelsea last time out aside, are a different proposition under Ronald Koeman, impressing neutrals with a solid start that sees them sitting in seventh place.
Indeed Everton brought West Ham’s recent mini-revival to a halt two weeks ago with a 2-0 win at Goodison Park.
West Ham fans
There is a mutual respect between supporters of both clubs who have always turned out in large numbers home and away despite spending much of their existence living in the shadows of more illustrious rivals.
But when internationals come around and the subject of England it often throws up plenty of debate over team selection and club favouritism.
And that was the case when talkSPORT hosted a phone-in on the subject of changing the way England squads are selected, suggesting fans should have a say on who should be called up.
One caller, an Everton fan, poured cold water on the idea and used the Hammers to prove his point.
West Ham United’s Mark Noble
“I’m sorry but the England manager is a part-time job anyway as it is and you’re going to take the responsibility now of selection away from him to give to fans who are automatically going to have their own bias and be against other teams, other regional parts of the country,” the fan said on talkSPORT Drive.
“I mean if you were to ask a West Ham fan, they’d have Mark Noble as the captain.”
But the suggestion was instantly slapped down by host Adrian Durham who responded: “Well funnily enough I was at a gig last week speaking to a West Ham fan who said he wouldn’t even have Mark Noble in the West Ham team nevermind the England one.
“You’re not giving fans enough credit… most fans I believe are intelligent enough to know if a player is not good enough.”
West Ham United’s Mark Noble has been poor this season
Durham is spot on too.
Even last season when pundits were calling on Noble to be selected for England’s Euro 2016 squad amid West Ham’s best Premier League season in terms of points, Hammers fans were honest enough to concede he wasn’t good enough to make the step up.
So this season, with their skipper and the team performing way below par Noble’s England chances are not even on the agenda for fans of the East London club.
Everton’s Ross Barkley looks dejected
It was churlish for the Everton fan to suggest West Ham supporters have a blindspot when it comes to their players, particularly having produced countless stars for the national side down the years.
Perhaps the Toffees supporter was reeling after the Goodison Park side’s own homegrown star Ross Barkley was also once again not deemed good enough for England by interim boss Gareth Southgate.
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