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Never assume anything

Ken Jones
Wednesday 05 October 1994 23:02 BST
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A PERSONAL favourite among sporting anecdotes concerns Geoff Hurst who has never needed to introduce himself anywhere in football since scoring a hat-trick for England in the 1966 World Cup final.

When Hurst was still acknowledged to be among the foremost international attackers, he drove England's manager, Alf Ramsey, to the offices of the Football Association on returning from a match abroad. 'There you are Alf, see you at the next match,' Hurst said. 'Yes,' Ramsey replied. 'I'll leave you a couple of tickets.'

Even those players who were first on Ramsey's team sheet were required to live with the knowledge that selection could not be taken for granted.

The object of recalling this is to put the controversy raised by Andy Cole's absence from the England squad into some sort of perspective.

If confirmed in the two-plus-two- equals-five category by Kevin Keegan's announcement that Cole would not have been released by Newcastle on the grounds that he isn't fully fit, it reminds Terry Venables that there are bound to be difficult days ahead.

Prompted by the popular prints, some people, I don't doubt, especially in the North-east, will be sensing with suspicion or disfavour the sort of future they imagine Venables is sketching.

In common with the majority of young players, Cole is not impervious to the seductions of supporters and headline writers. 'What more is expected of me,' the Premiership's leading scorer was reported to have said after learning that he was not in the England squad.

Even when it came out later that there had been a breakdown of communication between Cole and his employers, Venables was not entirely absolved of blame. For example, it was suggested that the England manager should have telephoned Cole and cuddled him verbally.

This conforms to a line of thinking, quite ridiculous in my view, that international players are entitled to be informed personally when their services are no longer required. 'Did Alf call to say that it was over?' Bobby Charlton was asked when omission from England's next match after the 1970 World Cup indicated that he would never again be seen in England's colours. 'No, and I didn't expect it,' Charlton replied. 'He thanked me on the flight home from Mexico. That was enough.'

Along with other outstanding managers of my experience, Ramsey, privately, and correctly, figured that it is best to remain at a small distance from players. Apart from anything else it avoids a crisis of power.

A big question, is whether Cole will make the transition from club to international football. With that in mind, those who chose to overlook that he is forced to rest between matches were not doing him any favours.

The things Venables needs to find about Cole and other outstanding candidates cannot all be gleaned by watching club football. For example, one of the most prolific finishers in Newcastle's history, Malcolm Macdonald, who scored five times in a game against Cyprus, never came through as an important international player.

Cole is established beyond all reasonable doubt as one of the brightest young talents available to Venables, but as Macdonald and others have discovered, international football brings special problems.

As there have been numerous cases of disappointment, there seems a great deal of sense in bringing Cole along steadily.

As for Venables, he finds the controversy puzzling. 'Kevin Keegan made it clear last week that if I selected Cole he would have to withdraw him,' the England manager said.

Unfortunately, that resulted in Cole's name being on everybody's lips for all the wrong reasons.

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