Soccer: Redknapp headache over Cole future
Harry Redknapp may have finally found the cure for one West Ham ailment, but his remedy has left himself - and for that matter England - with a lingering headache.
The Hammers had lost their five previous games before their visit to Villa Park, and were in danger of being sucked into the Premiership relegation battle.
Redknapp’s response was to drop Joe Cole, that player blessed with sublime skill upon whose young shoulders so many hopes rest for England’s future.
The move paid off, although Cole did play a part, coming on to win the free-kick that led directly to West Ham equalising in the last few minutes.
England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson’s assistant Tord Grip was watching, and Redknapp accepts there is a quandary over where exactly his young starlet should play.
He said: ‘‘At the end of the day it’s about winning football matches. I do feel at times when we lose the ball there’s no shape to us because of the people I play.
‘‘I do take a chance and play people like that but they are special talents. Joe will come good but it’s just finding a position for him.
‘‘He has great skill, great ability and I think he will go on to be a fantastic player.
‘‘It might sound strange but maybe he has got to learn a position, to add that to all that fantastic talent.
‘‘Joe’s a terrific player and I think he might end up playing behind the front man, or behind the front two.’’
Cole had been thrown on as a final gamble after West Ham had fallen 2-1 behind. In truth, they should have wrapped up victory a lot earlier.
Frederic Kanoute, always a handful for Villa, banished memories of a dire first half all round with an excellent finish 22 seconds into the second half.
Minutes later, it should have been all over but Paolo di Canio, winner of the goal of the season award last year, somehow contrived the miss of the season when David James palmed a cross into his path.
‘‘I don’t know how he missed it, it was amazing, an incredible chance,’’ said Redknapp.
Villa took full advantage of that let-off and David Ginola, making a rare start, fired home a spectacular free-kick for only his second goal in claret-and-blue.
Lee Hendrie did his own England hopes no damage with his third in three games, finishing off a penetrating Ginola cross to put Villa in front.
Redknapp must have been contemplating another defeat until, with four minutes left, Frank Lampard smacked home the rebound after Igor Stimac had rattled the post from Stuart Pearce’s free-kick.
The match was a personal triumph for Ginola, who put some sparkle into a season of misery for him. The French winger has been at odds with manager John Gregory almost since the moment he joined from Tottenham in the summer.
Ginola breezed out of Villa Park afterwards ‘‘I am very happy, very pleased’’ though that pleasure may have been as much at the prospect of a possible return to Tottenham next season as scoring.
Villa boss Gregory, who admitted that di Canio’s miss had been the turning point of the match, now has Hendrie wanting a new, improved contract.
Gregory has told the midfielder to wait until the summer, but added: ‘‘He is earning exceptionally good money and has at least two years left on his contract.
‘‘He shouldn’t really be complaining but with performances like that he certainly gets my attention.
‘‘With Tord Grip here today, I hope he has caught his eye as well.’’
Lampard, another young England squad member, created the chance for Kanoute’s goal as well as scoring himself.
He said: ‘‘The run we are in at the moment, we are struggling to get anything. To make one and score one, you are doing the job so I am pleased with that.
‘‘We haven’t won for four or five games so it was on our minds and we were determined to go out there and make sure we don’t get dragged into the relegation battle.’’
Lampard is reportedly a target for Leeds, but Redknapp insists he cannot afford to lose another star player.
If the pressure becomes irresistible however, it may well be that Redknapp would prefer to cash in on Cole rather than Lampard.
