Thursday 9 October 2008

International rescue



Marlon King has joined up with the Jamaica squad for matches against Mexico and Honduras in the CONCACAF section of the World Cup qualifiers, under the tutelage of former City midfielder Theodore Whitmore.

With Richard Garcia now regularly in the Australia squad, plus a good fistful of European international players, it means the Hull City training ground at Cottingham is getting quieter during international weeks.

It's a doubled-edged sword, of course. International players become so because they are playing well for an in-form, successful, progressive club. That does a club credit. But such success also poses the risk of players being called up for meaningless friendlies which involve long-haul flights and coming back with injuries or fatigue.

This weekend, there could be two City players starting for Wales, plus one for Hungary, one for the Republic of Ireland, and King's role for Jamaica. Australia have a game next week. Only Garcia currently does not start matches for City, but could do so at any moment given Phil Brown's propensity to shuffle and alter as he sees fit. But it's a risk we should welcome, more so when City finally gets an England player.

Hull City has had a lot of ex-England internationals (Neil Franklin, Emlyn Hughes, Peter Barnes, David Rocastle, Mark Hateley, Nick Barmby, Danny Mills, Ray Parlour) and a couple of future internationals (Stuart Pearson, Brian Marwood) but no player has ever pulled on an England shirt at full international level while on the books of Hull City. Michael Turner is on course to change that, we'd like to think, though given Nicky Shorey got a chance on form alone when at Reading, it may yet be not too late for Andy Dawson. Fabio Capello has yet to watch us play, but I rather hope he'll take a trip to the KC Stadium when West Ham United come up a week on Sunday.

In recent years, only Northern Ireland's Stuart Elliott was a regular absentee from training due to international commitments. Before that, we used to see the Reggae Boyz disappear every so often to team up with Jamaica (Whitmore's buddy Ian Goodison remains our most capped player). More perversely, the very English (and very suspect, ability-wise) Jamie Wood, as unprolific as any centre forward in a City shirt could be, was given a call-up by the Cayman Islands.

In the 1980s, Tony Norman was always in the Wales squad but Neville Southall's presence always prevented him from actually playing, and striker Nick Deacy was too a Wales international on City's books before the club's receivership prompted his departure. I can't think of a serving Scotland international to have played for City, as Billy Bremner had been banned for life from the Scottish side by the time he came to Boothferry Park.

It's not a distinguished international record but as Hull City improve and improve, it will improve with it. It's the England player we want, but meanwhile we'll enjoy supporting Boaz Myhill, Sam Ricketts, Paul McShane, Peter Halmosi, King and Garcia as they proudly represent their nations - and pray for their safe and healthy return.