He needs to be picked consistently starting with next month’s friendly against Portugal at Villa Park. For while Cole claims to relish pressure, noting he has spent his entire professional career in the spotlight, only with a regular run will he be sufficiently sure of his place, and familiar enough with the international arena, to maximise the impact of his genius.Perhaps Eriksson is waiting for Cole to prove himself on a bigger stage as Ferdinand did in the Champions’ League after his move to Leeds. Yet while Ferdinand clearly improved for moving out of his comfort zone, West Ham will hope to retain Cole for the moment. No doubt he will be sold eventually but, with Roeder having spent astutely in the summer, the club could challenge for cup honours and a European place this season. That would give Cole the chance to show he can step up a gear without leaving.A string of talents, from Alan Hudson to Matt Le Tissier, have been neglected by England. Some contributed to their mis-use through a lack of application or wisdom. Cole, level-headed and committed to his craft, needs only the chance.FOUR OTHER MEN FOR THE SEASONJUAN SEBASTIAN VERON (MANCHESTER UNITED)Last year’s scape- goat could be this season’s inspiration.

Creative foreign players often need time to adjust to the speed, intensity and sheer relentlessness of the English game. The example of Robert Pires and Eric Cantona shows the value of perseverance.RICHARD WRIGHT (EVERTON)To judge from his decision to quit Highbury, where a 38-year-old bars his way, Wright is a man in a hurry. Believes Eriksson will skip a generation when Seaman finally goes and will certainly get plenty to do at Everton.JONATHAN WOODGATE (LEEDS UNITED)The court case is over and a place in Leeds’ defence is his to claim again. Recovered form late last season after showing the regret and remorse which continues to elude Lee Bowyer. Now working under a fine coach and it might help if Bowyer gets his move.MASSIMO MACCARONE (MIDDLESBROUGH)It will not just be punning headline writers hoping Massimo makes Maccarone out of defenders. Steve McClaren has taken a bold gamble on a player who has never played in Serie A It is also a brave move for Maccarone..

Much of football’s enduring appeal, even in what is increasingly characterised as an age of mercenary players and moribund clubs, lies in its capacity to pit polar opposites against each other. Bob Taylor’s return to Old Trafford on the Premiership’s opening weekend represents just such a collision. Unlike the Manchester United prodigies, coveted and courted before they could tie their own boot-laces, he dabbled rather than dazzled as a teenager, even failing to cut it with Hartlepool’s juniors. And unlike Sir Alex Ferguson’s multi-million pound recruits, he has commanded a trifling £565,000 in transfer fees – small change to Rio Ferdinand.

Yet he remains a cult figure among West Bromwich Albion supporters.Last month, while their Leeds counterparts vented their anger over Ferdinand’s defection, the Albion faithful were creating a more dignified furore over the decision to allocate Taylor’s customary No 9 shirt to another striker after their extraordinary promotion. The players who aroused such emotions were due to meet today until Manchester United’s £29.1m defender suffered an injury which will deny the 68,000 crowd a great compare-and-contrast exercise.Rightly or wrongly, the England centre-back has been typecast, in Yorkshire and beyond, as greedy and disloyal. Neither charge has ever been levelled against Taylor, who, while no one-club man, is so steeped in Albion lore that he has been granted a testimonial this season. On the face of it, he and Ferdinand have nothing in common except a formative spell with Leeds. Even then, their respective arrivals, departures and impacts at Elland Road could hardly have been more different.”I come from the village of Horden where we had three pits,” recalled Taylor. “My dad put my name down to work there, like his father did for him, but he always told me it wasn’t a nice place to go and I can believe it The place is pretty dead now.