Joe's Nervous Day

Joe Cole was more nervous about whether he would be picked for the World Cup squad than he was about meeting the Queen!

Jermain Defoe, who, along with Joe and Glen Johnson were driven to Upton Park on Thursday morning before Green Street was sealed off, had no such anxieties, knowing as he did that he was heading for the U21 tournament in Switzerland this summer.

But for Joe, it was a case of which squad would it be, and, as the announcement was delayed from 10 o' clock until later in the morning, he got more and more agitated.

"He couldn't keep still before the squad was announced," reveals Jermain, "and was walking around, because it is so nerve-wracking not knowing if you are in the squad or not.

"But I always said to him that he would; it is good for him, and good for the club as well.

"Joe has done really well and the World Cup is the biggest tournament, obviously, but I am disappointed for Trevor and Joe."

The visit of the Queen made the day doubly memorable, and Jermain adds:

"It has been a boost for the club with the Queen coming, and I have really enjoyed it; it is a great moment for me Glen, and Coley.

"I'm not sure why we were chosen, to be honest, but we were told to come one day in training and it was fantastic."

Jermain took a shine to the Duke of Edinburgh, and says of his conversation with him:

"He asked how long I had been at the club, if I was enjoying it, and things like that.

"He was nice, cracking jokes, and very down to earth; after we talked about football he started talking about our earrings and said to us 'is the new fashion now?' because we were all wearing them."

And, while the Duke was wondering whether the ear adornments came with the contract at Upton Park, the Queen told Joe that Prince Andrew was going to the World Cup and that Princes William and Harry are football fans.

Meanwhile, Sun photographer Arthur Edwards, who has followed the royals in a professional capacity for 25 years, says:

"I thought the Queen looked fantastic yesterday; she looked very up for it and happy, she was very pleased when she met young Joe Cole, and she congratulated him on his being selected for the England World Cup squad.

"She unveiled the plaque and did everything beautifully, as ever - lucky West Ham to get a visit from the Queen in Jubilee year.

"The Duke was also full of fun and had a great joke with the Mayor of Newham and everyone else."

Arthur - a Hammers fan who once employed the club's official photographer, Steve Bacon - admits that the visit made him feel nostalgic about 1966 and explains:

"The image everyone remembers is of the great Bobby Moore when he was receiving the World Cup, and dried his hand off before he shook her hand, and I recalled that today when I saw her here.

"I wonder if she thought back to those days when West Ham won the World Cup."