Joe: J Will Make Full Squad

Joe Cole says it will only be a "matter of time" before Jermain Defoe moves up to the full England squad.

Joe, currently on England under-21 duty with Jermain - not to mention Steve Bywater, Glen Johnson, and Michael Carrick - says: "That is for one man to decide but he is getting close - you don't know what goes on in the England manager's head."

There was some surprise that Jermain was overlooked for the full squad when Wayne Rooney was selected, but Joe says: "One day no doubt he will do and it is just a matter of time."

As for matters domestic, Joe is keen to pay tribute to the supporters who have stuck with West Ham through the dark days.

"I would thank the fans for staying with us," he says. "The teams around us have had fans who have not been there, but we have had a full house every week and I would like to thank the fans for that.

"The belief has always been there, it is just a matter of taking it out onto the pitch with us."

Joe is also delighted that Fredi Kanoute is back playing, and adds: "Fredi is a good player and just as importantly he is a good lad as well - and he wants to win for West Ham."

But he warns that no one, not even Fredi, is guaranteed a place in the starting line up, and he says: "It is going to be very hard for anybody not playing to get in. How do you change a winning team, especially after a win like that?

"There are a lot of good players not playing, but it is all for the good of West Ham."