Sol Searching

Sol Campbell is a big, strong, courageous guy – both physically and mentally. As a player with Spurs, England and Arsenal, he has the kind of physical presence which, as Patrick Vieira observed in his autobiography, “strikes awe in opponents”. He handled the move from Arsenal’s bitter North London rivals, which has never been forgiven by Spurs fans, with extraordinary bravery and composure. And in the years that followed, he has earned the nickname ‘The Rock’ for his monumental performances for both club and country.

Recently, however, he has seemed uncharacteristically vulnerable and the very virtues that have forged his formidable reputation have appeared to be in decline. At Goodison Park, James Beattie gave him a torrid time – something which no-one would have predicted and in the Carling Cup semi-final there were moments when he found Jason Roberts difficult to handle. Then at Highbury, with the England manager watching, he was directly responsible for gifting West Ham a 2-0 lead, first by failing to connect with the ball and then by being out-muscled by Bobby Zamora – something which would have been unimaginable a year ago. As a result he was substituted at half-time and according to reports he left the ground without watching his team mates’ attempts to save the game.

In the light of these events, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that Sol Campbell’s illustrious career is now firmly established on the downward slope. Indeed, the most glib and cynical interpretation is that the Rock who became the Crock is now fast becoming the Flop. It would be fairer perhaps to suggest that there is a present crisis, one which Sol is deeply concerned about, and to acknowledge that in those circumstances he could not possibly hope for a better and more understanding manager to support and advise him.

As for the outcome, time will tell. The question is, how much time?