There is a rich tradition of footballers who can make beautiful music: Petr Cech is a competent drummer, Alexi Lalas once opened for Hootie and the Blowfish on tour and Andy/Andrew Cole once did whatever this is.
Five of West Ham’s current squad have shown their musical credentials this week to form a reggae supergroup. Alex Song took vocal duties, Kevin Nolan presided over the keys, Stewart Downing and his reading glasses banged the drums, while Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate were on guitar and bass respectively.
Sadly, the result was less Bob Marley and more like the soundtrack to one of Ander Herrera’s fever dreams where a pants-less Louis Van Gaal is beating the Spaniard around the head with a large schnitzel while shouting insults about his family. (Actually, that might be a regular day at Carrington and not a fever dream, but you get the point.)
However, there are limitations on how hard this band can be mocked, as they’re doing it in the name of the NSPCC (a children’s charity) and the the National Autistic Society.
The finished music video will be shown on Sky Sports this weekend, when all of the Hammers’ fantastic deadline day signings will be on show against Manchester United. Oh, wait…