So Sol, What First Attracted You To Oil Rich Notts County?

Some news stories can leave you feeling just a little bit confused after reading them. Not because they are poorly written, but because you just don’t understand the motivation behind the person’s actions in the article.

This is the same feeling I had when I read that former Portsmouth and England central defender Sol Campbell is on the verge of signing for League Two table-toppers Notts County.

The 34 year old defender who was released by Pompey in the summer has been lured to Nottingham by former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, a lorry full of cash and the promise that County are set to become the Manchester City of the lower leagues, although I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good thing.

Thanks to a take over by a Middle-Eastern consortium in July, the black and white half of Nottingham has found itself in the unusual position of having one over on their twice European Cup winning city rivals.

The introduction of Sven as Director of Football has certainly added a sense of glamour to Meadow Lane and sent the clubs existing secretaries running for the hills.

Since the Swedes arrival, County have been linked with a host of signings far beyond their League Two status, with the likes of David Beckham and Dietmar Hamann being rumoured to be ready to take the plunge the down the divisions, but they both decided against this indignity.

So this leads me ponder why Sol Campbell chose to take such a drastic dive down the divisions from the giddy heights of the Premier League? It had been rumoured that Newcastle and a host of other Championship sides were interested in his services and I believe the second tier would have been a place where Campbell could still challenge his abilities in a very competitive league.

The fourth tier though feels like he is easing into retirement with the bonus of having a kick-about on a Saturday afternoon. Obviously money has to be main lure to make such a decision and to clarify this I asked a fellow money-grabber Gareth Barry what he thought, but he was unable to comment as he was busy counting his ever increasing pile of dosh.

Barry argued though that is wasn’t about the money and that he moved to Middle-Eastlands because he feels City have the potential to achieve great success over the next few seasons and he wants to be a part of that. I’m sure Campbell will try to fob us off with a similar clichéd comment, but the 34 year olds case is different to Barry’s.

The city midfielder is only 28 and so can afford to spend a few seasons building towards his professional aspirations, but Campbell is 34 and languishing in the fourth tier of English football.

If he was to fill the clubs mandate of taking County up into the Premier League, he would be 37 if the club could achieve the amazing feat of successive promotions.

Whilst Campbell has undoubtedly slowed over the past few seasons, he is still a defender whose quality and influence will be of great use and if he maintains his fitness there is no reason why his ability can not be utilised at a higher level, but in order to get him there County will have to produce a fairytale story usually confined to the pages of a Roy of the Rovers comic.

Posted By Dan Mobbs - Tuesday August 25, 2009.
Tags: Sol Campbell, Notts County