Cox following his striker’s instinct

Folk at West Brom speak fondly of Simon Cox and the feelings are mutual, but Cox grew tired of a life spent alternating between the bench and the right touchline at The Hawthorns.

Three months ago, he said goodbye to all that and signed a three-year deal with Nottingham Forest on the back of the promise of regular football and an assurance he would spend his time looking to score goals rather than set them up or watch others claim them.

“The reason I chose to leave was to go and play as a striker and score goals and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time so far,” he said. “It was up there with the biggest decisions I ever had to make in football, leaving a club I was very happy to be at with a great manager.

“(Steve Clarke) came in and is doing really well at West Brom but he was very honest and said I wouldn’t play every match. He told me to go ‘prove to me why you are not in the team and show why I let you go so you could play regularly and to score goals’.”

Cox has been more amenable to life out on the edge with Ireland, which is just as well. During Euro 2012, he was stationed wide on the right by Giovanni Trapattoni and the Italian has repeated the tactic in the current World Cup qualifying campaign.

That hasn’t sat well with everyone, not with a player of James McClean’s calibre and promise enjoying such a vocal backing in the stands, but Cox can hardly be blamed for accepting whatever assignment comes his way and has done his best to adapt.

“It has been interesting,” he admitted. “When I play out wide I try and get the defensive duties right first instead of doing the attacking side because I don’t want to be labelled, that he only goes one way and why can’t he defend.

“So I try to get into the game and then do the attacking side. That was hardest against Germany whereas in the Faroes I came on at half-time and both ways was pretty decent. I can play out there but prefer to play up front.”

Cox’s adaptability and the same work ethic that drew him admirers at WBA have played a large part in winning 20 caps in the 18 months since he made his debut against Northern Ireland in the Carling Cup but competition for places is increasing.

Trapattoni is finally beginning to examine the possibility of a 4-5-1, or 4-4-1-1, formation and has a number of options up front in the shape of strikers such as Robbie Keane, Shane Long, Kevin Doyle, Jonathan Walters, Andy Keogh and Cox himself.

Added into the mix now, too, is Norwich City’s Wes Hoolahan who, after years of being ignored by Trapattoni and his many eyes and ears on the ground in England, could yet fill a role in behind the main striker or out on the touchline. Not that Cox sees Hoolahan as a direct challenger.

“No, we are not the same player. I am a striker by trade and he is a midfielder. Where he plays for Norwich in the 4-5-1 is better suited for him than for me and he is the type of player, as we have seen (in training) and from his form for Norwich, who gets on the ball in that pocket and threads balls through for the striker or strikers.”

And then it struck that maybe that wasn’t so good for his own ambitions: “He is happy playing in that little pocket in 4-5-1 — actually, maybe he is competition — but he is good quality and a great addition to squad. He is a different type of player to me, he is left-footed for starters. He will bring good competition for places, which is a good thing.”