Hammers boss Curbishley defiant over Ashton

Whether the manager chose to redress the balance by withdrawing the far more effective Carlton Cole before Ashton as Capello looked on from the Upton Park directors' box on Saturday is a moot point.

But there was little in Ashton's 90 minutes of action, his 15th start of the season, to suggest he will be involved in Capello's next pick.

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Ashton may feel his club boss has cost him another crack at England but it is clearly a notion that Curbishley rejects.

"I don't think I've done such a bad job in terms of bringing him back and easing him in," he said.

"If you look at what's happened this year, he came in roughly after the first couple of games, played three or four then hurt his knee up at Villa and missed five or six weeks. He's played a lot of football."

A major problem for Curbishley — and for his striker's international hopes — is the fact that the partnership of Cole and Ashton is simply not proving effective.

Wales striker Craig Bellamy will have further tests this week to see whether surgery will be required to cure a persistent abdominal problem and Bobby Zamora is returning only now to fitness, so Curbishley has had little option.

But a return to a 4-5-1 formation may soon be on the cards.

Searching for a reason why Robert Green continues to be overlooked for England is a more difficult task.

The affable goalkeeper is taking it in good spirits, as the slogan 'England No 6' which he had stitched into his gloves demonstrated.

"He (Capello) has never seen me play before," said Green.

"The manufacturer was having a laugh on my behalf. He has been to the games and heard the banter with the crowd and thought that it would be quite funny to have 'England No 6' stitched on my gloves! If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?"

Green had little else to do other than pick the highly impressive James McFadden's 16th-minute penalty out of his net after Freddie Ljungberg had given West Ham the lead inside seven minutes.

Ljungberg's goal threatened to open the floodgates for West Ham but the home side's ideas dried up following McFadden's equaliser.

The postscript to a drab second period was Lee Bowyer's dismissal for a challenge on Damien Johnson, although Hayden Mullins' lunge on David Murphy seconds earlier looked far more deserving of a red card.

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish was pleased with his side's vital point.

He said: "Points away from home are bonuses. We haven't taken care of the games at home this season. We've got good young legs. Just a wee bit of nous, a little bit of know-how, a wee bit of steel and not being a soft touch in some defensive situations will make us a much better team."