I woke up today with the reminder of why I supported West Ham. It was 14th April 1991, I was eight sitting on a coach with my dad and brother heading to Villa Park, Birmingham. What a day it turned out to be. Not the score, as the ref Keith Hackett ruined the game by wrongfully sending off Tony Gale and we lost 4-0. However, our fans continuously sang “Billy Bonds’ Claret and Blue Army”. I remember thinking I will love this club no matter what!
So, I say this with a heavy heart but the club I have followed and loved for twenty plus years has become a circus! Yes, ok we have had our issues in the past with losing to lower league teams in the past but never in the fashion we witnessed today.
Now, I’m not going to start slagging off the youngsters on this performance. I went to the Southend pre-season game and some of them looked a bit of pace then too but that was pre-season.
However, should they have all been thrown in the deep end? No, is my answer! Yes we have a depleted squad through injuries but are you really telling me that McCartney, Rat, Taylor, Collison and Carlton Cole couldn’t even make the bench today? Yes they may be involved on Wednesday but I’m not having that these so called professionals who earn more in a week than some of us earn annually can’t play three times a week!
Now I’m not saying don’t play the youth, in actual fact I endorse it! I seriously believe if we had brought Leo Chambers on against West Brom rather than Demel, he may have been a bit more wise as to where Anelka would run rather than a Right Back. I’m just saying I don’t think we should have gone all out youth. Some of these will be good enough to be in the first team squad in the future but that’s exactly it…the FUTURE!
I just think Sam got it wrong again! And to smile at the end is very distasteful and not what us fans want to see. I don’t think it’s a secret I don’t want him at our club anymore. His style of football, poor signings, dreadful tactics, excuses and lack of a plan B in my opinion is killing our club.
I said a week before the Sunderland game, I would thank him for the last two and a half years and send him backing. Now we are in dire straits! I don’t think we will survive with the way we are playing right now. The lack of confidence is there for everyone to see.No leadership from our Captain, two red cards in four games says everything. I would replace him with either Winston Reid, who we are desperately missing or Mark Noble, who would run through a brick wall for us.
But no not for Sam! He has to stick with his ex-Bolton players. I personally think Adrian should be our number One. Surely, we should build the team around players like Diame and Rav but instead we either leaves these guys on the bench or play the out of position! Madness.
However, why don’t the two David’s, Sullivan and Gold and their lackey Karen Brady have the backbone to do something about it? Ok, yes it will cost us £6m to sack him but losing our Premier League status and best players like Reid and Ravel would surely harm us more.
So as I said right at the beginning, I will always love West Ham United Football Club. However, the heart is being ripped out of it by a guy who clearly thinks we should be happy with his management decisions.
I would replace him with Slaven Bilic, Malky Mackay or my personal pick – Frank Rijkaard! Now I know people are going to say will he come to us? Well my answer to that is yes! If we allegedly pay Sam £2.95m a year, which makes him the 13th highest paid manager in football, why wouldn’t Rijkaard? He likes playing the “West Ham” way, which is on the deck.
Yes ok, it will cost £6m to get rid of Sam but who are you really going to get for that money? I would get a striker like Defoe on loan, I appreciate people don’t want him but we need goalscorers to keep us up. Along with a decent Centre Back to play alongside Reid when he is back. Lescott has been mentioned but I don’t see that happening. Why not someone like Scott Dann. He is tall and played well against Dzeko and Negredo yesterday! Blackburn are struggling with cash too so may get him cheaply too.
Of course, these are just my opinions. I’m forever blowing bubbles.