I am writing this after reading reports that West Ham have to choose between Big Sam and Ravel Morrison (no contest in my opinion, but that is another story.) Much of the commentary around this centered around the short term cash hit of getting rid of Big Sam versus the potential value to be had in selling Ravel Morrison down the line, presumably after signing him to a long term deal and investing in his growth as a player and a person.
The analysis mentioned Harry Redknapp’s belief that Morrison might one day sell for more than Gareth Bale’s record fee and that West Ham could hold on to him just to sell him later to “a top 4 club.” Everytime I read something in this vein it makes me want to vomit, punch something, or both. It seems to me that most fans not only don’t expect West Ham to ever challenge for a spot among the elite but don’t seem to care either. It’s almost as if there is an assumption that they are better or that West Ham doesn’t deserve it.
I wish someone could explain this attitude to me because I find it to be absolutely absurd. West Ham has a number of players that could compete for playing time on better positioned clubs right now. Many of those players are young and continuing to improve. We also have a core of strong veterans, such as Mark Noble, who play the game the right way and should be challenging for an international call up. I feel that West Ham could easily be a team on the cusp.
In addition to that the move to Olympic Stadium is coming soon; that is more seats to fill and hopefully more money to bring in talent. Kevin Nolan believes West Ham could challenge for a spot in Europe next year, and who knows what might follow that? I think that if the team believes it than the fans could stand to follow suit. But more than that, shouldn’t fans want more?
I think that West Ham should do whatever they can to keep Morrison, and not just to sell him later, but to build around him and look up to the heights of the table. If that means Big Sam has to go, then I doubt many would complain. The bigger issue to me is what people want the future to look like? Should we not only be happy with being a mid-table club but never even dream of hoping for more?
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