At last, the talking can stop and the majority of West Ham fans will get to see them in action for the first time this season tomorrow. For 90 minutes we can forget the circus club we are, and in a way, have been for a long time, as the players get to either show they are as good as a team we all think they are, or they prove that no matter the talent West Ham will drag into their way.
Has two weeks ever seemed longer than the two that have just gone by since the capitulation at Newcastle, the transfer window closing then then the sight of the clubs main owner deciding to blame the manager for the failings of the last weeks dealings.
Off the field and on West Ham is dis-united the divisions in the club only mirroring the divisions in the fanbase. the pro board sect pitted against the anti board sect with Slav seemingly caught in no mans land between those two factions.
Whether he is a dead man walking remains to be seen, and whether he can survive anything but victory over Huddersfield is very much open for debate. The owners historically have never been men to push the button early in a season, no matter how bad it looks. They even allowed Avram till January before deciding the try to pull the trigger, and if ever there was an early warning of the disarray caused by those in charge of running the club they managed to cock that up, leaving Grant to limp along till the end of the season and that inevitable outcome that followed the failure to sack him, relegation.
I’m a big Billic fan, he’s not the greatest manager we’ve had, but he’s not the worst either. I like the fact he played for us, I like the fact he always spoke well of us after he left the club in a way that left a lot to be desired. I like the way he conducts himself and gives honest appraisals of games no matter the result. I am not though tied to him as manager, one thing is certain, he will not manage the club forever, we will probably have a new manager very soon, and unless the next manager is the re-appointment of our former manager then i will back the new man whoever that will be.
Defeat against Huddersfield will probably mean the end of Slav and yet the for me he will only be guilty of 50% of the current problems and those responsible for others will still be at the club, worse in fact, still running the club.
The Board out moment has grown in the last couple of weeks, there talk of planned demonstrations Monday, though what form they take remain to be seen. Personally i wont be taking part in any demo as i dont think now is the time, but i understand where they are coming from and the frustration they have. They probably supported the owners plans for the club, they are success starved fans that bought into the New West Ham as outlined by Brady and the Daves in the years prior to the move. But like the Labour parties New labour movement born under Tony Blair, it now seems that the grassroots West Ham fan are finding out the the New movement has nothing to do with why many supported the club in the first place.
The fan base is not only dis-united, but many are now dis-connected from the club they support, but even though the club treat us as customers of a brand, unlike like shop customers though, fans dont go elsewhere to shop.
What is the answer. firstly the team needs to win games, that may bring some stability, after that if the owners really want to unite the club again, they need to engage properly with all section of the fanbase, not just their chosen outlets. For me much of the discord is created by the actions of the faceless members of staff that control the day to day running. Many of whom see West Ham as a career not a way of life. I dont need to see day after day media videos reminding me who did what for West Ham on this day, or players who seemingly cant string two passes together in a game, doing world tricks on the training ground. I dont care who can play FIFA 17 or knows whats a fellow Pro’s favourite band.
I care about the club on the pitch doing its best to win games, and off the pitch not trying to sell me T-Shirts with club legends names on it that include a player who walked out on the club and now seemingly laughs about it. (Payet).
When the club off the field cant get the small things right, how can we expect them to get the big things right.