I used to sit back whilst watching Match of the Day, and be glad that Titus Bramble was a player who wouldn’t ever play for West Ham United. However, the gaff prone clown of a player has only joined the club for pre-season, and I couldn’t be more concerned.
Bramble started his career at Ipswich Town, where he actually made a good name for himself as a young, English centre back. He was snapped up by Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle United, who was putting together a young side with the likes of Kieron Dyer and Craig Bellamy. However, this is where problems started for Bramble. Being a young player in the North East, playing for a high profile club like Newcastle, and enjoying the cities night life, meant his performances suffered on the pitch. In 5 years, he only made just over 100 appearances before moving on.
Steve Bruce signed him for Wigan Athletic, but Bramble had by now, earned the reputation of a error prone defender. Bruce seemed to like Bramble though, and when Bruce moved on to different clubs, he took Bramble to Sunderland with him. Brambles performances were poor, and it was no coincidence that both Wigan and Sunderland never really reached as high as they could have done.
Whilst at Sunderland, Bramble was arrested, but not charged with rape. Its not the first time a footballer has been accused of this, and will certainly not be the last. Whether Bramble did it or not is not for me to say, but fact is, age wise, Bramble is an older professional these days, and shouldn’t be getting himself into these scenarios. Throw into the mix the fact he is a poor player, and was released by Sunderland because Paolo Di Canio saw what a bad player he is.
We were told that he was just training with West Ham to keep his fitness up, however, he has made appearances in a West Ham shirt, when he played in a pre-season friendly in Cork. I hope we don’t sign him, I don’t want a player like him associated with our beloved club. If we sign him, then we might as well sign El Hadji Diouf! Come on Big Sam, I hope you see the light!