We all know who our West Ham heroes are – the men who would make our All Time Top Eleven. But who would be your All Time West Ham duds? I thought I would run a poll on this but would be grateful for your nominations in each of these categories…
Goalkeeper
Left Back
Right Back
Central Defender
Winger
Central Midfield
Striker
Feel free to give a critque of your nominations, but let’s steer clear of personal abuse, eh?
Freddie Sears has scored 21 goals in 18 games this season. On Monday night he scored a brace for the reserves in a 3-1 over Spurs. Apparently he is on fire. He’s been likened to a young Tony Cottee in that he has pure predatory instincts. I have never seen him play but those that have are raving about him. How about putting him on the bench sooner rather than later and giving him a few minutes with the big boys?
Please tell me this is true. The Pandora column in the Indy reports this morning…
Chant heard coming from visiting West Ham supporters on the terraces at Mohammed Fayed’s Fulham on Saturday…
Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
It’s a fugging conspiracy
Que sera sera
Quality.
PS Apologies for the lack of blogging over the last few days.
Daniel Schweimler is the BBC’s South America correspondent, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
How did you become a Hammer?
The first game I ever went to was West Ham v Burnley in the old First Division sometime in the mid-sixties. My dad, a chef, had a rare Saturday off and took me on the back of his scooter. We lost. We then moved out of London and I grew up supporting Aldershot in the old Third Division. But in my early twenties moved to Forest Gate and a job as a reporter on the Ilford Recorder – back in Hammers territory!
Your first game?
See above
How many games do you get to?
Now, none. I’ve lived the past two years in Buenos Aires where I’m the BBC South America correspondent. I see a fair few on tele – less now that Tevez has gone. When I was living in London I worked shifts so usually get to seven or eight home games and one or two away games a season.
Most memorable moment?
I was in Cardiff for the play-off final against Preston…but the following day walking up Green Street with my kids and seeing the open-topped bus was probably my happiest and most memorable moment.
Have you met any Hammers players?
My wife finished third in a charity running race in Victoria Park and Steve Lomas presented the trophies and signed our football for us.
Favourite current player?
Matty Etherington
Describe last season. How did it affect you?
Traumatic! The good side was that living in Argentina, the drama and Carlos Tevez’s involvement in it put West Ham on the map here. Walking the streets of Buenos Aires with my West Ham shirt on, people would shout ‘Wist Jam’ and put their thumbs up to me. It was big news on the sports pages and nearly every painful, frustrating minute was shown on cable TV. I travel a fair bit and got to see us letting in goals in Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. I was observing penguins on Martillo Island near Ushuaia the day we beat Man U at Upton Park. Martillo means hammer in Spanish!! And my boys (Ben 10 and Lucas 
and I provoked complaints from the neighbours with the noise we made when Carlitos put the winner in at Old Trafford. We were in London last February and went to that West Ham v Watford (league) couldn’t, mustn’t lose game. As the final whistle blew I looked over and saw my youngest son in tears.
What are your hopes for this season?
I guess we have to be comfortable with mid-table mediocrity. Not sure the nerves could stand another season like the last one and hopefully an improvement next year.
Choose your all time Hammers Eleven:
Ludo in goal. Billy Bonds, Bobby Moore, Lampard (senior), Julian Dicks at the back, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick and Yossi Benayoun in midfield, Paolo Di Canio, Carlos Tevez and Geoff Hurst up front.
What do your colleagues make of your support for West Ham?
Football is the main talking point in Argentina so there’s always interest. Back in London we are a small but elite few.
When you’re reporting on West Ham games how difficult is it to be objective?
I don’t report on them so football is one of the few aspects of life I don’t have to be objective about.
Complete this sentence: The thing I hate about West Ham is…
The lack, often, of any kind of killer, will to win instinct. How many times have we played well and lost? Or been two up with half an hour to go and lost or drawn? It forces you to be philosophical about football and about life.
Complete this sentence: The thing I love about West Ham is…
The apparent lack of any kind of killer, will to win instinct. It’s the game that counts, not just the winning. How many times have we played well and lost? Or been two up with half an hour to go and lost or drawn? It forces you to be philosophical about football and about life.
So Fabio Capello reckons there is no goalkeeping talent in England … this despite him having seen West Ham on at least four occasions so far. Has he been watching different games to the rest of us? He doesn’t think Robert Green is experienced enough, yet intends to give Man City’s Joe Hart a callup. Fills you with a lot of confidence, doesn’t it?
Paolo di Canio has spoken again of his desire to manage West Ham as reported HERE. He also promises to come to a West Ham game before the end of the season and sit with fans in the Bobby Moore Stand!
“The atmosphere at Upton Park was always special. I haven’t been back for a few years but I hope to go and watch a match in the Bobby Moore Stand before the end of the season.
Quality.
I have eaten a but of humble pie in my Eastern Daily Press column this weekend…
When I get things wrong I think it’s only fair to admit it. I was wrong about Glenn Roeder. I hold my hands up. I admit it. Any manager who can revive a team’s fortunes in the way he has deserves credit. I believe Norwich have experienced only one defeat in seventeen games since he took over. The Canaries are now only six points off a playoff position. Few would have thought that possible back in the autumn. Obviously a manager has to be judged on his long term record, and that was the point I was trying to make in a previous column. Since then I have been assailed on my West Ham blog by an army of Norwich fans, disgusted that I should express such a view. Indeed, I gather many of them have written to the EDP demanding I should be sacked from this column! Well, in the spirit of reconciliation, I hope they are satisfied with my admission that I called it wrong.
Mind you, my words obviously put a jinx on Norwich City. They lost 4-0 to lowly Leicester yesterday. Can’t win ‘em all.
I’m sure it’s not just me who’ feeling cheated at the moment – I reckon the BBC does too. I’m watching a match which has a place in the quarter final of the FA Cup at stake, and the two leading clubs in Britain seem to have “rested” at least five of their top players each. No Tevez. No Ronaldo. No Giggs. No Adebayor. No Senderos. No Scholes. I could go on.
I’m glad Wenger has got his come-uppance. Shame it couldn’t happen to Fergie too. This is supposed to be the world’s premier Cup competition and yet these two managers treat it as an inconvenience. What a disgrace.
I’ve received an email from American Hammer suggesting that I do a post on where Hammers fans watch their beloved team abroad. He watches at a bar in Manhatten called NEVADA SMITHS. Wherever you are in the world, let us know in the comments where you go to watch West Ham and I will compile a deinitive list for a future post.
A constant theme on this blog in recent weeks in the comments has been the desire for a new striker. Admittedly our goals ratio hasn’t been what we might have expected this season, and people are laying the blame at the feet of Dean Ashton. It’s clear he is not on form and siffering a crisis of confidence. The reaction of sections of the crowd is not helping. Along with Zamora, Bellamy and Cole, you’d have thought we would have our best ever strike force. With Camara also available and Ljungberg and Boa Morte also able to play up front, why on earth would we need a new striker. That, of course, is to ignore all the injuries our players have suffered.
With Zamora ready to return I am fairly optimistic about the rest of the season. It is a shame Bellamy is now out, but if Dean Ashton can get some form back, and Carlton stays in the great form he’s been in (and can get a few more goals) I think we’ll be OK.
But if we DID buy a striker in the summer – and had up to £10 million available, who would you urge Curbishley to go for?
