Apologies for not posting this on Monday evening.*

Anyway, here’s the Player Performance poll for the Manchester City game. Vote HERE.

*For those interested, my life at the moment is turned upside down as I have just been shortlisted to be the next Tory MP for Bracknell. Any of you live there, or in Sandhurst, Crowthorne or Finchampstead? I might need your support at the selection Open Primary on Saturday 17th! More details HERE, for anyone who’s interested. I have this image of me giving an answer about regenerating Bracknell Town Centre and someone shouting from the back: Come on You Irons!

We all know them, the players that do the effective, unspectacular jobs for the sake of the team.  The players that do not get the praise or reputation of their more talented  or their higher profile team mates.  Then there are also the players who came to West Ham and played a short, but significant part in our history and then as quickly moved on again.

Thinking about the more recent decades of Hammers history I have identified a number of players who genuinely were unsung heroes.  In the 1950s there was Andy Malcolm, one of the best defensive right-halves ever to wear the claret and blue jersey.  He shielded the centre halves and won and released the ball to our more creative forwards.  He was an expert man to man marker and invariably marked more exalted players like Jimmy Greaves (in his Chelsea years) completely out of the game.  The 1957-58 team was built upon this rock at the centre of midfield.

In the 1960s we have a defensive right-half who was right up there with Bonds and Malcolm as amongst the very best we have had  in that role.  Eddie Bovington did the hard graft for the 1963-64 cup winning team, winning tackles and distributing the ball.  It is often forgotten that when Bovington came in to the team at Boxing Day 1963 the team had just suffered a record 8 goal Christmas Day home defeat to Backburn Rovers, but we then went up there for the corresponding holiday fixture and turned them over 0-3 with Bovington running the show.  He displaced Martin Peters in the team and was to keep him out all the way to the 1964 FA Cup Final.

In the 1970s we have Patsy Holland and Bobby Gould.  Holland was a real workhorse who also had considerable skill.  He could  play in central or on the left side of midfield.  He frequently deputised for Billy Bonds in the centre, but made the  greater number of appearances wide left.  This useful dynamo, with the ability to score vital goals, won a late place in the 1975 FA Cup Final team and famously scored our first goal in the 1976 ECWC Final.  

Bobby Gould was a 28 year old journeyman striker who Bill Shankley somewhat unkindly observed ‘could not trap a wet bag of cement. ’  However, Ron Greenwood knew better, he was convinced that Gould had untapped potential that that his coaching could help him realise it.   When he joined us in 1974-75 we had an absolutely dire start to the season.  Gould, along with fellow new recruits Billy Jennings and Keith Robson, transformed our fortunes with a 6-0 defeat of Tranmere in the League cup, 6-1 demolition of Leicester City and a ultra efficient 3-0 destructions of Wolves and Middlesboro.    He played his very best football at West Ham, glorying in Greenwood’s later observation that he had been transmuted in to a player worthy to wear the West Ham shirt.  Gould later stated if he had joined West Ham as a youngster he might have gone on to play for England, such was his rate of improvement at the famed Academy of English Football.  He was a key player in the 1975 FA Cup run,  scoring a vital winning goal at Southampton in the fourth round, but was 12th man in the final.  He moved to Wolves on in 1976-77 and played for a number of other clubs before retiring.

In the 1980s Neil Orr and Geoff Pike did the hard graft for the 1985-86 team.  Covering the pitch, breaking up attacks and winning and distributing the ball.  Orr joined from Scotish football and played unconvincingly as a centre back in the last games of 1984-85, but it was in midfield that he found his true role in that memorable campaign.  He left in 1986-87 and returned from whence he came.  Pike was another skilled workhorse.  His greatest hour was probably the man marking job that he did on Liam Brady in the 1980 FA Cup Final, one of the decisive engagements that delivered us victory.  In 1985-86 he deputised for Orr and put in some very effective shifts. 

In the 1990s we have Trevor Morley and Matty Holmes.  Morley was a striker who came to Upton Park from Man City, via Northampton Town,  in part-exchange for Mark Ward.  It was probably the best thing that Lou Macari did in his short reign as manager.  Morley became a fixture  for West Ham throughout the 1990s and his goals were crucial in the two promotion campaigns under Billy Bonds and later in establishing the club in the premiership under Redknapp. 

Matty Holmes was one of Redknapp’s bargain basement buys that really came off.  He joined from Bournemouth and was an all-action midfielder with very good technique and vision.  He was played a key role in midfield in 1994-95 to stave off relegation with some fanastic results in the run in (including beating champions elect Blackburn     2-0, Liverpool 3-0 and holding Man Utd to a 1-1 draw to deny them the title).  He  left  the club in 1996-97 in a transfer to Blackburn that saw Robbie Slater arrive in part-exchange.

In the period 2000-09 we have Sebastian Schemmel and Shaka Hislop.  Schemmel was a player recruited by Redknapp from French football who won Hammer of the year in 2000/01 with some barnstorming displays at right-back.  Alas, he was to have a falling out with Glen Roeder and be exiled to the reserves, before being shipped out at the first opportunity.  Schemmel was a player that was harshly treated, but not the only or most high profile Hammer to suffer thus under the Roeder regime. 

Shaka Hislop was a shot stopper par excellence, another very good Redknapp acquisition.  He saved us countless league points with saves that defied belief.   He was another who fell out of favour under Roeder’s management, losing his place to David James before being transferred.  Shaka prophetically stated on leaving that he did not know why the club had wasted £3-4m on James when there were other positions that were an higher priority for strengthening.  Too true, like another striker for instance!!!!  Shaka was destined to have a great swan song with the Hammers, later being brought back by Alan Pardew to provide goal keeping cover.  He starred again in 2005-06 and kept goal in the famous 2006 FA Cup Final. 

 Shaka saw his last action for the club in the losing penalty shoot out against Liverpool.  If there was one man that deserved to be on the winning side that day, and receive a much deserved winners medal, it was the admirable Shaka Hislop!

So, who were your unsung Hammers Heroes?   For every artist like Brooking, Devonshire, Peters or Di Canio there is an artisan, such as  Bovington, Holland, Orr or Pike doing the hard graft and making the team work as a unit.  In difficult times it pays to remember these players and the fact that guts, spirit, hard work and application do pay dividends!  Exactly the qualities that we need now to underpin the undoubted ability of our squad and get the season back online and moving in the right direction!

SJ Chandos.

Team: Green, Faubert, Ilunga, Da Costa, Kovac, Noble, Diamanti, Cole, Jimenez, Parkler.

Discuss.

West Ham Utd FC were this morning hit with four charges by the FA over the disturbances at the home Carling Cup tie with Millwall on 25 August 2009.  Millwall FC also face three charges.

The charges against the Hammers can be summarised as:

• Failing to ensure that fans refrained from violent, threatening, obscene and provocative behaviour;
• Failing to ensure that fans did not throw missiles, harmful or dangerous objects on to the pitch;
• Failing to ensure fans refrained from racist behaviour; and
• Failing to ensure that fans did not enter the field of play

Millwall have been hit with the first three charges, but avoided the final one because their fans did not enter the field of play.

West Ham Utd FC have published an initial response on their website in which they stress that they fully co-operated with the authorities in planning for the fixture and those plans were put in to operation.  The club have 14 days to formally respond to the FA charges.

Amongst the first to comment is Harry Harris on ESPN who states that the FA are right to come down hard on the two clubs.  He feels for the genuine fans of both clubs, they are the victims of a minority intent on trouble rather than pursuing their interest in the sport.  He suggests that the FA are determined to draw a line in the sand to avoid the resurgence of 1970s and 1980s type hooliganism!

Yes, but would the FA come down so tough if it was the fans of Man Utd, Chelsea or Liverpool?  Do the FA pick and choose when to get tough and with whom?

SJ Chandos

This is a quote from someone on the West Ham mailing list I subscribe to…

“Those who thought …

Losing 2-3 to Liverpool last week was a sign of us going down should
havewatched what they did to Hull.

Losing 1-0 to Wigan was the end of the world should take note of what theydid to Chelsea
The result against Spurs was shocking should see what they did to Burnley.”

Reality check, people. We may be third from bottom but have two games in hand. Don’t press the panic button just yet!

Iain

I have always had a keen interest in the history of our great club.  And looking back from this side of the Greenwood era it is easy to forget that West Ham were quite a modest second division outfit from the mid 1930s through to 1958.   Indeed, in terms of honours, our greatest talking points were the 1923 Cup Final defeat and the 1940 War League Cup victory!

Once while on holiday, I had a conversation with an older Millwall fan and I gently ribbed him about his club’s lack of honours.   His response was that the records of West Ham and Millwall were comparable prior to the 1960s, but that ‘the era of Bobby Moore changed all that.’  And really it was hard to do anything but accept his argument and be thankful that it  turned out  thus!! 

However, I am of the view that the foundations for the subsequent transformation of West Ham’s fortunes were laid in the late 1950s under Ted Fenton’s management.   The 1950s is an era that has always fascinated me.  This was the period in which the famed Academy of English Football was founded.  Fenton was the first West Ham manager to realise that a strong youth policy was the way forward for the club.  Indeed, it is an interesting fact that many of Greenwood’s future stars were  scouted as youngsters under Fenton.  And that included the three jewels in the crown, Moore, Hurst and Peters. 

It’s also noteworthy how many ex-Hammers players from the 1950s went on to become  football league managers.  Managers like Dave Sexton (Chelsea & Man Utd), Malcolm Allison (Man City & Crystal Palace), Frank O’Farrell (Man Utd), Jimmy Andrews (Cardiff City), Jimmy Bloomfield (Leicester City), Ken Brown (Norwich City), John Bond (Norwich City & Man City) and Noel Cantwell (Coventry City) 

Even though we had very good players in early and mid-1950s, like Ernie Gregory, Noel Cantwell, John Bond, Terry Woodgate and Johnny Dick, we consistently failed to gain promotion.  At least that was the case until the legendary 1957-58 team barnstormed their way out of division two, playing a dazzling brand of attacking football and scoring over 100 goals in the process. 

And what a formidable outfit they were with Gregory in goal; Bond and Cantwell at full back; Kenny Brown at centre half; Andy Malcolm at right-half; Grice and Musgrove on the wings and the goal machines John Dick and Vic Keeble up front.  The team’s quality is reflected in the ease with which they took to life in the old first division and their impressive top half finish in 1958-59.

The sad thing is that after Fenton’s dismissal in 1961, in mysterious circumstances,  he came to be  considered a bit of a non-person by the club’s hierarchy.  In that respect, Ted Fenton’s treatment by the club  is probably second only in the tragedy stakes to that received by West Ham’s first manager, Syd King.  This has arguably led to his role in the modern development of the Hammers being under-estmated.    Perhaps this is an appropriate time to renovate Fenton’s reputation through a re-evaluation of  his contribution to the history of the club? 

Last week some senior fans posted on the SJ Chandos  introductory blog recalling this era.  They included Old John, Bernie Bonds and Hotmort.  It would be excellent if they and others would share their memories with us of the 1950s and that great promotion winning team.  Similarly, if younger Hammers fans have stories about this period handed down by friends or family then also share them with us.  Alternatively you may have specific questions to post for the more senior fans about this era?

I want to make this a permanent feature of WHTID, with occasional blogs on aspects of the club’s history.  These will be in addition to the regular posts, so that you can contribute or just pass them over as the interest grabs you.  For easy identification all such history blogs will be denoted by the number of the blog and then # and the subject.

SJ Chandos

The Times has reported that the FA will shortly decide whether to charge West Ham and Millwall for the disturbances before and during the second round Carling Cup match at Upton Park.

One option is that the FA warn and fine both clubs for failing to control their supporters.  West Ham, as the home side, could also receive an additional punishment of playing a home game behind closed doors.  Ultimately, a lot will depend on whether the FA are convinced that West Ham had put in place adequate stewarding and security arrangements within the ground? 

Alternatively, the FA may accept that both clubs did everything possible to control their fans and note that strong post-match action has been taken against those involved in the pitch invasions.  To date, West Ham have allegedly slapped life bans on ten ‘fans’ identified via the publication of  their photographs.  In addition, other transgressors, similarly caught on camera, will continue to be pursued through the use of the same methods.

The spotlight is also likely to focus upon the policing of the match, including the decision to limit the number of match tickets for Millwall fans.  There is also a suggestion that Police planning for the match was inadequate,  considering the reputation of the fixture.  Worryingly, the Millwall camp have alleged that their security staff were not adequately involved in the pre-match planning.

An additional issue under consideration is the alleged racial abuse directed at West Ham’s Carlton Cole and Millwall’s Jason Price.  If proven it is hoped that both clubs take a similarly strong line.  Such behaviour must be seen to be strongly challenged and appropriate action taken to address it.

All we can do now is await the FA verdict and any possible consequences for the club! 

SJ Chandos

Quite a few people have been complaining that their comments haven’t been appearing quickly enough. The system is supposed to be that once you have had an initial comment approved, all other comments appear automatically, assuming you are using the same IP address. I think the problem is where people don’t have static IP addresses.

So in the short term I have taken comment moderation off. This is a risky thing to do for obvious reasons. All I can do is ask you all to be vigilant and to self moderate. If you see an inappropriate post, use the Report This Comment facility and I will look at it and delete it as soon as I can.

In the meantime I will try to get to the bottom of why the system has a weakness and see if it can be corrected.

Driving to the station this morning, I could hardly believe my ears. Did you know that the taxpayer is forking out £40 million a year to football? Me neither. It’s channelled through the FA and the Football Foundation to pay for initiatives in grassroots football. The government is threatening the withhold it unless the three football organisations (FA, Football League and the Premier League) overcome their mutual hostility and start to work together.

I question why the taxpayer is providing any money in the first place. Why not instead impose a levy of £2 million a year on any club in the Premier League. That’s the equivalent of the annual wages of one Premier League player.

So, another £40 million off public borrowing. Maybe a pinprick, but you know what they say about a lot of little pinpricks…

Please click HERE to rate the West Ham players who played tonight at Bolton. Only do so if you were either at the game, saw it on TV or on the internet.