West Ham Utd FC have a unique history. We Hammers can be rightly proud of the club’s contribution to English football. This includes the world famous youth academy, the innovative coaching and tactics under Greenwood and Lyall, the contribution to the 1966 World Cup victory and long admired style of flowing, attacking football.
Other clubs may point to their greater success in terms of titles and cup victories, but we like to comfort ourselves that the Hammers legacy is more special than that! However, with greater investment and ambition at board room level, it is likely that we could have been far more successful in winning the glittering prizes.
The logic being that West Ham have frequently had the basis of a very successful team, but have invariably fell short in terms of realising their full potential. The fault for that invariably lay with the refusal of past Boards to sanction the expenditure to secure the additional class that would have augmented the existing quality of the squad.
Is that view correct? Lets look at the evidence.
In 1957-58 West Ham barnstormed their way out of the old 2nd Division, scoring over 100 goals and playing a brand of football that was to become our trademark over subsequent decades. That team had realquality, with the likes of Gregory, Bond, Cantwell, Brown, Malcolm, Grice, Musgrove, Smith, Dick and Keeble. Incidentally, we were promoted ahead of Liverpool that year (they finished 4th), who remained in the second tier for another season. Our quality saw us finish 6th in the first season back in the top flight, taking the scalps of first division giants Manchester Utd and Wolves along the way.
However, a lack of investment undermined that bright promise. Starlet John Smith was sold to Spurs and, one of the kingpins of the side, Vic Keeble, was forced in to premature retirement through injury. They were not adequately replaced and the impetus was gradually lost. It was the absence of investment that reinforced Ted Fenton’s belief in the importance of the youth system and producing the quality of player that we could not hope to purchase in the transfer market. In that respect, ‘Project Football’ is not entirely new, it can be seen as a continuation of previous club policy!
And of course it was the Academy system that produced the success of the mid-1960s. Our Academy produced Kirkup, Burkett, Bovington, Peters, Moore, Tony Scott, Boyce, Dear, Hurst and Sissons amongst others. With the acquisition of Byrne and Brabrook, Ron Greenwood forged a formidible team that brought unprecedented glory and prestige to the club. We beat Liverpool 1-2 at Anfield (our last victory there) in 1963-64 and afterwards Shankley shamelessly copied Greenwood’s tactics, set plays and coaching methods!
It is often forgotten today just how universally celebrated was West Ham’s winning performance in the 1965 ECWC and how rich was the club’s promise for the future. Yet in 1965-66, on the cusp of greatness the club failed to invest further in the playing staff to finance a genuine championship challenge. The board seemed to settle for investing just enough to maintain their place in the top tier, whilst hoping to nick the occasionalcupvictory. Thus, the potentialof a West Ham team with three world cup winners andatleast five or six other players of undoubted internationalclass was sacrificed on the alter of financial expendiency and lowly ambition.
The youth system still kept producing the goods. The likes of Brooking, Lampard Snr, Holland, Day, Lock, McDowell, Pike, Allen, Ince, Dickens and Cottee all rolled off the production line. We won two more FA Cups and appeared in another ECWC Final, but each peak of success was followed by a slump and between 1978-92 we suffered four relegations! During this time, Liverpool established themselves as the most successful club in the history of English football, with sustained domestic and European success. So much for our head start in 1957-58 and our brief ascendency of the mid-1960s!
In 1985-86 the distant dream of a Championship win materialised into an unexpected reality. However, we faltered and our more successful ‘other’ at Liverpool FC won their last 16 league matches to pip us at the post. During that campaign we were amazingly lucky with injuries and had a very settled team. However, no attempt was made during that season to strength the team and refresh the championship bid. In 1986-87 we all expected more of the same, but we failed to reproduce our form of the previous season. Stewart Robson replaced Neil Orr, but apart from it was the same team. By 1988-89 we were relegated, repeating the criminal and complacent lack of investment in 1977-78.
In the 1990s Harry Redknapp revamped the famous Hammers Academy. Under Tony Carr’s leadership we produced the best and brightest youthproductsin the country. Rio Ferdinand, Cole, Lampard Jnr, Carrick, Defoe andJohnson went on to form the backbone of the England Team andenjoy great club success. The only problem is that it was with other clubs!
We lost Rio and Lampard Jnr first and suffered, as a secession of bargain basement buys failed to provide the necessary quality to supplement our other outstanding youthproducts. In 2002-03 we suffered the most avoidable relegation in the history of English football. With Kanute and Di Canio injured, the team struggled to score goals and enormous pressure was put on our youngsters.
In particular Defoe suffered, as he took on the heavy responsibility of leading the attack. Attempts to bring in quality and experience were rejected and the board allegedly refused to sanction a £1m bid for Matt Upsonfrom Arsenal! Under caretaker manager Trevor Brooking we nearly saved ourselves, but we were tragically relegated on a record 42 points. The change in management came too late, but the real cause of the disaster was a lack of investment in the playing staff, even in January when the relegation writing was clearly on the wall.
As with our previous four relegations since 1977-78, we bounced back and regained our PL status. However, the cost of relegation was the loss of our golden generation of young stars. But the brilliant Academy production line cames to our rescue yet again!
Today, we are once again a club with a potentially bright future based on youth. The likes of Noble, Tomkins, Collison, Stanislas, Hines, Sears, Nouble, et al promise much for the future of the club. While in Green, Illunga, Upson, Berhami, Parker, Diamanti and Cole we have a core group of quality, experienced players. We currently have a squad of ability and potential. Regardless of our current position, we have a first choice XI that can thrive in the PL. The question mark is over if we have sufficient strengthin depth? Whether there is too much inexperience covering key positions and we are also in danger of putting too much pressure, to early, on our young prospects?
We all thought that this history of under-investment in the playing staff was finally over with the Icelandic takeover in 2006. Yet, it proved instead to be a brief interlude before the continuation of more of the same! Now here we are again with C&B Holdings, looking at a sceneriowhere arguably a lack of investment in the playing staff is placing a further fetter upon the potential of the club and its playing squad.
It does bring to mind the old proverb, ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same!’
But lets not be fatalistic, ‘things could have been so very different’ and they still can be. West Ham now more than ever needs a owner/consortium of vision and ambition, who can finally realise our club’s potential to the fullest degree. It’s far too long overdue!
SJ Chandos.
The Intermarket bid to buy West Ham seems to have failed.
They have until 6pm Tuesday to make an offer, after meeting with lots of interested investors they have failed to raise the money needed to buy the club.
Do you have proof of this mate?
ie/ link?
Nice one.
But I think you mean Malcolm ALLISON and Peter BRABROOK
Everything could have been different if we would have had any owner who cared about the club more than penny-pinching trying to line their own pockets.Players were sold to keep the owner,s wallets fat and players sought and got higher reward for their skills elsewhere,perfectly understood.
Harry Redknapp was probably the ownly manager who had the temerity to be likened to Oliver Twist and ask Terry Brown for more but Brown did not want to give and only took so Harry unfortunately was given no chance and shown the door.
If you look back we all had our gripe with Harry but you dont hear many player,s talking bad about him in fact the majority reckoned he improved them in their skill sets.
The sooner we get a true owner and clever manager glory will come our way,hopefully in the next 50 years.
But Graham, it's always been the same!
Who knos what is going to happen, we could really do with new owners who care for the club, hockleyhammer i am not sure that is correct as they proved to the club that they had the funds, if this deal is there, it takes time, i understand there is a meeting on the 11th december and i also understand that the owners want to be in around that period wether that is sulliavan and Gold or this Intermarket group, everything is at the moment speculation and i don't believe for 1 second that our debt is over £100 mil i think it is probably around the £60 mil mark but even that we are not sure off. As for players, i think we have got a good team, some really experienced players in there who can help our youth pull through. Look at the likes of noble, collison, stanislav and hines at the minute, in my opinion they are doing well. Hoping that a takeover happens, i would like us to enter the market for a right back and a striker, this will enable us the chance to give cole even more support, my idea is Rod Fanni from Rennes (GOTA LOVE THAT NAME HAHA) and Marouane Chamakh form Bordeux. But I am open to ideas, what does everyone else think on players to bring in if we are taken over?
Braderz, Both those names have been mentioned as potential targets. Whether we get taken over or not some investment will be in the offing by CB/S come the JTW and whether we keep Upson&Green until the summer will depend on who else may come in as replacement. Both are apparently unwilling to sign new contracts despite the club offering new contracts to Collison/Stanislas etc so most likely to leave whilst we are able to get some much needed funds for replacements.
Spot on SJ,The reason I'm negative at present, i will never recover from the sadness of losing that team that were to good to go down Cole carrick etc……If only the board had added to the quality we already had,and as for brown ,that B——–D! he used West Ham to fund other busiuness ventures.
As for the takeover ,there will be no takeover,we have bankers in charge they will strip us at christmas then sell us for the 80mil,mark my words.
So you reckon that they will flog all our best players, doom us to relegation and then still get someone to pay £80M for the club? Stick to bleating on about wanting Zola sacked, you will still be wrong but at least you will understand what you are saying yourself (even if no one else does)
they will not have to sell all our best players to raise 20mil,some mug will go for it.
Right now the only saying that comes to mind is…."you can't polish a t**d."
blimey chris !!! go back to bed and start again !!
5 thing,s Zola has done wrong,1,Sell Matt Etherington,2,Sell Ginge,3,Sell Bellamy,4,Buy and sell Savio,5,blame too much bad luck and not use the correct tactic,s to play when your winning and against 10 men!
Aussie Zola had no wish to sell Ethers, the guy was coming apart at the seams over a gambling problem, the club had already paid off almost £500K in debts as well as given him a whole season off to get treatment at the sporting chance clinic (funny how BG never gets credit for that), he was completely broke, was living in Mark Nobles old flat in Canning Town and driving a car that Scotty Parkey loaned him.
He told the club he simply could stay off the gambling if he stayed in London as there were too many casinos, card games and places to gamble, so they sold him to Stoke where there only a handful of casinos who could be told to not admitt him or leave him gamble.
To be honest the club put the welfare of a player above the needs of the club and wrote off the £500k that he was supposed to pay back out of his wages over the rest of his contract. I doubt there are many clubs who would have done the same but once again we get villified at every turn and our virtues are completely ignored. There are few clubs who contribute as much to the local community as WestHam but that sort of thing just doesnt sell papers.
CH: Your information on Ethers is quite accurate. What you have not considered is the legal restriction placed in reporting the Ethers' story at the time. The state of his finances and his gambling problems were well known to media outlets. A deal was done to suppress a lot of that info therefore it would have been impossible to report the club's brilliant handling of the situation without revealing the full story.
To say we have been vilified for our virtues is not accurate on this occasion.
Lofty there was a lot of info was well known at the time and should the press have wanted they could have at least painted the club in a positive light saying that they had agreed to sell him to stoke in order to help him overcome his personal problems, Instead they used his move to back up stories of a club in financial turmoil forced into a firesale of their best players. So not only did they not give the club credit where they are due they used a terrible personal situation for the player to sell papers. Still I guess I should stop being surprised by that at this stage!
CH: I understand your frustration with the media, but the whole Ethers tale could have been painted a whole lot worse for everyone involved, trust me.
The term cover up might sound sightly excessive, but there was much, much more to the whole Ethers saga that really could not have been published. Painting the club as shining knights helping out a guy who had run into a spot of bother would have been just as disingenuous as the financial turmoil stories that we printed.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't I'm afraid.
Matt Ryan: this news has come almost from the horses mouth.
There have been meetings with some real big hitters, as of yet none of them have parted with there money
The original consortium raised about 80 million, unless a big investor comes in soon this will go no further.
That horse got a name or is this just another wink wink nudge nudge piece of info we are supposed to take on blind faith?
Yes Celtic, this horse does have a name, Its the same horse that posted on here about 3 weeks ago, stating there had been a meeting with the owner of the New York Jets and that the Inter market group were about to contact Rothchilds the next day. Which they did.
Woody Johnson has nothing to do with the Intermarket consortium.
Sorry but I'll need more than idol chit-chat from your mate down the pub!
I know I have said similar but I can say that my uncle used to play for west Ham in the 50's, his name is Malcome Allison under manager Ted Fenton. His is still very good friends with 2 people from that era who are very close to West Ham, one of whom he receives a little inside info! I'm not willing to say who this person is.
But to me, that is enough to warrant a good enough source to listen to.
So where does your info come from?
Aussie G, I think
1.Matt Etherington needed a fresh start especially with all the reported problems he had. So this was probably best for club and player.
2. Agree Selling Ginge was a mistake although this was and should be a collective decision made by the club and not just Zola.
3. Bellars made it difficult for us as he wanted to leave, so you have to feel for GFZ as he made it clear he would have liked him to stay.
4. Savio was tracked way before Zola was manager.
5. The first time Zola has complained about bad luck was after the Hull match, so credit to him for not bemoaning all the previous slices of bad luck that have contributed to our season so far. Think Cole's goal at Wigan which was disgracefully disallowed.
Good points, But Bellamy looks like he is going to retire through injury in the next year or two according to reports this week…also Ginge was great against teams like Stoke but tragically slow so not the complete end of the world
Ginge was brilliant but I think the club have looked to have a more ball playing centre half in Da Costa. I guess with the view to have someone who can get moves going which is our tradition with Moore and Ferdinand. This is all good but I think we have lost a little aggression and vocal leadership in Ginge and Neil.
Agree re leadership and aggression. A Billy Bonds!
Great post, SJ. So…what would it look like, the best of today's team (excluding terminally injured) and the recent Academy:
Green
Johnson Rio Upson Ilunga
Parker (c)
Carrick Lampard
J. Cole
C.Cole Defoe
Subs: Someothergoalie(!), Gabbidon, Behrami, Collison, Stanislas, Franco, Hines
Manager: Brooking (though he was a bit partial to 4-3-3 as I recall)
Plus Dyer and Ashton if you relax the "terminally injured" rule!
Any other thoughts, folks? Makes me smile just thinking of it!
Singapore, you must remember that Brooking only had 3 games in charge as manager to try keep us up after Roeder fell ill
Yes, fair point mate, I am probably getting a bit nostalgic – but I do remember him having a go! And something about him just gives me confidence!
Yes probably one of the best managers we never had apart from 3 games!Lol!
Don't forget Tevez, Mascherano, Etherington, David James (there's your other goalie), Kanoute is still playing in Spain, Jimmy Bullard could have stayed with us. I think some of them might make the squad but there would be some unhappy ones!
Unfortunately the Intermarket bid was, in my humble opinion, no more than some much needed PR for a company trying to keep its nose ahead in the city, I hope I am wrong.
With regard to your post Chandos, why we have never got over that final hurdle into being a great team is a constant mystery to me, but I think its why being a West Ham supporter is so addictive…one day my son, one day!, therefore you can never let go because you are always looking for the dream.
Unfortunately it won't happen this year, we are in for the long run of constant struggle.
How confident am I with that comment……..I will buy Matt Ryans woolly hat with a donation to the Bobby Moore fund of £50 if we finish in the top 6…..ha..ha
That's not your opinion mate! It was the opinion of the Daily Mail and Telegraph! An opinion that was very swiftly refuted
And you bloody won't by my wooly hate! Not until May anyway! But that said, I have just bought a Sherpa hat (the ones with a bobble on top with teh ear flaps and the tassles hanging from them!)
But I am starting a sponsored beared growing contest in January for Cancer Research UK if you wanna take part? lol
I really didn't know that was in the papers Matt, but the problem with their interest was so transparent as being PR led, in as much as they were looking for investors and such like, I should become a financial journo. The fact it was swiftly refuted also say's a lot.
I want that hat if its a top 6 finish..LOL.
Lol it wasn't a wide spread piece just a couple of 10 line articles (online only I think)
The fact of the refutingcould either mean they are protestimng a little too much OR that they are genuine and don't want to ruin their chances.
Personally, I have no view on the Intermarket situation, I don't know them and all I know is what I have read on line and in papers and anyone on here that says they have concrete proof of ANY speculation related to west Ham are liars!
Ok, I'll do you a deal, if we finish in top 6, you can have the hat and we'll BOTH donate £50 to the Bobby Moore fund
I don't tell Celtic you want to be a financial journalist, he'll shoot you! lol
Matt & Celtic in answer to my Intermarket rumours NO! I do not have any links to them or any other potential investor. I realise that these are continually going to appear in the press and elsewhere until after Dec11 and onward. However any story old new recycled we hope may have some truth in it. As for potential transfers for the club again we look at how the summer situation unfolded and that January may be more beneficial. Watch this Space!!!Lol!
Ok, mate, but where did you get the info from?
Football Rumours!LOL!!
Oh well say no more then!
MUST be true! lmao!
Nani has just confirmed Behrami will be staying and not sold in JTW______Shows how much the media know!!!!
Firstly congratulations on a brilliantly written piece SJ.
So far as big investors in the club is concerned I'd like to see something similar to what's happened at QPR. Lakshmi Mittal (Indian Steel Magnate and one time richest man in the world), Bernie Eccleston (Billionaire) and Flavio Briatore (Billionaire) have not come in to the club and splashed around hundreds of millions. Instead they opted for a sustainable business plan to steadily grow the club through the development of solid management and playing staffs.
That's the kind of owners I'd like to see. I don't want to see massive signings of world class players in a Chelsea or Manchester City style. I want to see well paid youngsters come through the academy and progress in to a team that grows together under the guidance of a manager, coach and senior squad members so that they can, themselves, become World Class whilst playing for West Ham.
Whether it happens is another matter altogether.
Exactly Goatygav, although I'm not sure that Briatore is an example of developing solid management. He's been through several managers already!
Good point but it would seem that they're more stable of late.
Well said.
Hopefully we'll soon have that new owner that can do our club jusitce.
By the way… there is one thing I keep wondering every time I read the colum…. Why do you sign it with "SJ Chandos"? Some sort of nick or what? I my ears it sounds like a French wine or something..
ekavill… in September Iain added SJ Chandos as a fellow-blogger due to the expansion of the site and additional workloads, etc.
I can't post a link to the original notification, but here's a copy of it. If it's too long I'm sure site Admin will deal with it appropriately…. btw Iain's posts appear without a sign-off line, while those written by SJ (usually top-drawer contributions) have his name at the end.
I think that's an accurate account of it, but I would be happy to be corrected.
Here's the extract
I Bring Glad Tidings
September 15th, 2009 – 4:42 pm
In my constant quest to satiate ravenous appetites for more news and comment on this blog, I have decided to appoint a co-editor. Cue the drum roll…
I am delighted to tell you all that S J Chandos has agreed to take on the role. Those of you who comment on the blog will know what an excellent writer he is – full of insight and sensible interpretation.
He will be posting four or five times a week (possibly more when the mood takes him). We’ll obviously try not to overlap. I’ll continue to do the match related stuff, the odd interview and some comment, and Mr C will do, well, you’ll soon see!
I am really pleased by this development, as I think it will add immensely to the appeal of the site. I’m also in discussions with another regular reader about a further expansion of the site. More as we get it, as they say in TV land.
By the way, I’m the presenter’s friend on the Richard Bacon Show on 5 Live tomorrow night (Wed) from 11pm to 1am if you want to listen. I usually manage to get a West Ham reference in somewhere!
And now we wait with baited breath for SJ Chandos’s first post!
SJ: Please stop referring to footballers as starlets. The word starlet means young actress and is a feminine noun. Mind you, it could apply to some of the tarts who have played for us over the years so maybe you are right.
so ferdies been a major flop at sunderland and hes available!!!! not everyone that leaves us becomes a better player i guess.not sure we would want him back though.big brother got all the talent in that family.
as for the take over i think december will reveal a lot more than what we know are the facts at the moment.these deals take ages and the last news ive read is the intermarket group have proved they have the money so as for any more news its just bull.if they were not able to prove this then they would have pulled out and it would hit the media so why worry i rekon? i just hope we can get to mid table by christmas and then see what happens from there.no expectations from the media,were so gona be linked with selling everyone so tin hats on boys !
Perhaps if AF returned to us we could realise his potential as a quality defender. it depends where they move to if they become better players or not!____As for selling if the media had their way we would not have anybody left to play.__
If we had the investment we should have had we would be up with the top 4 along with MU,L'pool&Arsenal. It shows how greed can change a clubs forturnes.
However tomorrow is another day.
Here we go again the PL managerial merry-go-round is up and running with Paul Hart of Portsmouth the first casualty. The next on the list Phil Browne of Hull followed by Bolton&Blackburn Rovers if their fortunes do not alter over the next few weeks. ____Time will tell!Lol!!!
Fishy…you are right, we are the Could have been club.
Just wonder, though, if we fans have to carry the can for some of the rubbish hands we have been dealt over the years?
I don't normally subscribe to mob rule, but it makes me wonder what might have happened if the Upton Park faithful had voted with their wallets and staged mass protests against the various crap boards and chairman we have had over the years.
I can only remember one decent revolt by the fans and that was the anti Bond Seat protests in November 1991.
Like most fans, we have always had the ability to moan and whine, but seldom have we resorted to a bit of direct action.
I'm not advocating that now, as sadly our paymasters are faceless accountants, but I would love it if real West Ham Fan Power some day shaped our future though organised protest and demands.
I doubt it would ever happen,however, given the subservient mood of the UK these days after 20 years of oppressive Governments instilling us with fear of action.
Shame…a good old revolution never hurt anyone!
Lofty, We are WH fans and although we stick through thick and thin it is those who are in the driving seat with little or no ambition for the club and their only interest is to line their pockets to get out of the club whatever they can.
They call themselves lifetime fans but do not have the club at heart (TBrown)
to mention. If the true WH were able to stand up and buy into the club to move it forward we would not be in the position we are now in.
You are not wrong, pal.
I'd front up a take over of my own were it not for one thing.
I don't have 100Million
Shame, I'd make a bloody good chairman.
Bloody Hell! Dyer's on fire in the res'ez ,please god let there be no injury! looks like that extra leg steadman attached between he's nuts has worked wonders!
Dyer 2, Dixon & Nouble all on scoresheet!
Please can we see Mr Dyer get a run of games injury free – he is rather good on his day?
Dyer is a class act. Get him fit and the team will fly.
I feel sorry for the guy. The stick he gets on this site alone borders on the criminal.
The notion that he doesn't give a toss and is happy to be continually injured is crass at best and downright idiotic at worse.
Spot on, Lofty. Some of the comments on here have been disgraceful, not just with Dyer, but Ashton, too.
I suppose if it makes people feel better about themselves…
Indeed, Devo.
Free speech is a wonderful thing…just not for the cretinous.
I'm sure Matty will now tell me everyone is entitled to their opinion, but sadly he is wrong.
IMO, certain people forfeit their right to comment freely by being repetitive, stupid, mean-spirited and Tottenham supporters. I'm sure I could lengthen the list but it's probably long enough already to get me a minus 5 rating anyway.
Bothered? Nope!
But, it the immortal words of
who the hell's the spud?!?__
Lofty it seems Dyer proved your point for you tonight for the reserves, I just read the text commentary on the reserves 5-2 victory over stoke. Dyer had a stormer from all accounts, bagginf a brace and being involved in everything good we did. Terry Dixon also seems to be finding the form that had him so highly rated before his injury "ended his career".
Have a read of the match report on the offical site.
Sounds a goody, Celts. Noticed Dyer was substituted after 68 mins. Hopefully that was to save him for Saturday and not because of a twinge.
Quite a few people have given Dixon glowing reports.
I was working abroad when he first hit the scene so have no personal take on the kid. Is he in the Cottee, Ashton or CC mould?
Lofty he is basically a Rooney type player, physical, quick, a cannon of a shot on him and technically excellent. He was in the senior Irish squad at 16 and there was a massive buzz around that in him Ireland finally had a truely world class forward. I remember him playing for an Irish underage side against Italy and he was incredible, he made bits of the Italians defense and scored a screamer of a goal. The Irish press were full of quotes from the Italian manager who rated him as the best player of his age he had seen.
If he can reach the potential he had as a youngster he is a player we can build a team around. Given how hard the guy worked to come back from injuries that his club told him had ended his career I reckon he is the type of player who will give 100% in everygame
Bloody hell, Celts. Assuming that you are not his agent and trying to punt him out…I can't wait to see him. Ta for the info.
Dyer may never get the true run of games his body unfortunately is not holding up well.Interesting to see Nouble and Terry Dixon progressing well.
Any chance we could get them playing consistent enough to give Carlton something to push him even higher.
Sad really seeing Paul Hart sacked at 7-1 Zola may be next his record is no better than Hart,s.
Please can we swap Matt Upson for Roman Pavluychenko we may let in 5 but we will score 6!
SJC, may I echo those contributors who have commented on the excellence of your post.
The pattern of history is clear to see. The fear that we all must have now is that the pattern will not be broken. In that case, a lack of investment will lead to asset stripping and likely relegation. And these days, the automatic return to the top flight may well be a while longer in coming.
Few of us believe that though because the other thing so West Ham is the faith of we, the faithful. Against all the evidence, we say that we are not worried, something will turn up, we talk of mid table by Christmas and then we can push on, we talk of investors and financial security. Time will tell.
As my dear wife often tells me…"when will you take those rose tinted glasses off Ray" with regards to our beloved Team!! Very true HM! Will we ever learn? I think not !
The other point you briefly referred to but is oh so true is this whole nonsense about the 'football project'. What a load of tosh and management speak that is. No more original than so called 'new labour' (Tory). It is simply an old idea (albeit a good one) re-packaged by the Dux. Expedience has decreed that a lack of boardroom investment has for decades meant that we have had to find our talent from within. Explains Tony Carr's long and illustrious career as the Godfather of the Academy. New, and the brainchild of Dux , Egg, Nani or whoever it most certainly is not.
Headmaster I think that The Project is an offical adoption of Tony Carrs philosophy and thats why I like it. I also think our days of watching our best players leaving before they have had a chance to repay the club for the teaching we gave them are over. We have not lost a young talented player that the club wanted to keep hold of.
We have an embarassment of riches coming through the ranks at the club right now and have a under 16 team that have put 7 past arsenal and 8 past pompey and the current front 2 for England under 16s are WestHam players. In Stan, Jack. Tomka, Hines we have 4 first team players who came through and made the step up and are all in the process of signing new long term deals with the club.
My God, Celtic – I love your optimism and I only hope with every breath in my body that you are right about the dawning of a new era in terms of talent retention.
'The project ' is somewhat of a grandiose term though for what is essentially commonsense, wouldn't you say?
I completely agree with you, its marketing speak meets media spin but I think the idea was to dress it up in buzzwords in order to have a strong media impact to offset some of the negative press we were getting. It was like a formalisation of what we all already knew.
As for SJC's excellent article, I have never known anything different to the ups and more frequent downs being a Hammers fan over the years. It would obviously be a massive bonus to be given stability so we can build a stronger more robust squad, but I too shy away from a Man City or Chelsea style, buy your way to the title. As SJC pointed out, much of our great History is based on nurturing talent, but the only part that would be great to change is that following the nurturing, we hold on to our assets, and don't sell out. Mix this with intelligent scouting, and the base is there for a future. With that stability we all seek, who knows what could be possible. It is this type of philosphy that keeps me hopeful for the next game..and always will. As for the reserves game tonight..great news by all accounts…Come on Dyer..step up…and bring Dixon along as well if he fancies it! COYI
Thanks SJ for an absorbing and thought provoking piece.
I'm not really old enough to remember the sixties (though I was alive) but I do seem to recognise that lack of aspiration from the sixties still alive and well round our parts and down the A13.
Ironically, I don't know that we'll ever change our spots and then when I look at who has, Chelsea or Liverpool or Leeds it does remind me to be careful what I wish for.
Why not approach Guus Hiddink to help Zola in some capacity it is obvious he needs something extra than he is giving at this point?
Nani has been noted as saying that West Ham probably won't be bringing in any strikers in the January Window, but seems to recognise that they are short defensively! (that's the impression I got from the article anyway)
I actually think Nani is right – as mentioned in a previous post we are not failing to find the net. It's keeping them out that is the problem……. a new back 4 might be in order.
Nicky Shorey?
Sol Campbell?
I was firmly against Campbell back in October but 12 games later i think we need a solid leader in the heart of our defense and that man is PROBABLY Sol Campbell.
Totally agree mate! Although I wouldn't mind seeing one more striker coming in, Toni or Chamakh maybe! Just to give us that little bit of flare!
Shorey I could see doing a job but for the love of lard, NO CAMPBELL PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE! Not for me mate! He's a prima dona annd lets face it will probably spend a lot of his time on teh physio's bench! At 35 or 36 or whatever he is, I know he's not passed it yet but I'd rather have someone that can give 100% every game, all game
Happily take Neill back!
Hell, swap him for Upson!
i am so there with you mate, we do need another striker, and again toni or chamakh fit the bill and i also like the idea of nicky shorey joining and maybe a couple others but we havn't got the money so we need to hope for a takeover, time will tell.
Come on you irons!
sometimes, gambling problem is very very difficult to solve.:”~
I was truly delighted to stumble on this website. I wanted to thank you for this marvelous read!! I most definitely relished every word and have you bookmarked to look at fresh new stuff you post.
well you can say that gambling problems are very hard to cure because it is also an addiction”`;
my brother has a gambling problem and he just burned a thousand bucks in one night .*’