West Ham Till I Die
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The Mike Ireson Column

Off you pop then

So that’s that then. Dimitri Payet no longer wants to play for us.

Not a rumour, not pub talk, straight from the manager’s mouth.

This could be a messy divorce and if we are not careful negatively effect on the field performances.

It is no good anyone from the chairman down to us humble supporters crying over spilt beer. It’s been good while it lasted but now it’s over. If a player does not want to play for a club then there is no way back and ties must be severed sooner rather than later.

Whatever the reasons for Dimitri’s decision we can’t afford to have a player, however good he is, being forced to play. He won’t be able to give his best, the 10 players around him will be disillusioned and us, the supporters, deserve 11 men on the pitch giving their all.

I imagine his agent already has a club lined up for him (it looks like Marseille) and between them they are now forcing this move through. A good thing? Of course not, it stinks. But for the good of this club we must move him on as quickly as possible,

Any prolonged hoopla will only have a detrimental effect on the rest of the team and the results they achieve.

This is obviously not an overnight decision by the player and now with hindsight if this was going on behind the scenes, which the rest of the squad would have been well aware of, was it a factor in our shambolic display against Manchester City on Friday?

If your star team mate does not want to play with you it must weigh on your mind. It wouldn’t have been the sole reason we got spanked by Manchester City as we saw what a good team they were. But it would have been a factor.

We can not afford to be torn apart by one player. No one player is bigger than the club and as sad as it is he must be sold as soon as possible.

Am I angry with Payet? Well to be honest not really. It just makes me feel sad at the state of football in general. He, like many before him, has had his ear bent by his agent that there is greener (and much higher paid) grass elsewhere.

The ideals that we as supporters hold high, loyalty and commitment to the club, are a distant memory.

For every Mark Noble there are a hundred Dimitri Payet’s. Sad but true.

This sorry episode only goes to show that WE are this club. Not the players, not the manager, not the owners. US.

We will always be there. Next time you buy a shirt from the club shop and want a name on the back make it your own. Because you are this club.

Forever WE shall be West Ham till we die.

COYI

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