You can’t help getting the feeling that the two Davids feel somebody up there really is trying to rub salt into some weeping wounds right now!
And no I’m not talking about the injuries which have at best turned the club into a near episode of ‘Casualty’ and at worse a ‘Hammers House of Horrors.’
I’m talking more of events up in Hull where the Irons co-chairmen’s former favourite boss Steve Bruce has turned a squad, not unlike our own, in terms of age and quality, into an outfit which currently holds the 10th place in which we finished last season.
Bruce has probably been the most under-estimated boss of the season and his team’s 6-0 defeat of Fulham last weekend put ours by them into the sharpest possible perspective on New Year’s Day.
Were it not for a fall-out between the two Davids former Birmingham City boss and themselves over image rights at St Andrew’s a few years back you wonder whether he wouldn’t have been the West Ham manager some little time ago.
Bruce – who is ironically a great mate of Sam Allardyce’s – has done one heck of a job at Hull and could easily have done the same at Upton Park. Current events do get you thinking in some diverse directions don’t they?
The whole issue of Allardyce’s current plight has been discussed ad nauseum and a poll on my own website at www.claretandhugh..co.uk produced an overwhelming response that he should go.
Elsewhere on Kumb.com the split has been about 50-50 and as one person commented: “That’s probably because those voting for him to stay can see no one to replace him.”
I have been told privately that at a meeting between himself and the owners yesterday Big Sam gave a 100 per cent guarantee that the club would remain a Premier League club this season.
He pleaded privately, apparently, what he has said publicly on several occasions, that once all the injured players return we will be fine but there’s something of a flaw in that logic for me…SAM THE RESULTS WEREN’T VERY GREAT WHEN EVERYBODY WAS FIT!
In the meantime you look around and wonder who the hell could possibly save a team rock bottom on confidence, results and with a skipper who has disgraced himself to way beyond acceptable limits.
A very good friend of mine said to me today: " I believe West Ham needs need a huge momentum shift – a grand gesture involving a big name football person whose appointment would send out a clear message to the dressing room that things are going in a totally different direction."
He then mentioned the widely respected Gary Neville or even United coach Ryan Giggs. It’s an interesting thought but were Steve Bruce to ever become available and former differences with DS and DG patched up maybe, just maybe that could work!
At least it’s different and a step off the same old merry go round or arguments….Thoughts?