3 weeks since the last home game and it appears the early good feelings have hit the buffers and a sharpe dose of realism has hit home to many hammers fans that we are facing a tough season and that we are not as good as many believed we were.
Last seasons 10th place was a great achievement for the squad that sam had assembled, yet there can be no denying that the club failed to strengthen on that team. Carroll's signing didn't strengthen as he was already here, Raat looks no better than O'Brien, Adrien is never going to displace JJ unless he decides to retire. Downing on the other hand is better than Vaz Te or Taylor that played on the right at times last season & the 6 million paid for him is about right for his talent, as he blows very hot & cold and hasn't it seems for years had 2 good games on the trott.
The signing of AC was the 1 Sam set out to achieve, possibly at any cost, and the owners delivered him, problems were though his cost nearly wiped out the whole budget set by messrs Sullivan & Gold, not only that but we bought him knowing he was injured, but No need to worry though he will be back early Sept just after the international break. The big mans signing early doors set our marker problem was every striker we looked at after then knew that as soon as Andy was fit he would be back straight into the team so declined our offers. The problem is West Ham have gone down the route of a big man up front to receive the ball early and hold up, or pepper the box with crosses hoping he gets on the end of them or creates space for others to come into. Andy is probably the best we could get to fulfil that role, problem is how many others out there than can come in and do the same job and are happy that when Carroll is fit will just drop back onto the bench. The answer was not many, transfer deadline day came and went and still no one would come so we were left with the scraps, the players that were free agents, released by their clubs and not picked up. In shopping terms we started off with at the Harrods Sale in the slightly damaged Section, after spending most of our money we then dropped into Asda to see what was on offer, via the East European wholesalers, stopped of in Lidles, but then when they closed finally found all we could afford was in the corner shop.
I don't know who was more desperate, us or Carlton Cole but it panned out in true hammers fashion, he wasnt fit enough and needs to prove his fitness so we end up signing Petric, late of the parish of Fulham were he did so well..........they let him go and to top it off he isn't match fit yet which does beg the question how unfit is Carlton Cole.
Maiga I feel sorry for, he is a different type of striker than Andy Carroll, looking at the goals he scored (not many i know) he likes to take the ball on the run and then hit it, yet so far this season he has mainly had to feed off the same service Carroll does, why, because the players we have now are there because the should help bring the best out of Carroll. Where it all goes pear shaped is when there is no AC, the rest of the team seem incapable of changing the play to suit the different striker, still the same long balls by Collins from any free kicks, still the same Jarvis chip crosses that are meat and drink for any 1/2 decent centre back pairing or keeper, yet not for Maiga who prefers the ball played into his feet.
You troll around the Internet sites and you see most think Maiga is a waste of time, yet the problem for that is we only have 1 way of playing and to blame for that is Sam. Again around the chat forums it seems many more are piping up moaning about the way we play, the negativity of it, the fact that in nearly every game, even the ones we win, the opposition have more of the ball than we do, the players though I'm sure can change the way the play. You only have to look at our last home game V Stoke, under Pullis they were no more than a rugby team yet under Mark Hughes, the same players out football'd the club that claims to be the academy of football, the Stoke performance was perhaps the worst home performance under big Sam and to not register a shot on target at home is quite honestly shocking but it just outlines our troubles. As it stands today we have only mustered 6 shots on target in our 4 league games, the lowest in the league and facing an Everton team whose manager believes that possession is the key, be prepared for another game of us chasing the ball around the pitch and quite possibly being shot shy again.
The price of football has reared its ugly head again with the BBC's study into the true cost of football and I'm sure we all agree it ain't cheap, and west ham love to lead from the front in the battle of cost with their AFFORDABLE FOOTBALL FOR ALL tag line.
The 2 words to concentrate on there are Affordable & all, how & what is defined as affordable , and who is the all it is aimed at.
West Ham say that in doing the 6 kids for a quid games in a season they do more than most and you can't argue that for the kids who pay a pound it is definitely affordable, but for the adult is the 37 quid affordable? That £37 is the price the BBC gave as the cheapest Match day ticket for west ham, not bad some may think, bit pricy for others but where does it sit in the scheme of things against other teams, and before I say where it does sit ill just throw in David Gold when pressed about ticket prices in football has said "we can't do it alone, it has to be done by all" which I take to mean yes football is dear at west ham but we need all clubs to reduce their tickets not just West Ham. A fine sentiment indeed and possibly a correct one as we shouldn't act alone on this but with the football family.
Now back to that cost of £37, in the league table of costs that price is the 2nd dearest in the league, Liverpool, are top by £1 more, so surely then west ham in fact could reduce that price without the other clubs doing so as well as we would just be re-aligning ourselves with the rest of the premier league. It's all well and good the club throwing out buzz lines but on the face of it how are they making football affordable for all, kids for a quid is not for all, that's just for kids, and lets face it, the only reason they do it is because without the discounts, those games wouldn't sell out. While it may make business sense to do the discounts the marketing rubbish that goes with it takes the biscuit at times.
DG made a direct link between ticket prices and league position tweeting that wigan charged the least amount and went down, so if we wanted cheaper ticket prices, be prepared to go down, but using that analogy we should of been at least in he top 6.
Of course there is 1 factor in what dictates the price WHU fans pay at the turnstiles, and that is the fact we are a London team, our competitors are not the teams around us in the league like Villa,Everton or the Geordies. No, it's Arsenal Spuds and Chelsea our fellow Londoners, they are the clubs that our owners use when justifying what we pay.
Arsenal by far and away are the dearest, Spurs and Chelsea and us behind them, those 3 are the barometer our owners use, and those expecting prices to crash once we enter the OS, with the other 3s prices at their levels, why would you move further away from them.
Can't see it happening. What I imagine is there will be small price rises in the last remaining seasons left here leading to cheaper prices in the OS but equivalent to today's prices.
It was shocking to read Gary's admission in the Stoke Olas that he hadn't renewed his season tickets, another victim of the OS. I'm sure the club don't care that one of the most loyal fans feels so passionately that he feels his only option is to stop, not just him, but many many others that I know feel the same. The way I deal with it is quite simple, when we leave here, WHUFC formed in 1900 will cease to exist, buried under the rubble of progress, and he demolition of its home. In its place, much like when WHUFC rose out of the ashes of the defunct Thames Iron Works, a new club will take its place starting a fresh over in Stratford, it may have the same name, but it won't be the same club but ill give them a go, I never know, I might like it.
Lastly I'd just like to say a great hammers fan sadly passed away this week, known affectionately as Bob the cap, it is said that he never missed a game home or away in over 30 years, I remember Bob from when I stood near him on the North Bank back in the day. My friends cousin knew him, and he was a character you never forgot. Mainly for me was the fact he was the first fan I'd seen just piss where he was standing on the North bank.
He may be gone but I doubt he will ever be forgotten. RIP Bob the Cap.
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