IntenseDebate - Ironsider

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - An Unnerving Fact Abou... · 0 replies · +1 points

Agreed. I know we will all have our own personal 'turning points' from last season but for me it started back in August. We had swarmed all over Bolton at home for the first half hour playing some great stuff with a tasty looking starting eleven, and then we started to see the shape of the season unfurl:

After almost relentless pressure we get a break and have a penalty. Carlton Cole was desperate to take it. Did anyone feel confident? Why not Noble? Anyway he duffed it and the keeper made an easy save. Bolton somehow made it to halftime at 0-0. Writing on the wall.

After the match Grant said something to the effect that he didn't like to choose penalty takers and preferred to leave it to the players to work out on the pitch: Writing on the wall.

Three minutes into the second half Upson stumbles under a challenge and heads past Green into his own net. Writing on the wall in 6 foot high letters. We lose 3-1.

Spine of the team? Hilarious.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - An Unnerving Fact Abou... · 2 replies · +1 points

Still have to disagree on this. As I said, we are losing four experienced players but that is no more or less damaging because of the positions they play in. Last season, even with those players in the squad and in the team (when they were all avaiable) we had little or no discernable extra benefit simply because they happened to be in each of those four positions.

I take your point perhaps about some good / great teams (though the spine tag has become trite in that context too) but we certainly were not that type of team last year. So though we will have to replace some experienced players in the squad, the issue of replacing a so-called spine doesn't arise for us as it was never really there as an effective unit in the first place. Big Sam will be looking to create units all over the pitch I'm sure, probably starting with a settled back four / defensive midfield combination to make us harder to beat.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - An Unnerving Fact Abou... · 3 replies · +1 points

Hopefully Stanislas will have a lot to contribute too.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - An Unnerving Fact Abou... · 4 replies · +1 points

I'm not too worried about loss of our so-called 'spine'. Like most footballing cliches, there is often an over-emphasis placed on the significance of this.

Is having a 'spine' any more important than an effective and settled back four, midfield or forward line? Or a an organised pattern of play or tactical foundation?

What we are facing, irrespective of their position, is the loss of some experienced players. But they are not indispensible when it comes to mounting a promotion challenge and the good news is that we are not in financial meltdown and we have a manager who will be able to attract players.

What our season showed last year is that the development of a settled style and some spirit in the team is just as important as the talent of any given group of individuals within the squad.

Because we are looking at a rebuilding job I personally think that to expect a return in one season is optimistic. But I am certainly confident that Sam will get the job done in two.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - Are the Board Split on... · 0 replies · +1 points

Yes agreed. The headline in particular is based on nothing. We could do with a lot less of this sort of ill-considered stuff during uncertain times.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - So Big Fat Sam It Is -... · 1 reply · +1 points

Fair enough but it's interesting to compare differences here. I'm much less concerned about the background / newspaper stuff regarding our board.

They made a mistake with Grant (and Sullivan has been frank enough to admit this) but the more important fundamentals for me are that they are the reason why we are not being deducted 12 points for going into administration and they are the ones injecting £20 million to help deal with relegation. If we do bounce straight back, these will be key factors.

What worries me much more is HOW are we going to bounce back and what sort of team will be watching for the coming seasons? What is going to happen to the academy and Tony Carr? If the board go for Allardyce that is definitley a decision that I am really concerned about.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - So Big Fat Sam It Is -... · 2 replies · +1 points

This is an excellent description of the worries of many, me included.

For some people to be so dismissive of this simply because we have been relegated is both sad and baffling. If Sam were to read anything on here today I hope it would be your second paragraph and I would just pray that he could take it on board.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - So Big Fat Sam It Is -... · 1 reply · +1 points

Fair enough Goaty and I was actually talking about being lectured by Bolton fans rather than you. And no, we can't judge him yet and I will wait and see.

But deep down, I think we all know what we are going to get and I can't help but be angry about it.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - So Big Fat Sam It Is -... · 1 reply · +1 points

"I have let football take the back seat in the hope that the future is stronger......."

Yup you have indeed. Just remember what the "FC" stands for.

15 years ago @ West Ham Till I Die - So Big Fat Sam It Is -... · 3 replies · +1 points

Have we been relegated before Tom?
Has the club seen bad times before?
The one thing we all know is that fortune's always hiding.

Where I fundamentally disagree with you is your idea of what consitutes our 'foundations'. The foundation of this club is the supporters and what brings us to matches week in and week out. If it was all about results (or the occasional relegation) then many of us would have given up years ago. Can't you understand that the biggest danger to our 'foundations' is the alienation of our support??

You only need to take the time to understand the fears and concerns on here to know that the foundations of our club are this morning under greater threat than at any time in the last 50 years. And it's nothing to do with the fact that we are in the Championship.

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