That, my friends, is how to win away.

Not just you, short, pithy and to the point is the way to go.

 

Leeds v West Ham Saturday could be a tasty encounter, 4 - 3 to Leeds and that is only Cards maybe

 

Sorry guys. Once I get in the flow I can't stop myself. Wasn't intending it to be so long but it didn't take that long to write. I just let it flow out, posted it then went through and corrected any obvious errors (missing loads I should think)

Just get bored of hearing how 'big' a club is that hasn't done anything for decades. Bit like Spurs fans who only now after 30 years of nothing have the right to think they are a 'big' club.

Maybe they should start replacing the word 'big' with 'famous' and then all the small sides like us can sing the good old 'you're not famous anymore'.

Oops that was meant to be one sentence he, he.

 

Don't apologise, it was a good read.

 

This looks very amusing right now.

What goes around comes around and that...

 

@trixter_whufc

Just read you r post belatedly. My scroll wheel played a trick on me and I missed it earlier.

You are a much better person sober as we all are however I don't consider West Ham to be a 'big club' just as I don't consider Birmingham Forest or Derby to be a 'big club'. I definitely don't consider Saints to be a big club. I think all 3 are pretty much similar in terms of stature, however would have to concede that historically we are by far the least succesful of all the four I mention.

I agree that it is embarrassing to have many of our top flight teams unable to fill their grounds where many of our second flight teams are outperforming them in terms of attendance, however they earnt the right to be where they are just as we both lost our right to be there by failing. My main gripe was with the abundance of comments after the St Mary's game that were on this board and West Ham boards regarding West Ham's stature and alluding to a basic belief that West Ham were failing because they were only second and had just lost to a 'small' team named Southampton.

We were top, we were playing great football, West Ham did not step up to the mark on that night and deservedly lost, however for many of your fans it seemed like they were embarrassed to lose to the (at the time) runaway league leaders.

With the Bobby Moore, Hursty and Brooking bit. I think most English football fans are very proud of all three and have a great respect for them and many others however what happened in the past does not mean West Ham are a big team. If anything it was their work playing for England that gave West Ham the stature it had at that time and the legend lives on

I don't think you will see many more 'prodigies' leaving St Marys for the 'glamour' clubs. The like of Bale and Walcott had to go due to finances and a frugal chairman. Chamberlain had a Dad that pushed the move through. Most of the rest will remain especially if they all progress through together.

With your debts you miss the point really. West Ham spent a lot on wages under Redknapp just as Portsmouth and now at Tottenham. He is a manager that seems to take pot luck on a batch of players hoping one will be good but has to pay them high wages to convince them to come. His player turnover at each club is pretty much due to this never ending purchase. I guess it's pretty much something we see West Ham doing under Allardyce where he is buying in anyone that comes onto the radar and many are now out on loan with West Ham left to foot most of their wage bill.

The debt coming down is not due to West Ham's earnings. It is due to the owners investing money into the club which is exactly what the UEFA rules are ruling against. It has to be outgoings versus income and not debts that are written off by investments from the owners.

As for Allardyce. He did a pretty good job at Bolton but you highlight the only year he did really well. Even then just like Redknapp at Pompey he brought in players in their last year on vast 'golden handshake' wages rather than investing in the future of the club. Most likely he said he could take them no further because the money started to dry up there and he knew that he couldn't get players like Djorkaeff and Campo every time. Maybe he was lucky to get that batch of players all at the same time just as AF was that the golden generation came through all at the same time, however where AF used that as the springboard for a consistent title winning side, Allardyce jumped ship. That AF side had a decade or more in it, Allardyce's Bolton was already on it's last legs when it started due to it's age but still a good achievement.

I've actually watched a fair few West Ham matches this season. Enforced mainly due to Saturday or Sunday lunches at my parents with the stream or Sky on and like Brighton they do not play pretty football. It is very much a barrage of high balls to the box or the wings. Reminds me of John Beck and Graham Taylor at Lincoln (both of which were succesfull promotion sides albeit at the lower levels of the league.

Whilst Saints fans have endured a similar 'hoofball' mentality during the 2 month blip I think that was more down to the form. Either side of that blip we have enjoyed a free flowing silky passing game and are starting to get back to where were at the start of the season now. Yes there is the odd long ball but the other 95% is very good to watch.

So basically what I am saying (and probably what I should have said rather than write 2 long posts) was that I don't thing the 'BIG' statements are a little outdated. West Ham are no doubt a very famous club with good support however unless they do something in their future they will always be associated with the 60s, just as we always associate our team with the single FA cup win in 76 and the early eighties where we were one of the league's best sides. The majority of Saints Fans don't call Southampton a 'BIG' club though. Some may do but less than others. The majority of us do not consider Saints a big club nor care how BIG we are or if other clubs think they are bigger. We consider Saints as our club, the club we love with a passion and it does not matter hhow big or small or inferior we are considered. The results tell us where we are at and we are very happy with that position at the moment.

Hopefully we will still be there come the end of the season but we will not go OTT if we fail. We will of course be on a downer for a few weeks before geeing up for the next season. The impression I get of WH fans is that if they don't go up this season half of them would want the owners out, the manager gone, and still be ranting through the next season.

Please note I am trying to use words like Some, Most, Many etc as I know on both sides not all the fans are in this mindset however on both sides there are those who are and many of the WH ones are much more indiscriminate and less respectful of the other teams around them who deserve to be where they are because they have earnt their positions to this point in the season. As my missus says size doesn't matter and it's a good job both for Super Saints and for me

Let's just wait till the end of the season and we will be courtious and let you gloat then and hopefully the reverse will be true should we do the unthinkable and finish above yourselves.

It's only a game. lol

 

I don't agree with all of what you say but you are a very articulate and respectful poster.

Fair play Sir and i wish you well for the rest of the season.

COYI.

 

ImpSaint, re this bit: ...With the Bobby Moore, Hursty and Brooking bit. I think most English football fans are very proud of all three and have a great respect for them and many others however what happened in the past does not mean West Ham are a big team.

It's Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters. The player who was famously dubbed, 10 years ahead of his time, because of his ability to ghost around the pitch and make late runs into the penalty area. Peters was an elegant player who had an extremely long career, and in all honesty, in his prime would have put players like Trevor Brooking into a second place, good though Brooking was.

Anyway, if anyone asks you, it's those WHU three. Brooking was a decade later sideshow.

 

Stain. ImpsSaint was just quoting the 3 players i mentioned earlier when I was making a point about West Hams proud history.

 

So it's YOUR fault then..? Tsk, tsk..! You should know better.

How old are you, man..? Do you know your own club's history..? Blimey, I remember Ronnie Boyce, down the middle, Redknapp out on the wing [lord knows what he thought he was doing there, no pace, as I remember], John Sissons, etc... All manner of WHU players. 'Course, Micky Channon, Painer and Ron Davies took them to the cleaners, but what of it..? There were players in that team which won the World Cup, and deserved a bit of respect when they were soundly beaten..!

 

Yep I was just referring to the players mentioned however that era was of my parents. I remember Brooking as a player in my Pannini sticker albums as a kid and then as a commentator/pundit. I guess I caught the end of his career really but always a player for some reason I liked and have respected ever since. I like that he is charged with the responsibilities he has with the FA however feel he should be given licence to do it his way. He seems to be a little tied to an FA mandate and not given that freedom.

My main memories at school leaving age was that West Ham fans probably wish he had been full time manager rather than caretaker twice. Not many can compete with that win ratio even if it was for such short spells

Martin Peters was of course a great player although I have only ever seen highlights of games involving him just as I have of Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst.

For some reason another player that I have always remembered was Alvin Martin. Can't remember why. Maybe as I child I thought the name Alvin was a little funny but I really can't say. Just seem to remember his name when people talk about West Ham.

Anyways good luck to you and try not to drink too much You write much more respectfully when sober. I tend not to write at all when drunk as it takes ages to correct typos in 8000 word post he, he.

 

I think you have mis-understood Stain. I wasn't trying to name our world cup winners.

I was merely pointing out some of our clubs legends through history.

Thanks for the history lesson though. interesting even if a tad irrelevant.

 

Strange the fragments of trivia that you remember from childhood. One of my old football cards (you know the ones, withs the bit of flat bubble gum in) informed me that Martin Peters was the first English players to be transferred for the then record fee of £200000. I wonder what happened to those albums?

 

perfectly put ImpsSaint. id give you a smiley "clap" but won't work ......... ****e, just read that back !!

 

Yeah an any won that youses wurds other 4 leters long I dun bover wiv iver.

 

Jeez, St Godders has gone articulate on us ! This is the most thought provoking post of the day.

 

It is normally only a skate perogative to use the "stain" word, are you being disrespectful or are you a closet fish fiddler?

 

Think he was just replying to TheSecondStain

 

As Ana has rightly pointed out, you have jumped the gun there sir.

 

U get me blud braaaaaaaap!!!!