Anybody else been unsettled by the decision of Villa to bid for Collins rather than Upson? It is one thing for Stoke City to fancy Collins, quite another for Martin O'Neill to want him. When it was Stoke, there was a feeling that Upson was beyond their means so Collins was a next best choice. Villa, however, are not financially strapped and were rumoured to be after Upson. It would appear from the latest rumours, however, that O'Neill has weighed up the options and prefers the younger Collins at a lower price to the older Upson at a higher figure. And O'Neill is no mug as a rule.
Either way, Clarke is going to lose a key figure in his back four. Whether or not Collins is the first choice partner for Upson is a matter of some debate - Tomkins may be the main man - but he was a key figure in the Great Escape and has acquitted himself well since returning to the team. The most depressing thing about all this is that we have to sell to be able to bid £7m for a striker that we so desperately need.
10 comments:
Keep Ginge out one pace no jump Upson
That is very harsh!
I'd keep Collins and take 12 for Upson but that may be the reason I pay to watch rather than get paid to participate
Wasn't he an 'Over paid tart' on Wednesday?
Now he has acquitted himself well and was instrumental in the Great Escape and is a key figure in Clarke's defense...
The things you learn on this blog...
We knew we'd have to sell players to buy - it's not like they haven't said that all summer. I wish we could have shipped off Boa Morte, Quashie and Davenport, kept Neil, gotten rid of Faubert, found whatever hole Ashton has been languishing in and determined whether his career is over or not but they haven't happened so if we want the striker we desperately need we have to sell from a position we have a surplus of and it's either Upson or Collins.
Ultimately Upson will command a fee but realistically we are unlikely to get 12m for him at 30 and if that's what we're holding out for then it has to be Ginge.
Sad But True.
However at this late stage it's a major concern that we're going to miss our targets altogether and then we have to pray that Nouble, Hines, Dixon and even Savio can make the step up.
LOL, gives you something to react to 1239.
Firstly, for all of you who moan about injury prone players, here are some stats for you. When we bought Jame Collins four years ago, the games that he could have featured in amounts to 152 and the games that he has actually featured in amounts to 52, so that would be around a 33% turnout. When we bought Matty Upson just over two and a half years ago, the games that he could have featured in amounts to 90 and the games that he has actually featured in amounts to 69, so that would be around a 76 or 77% turnout. Now I do recall that Collins wasn't Pardew's first or second choice centre half as he preferred to field Gabbidon and Ferdinand, but with taking that into account, Collins' injury rate has been far worse for us than Upson's. Secondly, another thing that has to realised is that this season is the most crucial for Upson, because he wants to go to South Africa next year and therefore will be absolutely playing out of his skin and better that he does that for us and not for clubs like City, Everton or Villa, so I would choose to keep Upson over Collins all day long and I think that he is the better player out of the two. Don't get me wrong, I love Collins to bits and would much rather keep him and Upson, but if by selling him generates enough funds to get our much needed striker, then it would be the smaller sacrifice IMHO. Remember not to get too hung up about the money that has been offered for Upson and the fact that he is now 30yrs of age because defenders in the English game do seem to get better as they get older, just look at Rio for example of this as he is a far better player than he was ten or even five years ago and defender's careers do tend to last longer than players in other positions and 30yrs old may be considered as past it or near past it on the continent, but in the EPL is no age at all as players can and have gone onto way past 35yrs old before retiring. The fact of the matter is that for this season at least, we need Upson more than we need Collins and I am a little suprised that there is such a debate aross all West Ham fan's sites, because for me, it's a no brainer.
Great stats Dux's eyebrows. What is West Ham's win ratio with Collins in and out of the team though? He was a key figure in the Great Escape along with Green, Neill, Ferdinand, Zola, Noble and Tevez.
Of course there is always the possibility that Upson has said he wants to stay.
"LOL, gives you something to react to 1239."
I didn't think I reacted particularly - just pointed out a slight discrepancy to you, but considering that you must write a lot of this to get a rise out of opposition teams AND your fellow Hammers it was more to give a more balanced view.
I wasn't abusive, polemic or even disagreeing with you really, just more resigned to the situation we are in at the moment, but your own reaction shows exactly the type of wind up merchant you are.
I was laughing at my apparent inconsistency mate. I did say that Collins was a poor example for the previous argument though. Sorry if you're not my mate, I know that offends some. But surely all West Ham fans are mates of one form or another?
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