Sometimes a player leaves and you are left with a feeling of resentment - Bellamy and Neill being two examples - and sometimes the emotion is one of relief, as with Bowyer and, if only, if only, Quashie. But on rare occasions, a player departs your club and you find yourself saying, "Good luck for the future mate". Even though Tevez joined the Mancs, he retained our affection, and the same applies to Collins.
Ginge may not be the most techniquely brilliant of footballers but he has that proverbial heart of a lion. His prowess in the air is indisputable but what has impressed me most since Clarke got to work on him, is his reading of the game. 47 times out of 50, Collins judges correctly when to close an opposition player - and when he does it, he shows immense bravery, throwing himself at the ball with no thought as to what might happen to his face or crown jewels. (But then with a boat race like that and ginger pubes, perhaps it doesn't matter!)
The critics said he and Upson would not be able to play together because of a lack of pace but, between them, they showed that organisation and reading the game can compensate for a lack of blistering pace. How could any West Ham think differently given the brilliance of Moore, who was never lightening quick? O'Neill is an excellent judge of a player and it speaks volumes for the ability of Collins that Villa came in for him.
All the best Ginge - you were a key player in the Great Escape and, like Tevez, you leave West Ham with our affection and admiration. Good luck for the future!
7 comments:
collins wont be missed plenty of cover. bagpuss tried a sneeky bid for upson The shitbag
Collins will be missed by me.
aah sure you'll get over it soon eneogh
When 35,000 faithful are seeking sustainance from a couple of loafers and a sardine, it's no bad thing to have a guy with the initials JC on your side. I think this is a big mistake. Collins is our strongest defensive header of the ball and offers something different to the rest of our centre backs.
Nightmare scenario is when in two weeks Upson is injured (it's happened before); now look at how weak our defence looks. JC was once denied by Peter, who went on to be a rock. Our JC has been denied by Scott on whom I wouldn't build a sandcastle.
LOL Very good Marty!
Interesting to see JC's comments on his move. He believes he's taken a step up, and he's right. Was it really worth breaking up one of the best central defensive partnerships in the league for £5 million?
Ginge, is so much more than that: depsite plenty of cover he played the first three games of the season. I think the club would have kept him if they had the choice but someone had to go to cover expenses. Books balance and all that. Same with Savio, player in and 2.5M? Does that make £7.5M?
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