Following his resignation as manager of Pompey, it is now nailed on that Avram will be unveiled as the new West Ham manager, probably sometime on Friday. I have already blogged my support for his appointment but I recognise that I greeted Zola with open arms; and look how that turned out!
Avram is not Jose. Avram is not even 'Arry. But Avram is probably what we now need, a steady pair of hands who seems to have the ability to organise and motivate a team to perform to their capabilities. Regular contributor, Stani, and others, will point to Grant's dreadful win ration in the Prem last season, but I have admiration for his ability to keep a team focused, despite the players not being paid on time, the club going into Administration and a clutch of mad contracts that prevented him from picking his teams based on ability and form. To get a team to a Cup Final, given all that was going on, was something of a miracle. And who knows what might have happened had Boateng buried that penalty?
He isn't exciting, he isn't a genius and he sure as hell isn't an oil painting. But Avram is the opposite of Zola - experienced in management and tactically proficient. He may fail, but he is much more likely to succeed than Zola. Champions League football in 5 years? No chance. But keeping our heads above water in the Prem and enjoying the odd lengthy cup run? Very possibly.
In Avram we trust? Let's hope so!
16 comments:
May I be the first to ask for Avram Grant to leave my cub as the footbsll is boring. Avram is boring and also HF is a prick. Welcome Avram Shabat Shalom.
Very happy for you to use this blog to make that request. It kind of underlines the status you believe this blog now commands that you have chosen it as the platform for your one man campaign. Why not get yourself a sandwich board and stand outside the ground until Grant goes just in case Sullivan and Gold miss this post?
Agree hammers fan. I'm very happy with his appointment and i agree it is what we need. We'll probably bring in a clutch of premier league experienced players who are in their prime aswell. And with them and Avram the aim for next season is survival, then dependant on how much money the owners put in, we can push on.
Nothing exciting about this appointment, no. But next year we can look foward to a steady season with no thrills but Premier league safety assured early and, as it's Avrams speciality, a good cup run!
Although i don't believe he'll be unveiled as early as tomorrow. Dosen't that seem a little too soon hammersfan?
Well no brown volvo in the car park not so sure about the trabant though
Get a bit bored with the "boring football" argument, nothing more boring than losing 6 games in a row and not scoring goals, while goals rain in at our end.
The club needs a proven premiership manager to play whatever football it takes to get us established in the top 10, then we can start attracting the exciting players that are able to play the pretty football.
Grant is not the man for WH. If he get's appointed then this time next year we will be in the championship.
His win ratio is very poor and even though he did a good job at a doomed club in getting them to a cup final.
I sense if he gets the job, we get more average players that are looking no more than finishing out of the bottom three rather than looking for a top ten finish.
The football will also be as excitng as watching a Curbishley team!
HF, don't be counting your chickens too soon...or you might end up with egg on your face just like SkySports News this morning!
From very early on they were running their customary yellow 'Breaking News' ticker bar across the bottom of the screen with the headline 'Avram Grant agrees, in principle, to become new West Ham manager'.
West Ham then released a statement on the OS which basically stated that the 'selection process' was still ongoing and may take 'up to 12 more days'!
Sky immediately retracted their ticker bar 'headline' and instead read out the official statement. They then reported 'Just In' news and quoted Sullivan as saying of AG, 'he's someone we need to speak to in the next couple of days' (Grant is currently in Israel!)
...and maybe there's a dark horse creeping up on the rails? Anyone for Gregorio Manzano?!
He'll have to keep the team focused once Sullivan starts slagging him and the team in the press....
@09:45 might as well get Curbs back you mug!
HF is a prick
Id love Ian Holloway. The after match interviews would be fantastic after each defeat. I agree as well Hammersfan is a prick.
How do you know he's got a steady pair of hands HF? :)
See the issue I have is that people are making him out to seem like a very safe appointment and someone who is proven. But the fact is he is not. Even you could have managed that Chelsea side HF, even you :) And for his time at Pompey, only the cup run is something which is in his favour and even then, the team he had was far from a poor one. It was definitely more balanced than ours and stronger in a number of positions. And it was just a cup run thus not a thorough examination.
Of course, he has much better chance to succeed at West Ham than Zola because he will be backed by the board and will have newer and better players.
I just feel there are still a lot of question marks with him. His reputation is still a false one, the result of favourable circumstances. It's not the worry-free appointment I was expecting.
I do hope he respects the tradition of football when he gets here.
The rating is only "luke warm" Stani. I'm not convinced that Grant is the man; but I am convinced that he is much more likely to succeeed than Zola. And you know, as well as I do, that Sullivan will only back Grant IF he is successful.
By the way, I think HF is a prick.
No way do you believe that HF! It is simple logic. Sullivan will back Grant immediately with player purchases. Then we will see if success follows. It cannot be the other way around. Grant will not start off with Zola's squad, of course not.
If you are referring to Sullivan's verbal backing, then indeed, this will likely follow any potential success. But we both know it's actions that speak louder than words.
I do believe that! HF ia a prick!
As for backing a manager with money, how could you back Zola? He would buy right backs to play left back, strikers to play wide left, wide left players to play wide right, right footers to play wide left...
Zola I feel too sad you are gone - I was too hasty - come back soon x
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