Carrick, Cole, Defoe, Di Canio, James, Johnson, Kanoute, Sinclair, Repka...that's 9 pretty good players from a team that was famously too good to go down. They were. They amassed 42 points, enough to stay up in every Premiership season except one; the one that mattered.
Of course, another list of names could have been given: Breen, Brevett, Camara, Cisse, Minto, Schemmell, Winterburn...that's a list of old knackered has beens, journeymen footballers and foreign mercenaries, dead weights to be carried through a relegation struggle. Looking at them, it is no wonder we struggled!
But go back to that original list and, the centre of defence apart, that was one hell of a spine, a spine far too good to go down surely? But then, there was the centre of the defence!
And there is the rub. We went down in 2002-03 because we couldn't defend for our lives. The centre backs were slow and far from brilliant - add Pearce to that second list - and the full backs were either old, inexperienced, or just plain crap. Schemmell indeed, was our Ilunga - one good season and then hopeless.
When we look at the present team, the first thought is, too good to go down. We have Green, but that side had James. We have Upson, but that side had Repka. We have Parker. But that side had Lomas (not as good but similar!). We have Cole and Obinna but that side had Kanoute, Di Canio and Defoe. Carrick or Noble? Cole or Barerra? When you start making comparisons, it starts to get a bit chilling.
This morning, after watching MOTD highlights, my son said, "We played well really. We just missed some easy chances and conceded some stupid goals." Grant has said something similar although not so succinctly. The trouble is, you win games by scoring more than you concede so it doesn't matter how well you play if you don't score and if you keep conceding.
Yes, at times, we played well yesterday. In fact, at no point did Chelsea dominate us in the way they have dominated other teams so far this season. If Cole's offside goal had stood, and on another day, it might not have been flagged offside, we may have staged a fight back. Had Piquionne scored when standing on the line beneath a gaping goal, 2-3 wouldn't have looked so bad. If Green had made a simple catch, if Upson had kicked the ball into touch, if Green had saved that first header, if Essien hadn't scored twice with his head after never scoring headers before...if, if, if, if ,if!
But here is the rub, here is the most important if: IF we don't stop making the same mistakes game after game after game, we will go down. That was the point of my Groundhog Day report yesterday.
Green has already made terrible howlers in two games. Two games out of four! When you have a keeper throwing games at a rate of 50%, you are in desperate trouble. Upson has made a terrible mistake leading to goals in both home games this season. When you have the captain of your defence making that many crucial mistakes, you are going down - ask Newcastle fans and remember back to Breen! Four games down and a forward has yet to net a goal. If you can't find a regular goal scorer up front, prepare yourself for relegation!
That's why I wanted Behrami and Parker sold. That's why I didn't want Diamanti and Daprela to go. That's why our focus should have been on sorting out the defence in the close season and finding somebody who scores to play up front. Actually that's why we possibly shouldn't have let Ilan leave. He wasn't very good outside the box, but he had that rather precious quality when in it, he scored goals. Unlike Cole and Piquionne and Sears and, based on yesterday, Obinna too. As for Diamanti, we have had three free kicks already this season that he might have scored from. Without him, at least until Der Hammer plays, we have nobody to take these crucial set pieces.
So, the bad news is that, if this continues, we WILL go down. You can't stay up if your keeper is crap, your centre halves are crap and your forwards can't hit a barn door from five yards, or five inches in Piquionne's case!
The window is closed so what do we do? Drop Upson, some will scream. But I would stick with Upson. For all his errors, he is the best defender we have. Drop Ilunga, some will scream. But do you want to see Spector at left back? Oh for Daprela! Drop Cole, some will scream. But Cole was our leading scorer in each of the last two seasons and was one of our better players yesterday. Drop Noble some will scream, but I thought we matched up reasonably well in midfield yesterday.
Drop Green, some will whisper, and if Boffin is any good at all, I would do that. Green's confidence is shot to pieces but it is more than that. He was always weak on crosses, he was always too meek. We need a man between the sticks and not a mouse. We need somebody to take charge, to boss the box, to shout and yell and demand and intimidate those lazy arse defenders into doing their jobs. Look at his face after each of the goals yesterday. He doesn't look angry, he looks dazed. We was poor last season and he is even worse this. It may be that a rest will help but I don't think it will. I don't see Green doing a Robinson, I don't see him ever coming again sadly. He is a Richard Wright, a keeper who has strengths but who is fundamentally flawed. Green actually belongs in the Championship and I don't want the rest of the club joining him down there. I used to say that Green was a great shot stopper but an average keeper; ask me now and I would say that Green is an average shot stopper and a poor keeper.
But chopping and changing personnel, ultimately, is not the answer. We need a settled back four certainly that plays as a unit. My back four would include Da Costa, but if Grant thinks Ben Haim and Upson are the answer, so be it. Settle on that and start drilling the unit. Ilunga really does need a rocket up his backside though. Watch that third Chelsea goal. He ambled across to the left flank, having drifted too far infield in the first place. Had he sprinted, had he closed, that cross would not have been delivered on a plate, but Ilunga didn't even try.
Der Hammer will hopefully help. We don't know how good the guy is yet but the promise is a captain who will play box to box and contribute goals from midfield. You know, what Parker offers, which is perhaps why Parker should have been sold. Obinna also looked good yesterday. His movement was impressive, his touch excellent, his pace threatening - if he can score too, he could well keep us up. And then there is McBenni in reserve. IF fit, he WILL score goals. The raw materials are there for a decent team, a team too good to go down. But then we have heard that before haven't we?
Blackpool WILL go down. Wigan WILL go down. West Brom and Newcastle WILL struggle. Stoke's attempts to sign big names may have eroded the team spirit that was so important to them. There are enough teams to fill those bottom three places. Four defeats in a row isn't great but it happens to lots of teams; it just feels worse at the start of a season. We didn't expect anything at Man Utd and history tells us the best we could hope for away to Villa and at home to Bolton and Chelsea is three draws. We are therefore, just three points shy of the best we should really have expected at this stage. Everton only have 2 points and they will finish in the top 8. It isn't time to panic, yet.
But nor is it time to be complacent. We are not too good to go down. I'm still backing Avram but if these rumours are true about him missing the Stoke game for Yom Kippur, I would sack him on the spot ahead of the game. Football is our religion and prayers will not keep us up; any manager who puts another god first can go to hell in my book. Curbishley or Pardew in charge next weekend anybody?
A very good post
ReplyDeleteHF, I think the Yom Kippur point is a bit harsh. Here in America, one of our greatest ever baseball players was Sandy Koufax, a pitcher for the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers. Pitchers usually play every 3rd or 4th game, and one year he had a game in the World Series scheduled for Yom Kippur. The team re-arranged the pitching order for him. Kind of a famous story over here. Anyway, I realize this is a bit different because there is no re-arranging possible. But I still think it's harsh.
ReplyDeleteAnd I wonder something. I could see him being excused from the game, and we WIN! Doesn't that seem like exactly the kind of wacky thing that would happen to us, giving the papers a field day with new made up stories of how the players rallied around the tea lady that acted as caretaker?
By the way, Paul Merson had some positive things to say about us on Sky.
Can't wait to hear you rip that to shreds.
Harsh but the way I feel Dave. The Stoke game is shaping up as a six pointer. Avram needs to sort out his priorities I'm afraid. I thought the rumours were malicious and racist initially, and I still hope that is the case. But if true, we can't accommodate a guy as manager who puts religious superstition over football. Bill Shankley was wrong to say that football was more important than life and death - as Hillsborough, Bradford, Ibrox and Heisel have cruelly proved - but it IS more important than religious Hocus Pocus. (And I include ALL religions in this. I am not being in any way antisemitic.) If I was Sullivan, I would have Avram into my office for a polite ultimatum. Our players are expected to play over the Christmas and Easter breaks. I remember a Wolves player quitting football when he became a Jehovah's Witness (Knowles?). If Avram's religion is so important to him, he shouldn't be a football manager in any country of the World other than Israel. Harsh but true.
ReplyDeleteThanks John.
ReplyDeleteWe should let him have it off HF. It might just be a bit refreshing with Petrovic in the dugout as the main man instead of misery guts. Petrovic has plenty of experience at top teams.
ReplyDeleteId take Pardew back in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteBut that's not the point is it Stanni, it's a question of commitment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you very much on the point that we need a stable back four. It's extremely important that they a good understanding between each other, especially the centre back though.
ReplyDeleteAnd throughout your post you make some very good points.
However, I couldn't disagree more with you on your comment about Avram Grant and Yom Kippur. A certain amount of tolerance is to be had here in my opinion.
Yom Kippur is very important in Judaism and stands as the most holy day of the year. It is a religious event which is observed by even the most secular of Jews.
It happens once a year, and if that one day happens to be a match day, then so be it. Forcing him to work on that one day, would not only be extremely intolerant but probably even border on religious discrimination, which as far as I know is against the law.
I am no believer, but I acknowledge the importance of religion to others. So therefore I'd be very disillusioned with the club and its management if it were to threaten an employee with dismissal for something as trivial as taking a match-day off.
Football might be important, but we can spare him for that one day. I'm sure Petrovic can follow instructions well enough; although, I do hope that we see Grant in the dugout this Saturday.
I am sure Jewish doctors and nurses work on Yom Kippur Bill. I am not equating football with life and death but that illustrates that there are ways around the issue for Jews. Does the army stop work on that day in Israel? Do all the police stay at home? Of course not.
ReplyDeleteFootball managers cannot absent themselves from games because of their religion. I'm still hoping this is nonsense but, if it isn't Avram should go. Zola is a devout Catholic but when West Ham played on a Sunday, he was there. It is a harsh stance I know, but Avram has the choice, football or religion. If the doctors, nurses, soldiers, policemen etcetera in Israel can work on Yom Kippur, so can Avram.
How can you call being absent on a match day trivial Bill? We only play 38 games in a Premiership season, it is what Avram is focused on. The Stoke game is potentially a six pointer. At the end of the day, that result could decide whether or not we play in the Prem next season.
Avram has the right to choose for himself, but not for a million or so Hammers fans around the globe. If he isn't needed for that game, why do we need him for any game? Sack him. If he is needed, and I think he is, obviously, then he needs to be there, putting his job ahead of his personal beliefs. If he can't do that, he is not a fit person for the job in my opinion. (And I speak as somebody who has absolute tolerance of other faiths but who believes that nobody's faith should be allowed to get in the way of other people's happiness.)
My message to Avram would be, get real. Believe whatever you want to believe but don't expect to hold down the job of a Premiership club manager if you can't commit to showing up for ALL 38 games in a Premiership season!
And jus to clarify, the same would hold, in my book, for a Christian manager who refused to turn up for games over the Christmas and Easter periods. This is not about the Jewish religion, it is about the necessity for a manager of a football club to be available to that club on match days.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that Yom Kippur should be taken as something extremely important for his faith. If there is to be made any comparison to Christianity at all (which is think is doubtful), it would be forcing a Christian player not to participate in ANY part of Easter.
ReplyDeleteComparing it to Zola working on a Sunday is simply wrong. The Jewish Shabbat is on a Saturday and is pretty must the Jewish counterpart of the Christian Sunday, and it's not like he takes every single Saturday off.
And yes, just about everybody stays at home in Israel on Yom Kippur. There is nothing on tv or radio and public services are shut down for the day. Even such a thing as seeing a car drive in the streets of Tel-Aviv on Saturday will be a rarity. And although I'm not quite sure how vital public services like police and medical help work on Yom Kippur, they are most likely scaled down.
And since you mention the army: in the Arab-Israeli War of 1973, the Egyptian and Syrian armies launched a quite successful surprise attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, and because of it being Yom Kippur it was quite difficult to mobilize the army - so yes, the army basically has the day off.
And in the context of the sole holiest day of Juadism and, with your examples, upholding order, saving lives, and defending the country - I can safely say that missing a match-day is a trivial matter.
I agree with all that Bill, I say football is not life and death, but life goes on. Avram does not manage a Jewish club in Israel, he manages a club in England. If he can't do that job because of his religious beliefs, he shouldn't be in that job.
ReplyDeleteI knew about the attack, and I know that Israeli forces are always on special alert as a result on the day. They find a way around the problem.
As I say, for me it is about choices. Avram is welcome to his beliefs, but they should not be allowed to get in the way of his job. If it is an issue, then manage Tel Aviv and be guaranteed Yom Kippur off!
HF,
ReplyDeleteYes, then the answer is simple.
Should you be more committed to your faith or your job?
I'm sure if we plonked a life size colour print out of him in the dugout, no one would notice the difference.
As an atheist, that is an easy question for me to answer Stani. Of course, if you are religious, you should be more committed to your faith.
ReplyDeleteBut if your faith is that strong, you should not apply for, and accept, a job that comes into conflict with your faith. In a 38 game Prem season, I do not consider it unreasonable to EXPECT a manager to be in attendance at EVERY game. If your faith doesn't permit that, don't do the job.
I mean, without being disrespectful, you wouldn't expect a Muslim to apply for a job as a food taster for Walls pork sausages. It is 38 games, 38 days in the WHOLE year when Avram CAN'T have a day off. That is a pretty minimal expectation!
Mind you, as an atheiest, I do thinkk this is all a load of bunkum anyway. As if "God" gives a monkey's whether or not Avram works on Yom Kippur. I suspect "God" might have slightly bigger concerns, to be honest. Not sure what he makes of what is going on in the Gaza Strip for example!
Although, I suppose, if "God" exists and is the one the Jews pray to, it might be an astute tactical decision of Grant to observe religious custom. Perhaps we might actually win a game as a reward for Avram!
Of course, these are still rumours!
I can definitely see where you're coming from; moreover, practically being an atheist myself, I can't really relate to the situation either.
ReplyDeleteBut in the end, Yom Kippur is one day a year, and it doesn't necessarily land on a Saturday. So if he absolutely has to miss two match days in five years time (or whatever it turns out to) - then I can accept that. The important thing is that he does his job, and he does it well (and yes, that is possible to accomplish if he misses one game).
He definitely shouldn't be fired, nor be served an ultimatum because of this. It wasn't a surprise to anyone that he was Jewish, so if it would be a problem - they shouldn't have hired him.
I very much doubt that we could sack him because of it Bill. So I would ask, "You planning to show up for the Stoke game?" If the answer is no, I would say, "That's good because you're fired for losing the first four games of the season."
ReplyDeleteI don't believe you're an atheist HF, even if you do. But that's beside the point. Your pork analogy is not correct. Muslims are forbidden to consume pork at any time. Grant is forbidden to work on that one particular day. It's not the same.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in a secular society, almost every job, if not every job, will at some point come into conflict with one's faith.
And it's not just a 38 game season. You are giving the impression he just works 38 days but he works most days; training, preparation, scouting etc. I think it's unreasonable to expect him to be there every one of those days, yes.
At least we agree on your last point though that Grant should be praying :)
Not an issue on anything other than a match day Stani. It is those 38 key days that Avram HAS to work on. He should just move Yom Kippur to the next day in his own mind. It moves around anyway, like Easter. Any "day" that isn't fixed to a "day" is dubious in my book. Jesus was crucified on a fixed date but they don't know when it was, so go back to pagan worship according to phases of the moon!
ReplyDeleteBelief in any of the currently popular Gods is based on no more evidence than there is for Bertrand Russell's celestial tea pot, orbiting the sun between Earth and Mars; it should have no bearing on the running of West Ham United football club.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is entitled to believe what they like in the privacy of their own minds as far as I'm concerned, but it should not be allowed to affect others who are not afflicted with the same superstitions.
Unfortunately religion still holds a stranglehold over reason in the world , so perhaps it isn't such a surprise to read that Gold didn't know whether Grant was religious enough to require a day off on Yom Kippur, but if he was, that would be OK; because "my grandparent's wouldn't have worked on Yom Kippur"
Something's rotten in the State of... but it should have nothing to do with the eating of Ham!
I'd tell Avram that it's either Yahweh or my way. If it's my way you do the job you're paid for and work as usual for the Stoke game. If it's Yahweh, then get a job in a country where the tribal holidays are suited to your superstitions.
ReplyDelete