A friend and fellow West Ham fan texted me immediately following the
Hammers' dismal home loss to Aston Villa yesterday: "I think we just got
relegated today."
While I understand where he's coming from, I disagree with this
assessment. Taking West Ham's three most recent performances – Villa,
Bolton, Manchester United – solely into account, it's hard to see the
side having the proverbial snowball's chance in hell of staying up.
Luckily, for West Ham and the Upton Park faithful, there are more
variables in this equation than the Irons and their apparent lack of
desire to win.
Those variables, the other teams engaged in the relegation battle, might
well save the Hammers' season.
Let's look at it objectively. You've got 20 teams in the league, and
three of them must go down. As of this writing, the bottom six teams in
the table, counting from 20th place to 15th, are Wolves, West Ham,
Blackpool, Wigan, Blackburn and Sunderland.
Three of those teams will be safe come the last day of the season.
Blackpool sealed its fate of certain relegation after a loss to Wigan
yesterday. In the coming weeks, the Oranges face Newcastle, Stoke,
Tottenham, Bolton and Manchester United.
That's one team down.
Wolves face Fulham, Stoke, Birmingham, West Brom, Sunderland and
Blackburn. Assuming the side loses to Fulham, Stoke, Birmingham and
Blackburn and forces draws from West Brom and Sunderland, it finished
with two more points than it has now.
That's two teams down.
In the coming weeks, West Ham faces Chelsea and Manchester City, both
away. The Hammers will lose these games, no doubt. It will look certain,
with only three matches remaining, that West Ham will go down.
However, the Hammers face Blackburn and Sunderland at home and Wigan
away in its last three fixtures. A win over Blackburn gives the Hammers
35 points entering the Wigan match.
Assuming Sunderland pulls out a magical last-ditch effort and defeats
Wigan at the Stadium of Light, the Latics enter the game against West
Ham on 34 points.
A hard fought win against Wigan by West Ham, followed by against
Sunderland at Upton Park, secures Wigan's relegation – the other sides
the Latics face in the last weeks of the season are Everton, Villa and
Stoke.
That's three teams down.
And West Ham is not one of them.
Further variables such as Sunderland's abysmal form and Birmingham and
Blackburn's upcoming fixtures – the former faces Chelsea, Liverpool,
Newcastle, Fulham and Tottenham, the latter, Manchester City, Manchester
Untied and Bolton – also bode well for the Hammers.
At this point, West Ham can still save its season, and comfortably avoid
relegation.
However, it will require the coherence and burning desire to win the
Hammers displayed against Liverpool and Stoke, not the confused and
flaccid nonsense the team showed against Bolton and Villa, and poor
results from the other teams in the fight.
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X-rated Danny Gabbidon lets rip on Twitter before appearing to close
account (Daily Mail)
Danny Gabbidon could find himself in hot water with the FA over an
F-word Twitter rant during the early hours of Sunday morning.
The West Ham defender, who played in Saturday's 2-1 home defeat against
Aston Villa, tweeted: 'U know what, f*** the lot of you, u will never
get another tweet from me again, you just don't get it do you. Bye bye.'
Gabiddon appeared to have shut down his Twitter account yesterday - but
could yet find himself in trouble with the FA and his club.
It is unclear what provoked Gabbidon into the X-rated post, nevertheless
West Ham are unlikely to be happy with the conduct of the Wales
international.
Outburst: Gabbidon could face an FA charge
Outburst: Gabbidon could face an FA charge
His outburst happened just four days after team-mate Carlton Cole
accepted a charge of improper conduct for comments made on the popular
website during England's friendly against Ghana which people complained
were racist.
In light of Cole's charge, Hammers players were reminded of their
responsibilities regarding social networking sites like Twitter, and
another furore will infuriate Upton Park chiefs.
The FA's disciplinary team will look at the issue this morning with the
most likely punishment being a warning.
However, Wayne Rooney was recently hit with a two-game ban for swearing
into a camera during Sky Sports' live coverage of Manchester United's
4-2 win over West Ham.
And with the FA keen to breathe fresh impetus into their Respect
campaign, Wembley chiefs are likely to take a dim view of Gabbidon's
swear word outburst.
Apart from Cole, former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel is the only other
player to be charged by the FA over a Twitter-related offence.
The Holland international was hit with an improper conduct charge after
posting a mocked-up picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester
United shirt after the Anfield club's 1-0 FA Cup third round defeat in
January.
And the fact there is no precedent for Gabbidon's offence, given Cole's
charge was for discrimination and Babel's for questioning the integrity
of an official, could work in the defender's favour as he looks to dodge
possible sanctions.
Gabbidon and West Ham were unavailable for comment on Sunday night.
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Not getting any easier, is it? (KUMB)
By: Paul Walker
So it's come to this. Five games left, two that Avram Grant does not
believe we can win and three more that the rest of us doubt we can win.
We haven't won three league games on the trot since 2008 and we haven't
won three from five since a spell that started on Boxing Day the same
season - so why does anyone think we can suddenly produce a miracle?
Because that is what is needed now after the spiritless, spineless,
painful capitulation of the last two games against Bolton and Aston Villa.
We've got Danny Gabbidon swearing at fans on Twitter - maybe someone
asked him why he didn't compete in the air against Gabby Agbonlahor for
Villa's injury time winner - and Grant showing just why he should have
been sacked in January and any month previously.
I actually stopped writing my views over the past few weeks because I
was being accused of being negative and we should all be pulling
together. Fair point. But I've been pulling together, as have family and
friends, but frankly it's hard to believe that the team and management
are pulling together.
These last two games (probably more) have been the pits. Over 3,000
Hammers fans went to Bolton and were stunned by the lack of fight and
moral fibre. It was the first game in 50 years - apart from one match at
the old Den when a full scale riot was going on and bottles were fizzing
around my head - that I have left early.
Nine minutes to be precise. I'd seen enough, if the players were not
going try, why should I. I felt bad about that and waited until the end
against Villa, wondering how we would react to that last seconds goal.
Manchester United would have thrown themselves forward in frantic
desperation, Liverpool - at Arsenal on Sunday - reacted in just the same
way, and won a penalty and a point. West Ham, nothing, we didn't even
get the ball into Villa's box.
We should have had another penalty, when Richard Dunne shoved over
Carlton Cole - no, Mark Halsey, it wasn't shoulder to shoulder. But we
should have seen Vidic sent-off when we were 2-0 ahead against
Manchester United in the last home game - refereeing has just become a
sick joke.
But no sicker than the lack of planning, organisation, commitment and
effort from our lovely boys of late. I thought we had a defensive coach
in Wally Downes, but we are still letting in shocking goals at the back.
Since that FA Cup defeat at Stoke, when we were cheated out of victory,
nothing has gone right.
Now Stoke are in the Cup Final and we are going nowhere, seemingly, but
down. It will be good to see Carlos Tevez lifting the cup for Manchester
City. Good luck, pal, you deserve it.
There is so much wrong with us at the moment, it's hard to know where to
start. The 4-3-3 formation does not work. We leave too much space in
front of our full backs, who get attacked constantly without support.
We have conceded more headed goals than any other Premier League team
this season, and still we don't contest crosses, stop them coming in or
cut them out. Robert Green, for all his heroics, does not command his
area and Matthew Upson, and now Gabbidon, constantly lose out in the
air. Two more headed goals against Villa and not a challenge on
Agbonlahor or Darren Bent.
Now we could do with Bent up front. Oh, I forgot, some of our fans made
it clear to Alan Curbishley that they didn't want a player from
Charlton, he wasn't good enough. But look at him now, he might well get
into our attack.
It has, in fact, all gone wrong since Scott Parker got into the England
set-up. Nobody would deny him a last chance of a proper international
career and maybe a major finals next summer. But I went to Cardiff for
the Wales game with only one thing in my head - please don't get
injured, Scotty.
I should have known better. We have lost Dean Ashton due to
international duty injury and Thomas Hitzlsperger for much of the season
for the same reason. Parker returned from England duty with a calf
injury and more damage to the shoulder injury he has been playing with
for weeks.
He clearly didn't look fit against Manchester United or Bolton - and he
could take some blame for both Daniel Sturridge goals because he just
couldn't get close enough to the young striker.
He wasn't fit enough to face Villa - an Achilles injury now - and may
not play again until those last three games of the season, at home to
Blackburn and Sunderland and away to Wigan. The games Grant seems to be
targeting.
Does Grant ever learn? He made a public point of targeting a home game
with Wolves last season, and we all know what happened them. Wolves were
fired up and battered us at the Boleyn, the worst display of that season.
But then the bottom line is that Grant probably knows he is going and
may even have a new job lined up if the strong rumours about returning
to Chelsea as director of football are to believed. And with his
Russian-Israeli mates behind him, there's every chance that rumour is true.
And does anyone believe that agents and advisors for our first team
players are not already sounding clubs out about taking on our stars?
Ask yourself this, how many of our current first team squad will not be
playing in the Premier League next season?
The vast majority I would suggest. The loan players will be long gone
too. It's us, the fans, who will be relegated, while the current owners
take the chance to slash the wage bill.
One of the Davids said recently that they left Birmingham with no one
paid more that £20,000 a week. That's Championship wages for
Championship players. It's the future for us too if this current bunch
don't start fighting for the shirt.
But then we have only won 15 out of 71 league games in three seasons,
and just 70 of 198 since the beginning of the Tevez 'Great Escape'
season. Just what makes Grant think things will change in the next month?
And just to end....let's get off Mark Noble's back. Yes, it was a poor
error that gave Villa their equaliser, but he runs his guts out for the
club; he loves fighting fires all over the pitch because others can't be
bothered. At least he is trying for the cause, how many others can say that?
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Grant on... Aston Villa (KUMB)
With just five games left to save our season - and, one suspects, his
own job - a surprisingly calm Avram Grant insists that there's still
time to avoid the drop...
Avram: It was a good start - but went downhill after that?
It was a very good start. We started how we wanted to start, scored one
goal. Then I think it was a penalty for us and a red card for them. Then
we made a mistake in the last moments of the first half which has cost
us. In the second half we closed the game but both teams couldn't win
the game. We had chances, they had chances - unfortunately they scored
at the last moment. Also it was a foul from Agbonlahor on Gabbidon. We
are very disappointed.
Would it be fair to say that being without Scott Parker today proved
costly - and that being without him for another two games could prove
even costlier?
It's not easy. We like to play with him - he's our player of the year
for many people, for me also - and he's very important for us but he's
injured. The main problem was also Manuel Da Costa who was injured after
a few minutes so we needed one more change, a second change. Even with
this we were winning one-nil but of course with Scotty it's much easier
to play. He's good for us, he's doing a lot of things but he could not play.
You had a few players that came off with injuries. What's the situation?
We have a problem now with Tomkins from training on Thursday. Manuel Da
Costa and Gary O'Neil came off; we need to wait and see.
You've got five games now to save yourselves from relegation. How do you
approach it?
I think we need nine points more to stay in the league. It will be
difficult but not impossible and we have no intentiopn of giving up.
We're going to fight.
Your next two games are at Man City and Chelsea. You might need to win
those last three games against your rivals?
Yes. And we are not going to give up on these next two games. We've won
against big teams this season so we know we can do it, even if it'll be
difficult. And we will fight for the points.
How crucial is this loss though? Because I'd imagine you'd have geared
so much towards gettting points here today?
It was very crucial. The players knew it and this was the reason they
were a little bit nervous. When we had the ball, sometimes we gave it
away cheaply, the ball. It was very important for us but we lost it so
we need to look to the next game.
So what do you do now? Do you need to get them to relax a bit more?
I think we need to deal with this situation. We are in this situation
since the beginning of the season. We had a very, very good run since
January and then we lost points in the last game so we don't have such a
long time to recover. We need to be strong and we will be strong.
Do you feel you've got enough leaders out on the pitch? With Parker
missing...
Look - it's not easy, especially in our team to lose a player like
Parker. But even with this we were winning one-nil.
How does this affect you personally Avram? Because there's been so much
speculation throughout the season? The board have shown faith in you as
well to get through it?
I think since January we did very well, then in the last games we've
lost points. Against Man United we lost; we didn't like it but it could
happen. Today we needed points and I'm very disappointed. For me
personally? I don't think about me personally, I think about the team. I
think it's difficult but I still believe that it's possible.
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Jacobsen sees his future with West Ham (Tribal Football)
Danish full-back Lars Jacobsen is hoping to hold talks with West Ham
over a new deal.
The 31-year-old joined the Hammers at the start of the season from
Blackburn and has started the majority of their league matches.
"I could see myself being here next season," he said.
"I must find a place to play after the summer, because I'm not going to
hang up my boots just yet."
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Karren Brady's football diary
THE first lady of football give her views on Carlton Cole, Benni
McCarthy and more
Published: 2011-04-16
SATURDAY APRIL 9
THE train comes off the track at Bolton where we lose badly.
I don't take too much account of a phone call later on that tells me
Mark Noble and keeper Rob Green were involved in a public spat as there
is bound to be friction where there is tension.
I am sure there won't be pistols at dawn and peace will break out at
Chadwell Heath, our training ground, on Monday.
I've sworn never to wish the worst of another club's results - but
that's a defiance of human nature and so I take a sneaky look at how the
other relegation-threatened teams have done and feel guilty at my relief
that Wolves and Wigan lost.
SUNDAY APRIL 10
CARLTON COLE is in trouble with the FA for sending a Twitter message
that suggests that immigration officials were out in force to net
illegal immigrants at England's match with Ghana last Wednesday.
At least that's what I think it suggests. I'm not educated in rap or
Tweet - but some ultra-sensitive souls with those skills have complained
so Carlton withdrew what was his idea of humour.
Then FA vigilantes came riding to the scene. They thought they knew what
he was saying and were so offended they drew their paper and pencils and
accused him of improper conduct.
As Avram Grant pointed out, it takes a lot of imagination to accuse Cole
of racial abuse.
Personally, I strongly object to people at the FA regarding themselves
as Twitter policemen.
What next? Perhaps they will soon be knocking on doors at 6am.
MONDAY APRIL 11
AND then there are none - not a single British owner of a Premier League
top-four club after today's announcement that Stan Kroenke is bringing
his Arsenal holding to 62 per cent.
Fifth-place Spurs are still Anglo-owned but I'm told they would be for
sale at £500million and Brits don't think of football that way.
If you wonder what the attraction is for Americans such as Kroenke, the
Glazers and Randy Lerner to own a club when they have barely learned a
soccer ball is round, the answer is business and where that is concerned
we're world-class sellers.
Football is going the way of cars and motorcycles, Cadbury's and HP
Sauce - to overseas owners. One difference is that Americans do it for cash.
Roman and the Sheikh have done it for kicks.
TUESDAY APRIL 12
CARLO ANCELOTTI is dressed head to toe in black tonight at Old Trafford.
I wonder what this can mean, other than a strange sartorial excess or a
later appearance at some doomy nightclub.
Is it perhaps a comment on his chance of keeping a job if Chelsea lose,
which they do?
Sitting in the stand, Roman Abramovich keeps his doormouse face straight.
Should he decide Ancelotti must go, I don't think there'll be any
hesitation in wielding the sword even though I believe he likes his
manager and is as grateful as a billionaire can be for last season's
League and FA Cup double.
However, that was a trifle and he wants a whole pudding - the Champions
League title.
In their future I see a ghostly queue of managers with an application
form in one hand, invoice in the other.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 13
BENNI McCARTHY was a big fat mistake.
West Ham were in desperate haste for a striker to help avoid relegation
(again) and we bought him for more than £2million only to have to repent
at leisure.
Rather than the super scorer we hoped for, we acquired a super size, a
player devoted to filling his belly more than filling the net.
As time went by he grew bigger and bigger and although in time he made a
great effort to slim down, he'd passed the waistline of no return.
A total of 14 games, 11 of them as a sub, and no goals, isn't a
statistic on which to base confidence in the future.
So we cut our losses and let him go.
When he comes to see me to sign the paperwork, he apologises for things
not working out and gives me a hug.
The overall cost to us is more than £5million but in such circumstances
you just have to say "no hard feelings, not everything in life goes the
way you want".
It could be worse as across the river Fernando Torres, at £50million,
remains as thin as two yards of pumpwater and has not scored either.
THURSDAY APRIL 14
IRONIC, isn't it, that Carlo Ancelotti's team drops out of the Champions
League and all the talk is he'll be sacked.
But when Harry Redknapp's side also loses, he's touted as the next
England manager.
David Beckham tells a friend that he has designs on playing for Great
Britain in the London Olympics by which time he'll be 37.
The implication is darling David has no intention of retiring yet and
perhaps he sees the Olympics as an upbeat end to his first-class career
with some upbeat earnings too.
Becks and products splashed around the world at Games-time is a
cashing-in call to practically any global company.
I see it now - Becks in briefs, Becks spraying smelly things, Mr and Mrs
Becks, baby Beckie and the three Beck boys promoting the loving family.
It's a must.
Harder to envisage is Beckham adding more to the actual team than the
occasional free-kick - but he'll have his way if he wants it, I promise.
FRIDAY APRIL 15
I'VE never heard as many references to JR since Dallas was on the telly
but, as I have the resolve of Sue Ellen, I know we'll have the upper
hand. Again.
By the way, JR stands for Judicial Review, not Jealous Rival, in case
you wondered!
Importantly Danny Fiszman was a gentleman and a leader. And even with
his chronic illness, he still ensured the future security of the club in
his last few days, serving Arsenal with distinction.
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