Life outside the Premiership

[zephyr]

Not sure what result I would want between west ham and reading. A win for either would strengthen our promotion target but a draw would strengthen our winners target.

[????]

You want the Promotion first...don't get greedy ;-). You've got Reading still haven't you?

[Alan Medic]

I'm off to see the Hammers tomorrow. First live game of footie in ages. Hope it's good and a home win.

[Chippy Minton]

C'mon URRZZZZ!

[????]

BFS has categoricallY proved THAT ACTUALLY he couldn't manage Real Madrid etc. Despite a huge budget, well above everyone else in the divsion, it's the Play Offs for us. So dog sh1t football has achieved nothing. Big Fat Fail Sam, now bugger off.

Reading Champions?

[zephyr]

The decider for champions likely to be our game against reading. Whilst if would be nice to get our hands on that nice trophy, promotion has to come first and think about that after

[Alan Medic]

I thought WH played well for at least the first 30 minutes. It certainly wasn't lump it forward football. Defensively they were caught napping before HT. In the final third of the pitch they didn't seem clever enough to create chances but getting the ball there was usually along the ground. Not sure if Sam can take all the blame if the players don't perform to the best of their abilities. Maybe the players aren't just good enough regardless of budget.

[maxxi]

Not good enough because he bought the wrong ones. We have been bereft of striking talent all season and an inability to score has never been properly addressed. I thought Maynard and Vaz Te might be the answer but they have so far flattered to deceive.

BFS started talking about "getting promotion in the next 2 years" a while back and has switched between arguing that he DID play the academy way and saying there hadn't been an academy way for decades so people should shut up.

While there may be some truth in that the fact is he has had more money and backing than the two teams above WH and can't bleat about having to play 'practical no nonsense' football to get promoted because they are both playing it on the floor and more inventively than WH on a fraction of the budget.

Meanwhile... Swindon are 2 points clear at the top of div 2 with 2 games in hand.

[murphy]

maxxi Wrote:

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> Not good enough because he bought the wrong ones.

> We have been bereft of striking talent all season

> and an inability to score has never been properly

> addressed. I thought Maynard and Vaz Te might be

> the answer but they have so far flattered to

> deceive.

Cole, Maynard, Vaz Te, Carew, Baldock - you are not short of attacking options and most of those players would walk into any other championship team.

[Alan Medic]

I thought Cole was particularly poor yesterday. I know he scored a goal but his body language is not that of a centre forward who wants the ball. He trots around like he's going for a picnic. It made me wonder what does he do in training to deserve to be picked. He played for England didn't he?

[Chippy Minton]

Agreed about the strikers - West Ham have loads of striking options.

BFS's tactics lost them that game, playing a defender in defence and a very odd half time substitution (was Noble actually injured?).

[ratty]

Mahoosive game today. Can Pompey keep the summers down or will Saints relegate the skates?

[kpc]

Three stunning goals against Palace.

It'll all end in tears on Monday (I'm sure).

[Alan Medic]

I had an intersting encounter at Upton Park yesterday with the Spanish parents of 16 year year old boy who has just joined their academy. I was able to converse with them a little bit as I know a small amount of the language and they didn't know much English.

I didn't realise that a club like West Ham would cast it's net so wide and indeed if the boy is good how he slipped through the net of the clubs in Spain. Am I right in thinking that clubs here can offer a professional contract at a younger age than in Spain? The parents were happy enough that they could get to London just as quickly as they could to Madrid (the example they used).

On the football front it seems everyone there accepts they are going to be in the play-off's though last nights result may give them a slim chance of catching Southampton if they beat Brighton today.

[????]

Do I percieve a growth in affection for the Irons Mr Medic? You're certainly there far more than I am nowadays :)

[????]

PS Playoffs and failure as we don't seem much cop against anyone half decent.....

[Alan Medic]

I was in their employ quids.....until yesterday. As I've left I don't mind referring to it. If you like football, there is nothing like going to work at a football ground. They are sort of like churches to me. The lush green grass and the empty stands full of hope at a week-end. Feck, they even filmed Eastenders there a few weeks ago. And then there's KB.

[????]

ahhh I see..... although whenever I've been in the week to pick up tickets or actually last week to show my kids on the way out of London down the A13, it always feels a bit odd! Sort of it's still there but no-one else is!

[????]

...bit late for that sort of thing

[Alan Medic]

Southampton can lose one game. Could then go to goal difference. Today made a big dent in it.

[kpc]

Alan Medic Wrote:

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And then there's KB.

But you seem quite intelligent.

[maxxi]

Congratulations to Reading.

So it's probably the play-offs for The Irons. Got a feeling that even if we go up we'll come straight back down but I don't expect Sullivan & Gold will get rid of SA in time to prevent that - they'll be too busy trying to get a dodgy earner out of the Olympic Stadium before selling West Ham on to some flaky Hong Kong holding company.

[El Pibe]

It's funny that I'm downcast that the Irons have consigned themselves to play-offs, that considering the old adage about it being the form team amd rarely the number 3 team who goes up, is a sad thing, yet jolly excited that Stevenage are within a whisker of making it to the play offs.

Come on the nidge!

And mucho luck to the pink and bloos!!

[murphy]

Delighted that Reading are going up, they have played good football for the last couple of years and McDermott seems a lovely bloke. Southampton deserve the other place after being in the top two all season, next time you see Nigel Adkins interviewed though just think "David Brent", and see if it rings any bells. Not sure they will do as well as Swansea or Norwich but they both have owners with deeper pockets.

For the play offs I would love West Ham to fail because of the arrogance of BFS and many West Ham fans who just seem to think its beneath them to be playing in the championship. Don't want Birmingham to go up either, spending money they haven't got. Would be good to see Blackpool go up again, not overspending and they play decent football, although not too sure about the owners.

Actually its quite sad to look through the league and see just how many clubs have huge debts and/or dubious owners.

With Charlton and perhaps the two Sheffield's coming up next season should be good. On reflection maybe West Ham should go up, they are bound to take one of the promotion places next year if they don't go up this time.

[El Pibe]

I'm with you on BFS, but I've been a West Ham fan all my life and I've never met a fan who thinks the second tier is beneath us given how much time we've spent there.

Crap football is beneath us, not where we play it. Losing, and hence relegation, comes with the West Ham territory, long balls don't (or shouldn't).