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Exclusive interview: David Gold

Big Sam’s negativity is preventing progression

Three reasons to believe we can beat Arsenal

Have we been unlucky or has Big Sam been poor?

West Ham Ladies ‘keeper quits

& much more

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I think it’s fair to say we’re still enduring a winter ofdiscontent at the Boleyn Ground. Having played Tottenhamand Manchester United before Christmas, it’s only going toget worse with an Arsenal side who are real title contendersthis season coming to Upton Park on Boxing Day.

City, United and Chelsea have all shown their brilliance attimes this season but Arsenal have been far moreconsistent and with all three clubs having new managers atthe helm, this might be Arsene Wenger’s best chance yet toclaim more silverware for Arsenal.

I will go to the game against the Gunners hoping we get agood result but I won’t be crying into my beer if we lose.

I must admit, however, that I’m still trying to get over theSunderland game. They arrived at the Boleyn having not wonaway since April and hadn’t even managed to score in theirprevious six games but they comfortably outplayed andoutshot us and I honestly felt we were lucky to get a point.

Obviously I was pleased with our eighth clean sheet of theseason but our inability to create or take chances is painfuland this needs to change sooner rather than later.

Turning to our latest issue and I’m delighted to say wehave another exclusive interview with David Gold. Despite oursituation, he was very optimistic about our club’s chances ofstaying in the Premier League and I’d like to echo what hehas to say about really getting behind the players.

I hope you had a very merry Christmas with loved onesand I hope you enjoy the game.

EDITOR: David BlackmoreNEWS EDITOR: Alex ShillingCONTRIBUTORS: David Bowden,Geoff Hillyer, Tim Holland,Andrew Hosie, Andrew Jenkin,Thomas Johnson, Joell Mayoh,Lucy Woolford

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES:EMAIL: editor@blowing-bubbles.co.uk

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:EMAIL: advertising@blowing-bubbles.co.uk

WHERE YOU CAN READ IT:Blowing Bubbles is available tobuy prior to each home gameand is also available to read onyour PC, Mac, Tablet or Mobile.For more information visitwww.blowing-bubbles.co.uk.

TO CONTACT BLOWINGBUBBLES:Email: editor@blowing-bubbles.co.uk

Blowing Bubbles is published by BarkingDog Media. Blowing Bubbles is acompletely independent publication. Theviews expressed within Blowing Bubblesare not necessarily those of the publishers.Opinions expressed by companies andindividuals appearing within the magazineare not that of Blowing Bubbles or thepublisher. The publisher accepts no liabilityfrom any action raised in response to anysuch opinions. Readers are stronglyadvised that although we take every careto ensure prices and content, etc, are upto date. It is the responsibility to check withthe advertiser before purchasing ortravelling to view products.No reproduction, either in part or wholeof the magazine is allowed unless writtenconsent is obtained from the publisher.The publisher accepts no responsibility forany actions arising from articles orfeatures or advertisements within thismagazine. Readers are advised to pay bycredit card when ordering goods as theseare regulated under the Consumer Act1974. Debit and charge cards are not.

(c) Blowing BubblesDavid BlackmoreEditor

West Ham co-chairmanDavid Gold believes the clubhas the players, managerand determination to avoidbeing dragged into arelegation battle.

Speaking exclusively toBlowing Bubbles, he has alsourged the club’s “fantastic”supporters to continue torally behind the players andmanager Sam Allardyce tohelp the Hammers stay clearof danger.

“Everyone bemoans theirluck every now and again butwe’ve been really unlucky thisseason,” Mr Gold said. “In thegame against Crystal Palacewe had a legitimate goal

disallowed and against Hullwe had a penalty givenagainst us which I didn’t thinkwas a penalty and we had apenalty claim which wasn’tgiven.

“We could have got atleast a point from both ofthose games had thosedecisions gone our way andthen it’s a different league.These are the decisions Ivividly remember but therehave been others as well thisseason.

“But rest assured we aretrying everything we can toget ourselves out of thissituation. We are trying to

get Andy Carroll back asquickly as we can too.

“We know it’s quite clearthat if he gets injured again itreally does leave a big holeand that we do need to bringsomeone in to cover himbecause he is going to getthe odd knock. We also knowthat we cannot continue forthe rest of the season in thesituation we are currently in.

“That is not to say Maigacan’t turn things aroundbecause he has unfortunatenot to score and he is gettingin the positions to score. If hehad taken a few of thechances he has had then wewould probably have a few

Exclusive Interview: David Gold

more points on the board andwouldn’t be so stressed withwhere we are the moment.”

Mr Gold said he feltStewart Downing had beenWest Ham’s best player sofar this season, describing assome of his performances as“exceptional”.

He continued: “We havegot arguably our top fourplayers out injured orsuspended at the momentwhich is tough for us.

“That is, of course, takingnothing away from Diame orRavel Morrison who haveplayed really well this season.Morrison in particular hasbeen a revelation for us andhas been like a new signing.

“Once we start putting outour best side every week,surely that will make thedifference? We will continueto work hard but we reallyneed to the fans to stay onboard because we have allgot to pull in the samedirection. We’ve also got VazTe who is also not far awayfrom returning so thissituation we found ourselvesin can all change.

“We must, however, bringin a striker. We will try to buysomeone or get someone onloan if necessary.

“We spent a huge amountof money on two top playersin the summer in Andy Carrolland Stewart Downing and wecan’t keep spending that sortof money, we have got to berealistic. In an ideal world we

need a free transfer or a loanwith the view of signing thestriker in the summer. If wehave to, we will have to do adeal in such a way that’saffordable to us. We will notleave any stone unturned.”

He added: “When you arein the bottom three and havelow morale, then it is tough todrag yourself out of therelegation zone but this is notour club. We have got plentyof things going for us.

“The fans are still with us,the management has a greatrelationship with the playersand the manager has a greatrelationship with thechairmen.

“We are suffering at themoment but we are all stilloptimistic because we havethe players, we have themanager and we have thedetermination to playourselves out of trouble.”

There has been quite a bitof hostility towards Mr Goldon Twitter following some ofWest Ham’s poor showingsrecently, which the co-chairman admitted comeswith his role at the club eventhough some of themessages were quite hurtful.

“At the moment I am stillreading most of them,” hesaid.

“I don’t manage to readthem all because there areso many but whenever I can Iwill spend an hour readingthem and sending replies.There are some people who I

hold in high regard andrespond to their questionsand tweets but there areothers who are just spiteful.

“I’m also not responding toas many as I normally wouldat the moment because it’s atime of reflection for us and Idon’t want to get intoconfrontation with fans orpeople who are just lookingfor a fight.”

Asked what plans, if any,there are for a closingceremony at the BoleynGround and an openingceremony at the OlympicStadium, Mr Gold continued: “There are no plans for anyceremonies at the BoleynGround or at the OlympicStadium at the moment.

“All our efforts at themoment are dealing with thesituation we find ourselves in.All I can say about this is itwill be emotional to saygoodbye to the BoleynGround because I’ve gotbrilliant memories of gamesI’ve seen there. LeavingUpton Park and playing ourfirst game at the OlympicStadium will also represent anew era at our great club.”

He added: “I hope all ourfans and your readers havehad a happy and healthyChristmas.

“I know it’s difficult andtough at the moment for allof us but I would urgeeveryone to remain resoluteand stick behind the teamand the manager.”

Arsenal will be rolling up tothe Boleyn Ground thisBoxing Day and it promisesto be quite a game judging byprevious encounters, even ifwe are struggling towardsthe wrong end of the leagueand they’re ahead of thepack!

At this festive time, Ithought it might be quitenostalgic to look back at acouple of famous West Hamwins against our old foes.

Fireworks on Bonfire Night.November 5, 2006. WestHam 1 Arsenal 0

West Ham were in a verysimilar position to where weare now, and not expected totake anything from the game,with Arsenal flying high. Afull-bloodied and pulsatingmatch, played in an electricatmosphere, which seemedto be moving towards a 0-0conclusion, was sentstratospheric in the 89thminute when MatthewEtherington and TeddySheringham exchangedpasses before slottingacross to Marlon Harewood,who poked home the winner.

The match is just asmemorable for ArseneWenger’s touchline stropwhere he appeared to shoveAlan Pardew and then refuseto shake his hand at the end.Sour grapes.

The last team to win atHighbury. February 1,2006. Arsenal 2 West Ham3

A match that wouldnormally have us leaving withour tails between our legsbecame scarcely believablejust half an hour in. After aperiod of Arsenal pressure,Nigel Reo-Coker and BobbyZamora had put us two-up.Two minutes before half-time, Thierry Henry halvedthe deficit and all West Hamfans tuning in for the secondhalf would have expected theteam to roll over, watchingthe game through the fingersof their hands. But in the80th minute, MatthewEtherington put the gamebeyond Arsenal, despite alate Robert Pires effort.Great memories of Arsenal’s2,000th match at Highbury

and we’ll forever be the lastteam to win there too.

The first team to win at TheEmirates. April 7, 2007.Arsenal 0 West Ham 1

West Ham found ourselvesonce again struggling in therelegation zone, but this wasto set the foundation for thegreat escape that year. We’dwon the last two matches,but in this one, after half anhour, frankly, it looked likeArsenal might get into doublefigures, for all their shots andgoal and completedomination. But then,somewhat staggeringly,Bobby Zamora scored andwe found ourselves a goal upat half time. The second halfwas much the same patternas the first, but with acombination of some brilliantsaves from Rob Green, a bitof luck and a committedteam performance, wesecured a third straight win,which ultimately kept us upthat year.

So for those who arethinking that we’re going toget a pasting this Boxing Day,miracles can happen, andeven if we do lose, there’ssome nice memories! Hopeyou have a great holidayseason, and here’s to somegood results for theHammers!

Follow me on Twitter@geoffhillyer

Geoff Hillyer

Reasons forfestive cheer?

A rag-bag of results hasmeant we are languishingsomewhat precariouslyabove the zone of terror.Injuries and suspensionshaven’t helped but a distinctlack of goals has been themain offender.

The diamond in the roughfor the month of Novemberwas a vital win over fellowstrugglers Fulham; a victorywhich has kept us marginallymore comfortable in ourleague position and protectedBig Sam’s job.

The saving grace for ushas been the fact that wehave managed to keep so

many clean sheets (eight intotal matched only byEverton).

This would be all the moreenjoyable, however, had wemanaged to score a fewmore. Even if we hadthreatened a little bit more infront of goal would be ofsome consolation.

That aside – and therereally is no point in reiteratingthe obvious – I think it is clearthat we have the potential tomake a push towards thebetter end of the table.

After all, we have coped farbetter than most against thelikes of Manchester City et al

this season and have shownsigns of taking advantage ofmomentary weaknesses inour opponents.

A stalemate againstSunderland wasn’t a disasteras such, but a game wecertainly could have donewith winning.

It was, of course, to beexpected from two sidesreluctant to take gamblesgoing forward, and with ourside crippled by injuries andsuspensions it was just nicenot to have relinquishedmaximum points to a clubthat is currently propping usup.

Matt Santer

Closing the door but failing to score

Our game against title-chasers Arsenal will hopefullymark a turning point for us.They are on the back of amauling by Man City and anever-easy contest with tail-chasers Chelsea. All factorswhich could go in our favour.

One of the questions will bethen be whether we can closethe door on relatively free-scoring and quick-passingtable toppers? The other willbe whether we can actuallysqueeze past their shell-shocked back four.

With Andy Carroll still notfit at time of writing, we will besolely reliant on firepowerfrom elsewhere in the squad. It also means that we’llneed to be on top of ourgame at the back andthrough the middle. Returningplayers will hopefully bolsterthe chances of that,particularly with Downing,Morrison and Nolan hopefullydue back in the squad.

It’s such a familiar andfrustrating state of affairswhen our treatment room isbusier than LakesideShopping Centre onDecember 24th, but it’s onewe need to deal with all thesame.

Co-chairman David Sullivanhas once again come out andbarked his support ofAllardyce, which I think wasthe right thing to do. His usualirritating statements of“regret” and altogether

unnecessary damnation ofthe £15m the club shelledout for the crocked Carrollwere not, however.

We all know how importantthe Christmas period is toteams at the wrong end ofthe table and we have clearlynot been given the mostfavourable run of fixtures witha resurgent United in the mix.

We have also not doneourselves any favours,ironically, by getting so far inthe League Cup.

In conclusion, we mustkeep the faith. Criticism andnaysaying is thoroughlycounter-productive for thecause, no matter how muchwe all want to.

It is a difficult league to stayin and this season hasspewed up a few surprisesalready.

It’s all about the long gamefor West Ham and with 20games left of the season, it isfar from over.

A returning Carroll in2014 will give us the boostwe need, as well as a coupleof January loan signings.

It’s clear that we havedefensive quality in droves –we just need the career-peakforward to poke away someJarvis/Downing crosses.

Follow me on Twitter@MattSanter

In the wake of the news thatStewart Downing is set to bemissing for several weekswith an achilles injury, it gotme thinking has SamAllardyce had rotten luck thisseason, or has his thirdseason in charge of the Eastend club been poorly thoughtout?

From day one it was fairlyobvious the plan for theseason, and it seemed apretty good one. Sign AndyCarroll, sign a decent winger,and watch Carroll head andkick the Hammers to glory.

Alas it wasn’t to be. AndyCarroll has yet to pull on the

claret and blue shirt sincesigning on a permanent dealfrom Liverpool and theHammers failed to think thatmaybe, just maybe theyneeded to sign a back-up.

It was obvious for everyoneto see, especially with thenews that Carroll wascarrying a knock on arrival.

Allardyce and the boardare desperately trying tocover themselves with thestories coming out that theytried to sign a number ofplayers but it wasn’t to be.

What annoyed me aboutthe whole summer fiascowas the way Sam and the

board handled the back-upstriker situation.

Whoever was to come inknew they would be secondfiddle to Carroll and shouldAndy return they would roton the bench.

Salomon Kalou reportedlywas happy to join should theIrons allow him to playthrough the centre ratherthan the wing. Allardyce saidno and he declined any move.

Now let me ask you this,who would you rather seeleading your line, Kalou orModibo Maiga?

I know who I’d rather haveand it isn’t dear old Modibo.

David Bowden

More Hammersembarrassment

Has Allardyce endured rotten luck or ishe to blame for West Ham’s plight?

Ricardo Vaz Te, the onlyother recognisable strikerwho was scoring goals, triedto tackle a post and lost.

The Hammers are now leftwith the returning CarltonCole, who to me still lookswoefully unfit, and ModiboMaiga, who hasn’t scored fora year.

It is easy to see why thegoals have dried up.

Allardyce must have beengrateful to see AC return totraining, surely now his planwill come together.

With Carroll just weeksaway from a return, theJarvis, Downing and Carrollpartnership would lift theHammers away from danger.

Cue two minutes into thecontest at Anfield, WestHam’s best player by a mile

So, from that perspective,the Dudley born manAllardyce is 100 per cent atfault.

To make it that abundantlyobvious that any other strikerthat was interested in joiningwould be back-up, heimmediately alienated themove.

However, you could alsoargue that he has also beena tad unlucky, Carroll was dueback in September, but as weall know he suffered asetback with his injury.

He then brought in areplacement on a free inMladen Petric whoimpressed in his brief stint,before he picked up a knock,never to be seen ormentioned again. Then ofcourse the equally impressive

in recent weeks collects theball, only to be cynicallyhacked down by JonFlanagan.

The former Villa manmakes it to half time, only tosee the true extent of theinjury; he required 12stitches to his achilles and isnow set to miss several keyweeks for the Hammers.

The footballing gods reallyaren’t with Sam Allardyceand West Ham at theminute, and with rumourscirculating we might soonsee the end of Big Sam. WillAllardyce ever get to see hisdream trio in action? Onlytime will tell.

Follow me on Twitter@Bowdenwhu

I stole the title of this piecefrom a headline I rememberon the back of a tabloidnewspaper quite a few yearsago. It read 'Stop The World -We Want to Get off'.

It was 1990 and I'dreturned home for thesummer after my first year ofUniversity. The World Cupwas in full flow and it was theday after Scotland had beenbeaten 1-0 by minnows, asthey were considered then,Costa Rica. June 12, I believeit was.

It was a humblingexperience for Scotland whobeforehand had thought thatwith Sweden as their lastfixture in a group that also

contained Brazil there was agreat chance for them toprogress to the knockoutstages for the first time.

Alas it was not to be, butthat headline has stuck in mymind since, up there withSuperCaleygoballisticCelticareatrocious, the famousheadline in The Sun.

Anyway, I digress. Thereason I brought it up wasbecause that headlinesummed up the hopes anddreams of Scottish footballfans across the world thathad been crushed (onceagain) by a disastrousperformance. And that leadsme to the present day toWest Ham and a similar

feeling that's developed afterthe first half of the season.

Looking back to August andoptimism was high. We'd hada good solid first season backin the top flight, appeared tohave made some decentsummer signings andseemed in good shape tobuild on the achievements ofthe previous year whilecasting an eye towards themove towards the OlympicStadium.

Fast forward four monthsand the reality is very muchdifferent.

Poor performance followspoor performance, theseasonal injury crisis hasstruck again, the excuses

Tales from the Sandpit

Stop the season -We want to get off

from Sam are wearing verythin and the prospect ofrelegation looms larger withevery match we fail to takemaximum points from. Howmany of us believed we'd becandidates for relegation thisseason when we were lookingahead to kick off back in mid-August?

There may have been afleeting thought here andthere when the usual WestHam doubt set in but overall, Ithink most of us considered asimilar achievement level tolast season was a definite,with a challenge for theEuropa League a possibility.

The worry, as we take onArsenal on Boxing Day andWest Brom on Saturday, islooking back to ourperformance againstSunderland where we were,quite frankly, outplayed athome by the team that isbottom of the league, withoutan away win and only twopoints all season.

And what did Sam harp onabout? His delight at keepinga clean sheet. It is terrific,yes, and Jussi has playedvery well, but I don't think ourgoalkeeper should be starman when we're playingSunderland at home forgoodness sake.

So can we hold out anyhope against Arsenal? Wellthere is always hope butreality suggests we should letthis one go and concentrate

all our resources on ensuringa vital three points againstWBA on Saturday in the earlykick off.

Obviously one cannotadvocate playing a weakenedor under-strength side but I'msure a little shuffling of thepack might suit - give some ofour younger members of thesquad the Christmas presentof a day out in the first teamwhile ensuring those that arefit remain fit for Saturday.

So rather than bepessimistic about ourchances, let's create a party.

If you're heading to thematch, keep going with the

festive cheer, make it a funatmosphere on GreenStreet.

If you're not stick on theChristmas jumper, openanother packet of mincepies, uncork a bottle of wine,stick the turkey leftovers ona plate for later and have aterrific Boxing Day.

And predictions on theresult? I guess there's nochance a tube strike couldhelp us? No, only last year,then? OK.

Follow me on Twitter@hosiemon

West Ham Ladies shotstopper Toni-Anne Waynehas quit the club to joinWomen’s Super Leaguehopefuls Brighton and HoveAlbion.

The 30-year-old had beenin fine form for theHammers this season,bagging two player of thematch awards in 13 games.

But she admitted themove to the south coast side- currently on standby to jointhe Women’s Super League -was one she couldn’t turndown.

“I had a few approachescome in for me this seasonincluding one from Millwallbut I know there are quite afew players going there so Iturned them down,” thegoalkeeper said. “ThenBrighton came along and my

initial reaction was that Iwould say no because it wastoo far for me to travel buttheir manager wanted tomeet me and speak to me soI went down there to lookaround their set up.

“During my journey downthere, I was thinking therewas no way I would joinBrighton but I was reallyimpressed with their set upand the support from themen’s team which is secondto none.

“I’m at an age now whereI’m starting to get a fewinjuries and as great as thephysios are at West Ham, Ithink at Brighton I’ll be able tosort them out rather thanmaintain them. That was mythinking behind the move butthe chance to play in theWomen’s Super League,

which Brighton are onstandby for, was another bigreason for moving to them.”

The former CharltonAthletic and Gillingham‘keeper said she thought thecurrent season would be herlast but admitted if Brightonget into the Women’s SuperLeague, she doesn’t knowwhat she will do.

“I spoke to the manager[Mark Saunderson] and toldhim about Brighton and themsaying they wanted me to godown there and he wasgreat,” Toni-Anne continued.

“He told me he didn’t wantme to go and would be sad tolose me but that I deserve tobe playing at a higher level.

“I also spoke in depth toJulia Setford [Director ofFootball] and she was greattoo because she looked at it

West Ham Ladies

Picture byMickeyCartwright

‘Keeper quits Hammersto join Brighton & Hove

from a West Ham point ofview but also as my friend.

“I was told I had to makethe decision the Tuesdayafter the Cardiff game[December 1] but by the timewe were travelling to thegame,

“I still hadn’t made up mymind because even though Iknew deep down what theright decision was, I love thisclub. I was so upset after thegame, which we lost 4-1,because I knew it was likely tobe my last. On the Mondaynight,

“I sent a group e-mail toeveryone explaining mydecision to leave and I wasasked if I could play one lastgame, which turned out to bethe following week at home toChesham United, and if I

could be captain for it. Theyare a great bunch of girls andit was an honour to becaptain. They really didn’thave to do that especiallygiven the fact I’m going to bein the same league andplaying against them in April.”

Toni-Anne, who has playedon and off for West Ham forthe past five years, still hashigh hopes for the Hammersin the future.

“They are building andworking hard to get a betterinfrastructure in place withthings like the Centre ofExcellence to help bid forWomen’s Super League in2015,” she added.

“I think you can see fromthe likes of Liverpool,Brighton and Chelsea thatthe only way women’s football

can progress is with thesupport from the men’steams and for me West Hamdoesn’t have that at themoment. But they do deserveto be in the Women’s SuperLeague and I don’t thinkpeople on the outsideappreciate the hard workthat goes on behind thescenes.

“Everything is done for theplayers so that all they haveto do is turn up and play theirgame and don’t have to doanything else. I’m really goingto miss everyone at the club.”

The West Ham Ladies playtheir home games atThurrock FC, Ship Lane,Aveley, Essex, EM19 1YN.They play Charlton onJanuary 5 at home with kickoff at 2pm.

It’s Boxing Day again, thisyear we host Arsenal,We don’t ask for much, justmaybe a parcel,

A package worth three pointswould go down a treat,And to start the New Year offthe edge of our seats.

We’ve had Christmas dinner,today is dessert,But who will be leaving withmore pain and hurt?

“Probably us fans”, I hear youall cry,As we look at the table andjust wonder why.

As we file down Green Street,full of Christmas cheer,We can’t help but ponder atthis time of year,How big fixtures like this cancome so fast,And hope we can find themagic of Christmas past.

With players fatigued andstrikers lacking,Do we really think we cansend Arsenal packing?

No Carroll or Nolan, orDowning or Reid,It seems a big ask for thethree points we need.

I hope when you pulled thatbig Christmas cracker,You wished for a win so ourdreams won’t shatter,

Today we will hope that someChristmas cheer,Can be brought to the Boleynto round off the year.

Sing loud and proud and bringfestive spirit,Hope players react and go onto win it,

Anything can happen, whatwill be will be,Come on you Irons, justplease mark Ramsey!

Lucy Woolford

Boxing DayFootball

I’ve always been an admirerof Big Sam. The stability anddefensive resoluteness hissetup has brought the clubhas been too long absentfrom previous West Hamsides.

However, football ischanging and so must he.Whilst the 4-6-0 deployed forthe Spurs game was hugelysuccessful, he mustacknowledge that one sizewon’t fit all. And actually,although the result was verypositive and he wasapplauded for it at the time,playing without a recognisedstriker is an even morenegative approach to gamesthan he is often labelled.

Although the decision toplay the system was probablyenforced due to injuryproblems and lack of fitattackers, that is part of theproblem of building an entireteam’s attack around oneplayer. Should that player(Carroll) be unavailable, thesetup and approach of theside shouldn’t change andBig Sam must acceptresponsibility for putting allhis eggs in one basket.

Some of the league’sstruggling sides have recentlygo bold and played twostrikers, for which they havebeen be rewarded with.

Again, a lack of optionswould prevent such a move,but this again should be putdown to Big Sam who haslargely sold off all otherstrikers in recent years .

Even his pre-match notesbring to question the mindset

of his setups. His constantreminders of ‘not concedingwill mean you can’t lose’ aretrue and although it is hardto argue with his reason andlogic, why not at least try andset up to get all three pointsrather than not concede? Hehas built a good side that candefend and in theory attack.

The next month is pivotalfor the club and will definethe rest of the campaign.Southampton benefited at asimilar stage of the seasonlast year when they werebrave enough to ditch Atkinsfor Mauricio Pochettino.Southampton’s success in2013 is there for everyoneto see and the quality of theirEnglish stars have come tothe fore – could West Hambe brave enough to opt for asimilar move?

It would be risky and at atime when survival in thePremiership is a priority itcould be argued stupid, butwe’re hardly thriving under

the current system and thefootball hasn’t been greateither.

Pochettino has introduceda new positive and attackingoutlook which hasundoubtedly benefited theentire setup. It could beargued his preference ofdefending is positive withpressing high up the field andpreventing good teams fromplaying their game.

Big Sam could learn a lotfrom Pochettino's style buthis stubbornness to changewill prevent West Ham fromprogressing their game. Isincerely hope I'm wrong andbelieve the board will stand bytheir man, but should they?We will see.

Follow me on Twitter@andrewjenkin

For more articles like thisvisit

moorethanjustaclub.com

Andrew Jenkin

Big Sam’snegativity ispreventingprogression

As it currently stands, WestHam are the only team in thebottom five of the PremierLeague who have not made amanagerial change.

An alarming statistic forthose who believe change isa good thing. However, itmight also lead to you ask ifthere is any merit in thewisdom of our fellowrelegation battlers decisions.After all, they are still all inthe bottom five.

Following the bore drawagainst Sunderland –themselves having made amanagerial change earlier inthe season – the majority of

the post-match talk wascentred on the future of SamAllardyce. In essence, shouldwe stick or should we twist?

There are plausiblearguments for each side ofthe debate.

On one hand, right cleansheets are evidence of thefact that Allardyce hasturned us into a fairly solidunit – the main issue beingour lack of goals.

There is a strong feelingthat having put together ateam consisting of Downing,Jarvis and Carroll he shouldbe given the opportunity to

turn things around once thatline up is available again.

However, Allardyce bringswith him a certain style ofplay that the purists claim notto be “The West Ham Way”which at times can be difficultto watch.

Similarly, he must at leastbe culpable for putting all hiseggs into the Andy Carrollbasket. Not only that, buthaving signed Maiga, thatmeans he must have thoughthe was good enough for thePremier League.

So should he go? Will itperform the turnaround inform everyone expects it to?Who knows? For everyMauricio Pochettino, there’sa Nigel Adkins. Statisticallyspeaking, there is noevidence to suggest whetherchanging manager is a goodthing or a bad thing.

However, with the uttershambles of failing to replaceAvram Grant still fresh in thememory, it’s understandablethat with a record equally asbad as that fateful season, itsunderstandable many fansare getting nervy.

While relegation remains apossibility, it is not very likely.If you look at where we arenow, and the players we haveto return, things do take aslightly positive outlook. Afterall, we have Reid, Downingand Carroll returning in

Marcus Johns

Stick orTwist - Thegreatmanagerialgamble

January – a trio that if any ofthe clubs in the bottom sixwere to sign, they’d surely pullaway.

So while I remain confidentthat we will stay up, even withAllardyce in charge, shouldthe board decide to make thechange – who is available?And would they be a betterfit?

Steve Clarke: One of themore surprising recentsackings, and a sign of theoften kneejerk decisionsmade in modern day football.His reward for guiding WestBrom to a recent high ofeighth in the Premier Leaguelast year, winning at OldTrafford and notableperformances againstChelsea and Man City was tobe dismissed after fourstraight defeats. A managerwho looks to combineattractive football along withplaying a target man (Lukaku)he could be the perfectsolution for a club who haveinvested so much in Carroll.The only problem will be thathaving previously paid a largecompensation for him toleave as part of the Zolasacking, the David’s areunlikely to want to lose faceand re-hire him.

Glenn Hoddle: Dismissedfrom the England job forinfamous non football relatedreasons, he was undoubtedly

one of the most forward-thinking coaches in recentgenerations. An advocate ofthe passing game, hisappointment would see areturn to the traditional styleof football. However, hisSpurs connections will be anissue for a few, as will hisperceived failures with lesstalented players at Wolvesand Southampton – however,just imagine what he could dowith Ravel Morrison. Anoutside bet, but still apossibility.

Pepe Mel: A bit of anunknown on these shores,but the Spanish press hasbeen linking him with the jobfor several weeks. The 50-year-old former striker wasuntil recently manager ofReal Betis, having led them toseventh place and EuropaLeague qualification lastseason. However, after ahumiliating 4-0 defeat torivals Sevilla in December, hewas sacked. Known forplaying the ball on the floor,and a fan of the tika takastyle of play, quite how hewould utilise our prized assetis a mystery. Also anadvocate of bringing throughyounger players, anyconcerns about hisknowledge of the PremierLeague would surely beoverlooked when consideringthe impact the likes of

Laudrup and Pochettino havehad in recent years.

Paolo Di Canio: Asentimental choice but notmuch else. Impressed atSwindon, but clearly notsuited to the egotisticalmodern day Premier Leaguefootballer. Prone to shootingfrom the hip, his temper mayget the better of him. Theonly thing that is certain isthat he would instantly getthe crowd on side with him,though quite how long that -or his current legend status– would last for is anyone’sguess! A disaster waiting tohappen at the moment andhis political views meancurrent chairmen are unlikelyto employ him. It will howeverbe worth seeing how heprogresses in his next job.

Avram Grant: He is stillavailable.

So what do you think?Should we stick with Sam, ortake a gamble on a new boss.And if so, who would you liketo see take the reigns?

Follow me on Twitter@Johnsie31

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Before the dreadful Palaceresult, I had a conversationwith a fellow West HamUnited supporter – themaintenance man who cameto fix my radiator – about allthings claret and blue.

When it came to the talkabout Big Sam, he was of thethinking that Allardyceneeded to go, an idea that isgrowing in the Boleyn Groundstands as West Ham drift atthe dangerous end of thetable.

Since the arrival of Samthrough the gates atChadwell Heath, I have seenhim as a necessary evil. Hewas the best man for the jobto get promotion back to thePremier League, he was thebest man for the job to getrid of the black cloud thatwas hanging over UptonPark and he was the bestman for the job to keep us inthe top flight last season.

But is his time at WestHam coming to an end? Ihave backed him so far butwith the way this season hasgone I am finding it difficult tostick up for Sam.

I have defended his routeone style before because aslong as the team are gettingthe results, it is something Ican put up with. I can alsodefend it as long as it is partof a mixture and there arespells where the players aretrying to play on the floor.

But all too often the ball islaunched up front andwithout Big Andy Carroll atthe top, his tactics havelargely disappointed.

Whilst Sam is beingcredited with the rise ofRavel Morrison, the realpicture is far less clear.

I don’t think Allardycereally wanted to put theyoungster in the team thatearly, despite a great pre-

season, but injuries forcedhis hand. He certainlywouldn’t have chosenMorrison over his top boyNolan, whose performancesthis season have not meriteda first team place.

With Big Sam at the helm,I do not think the club will berelegated but is that enough?

After such a good seasonlast year, West Ham shouldbe building on that andensuring the club’s top flightstatus for years to come,with the move to the OlympicStadium not far away.

My worry with getting ridof Allardyce is the fact thatwhether it was soon after ora few seasons later, all ofBolton, Newcastle andBlackburn went on to getrelegated, and the clubcannot afford anotherrelegation.

Co-owners Gold andSullivan certainly can’t affordanother relegation afterthrowing a lot of their ownmoney into the club to giveWest Ham the best chanceof Premier League survival.

I will try and back Sam andthe team during hismanagerial tenure.

But if results continue todecline then it can surely onego one way for Big Sam, theowners cannot afford toshow the blind faith they gaveAvram Grant if we are in asimilar position in the comingweeks.

Follow me on Twitter@SoundOfVinyl

Thomas Johnson

It’s gettingharder andharder toback Big Sam

How do you rate Arsenal’sstart to the season?

It’s been an excellent startto the season - much betterthan most fans expected.

You were critical of ArseneWenger’s transfer policylast season but his policy ofnot spending big went outthe window with Ozil. Howbig of an impact has hemade?

He’s made a massiveimpact and managed to liftthe club and lift everyone’s

game. But it’s still early days.I do think Arsene Wengercould manage his game timebetter to get the maximumout of him though.

Last season you wereunsure of a top four finish.Do you think you can win theleague this year?

I think that all depends on therotation of the midfielders tokeep everyone fresh and italso depends on ourdefenders. We need a back-up striker although we mightbe able to cope as Podolski

can play that role as canWalcott in a different way.But yes, if we can continuewith our current form, whynot?

You called for Flamini tocome back last year and gotyour wish in the summer.How do you rate his timeback at the club?

For me he’s been almostas important as Ozil for theclub. He adds a defensivequality which we have lackedsince Gilberto Silva.

Opposition View: Arsenal

Tim Hollandspeaks to SahilButa aboutArsenal’sexcellent startto the season,the important ofFlamini and thepossibility ofwinning theleague

Do you think they’ll becomings and goings in theJanuary transfer window?

I can’t see any going really,perhaps Vermaelen. I wouldlike another striker coming inbut I wouldn’t be surprised ifno-one came in January.

What’s been your opinion ofWest Ham this season?

West Ham look like a teamthat is set up for Andy Carrollbut he’s not there. When hereturns I think you’ll startwinning more games plus hebrings Kevin Nolan into thegame as he’s always at hisbest playing with the big man.

Ramsey has really come ofage this season. How doeshe rate against your othermidfielders?

He’s now our bestmidfielder. Again for me he’sthe all-round completemidfielder. His tackling statsare overlooked as he isscoring so freely.

How big a blow is AlexOxlade-Chamberlain’s long-term injury?

it’s been a small blow dueto the depth we have now. Isuppose we’ve missed hisand Walcott’s pace morethan anything.

Who should West Ham fansbe wary of in the Arsenalside?

One word – Ramsey!

What’s your prediction forthe match and for bothclubs this season?

I’ll go with 2-0 to us and usto finish third. West Ham willfinish in the top half if Carrollis back soon.

Follow Tim Hollandon Twitter @timsyouruncle

Merry Christmas to all youhappy Hammers out there!To celebrate this wonderfulholiday, below you will find afestive list of the best playersto have pulled on the claretand blue over recent years.

There is a Hammer forevery one of the 12 days ofChristmas and each one hasbeen selected by theirnumber and from the last 12years of West Ham’s history.

Hopefully this will remindyou of recent better dayswhen we inevitably crumbleto defeat against Arsenal onBoxing Day.

1. Robert Green

Although he let the WestHam fans down when he leftfor cash-rich QPR in 2012,prior to that Green was asuperb servant to the

Hammers and saved our skinall too often during his 219appearances for the club.

Ironically, the outstandingdisplay of Green’s thatimmediately springs to mindcame when West Ham lastbeat Arsenal, which was justunder six years ago in the1-0 win at the EmiratesStadium. Some of the saveshe pulled off that day defiedthe laws of physics and the‘keeper was known forfrequently putting on suchspectacular displays.

2. Tomas Repka

‘Tomas Repka – footballgenius’ will always stick withme as one of the best dry-witted chants to come fromthe Hammers fans. The bigCzech was, of course,anything but a football genius.

A better, less ironic way todescribe him would be as‘fierce’. Fierce in both the wayhe put himself about the pitchand also in his loyalty to WestHam.

Having signed for theHammers from Fiorentina forthe then club record fee of£5.5m in 2001, Repka didnot get off to the best ofstarts. He was sent off in hisfirst game, a 2-0 defeat awayto Middlesbrough, and thensent off again in his thirdappearance, the humiliating7-1 loss against BlackburnRovers at Ewood Park.

Despite making such a badfirst impression, Repka cameto win over the West Hamfaithful with hisuncompromising style ofdefending and thoroughlydeserved the cult hero statuseventually given to him at theBoleyn Ground.

3. George McCartney

Still a current Hammerhaving returned to UptonPark in 2012, the left-back isoften subjected to complaintsfrom factions of the WestHam support, but the generalconsensus is that he is agood player, although he isone with injury problems.When he does play, theNorthern Irishman is a soliddefender and also able toventure forward to createopportunities.

McCartney does only reallywin the number three slot bydefault though. The only otheroptions from the past 12

Joell Mayoh

The Twelve Days of Hammers

old against Everton in March2008 and, although heslipped to allow Yakubu toscore for the Toffees in thatgame, the young centre-backshowed a lot of promise.

Having joined West Hamas a schoolboy aged just 7,Tomkins is one of the fewacademy products knockingaround the first team at themoment. The centre-backexcelled during West Ham’s2011/2012 season in theChampionship and, in doingso, earned himself a place inthe Great Britain squad forthe 2012 Olympic Games. Sam Allardyce signedJames Collins to reinforcethe Hammers defence thatsummer though and, sincethen, ‘Tonka’ has struggled toget a regular game. That wasuntil recently, when WinstonReid’s ankle injury gaveTomkins the chance to showwhat he can do once more.

Although he will probablyneed to improve even moreuntil he is considered as oneof West Ham’s first choicecentre-halves, the boy fromBasildon is still young and hastime to learn. He is both anexcellent servant and anexciting prospect for theHammers.

6. Michael Carrick

Choosing a number six forWest Ham is never usuallytricky. Even those with no clueabout football generally knowthe name of that guy wholifted the World Cup forEngland. Nevertheless, whatyou are reading is a(tenuously) festive themed

years are Nigel Winterburn,Rufus Brevett, PaulKonchesky, and Herita Ilunga,all of whom did not performas well for as long asMcCartney during their spellsat Upton Park.

4. Danny Gabbidon

Similar to the numberthree shirt, not many topquality players have worn thenumber four for West Ham inrecent years. BeforeGabbidon there was DonHutchison and, after theWelsh centre-back wasreleased by the club in June2011, Kevin Nolan arrivedand took the number. As theonly one of those three tohave been named Hammer ofthe Year, Gabbidon wins thenumber.

At his best for West Ham,the Crystal Palace defenderwas a force to be reckonedwith. As fast as he wasstrong and with an excellenteye for reading the game,Gabbidon was tremendouslydifficult to outfox and fullydeserved the best playeraccolade he received in2006. Sadly, he suffered astring of injuries later thatyear and was never able torecapture the excellent formhe had shown for theHammers.

5. James Tomkins

Still only 24, Tomkinsseems to have been aroundforever. He made his debutfor West Ham as an 18-year-

selection, so we cannot haveBobby Moore on thisoccasion. Instead we have aplayer who, like theaforementioned legend, camethrough the West Hamacademy and has gone on torepresent his country. Whilehe has not done those thingswith as much distinction asTHE number six, MichaelCarrick has always beenconsidered as an excellentplayer.

He was a precocious talentwhen he fully broke into theWest Ham team as a 19-year-old in 2000, displayingcoolness on the ball andawareness of his teammates’positions that you do notusually see from players soyoung. Not only did Carrick doWest Ham the service ofplaying intelligent football, healso showed the clubremarkable loyalty when theHammers were relegated tothe second tier in 2003.

The young Geordie hadspent the preceding seasonsidelined through injury anddid the honourable thing bystaying with the Hammers forthe following campaign asthey sought promotion backto the Premier League. As itwas, West Ham lost toCrystal Palace in the play-offsand had to spend anotheryear outside of the top flight.

Although Carrick left forrivals Tottenham before thenext promotion chase began,his decision to stay and workfor the Hammers when otherteams were sniffing aroundhim was admirable.

12 years includes TrevorSinclair, Teddy Sheringham,Andy Carroll and, of course,Super Scotty Parker.

Trev and Teddy were bothsuperb during their time inthe claret and blue, AndyCarroll did well last seasonas well before signingpermanently and changing tonumber nine in the summer,but Scott Parker single-handedly carried West Hamthrough countless gameswhen he was a Hammer.

He may have left the club inthe Championship and goneto Tottenham, but he was theonly player who deserved amove. He’d fought so valiantlyand played so well as he triedto keep West Ham up thathe’d earned the right to do ashe pleased.

9. Dean Ashton

Merely thinking of DeanAshton makes mostHammers as miserable asEbenezer Scrooge onChristmas Eve – they cannothelp but wonder: ‘What couldhave been?’

His inclusion in this listdoes, therefore, go againstthe main purpose of thearticle (to spread Christmascheer). But he definitelydeserves his spot as the bestnumber nine we’ve had in thepast 12 years. Signed fromNorwich City in January2006, the big centre-forwarddid not hang about in showingwhat he could do andbecame a fan favouritealmost immediately. Hiscrucial goals in the FA Cupquarter-final against

7. Christian Dailly

This one is a little tongue incheek. Christian Dailly wasundoubtedly a loyal servant toWest Ham – he spent sixyears at the club despiterarely being made a firstteam regular. The onlyproblem with him was thatnumber on the back of hisshirt.

The number seven issupposed to be reserved forflair players! You know;speedy wingers, play-makers,tricksters, goalscorers. NOTfor curly haired utility men.Dailly wearing the numberseven was worse than JamesCollins wearing white bootsevery week.

And yet, here he is, amongthe best players to wear thefirst dozen numbers for theHammers in the last 12years.

‘How the hell has thathappened?’ I hear youwonder. Well, Dailly had hisname on that shirt for six ofthose years for starters.After that, only FreddieLjungberg, Kieron Dyer, SamBaldock and Matt Jarvis havegone near it. Not exactly a listof Hammers legends there.

So Dailly emerges as thetallest dwarf (or elf if we’restill being Christmassy) andclaims the number seven.Perhaps flair players shouldjust leave it alone.

8. Scott Parker

Now we’re gettingsomewhere. The list ofHammers to have worn thenumber eight shirt in the past

Manchester City did him noharm and his top-rateperformance in the finalagainst Liverpool went downa treat.

Now 30 years old, Deanoshould have been leading theHammers frontline for nearlyseven years. Instead, in acruel twist of fate, he wasforced to retire four yearsago because of an ankleinjury he picked up in trainingwith England before he wasset to make his internationaldebut in a friendly againstGreece.

10. Paolo Di Canio

Nothing really needs to besaid about the Italianmagician, does it? We allknow that he’s a West Hamhero and always will be.

11. Matthew Etherington

Although he started withthe number 12 shirt when hefirst joined the Hammers aspart of the deal takingFrederic Kanoute to WhiteHart Lane in 2003, MattyEtherington typified what anumber 11 should always beabout. He was the old-fashioned winger who wouldrun at full-back, drop ashoulder and then whip across in to the box.

Oddly enough, Etheringtonis the exact player SamAllardyce could do with rightnow. Moreover, he’s the kindof player Matt Jarvis shouldbe, but we’ve alreadyestablished he’s stuck withthat cursed number sevenshirt.

12. Carlton Cole

Since his return to the clubafter being released in thesummer, Cole wears 24 forWest Ham. Prior to leavinghe wore the number nineshirt. But Cole enjoyed hisbest football for theHammers when he had 12on his back. Remember the cracker hescored against Newcastle,when he controlled the ball onhis thigh in the area, turnedand smashed it into the netwith his left foot? Rememberthat breathtaking team goalhe finished off with aplombagainst Wigan? Andremember that screamer hescored against Spurs fromoutside the area? Yep, youguessed it, they were all inthe number 12 shirt. Safe to say, Cole wasbetter in the number 12.Which actually makes perfectsense, because he played hisbest football for West Hamunder Gianfranco Zola and itwas the season following thelittle Italian’s departure thatCole switched to the numbernine shirt. The ghost ofChristmas past would saythat he should have stuckwith 12, but he’d probablyalso say that West Hamshould have stuck with Zola.

If this list has failed to perkyou up, then just remember;no matter how rubbish WestHam play in future, at leastwe don’t have to tolerateLionel Scaloni on the secondday of Christmas.

Follow me on Twitter@JoellBlogs

How do you assessFulham’s season thus far?

Embarrassing, excruciatingand not very enjoyable. This issome of the worst footballwe’ve played since we’vebeen in the Premier League.Six losses in a row waspainful to watch. Fortunatelythe win against Aston Villahas given us a ray of lightthat we may have turned itround but knowing us weprobably haven’t.

The last time we met youagreed that the pressurehas been mounting on

Martin Jol. Do you think thesacking was correct?

I think it was probably theright move but done in thewrong way. Shahid Khanwanted a new manager but Ithink fans were worriedabout who would succeedJol. He’s managed to kill twobirds with one assistantmanager.

Rene Meulensteen hassucceeded Jol. How much ofa surprise was that?

Not a surprise at all really. Isaid in our last interview that

I thought he’d succeed Jol ifour performances didn’timprove and then after welose to you, Jol’s sacked andRene’s promoted. Jol must’veseen it coming and is stillprobably trying to get theknife out of his back.

Do you think you’ll be signinganyone in the Januarytransfer window?

I think Meulensteen willwant to bring in some newfaces to come in and freshenthings up and make it histeam. A defender andmidfielder would do it for me.

Opposition View: Fulham

Tim Hollandspeaks toFulham fanPeter Harrisabout the knifein Jol’s back,West Hambeing busy inthe Januarysales andRavelcontrolling histemper

Something needs to be doneto stop the rot. It sayssomething when you’re topscorer is Steve Sidwell.

Berbatov has been linkedwith a move away from theclub in January. Do you seethis happening?

You can never keep aplayer at a club if he doesn’twant to be there. If thereports from his agent aretrue then I think he will leavepossibly moving east to youlot. Saying that he’s playing abit better in recent matches.

Who should West Ham fansbe wary of in the Fulhamfirst XI when the club’smeet on New Year’s Day?

On the basis of our lastperformance against youguys, no one! Steve Sidwell?

Which West Ham playerswould you have in yoursquad?

Ravel Morrison - if helearns to control his temper.Tomkins at the back andperhaps Diame as well.

What’s been your opinion ofWest Ham this season?

You played well against usbut don’t seem to be able toreplicate that form. It looks asthough injuries are reallyhampering your season aswell. I think you’ll be busy inthe January sales.

What’s your prediction forthe match and for bothclubs this season?

2-2 for the game and I’llstick with Fulham 16th,West Ham 17th.

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