West Ham’s diehard fans have scoffed at co chairman David Gold’s remarks the Irons will be closing the gap on the top four this season.
They cam out in force to pour contempt on his remarks published on the official website before a ball has been kicked.
In an almost entirely negative reaction to the club’s prospects various ClaretandHugh readers responded forcefully on the Facebook forum at https://www.facebook.com/groups/363174467150521/687239968077301/?notif_t=group_comment.
Here’s a sample of the reaction to Gold’s declaration of excitement at the new season and his belief that the club is on its way towards the top.
Rich Sprent There are many fans feeling negative after the past week.
Limp Euro exit. An £18m net spend. Latest loan striker tempted elsewhere. Talk of ‘cheap bids’ under release clauses for Miralles & Hernandez.
After under investing in Europe the club are stating that they’re all in for Sunday. No win there since BobbyZ tapped home from 45yds & Green put on a one man goalkeeping masterclass in 2007.
Closing the gap to the top4? We shall have to wait and see what the team come up with. If we manage it after letting one of our best players go & spending only £18m then it will be some feat. Easy to see why there are those with doubts.
Stewart Hunter We want to give qpr what they want for Austin before its to late
Glen Smith Should be concentrating on buying a proven forward then if he wants to close the gap
len Smith I agree some people moan for the sake of it. Actually looking forward to this season. Think Bilic will do well, play better football and blood some youngsters in the first team.
Sean Oakley This is laughable……we need another striker before we are anywhere near closing the gap……we finished twelve last season lol
Graham Herbert In the words of Allardyce: he’s deluded! This is just the usual PR tripe. The amount they have spent is poor and is indicative of a few seasons ago. There is too much spin from the owners. We need a goal scorer urgently – at the very least. I’ll say it again, I am starting to get concerned about this season. Please prove me wrong!
Mark Crawley We still seriously lack strength in depth to even contemplate getting anywhere near the top 4. Look at upfront. If Sacko gets injured that leaves us with Zarate, Maiga & Lee?!?! The fact that Maiga is even still at the club speaks volumes. He’s useless but we haven’t got anyone else!!!! I think we need to cement ourselves as a top ten finishing side first before even contemplating the top 4 as we’ve been finishing no higher than 12th recently
Sure people will scoff at it.We finished 12th last season,teams round us are strengthning as well & in some cases out spending us.I appreciate he wants to be enthusiastic but we are many things as west ham fans but we aint mugs.When we are in a position to spend 30-40mill we will surely improve.Net spend of 17m so far will keep you standing still.Simple as that.
Reading these reactions before a ball has been kicked makes me very relieved none of these ‘fans’ are running the club.
You can see the glass as half full or half empty but what good being negative before the season has even started does beats me.
I wonder how the rest of the team feels when they are constantly being told they really aren’t up to it and we are doomed unless we sign another striker , particularly someone like Zakho.
im going by what ive seen pre season, went to 4 games, watched various players, new and old, and for me only Payet looks the part
He didnt say this season. He was talking about the near future in the new stadium, but its always risky to predict a good futur after just getting knocked out of the europa cup lol
I am quite happy about things at the moment so I won’t complain. Bring on the new season, but please buy a new striker soon or we could worry the top clubs much later than we want.
Tbh i really dont see how you close a gap on the top four by spending about 20m.It aint like the top four stand still to let us catch up,lol,they also improve 😀
Maybe some people dont like being fed bs.It doesnt bother me particularly.But maybe they have a wee point.We aint going to be anywhere near the top six.I aint being negative,just a realist.Is it a sin to be realistic or should we all live in cloud cuckoo land with our full glasses of Ribena 😉
i agree with you all the way
You have to laugh.He needs to start spending some proper money on a quality striker to start with instead of dithering and looking at loan deals.The two Davids will be minted once we move to the Olympic stadium but still seem reluctant to spend big.I honestly cannot see us improving on last season and the main reason is the lack of real quality up front because of injuries.God help us if Sakho gets injured early in the season.
Def its up front we are lacking, and I cant see where the solution is coming from.
But I still can’t wait for tomorrow
Always had respect for them both as owners, but time someone deleted Mr Gold’s twitter account. The owners have to give Slav the tools the right players to achieve a top 6 position, we need that top striker!
Wait a minute ; tell me if I’m wrong , but isn’t finishing 11th , 10th , 9th or 8th closing the gap.
Gold said closeing the gap on the top four ,, can’t see anything wrong with that statement.
Yes our limp exit from Europe was miserable and didn’t warm any of us up , But Europe and the Prem are two completely different thing’s . We need another striker yes , but don’t forget there is Carroll recovering from injury , and that is more like a new signing than actually signing one . Try to remember West Ham United do not have Megga bucks , so try to be a bit more positive .
The last two seasons we have ended up with no forwards.We have Valencia injured & our other two main strikers last season both where injury prone,couple that with Carlton going we are now lighter up top than we were last year.You can have all the attacking midfielders in the world but you still need proper strikers.Valencia was hardly prolific last year,so we are reliant on Carroll & Sakho as it stands.One aint even back for weeks at the earliest.What the f*ck happens if Sak gets crocked early doors.
I am optimistic overall, but we need to replace Maiga with a decent striker, so we can start to close the gap.
As much as I agree that DG should rein in his comments a bit and that we could do with a striker all the above, apart from len smith, proves to me is yet another reason not to have ever been on Facebook,so thanks lol.
As for the squad apart from striker and RB we’re a lot stronger than last year with great additions at CB,midfield and of course with blooded youngsters. We’re also going to actually attempt to play football,remember the game we love? So I’m staying positive and going to enjoy the ride and sod the whingers!
Are we much better off than last season though Quick.Payet yes,is Umbongo any better than Reid,Tomkins? Obiang,aint got a clue but wont Song play anyway if he comes back.We have Payet,looks a class apart but we have lost Downing.Other players are punts re:Lanzini,Samuelsen.I am very positive for the season,cant see us struggling but i dont believe we are hugely better off player wise.Most hope is based on how Slav will get us to play,dont think the transfer window thus far has been superb i must say.Btw just to cheer everyone one up i saw earlier that Nolan could well be staying to see out the last year of his contract,lol 😉
Firstly we are MUCH better off having got rid of the laughably called manager. But onto players we’ve now got 2 covers at LB. Ogbonna is a strengthening force plus Burke now has experience (and yes he did get played eventually by BFS once he’d signed for a certain agent) at CB. RB cover still an issue. Obiang,Payet,Lanzini and Samuelsen all add something plus Poyet,Cullen and Oxford will now figure and Zarate may now get a chance. Up front I think we’ll get someone plus Song is still to come.
So even though the numbers aren’t much greater the range of choice is bigger add that to the loss of preprinted teamsheets with KN on there all the time and I’d say we’re much stronger.
Good to see WBA can find £15m for a striker if Rondon moves there.There again they are a much bigger club than us,lol
perhaps they just sold a very expensive striker to allow them to do it.
Lol,well Berahino is still there as it stands 😉
I know they will probably recoup the cash with Berahinho moving.I was just being a little mischievious is all 😀
It could all change with the signing of a quality forward, not Jiminez or Hernandez, definitely not Borini; why go after players that either are impact at best, those with little game time and no PL experience and Borini is just rubbish, when you have Austin who has scored hatfuls at every level, think 60 in the last 3 seasons, so tell me why we wouldn’t want a 20 a season striker. Get Austin and I will feel like we might have inched a little forwards, get anyone else and think we are in for an interesting season with not much purchase on where we finished last season!!
Everton are now ment to be front runners for Austin i saw earlier.Also,thougn bookies odds are no gauge they have Everton now as favs for his signature 😉
Just been reading lots of Articles about how Arsenal are going to Thrash us tomorrow , by pundit’s and arsenal fans .
They seem very sure of themselves and supremely confident .
Maybe that overconfidence and general belief they are unbeatable and that West Ham stand no chance at all Will Be Their Undoing .. One can only hope that is the case .
We may not win , but pushovers we won’t be .
Come on you Hammers … Can’t wait … Getting pretty excited now … Gonna be itching all night and all tomorrow morning .
I can give you some cream for that itching if you want Kevin,i got it at the hospital after i came back from Thailand,lol 😉
sorry but Mr Gold is deluded, i think we will do well to stay up, from what ive seen so far only Payet looks like a Prem player, it looks like we have now lost out on another striker due to the fact we were knocked out of the European Carling Cup, Arsenal will tear us apart tomorrow, so we should of gone for it with a decent team in Romania,we need to sign a top striker and fast, because even if AC is back in 3 weeks it wont be long until he is out injured again, Valencia out to, but to be honest i dont rate him, Sakho is good but not prolific, then its a couple of bench warmers bringing up the rear, our defense is poor, Ogbanana looks average, sloppy at times, so im sorry Mr Gold, your talking rubbish.
DG is West Ham through & through. The Gullivan Bros have sunk millions into the club to keep us were we are and reduce the debt. Of course they will make money in the OS they are business men. We could be where Pompey are now but for their money when they saved us from administration after Icelandish debacle.
Give the Guy a break. He wants success the same as you and I. He means closing the gap between us and the top 4 not achieving that goal yet.
We could have and should have finished top 8 last season but for Allardyce reverting to type when his pets got fit.
I also think we have dodged a bullet with Jiminez. His attitude or CV didn’t appeal to me.
I still hope if we can move a few on by the end of the window (Goodness knows who will want them though !) and Austin may still be an option.
Also Hernandez was again left on the bench today, I am sure He would like to get first team football.
So I don’t think He is talking rubbish and I certainly don’t think we will be torn apart tomorrow either.(and don’t construed that, as I predict a win, I just think we will do the club proud)
i forgot to say as sonn as we are in the O.S and a big offer comes in to buy the club, Dave and Dave will sell
Top 4 ? I want to finish above that …. where’s your ambition Mr Gold
ha ha i like it, it might be another season we need a sense of humour
🙂
How much is it worth to be in the Premier this season 125m or something like that.Are they seriously saying that we cant buy a 10-15m striker.Im sorry but that is bs if that doesnt happen before the end of the window.In fact it will be bang out of order.Especially if like the last two seasons we end up with no fit strikers again.Seems maybe they dont learn from the seasons that have just passed.
Well, be fair – what is a David Gold supposed to say – he’s got to be upbeat and positive and start the season off on the right foot.
The two Dave’s have taken the big decision in getting shot of the Dinosaur and appointed a youngish Manager who’s got a reasonable record, knows the ‘West Ham way’ and will be given what he needs.
There’s work to do – several players need to be moved on: Nolan, Maiga, Jarvis – and we need to strengthen up front, God help us if Sakho gets injured – it’s all looking hopeful.
I have hopes that West Ham will finish in the top four too……. it just may not happen this season. It wasn’t many years ago that Man City were a mid-table side after their promotion. Look where they’re finishing now. Same goes for a mid table Chelsea twenty years ago They then started signing players like Vialli, Zola and Hasselbaink and they shot up to the top five or six, before eventually becoming champions. It’s not unrealistic for our club and fans to dream!! (Though it seems that some would rather we stayed in mid table!!)
Maybe Chelsea & City were aided a little by multi-billionaires buying them 😉
The squad is better than it was last season, Payet has to be worth at least 9 – 12 points if he plays a full season, we have yet to see what Obiang can do, Lanzini may turn out to be inspired, by the looks of it Reece Oxford will be playing as a defensive midfielder, the other kids look like they will get a chance, Cullen, Samuelson, Burke, Page etc We are going to play a better style of football when the players adapt to the new style, we do need to sign a new striker and if we can get him for £15m then that is what we should pay for Austin he is a better goalscorer than anyone we have had since Cottee and McAvennie, again he is a 9 – 12 point player that can dig us out of some holes that our previous strikers have failed to do. If we had a fit Austin and a fit Payet all season we could be top 5 or 6 and could expect to finish above teams like Liverpool and Everton. Maybe I am an optimist but a true goal scorer is what we are so clearly missing, I think Sakho will get 15 – 20 if he stays fit but the rest of them I don’t see enough goals to realise our potential…
We should have filled the gap up front early on with Lambert at £3 million cheap then we would still probably be in Europe,
Now it’s what we all have been dreading Borini because he is going cheap,
If he wants to act the big man buy Austin or Henandez this week,
Get a right back and shift the dead wood
Gold give Slav a chance
COYI
Bad luck spuds and Everton ha ha
Haha,i was hoping Everton were going to lose at home to Watford bubs.That would have p*ssed off Paxo the gobsh*te toffee that comes on here 😀
He’s in LA so he reckoned the other day. Amazing how far you can stretch your benefit money these days lol
Lol,yeah i know he is,i read his dopey message the other day.Something about licking windows.Geezers lost the plot.But all mickey mousers think they are comedy gold dont they.D*ckhead 😉
Pity Hugh doesnt actually read his own site.Then maybe he wouldnt get planks like that on here,haha 😉
See a couple of the papers today are saying we have been offered Berbatov by his agent because he has no club now.Just what we need,some 34yr old has-been who wants about 90k a week,lol
I could actually believe a crazy signing like that if hippo was still in charge.But then again who knows what Gold & Sullivan will do,he is free after all,lol
It’s not rocket science to realise we are in dire need of a striker or two. So unless Mr Gold has seen Maiga doing something with a can of spinach i’m afraid he has to be got rid of and someone who knows where the goal is has yo be brought in sharpish.