It feels good …very good indeed.
The dark days are gone…a Hammer is in charge of our club again – he understands us and our dreams and hopes. Tonight I and probably millions of others feel they have come home to West Ham United. We have our club back!
Ok, It was long and it was torturous and as I wrote update after update I wondered whether it would ever happen but at nearly midnight on Monday June 8, 2015 an e mail from inside the club convinced me that Slav would get the job.
Five words that I had never seen before from this particular source convinced me. They merely read “DON’T WORRY – it’s all okay.”
It wasn’t enough to stake your life on but it was enough for me to go to bed a happy guy – West Ham was on its way back to us.
This morning of course all the media outlets wanted to be first with the news although I wasn’t entirely sure why. By that time it got round to 11 am it was all pretty well a given.
By 1 pm David Sullivan had given us at ClaretandHugh his view and welcomed back a “well loved member of the unique West Ham family.”
For the first time in two or three years the feel good factor was back and that the former defender was now in charge felt so natural you asked yourself how it could have ever been otherwise.
There will of course be reservations among some and 0k he wasn’t the first second third or even fourth choice but for me he is the right choice.
And let’s get one thing clear. Slav did not leave this club under a cloud. He was sold to Everton for £4 million and despite passing a medical played very few games afterwards before an early retirement. As stated once before here, there was no betrayal of West Ham by the big fella.
Changing managers is always a risk. That goes without saying but start preparing for a big change of style under a man who played primarily 4-2-3-1 at Beskitas and made sure there was no stranded lone centre forward!
He’s a very fluid and adaptable tactician and we are about to go back to the future and rediscover a West Ham some thought had been lost forever.
No doubt there are some out there who will be ready to tear this piece apart but tonight I don’t care…I’m full of hope, full of optimism, full of positivity. I believe we have a great manager on our hands and the fun is back.
It’s Super Slav’s claret and blue army!
COYI
Well done Hugh you’ve flown the flag and fought the fight well,being fair to our former manager when it was warranted and backing up any criticism with logic and fact. 99% or more of the posters on this site were of the same opinion that we needed our club back and the only way was for Sam to go. Today is a new dawn for our beloved club and just by the existence of someone who understands and obviously has deep affection for us being appointed manager means things are already better and I believe will continue to improve from now on.
COYI!
Thanks Quickdraw – it’s been a high wire walk – thank God it’s all over. Cheers mate.
You’re welcome and thanks for the hard work
Spot on Quick 😉
Great read Hugh. I’m Italian but I’m really happy for all of you. You deserve this joy and as I wrote some weeks ago… the bright future is yours, this is just the beginning 😉 COYI
Youre not going to run away again now are you Matte,lol,you still have much to do 😀
Ahaha…I’m still here Quick, this is an endless job… Now I have to plan the transfer market… Tomorrow morning I’ll have a brainstorming with Slaven… Lol 😀
Haha good stuff Matte. From what I read earlier the C&H Italian ambassador will always have a mission lol
Till I die without wet pants… lol 😉
Nice post Hugh. You said it all
We can take these signs down from the ground now as well 😉
http://www.fugly.com/media/IMAGES/Random/hippo_splatter_zone.jpg
Ahah… I like it… 😀
Rads that is so funny I nearly done a splatter myself lol
Lmao,nice one,that made me laugh so much my missus thought i was having a fit,lol,no more hippo splat.What a wonderful day it is today to have someone else to call our manager 😉
agreed. feels wonderful to have a some passion back.
Well done Hugh. Hopefully the times of driving home from Upton Park feeling dispirited, ashamed and without hope have gone (along hopefully with Nolan, O’Brien, Jarvis and Demel) are gone forever. Big credit to our fantastic owners for making this happen at last. Now all that needs to be done is to get rid of the dross (mentioned above), bring in some pacey new faces, introduce carefully some of our younger talent into the squad and we will be moving forward. Goodnight Sam. Good morning Slav. COYI
I think your piece mirrors what hundreds of thousands of Hammers fans around the world (are we that many ?) are feeling in the cockles of their hearts tonight.
Pride, passion and positivity is back at our beloved club.
No more respect the point, but trespect the win and respect the fans and the values of our club. No more endless waffling about having to keep clean sheets as the only way to win football games, but a positive approach that finds the right balance between defending and attacking.
No more 35% possession of the ball against teams near the bottom of the table being descriibed as wounded animals we have to fear.
No more slouching in chairs and chewing gum.
No more silly excuses or laying the blame everywhere but at the door of the man in charge occasionally.
No more disregard and cupping ear gestures to the loyal fans.
No more favouritism of players sharing the same agent as the manager.
No more putting square pegs in round holes.
Finally a manager who may actually take an interest in watching our youth team occasionally and give some of the more talented ones some valuable experience in first team games.
I’m a happy man and Hammer tonight. I’m ready for the ride and I’m ready for sume bumps in the road too as long as our new driver is actually willing to drive our bus with all the gears that are available, depending on the road and weather conditions.
May Allardyce find happiness at Hull or Tranmere Rovers.
Strange how many people used to call this site & people on it destructive,diversifying & all these other names because of our intense dislike of our EX-manager.These same people now dancing in the aisles he has gone & Slav has arrived.Its funny old game 😉
Yeah twinkle, that’s really funny. Now they’re dancing in the streets with rabid dogs and ignorant pigs… Really strange… 😉
But no Kev tonight.Must be sulking somewhere 😉
Great post, said it all really and echoes my thoughts exactly. I believe we are about to enter a phase of football which will see a return of the West Ham way. Pride, energy, never say die, play to win, stylish, attacking, strong, fluid, on the floor football on the pitch and some moose in the f&£@&ing stadium again due to the fans having something to cheer about again. I don’t particularly care about top 6, losing games, Europe, winning cups etc….of course I do in the sense that these things would be great but they are not the reason I support West Ham, if they were Id of swapped teams aged 10 and started to support Man U or Liverpool but it was too late west ham were in my blood by then and so was the West Ham way and all I want to see is attractive football played with passion, pride and commitment. I believe this is on the menu and I’m going to bed a very happy hammer…night lads….how good it feels to be part if West Ham, how good it feels to be united again! Sorry for the long post but don’t post often so thought I’d make the most of it…..COYI!
We are free. Sun is shining and the Upton Park hiss will be replaced by a ginormous roar. Optimistic and happy. Thanks Davids. We might see a start of the Wedt Ham Way again. Football that is fast, free flowing and with options upfront.
When welcoming Bilic we must remember to thank the directors. We needed hope. You’ve given us that. Gratitude Messrrs Gold and Sullivan. And, gratitude to all WHU fans. I’m proud and happy.#coyi
I can see clearly now Big Sam is gone,
He was the main obstacle in our way,
Gone are the dark clouds now Slav is here,
It’s gonna be a briiiight, briiiight, sun-shiny day.
Sorry, very drunk and totally over the moon. 😉
Haha,love it,good job 😉
Did Kevin not come out to play last night ?
Great post Hugh
Thanks Rad had a look first thing this morning over my cornflakes,no cheese on toast for us old people to early for teeth,
For the first time in a long time, I’m looking forward to the new season with a spring in my step, and I reckon that goes for all of us. We all want success no question, but just as important is to bring the fun back to supporting the Irons. It’s going to be fun again 🙂
These dark days?? Does it mean hippo,s shadow if so! **** me? There,s going to be a difference