https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2289_ysAChM
Carol Combes -an admin on the ClaretandHugh Facebook group and website – isn’t one of our usual bloggers. But such was her anger at what she saw against Liverpool that she has been movcd to tell the squad exactly what she thinks of them!
A message to the West Ham squad:
As a long-standing West Ham fan for almost 50 years, I, like all of us, have been through a lot.
I have spent more hours than I remember, standing, in the rain on a Saturday just to get in to see West Ham play!
There have been highs, probably more lows, but if you are West Ham, you are West Ham- you put up with it!
Now, we all know the game has changed A LOT in recent years-bringing both good and bad.
As a fan, one of the most notable changes has been the wages.
Yes, I accept that West Ham’s players aren’t the highest paid in the Prem, and you earn a lot less than many but….
I watch my husband, who has a crumbling spine, is 60 years old and has to work, (as do I), doing a physical job for a lot less than the ‘national average’ wage.
He tries so hard to get through each day, that he comes home in agony and spends the evening trying to reduce the pain.
When I then watch our beloved Claret and Blue team give a half-hearted performance like against Liverpool it makes me very cross!
How many hours a week do you actually train? How much does that work out per hour?
I think too many of you have lost touch with the real world, what REAL work is, and how difficult things are for your fans.
Too often this season we have heard players say the performance wasn’t good enough, or we are all gutted. Well, I’m sorry, but it isn’t good enough! If you haven’t run your socks off for 90 mins and aren’t almost too tired to walk off the pitch, then you HAVEN’T given your all!
Get rid of this dreadful, lazy, attitude-remember how lucky you are and give EVERYTHING for those fans.
No good doing a ‘lap of honour’, when you should all be apologising to the fans.
We can be patient and tolerant-we’ve had to be! To lose to a better team we can accept-these lazy performances in a Claret and Blue shirt-NO! Shameful!
I know none of you will see this, but I wish you would!
Well said Carol ! You and your husband are not alone in feeling that way.
Hugh can you send this to DG and DS please ? Ask to have it put on the wall of the changing room and at the training ground, to serve as a reminder to the players of their responsibility to the people who pay their wages. Carol’s open letter accurately represents I am sure how many of us feel after performances such as yesterday’s.
Just wanted to say WELL SAID CAROL… And full support the remarks by No32. I traveled
up from Cornwall and couldn’t believe the lack of effort by certain members of the team. As Hammers fans we are conditioned to highs and big lows ! But all we ever ask is that our teams gives 100%. But frequently this season some have let us down.. Us true fans will still be there next season.. But come on boys give us something to be proud of, There was a definite lack of pride and work in this display !! COYI
Couldn’t have put it better myself Carol.
I hope that DG and DS get to see this as well as Slav and that he makes a point of reading it to all the players. I doubt that will happen but who knows,
I think a lot of the players have been how Carol described all season not just yesterday.
As soon as Liverpool scored I could see it going to 3 or 4 sadly.
But I’ve renewed my season ticket again cos as Carol also said there have been highs, probably more lows, but if you are West Ham, you are West Ham- you put up with it!
Players have lost touch with the fans and how hard we have to work for a living whilst many even the lower paid ones (and I use the word lower in a football wage earning way) earn more in a week than many earn in a year.
Lets hope Carols words reach them certainly the Nobles and Ginge’s of the squad and hope it gives them a reality check.
Next season we have to do better all round from the Top to the bottom of the club including the owners!!!
Ginge and Mark are the last two to need this wake up call.
100% agree with you Carol. We have seen some truly awful defeats this season, but yesterday’s felt the worst. Yes, Liverpool were good, but the lack of effort and intensity from us was ridiculous. It was evident from the start. I am all for family, but the players coming out yesterday holding all their kids just said it all to the Liverpool players. It felt like a friendly and we were not there for the points!!
Also, for the last few years we haven’t won a game after the players awards. Can we please have these awards after the season ends. Surely someone inside the club has noticed this….
Absolutely spot on. What a privelidge it is to be a footabller… to pull on a West Ham shirt. They should be ashamed. You get the impression they think that they are doing us a favour by turning up, when it is the other way round. They work for us. Without the fans there is no football. A little humility would help a lot of them. Yes, having watched Lee Chapman & Mike Small in the past, mid-week, having gone straight from work and been dished up some pretty turgid rubbish at times I think we have earnt the right to criticise the team when dont put in a shift. and they have not put in a shift on too many occasions this season. Can I suggest, first and foremost, we clear out the dead wood and before we make any more signings, make sure the ones we are looking at are made of the right stuff. If they are not prepared to give their all for West Ham, let’s not have them doing us a favour by taking our money. We all know the sort. Ya Ya? No no, thank you. Buy your own Birthday cake.
Totally OT.
I know it’s been mentioned before, but the ad’s on this site are becoming a bit of a joke now. The ad’s that randomly appear are bad enough, but there’s now ad’s that take you to a totally different site!
Pop-up blockers are not feasible (afaik) for iPhone/iPad.
Think these are ‘rogue ads’, the ‘Smart Alec’s’ are on to it! 😉👍
You meanies! Just look at our Nordtveit, trying his little heart out, bless his cotton socks:
https://twitter.com/thesullis/status/863774093509787649
Well said Carol, but what worries me is I genuinely don’t think the players think they have not put the effort in. Too many comments from the likes of Noble saying ‘if we finish well it will have been a great season’, seriously… and his most recent ‘Slav has done a brilliant job this season’ along with Reid’s ‘it’s one of those things’….oh it is is it Winston my old mate, to lose at home again by four goals…….seems they have got used to getting stuffed by every top side, there was a time when getting beat at home by four goals to anyone was a big deal now it’s Slav saying ‘we wanted to do better’ or ‘the boys did good’ (for 10 minutes) or hey ‘it’s just one of those things’. Sorry thoroughly fed up!
Carol, & the other comment makers are absolutely correct. There is no point putting the effort in against Spurs & then serving up such a disgusting performance against Liverpool – & Arsenal & Man City (twice) & Watford etc. etc. Shame on this team. This is not acceptable. For the money they are paid, the fans want the team to actually TRY. The players are taking money under false pretences & these sort of performances need to be punished by the management; & punished severely !
Please DO convey our sentiments to the owners. Surely we will not put up with this crass performance & lack of effort any longer. They MUST do something about this.
Not too mention the shameful capitulation to Utd in the cup after our performance against Chelsea also
Well said , Carol . A lot of us have been saying something similar for ages . Well , those that aren’t afraid to voice an opinion , that is .
It doesn’t just stop at the Players though . There is a deep rooted problem and maybe we need some new direction from a certain desk / office .
Reading about and listening to players giving it the big one on a regular basis is getting more than than just a bit annoying .
That performance against Liverpool ( amongst too many others ) cannot be defended . And it’s becoming very strange to keep defending Bilic . The Fans deserve better from everyone at West Ham .
West ham are West ham ?? Never been a top class act ,, just a good premiership side always have been ,,since 1963 ?? Always bridesmaids 😁😁
Mate, Bridesmaid would be good, this season we didn’t even get an invite to the Church.
If we get Batshuayi on loan will he be something borrowed, something blue 😉