Final word on yesterday because the negativity pouring off some forums is mind boggling.
People are unhappy that we didn’t beat a team that we know can play but are having a rough time and will I believe find themselves a long way from relegation by season’s end.
All the arguments have been aired and ClaretandHugh blogger Rich Sprent gave the knockers a perfect answer in his superb blog earlier in the day.
But I’m still struggling big time to get my head around the position of those who don’t believe that six utterly key injuries weren’t in some way responsible for a lack lustre showing – yes those people actually exist.
Let me repeat my status on the ClaretandHugh Facebook @ forum from last night: https://www.facebook.com/groups/363174467150521/
It’s a bit like taking Ken Brown, Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, Peter Brabrook Geoff Hurst and Budgie Byrne out of the sixties team and then saying “What’s wrong with us.”?
Here’s the truth of it for me. Just like way back then, we are a good team when our best players are available and not very good when they are not.
That will change in the summer when we add even more quality and improve year on year.
In the meantime we must get used to the fact that we have a manager who refuses to use injuries as his excuse but gets it in the ear from some anyway as a result.
Were he to take that easy route he’d be criticised for doing so and thus can’t win so I’ll say it for him and the squad: they are digging in, treading water, not sliding and when the injured return we’ll be beating more than beat us.
Patience, tolerance, a bit of understanding and balance is required.
The moaning needs to stop until the season ends. That’s the time to judge!
I think most of the negativity is Bourne out of ” disappointment and frustration ” because we have gone from riding high to a position worse than last season . As others have stated above , the teams nearer the top seem to be relatively injury free . Our injuries on the other hand are hindering us , not because they are just injuries , but because they are injuries to key players , and lots of them . Take a few nuts and bolts out of any machine and it don’t work the same . But you need a good engineer to keep it running untill the nuts and bolts can be replaced …. We have that in Bilic and when the injured start trickling back we shall see a different West Ham I’m sure . There are good reasons to be positive and we still have over half a season to go . Come On You Hammers .
Well said H4life. Agree with you 100% about Leceister and Watford, and 100% about flip flopping fans. Couldn’t have put it better myself.
We are doing as well as can be reasonably expected in the circumstances. There is no way we can be at our optimum when half the starting team is out injured.
Well said Hugh. Injuries severely disrupt seasons and Slav and the boys are doing a great job coping. On the flip side if you can go a whole season relatively injury free it’s a huge advantage. In my opinion this was one of the major reasons for our success in 85-86. It’s the same reason Leicester and Watford are doing well. They’ve avoided injuries and it has led to familiarity, consistency and success. I’m so tired of all the fans who flip flop between euphoria and desperation after every result and have no appreciation of what our management and coaching staff have achieved.
I love the way these articles are so positive. Judge at the end of the season etc. Great. Complete contrast to last season. Soon as we had a bit of a bad run last year the knives were out despite having been fourth and on six points more than we are now at the same stage of the season. Fantastic to see so many backing the manager who can do no wrong it seems and getting behind the team. With this kind of support anything is possible. I see us winning the fa cup this year and maybe if the gods are kind, a Place amidst European elite. We should be there. We are among the top twenty richest clubs in the world after all.
It is a contrast to the attitudes last season but there are very important reasons why this is so.
1. Bilic isn’t constantly making excuses when things go wrong, he is honest and up front about it.
2. Neither is he blaming officials or always lamenting decisions that didn’t go our way as an explanation for shortcomings.
3. He displays an acute awareness of the traditions of the club.
4. He tries to win every game, appreciating a point but not setting out to only achieve a point.
5. He doesn’t claim personal credit when the team win,
6. Most importantly, it is very clear that he respects the fans and identifies with us. He has refrained from insulting us and it seems he is too much of a gentleman to ever do so.
None of these points applied to last season’s manager. Consequently, fans respect Bilic and their attitude towards him is naturally much more positive and understanding. Our previous manager is not smart enough to have worked these truths out and derived his pleasure from goading and insulting us.
Trouble is, we can only talk about the here and now and at this moment in time we are treading water. I just hope that Slav isn’t thinking I’ll wait until the end of the season and see how things are.
Did we grind out a point Sunday or was it Swansea who couldn’t hit the net even with around three quarters of the possessin
Pretty sure we ground out a result…..just watch Collins that should give you a clue. You can have all the possession you like, doesn’t guarantee anything as we’ve shown AFC, MCFC and LFC this season.
Good artcle, couldn’t believe the negativity in some areas. Okay we didn’t play particularly well but we dug in and ground out a point away from home. There are no easy games in the PL. We just need to grab a few more points before end of year, get the injuries resolved and we’ll be looking at a decent second half of the season.
reminds me of last year when we got the injuries the dip in form was inevitable. First half of the season we had been brilliant. Fourth at Christmas etc but then the injuries came and the moaning started. moaning and mind boggling negativity and remember back then we didn’t have the squad to cover like we have now. No flair players to come back like Payet and Lanzini. Back then we didn’t have those players in the first place.
Yes we become more like whinging Spurs every day.
Great point!! Sometimes our supporters are embarrassing with they way they carry on!!!