By Nigel Kahn
With the fantastic way we have gone about this season West Ham fans have many reasons to be cheerful.
Yet across some social media platforms I am beginning to see fans commenting on how their position on Sam has changed from last season.
That is natural. Sam has changed to an attacking style Clean sheet football is not on the agenda it seems and more and more fans are saying: “Last season I wanted Sam gone but I’m eating humble pie now” whilst praising the owners for keeping their nerve.
I don’t get that. Last season when those fans wanted Sam out it was with good reason as for at that time, and for the previous couple of years, the football had been dreadful. The only way out of it for many was for Sam to sling his hook or have it slung.
So there is no reason now for those fans that voted for him to go , or booed his teams off, or held up that banner at West Brom, to feel foolish or that they have to eat their words. Hindsight is a wonderful thing so it is very easy to look back now and say they were wrong, but that is to ignore everything else that was happening at the time.
Imagine if last season was the last on Sam’s contract! Who really believes that he would have got another contract when he walked into the end of season meeting at Dave Sullivan’s house. Last season he did achieved what was asked of him, but the club was in open revolution at the way he achieved it.
The owners without having to pay him off would have thanked him for his services and bid him farewell. Luckily, or not depends where you sit on the subject, he did have another year left, and waving him goodbye would have cost three million pounds to do so.
Money that was put to good use, by DS, in his transfer dealings that have helped bring in the players to propel us to a position not seen for nearly a generation.
So I say to those fans that feel they are choking on their ‘Sam Out’ stance of last season to choke no more, keep humble pie off the Christmas menu this season and just enjoy the resurgence of West Ham and in a way Big Sam, as I never thought he had it in him.
I was vehemently anti-Sam last season, with good reason. On some Facebook groups I am now invited to apologise and admit I was wrong, when in fact, this season has proven I was right all along. I frequently crossed swords with those who insisted we could have either good football or survival, but not both. I maintained that the two were not mutually exclusive. Lo and behold, this season has proved me right. We have recruited a different type of squad to that which Sam would have chosen, given his way. I applaud our board for ‘encouraging’ him to change his style and until Sakho and valencia got injured I would have thanked Sam for taking notice and doing things a bit differently. The last few games, however, have seen signs of a return to the old ways, so it remains to be seen how long he can keep this up. So far so good, and thanks Sam for proving me right.
I agree, I think the “Sam out” Brigade helped drive the change that we have seen this season, it was the pressure applied by them that focused the Davids minds and forced the changes apon Mr Allardyce… 2 up front, the midfield diamond and marauding wing backs were only things we could dream about in seasons past. The change has been staggering and everyone at the club from the Chairman, Players, Fans and even the Manager deserve to enjoy what we are now being treated to each match. Lets forget about whats happened in the past and start to fully enjoy what is currently happening to our great club….. and lets forgive Sam for last season and respect him for being able to change and adapt to our endless demands and thank the lord that its all work out wonderfully well.
ONWARDS and UPWARDS … forever blowing bubbles
Agree with every word. Ever one and had Sam had his way there would have been no Sakho at £3,5 million but Connor Wickham at £10 m
Hugh we were after a lot of players at the time. Who is to say Connor Wickham wouldn’t have been a sensation at West Ham? Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I still think it’s early days and when I look at the team selection I still do not understand why Nolan is on the pitch before other players ,yes he worked hard but we need more than that
And means some players have play out of place,this is my last problem with Sam and I hope he can sort this before it’s to late.
Your last sentence: “I never thought he had it in him”.
That’s why you should be eating humble pie. You were wrong.
Thankfully the owners held their nerve and didn’t bow to a noisy minority of “fans” who don’t understand football but like to moan and make idiotic statements like “he’s killing our club” and boo our captain (who once again had a top game yesterday). Sad.
I stand by not wanting anyone eating humble pie but I do agree with your final paragraph mate. Credit to our owners who held firm.
Selective argument from Andromena “I never thought he had it in him””’you were wrong nonsense.
Nothing he’d produced last season apart from diabolical match after diabolical match leading to the demos and board showdown suggested he had. And his decision to change shows he was the one who was WRONG and the fans who complained along with the board were RIGHT. Praps you’d like a return to last season’s football yeah?
When the owners brought BS to the boleyn I believe that there was a plan to get us up and then keep us up for the move to the OS, whilst all the while improving the team so that it was worthy of playing in such a fantastic stadium.
So what went wrong?
Put quite simply imo the squad improvements stalled and an aged and limited team severely hampered by injuries struggled for its existence in what was a terrible season.
So the real questions should be, why did the squad improvements stall and why was the team allowed to be so horribly exposed?
It can also be asked why the welcomed expenditure this year? Was it out of necessity, where has the money come from and why wasn’t more of it spent last year thus avoiding such a terrible year.
It is all very well blaming the manager, although he didn’t help himself at times but you can only do the best with what you have got. As has been proven this season.
There has to be more to it than that as let’s face it however worthy the cause no club is going to undergo such a complete transformation such as ours has this season because a section of the support has been so unhappy.
West Ham are no different to any other club in that it is the owners who run the club and at best only ever pay lip service to the views and wishes of the fans.
However, it doesn’t really matter what has gone on as it us all in the past and there is nothing anyone can now do to change it.
All I will say is if the last year has hastened the new recruitment policy and our subsequent improvement then all well and good. Also at least we know after last year that we can defend very well! COYI!
Agree with you yet again Phil. We had a lousy season last year because we failed in the transfer market and had rotten injuries starting with AC after the window closed. Had we bought in Ba or Lukuka or whoever we were after supposedly we would’ve had a top ten IMO. But you know what? I’m glad we didn’t. I think last season has shaped this season with a ‘never again’ approach and that’s why they found the money to spend on their very well scouted recrits. Credit to the board and the manager.
Great post Nigel.
I have always supported Sam because I felt he did what I wanted him to do seasons one and two and was a) very unlucky with injuries last year and b) between him and the board had a poor transfer window, unlike this season.
With respect to Hammerforlife I don’t think the “out brigade” persuaded the Daves to act I think they knew they had to act and did so along with Sam.
No one needs to eat humble pie in my view. Like me they should enjoy this transformation. It is down to our board, who have also had their share of stick, the whole squad, Sam, who really seems a different man this year and finally the fans who have mostly responded to the changes we see.
The only problem I have is with fans who won’t accept that our club are in a good place and continue to berate the manager, the skipper and certain members of the board based on inherent dislike of individuals
when it is clear that for the first time in years we have a chance on the big stage.