Manuel Pellegrini made some provocative comments which will be considered either required or unwise by many following the second defeat of the season.
Many fans showed their irritation and displeasure by leaving the stadium with the team 2-1 down.
And the manager was not happy about that insisting they should have stayed in their seats giving the team full support until the bitter end.
It’s a matter of great pride to many that they do exactly that but whether it is the manager’s place to tell the fan base at large how to behave is a vexed question.
He said: “The fans must also trust again this season. The stadium was empty with 10 minutes to go, we can still score in that time. They need to believe but if you don’t have results it is more difficult for them.
“The squad, everyone, must forget about last season, trust what we are doing and look to the future.
“I feel the squad is without trust, many have to adapt to the Premier League. We knew we had a difficult start with our fixtures but at home we must win.”
The “stadium was empty” comment was of course total nonsense but maybe the meaning of what he was saying may have been lost in translation.
My personal view is that having paid their money, be it to watch football or any other form of entertainment, it is the punter’s privilege to do as he pleases and let’s be fair the Irons never looked like scoring in the last ten minutes.
In my view inspiration and belief comes from the players to the spectators – not vice versa and I reckon the manager was actually treading dangerous ground in telling us how to behave.
COYI
I agree with Pellegrini but then I am someone who prides themselves on staying until the bitter end. Previous managers have been slammed for saying the exact same thing but it makes total sense to me. Fans giving up and walking out, turning their back on the team is a disgrace. How many teams win games in the dying minutes of a game because their fans don’t give up and neither do their players. There should always be believe that the team can come back from a one goal defecit. Belief from the players starts with belief from the fans and that’s the trust issue pellegrini is talking about. I was brought up to believe you never walk away from a challenge. Never give up without try try and trying again. I was taught that to walk off when you’re not winning or getting your own way is bad sportsmanship. A never say die attitude is what I would want from my West Ham players too. It’s the attitude that made players like bobby Moore and Billy bonds what they were. It’s a shame the fans that remind me of rats deserting a sinking ship haven’t got the same backbone.
And what about the players giving the fans something worth staying for? Where is the passion from them! the effort! the pride in the shirt?!!!! I want to see the whole team running their socks off! not giving up! I want to see the players puking up because of the effort they have put in to try and get the result for the fans. People leaving early is because of the lack of effort from players it’s the only option left open to them to go early! if they stay and vent their anger that is wrong also,but yes we all go to support the team but we also go because we want to be entertained! I can live with losing and staying the full 90 minutes if the team never give up, but far to often than not they do. After all they are professional players who should keep going right till the bitter end can we honestly say that any West ham team has done this off late? I think that if most of us applied the same amount of effort into our day jobs as some West ham players have done on the pitch! most of us would be looking for a new job. I left early on Saturday because of the lack of effort from the players I’ve had a season ticket for years now and have been a club member when not holding a season ticket i have watched the lads whether we are in the Premier league or championship. For me supporters have lost a connection with the players and club, can we relate to people who earn more in a week than I for one earn in three years?? I know how much effort I have to put into my job to be able afford to come and watch West ham play and I want to see some hard work and effort from the boys when I spend my hard earned money! Is that to much to ask for?? ⚒️
This is rubbish. You are just using saying a lack of effort is the reason you left earlier to make it seem justified.
The truth is you can leave at any point and it’s fine, you paid your money it’s up to you.
But it’s not a lack of effort from the players, of course they were trying to the end, I still saw the running hard, (Noble always gets slated but always gives max effort to the end). The players were just outplayed by a more organised and fitter team and Pelle has obviously not got his style to work yet (which is on him and he needs to get this sorted quickly).
You left earlier because you didn’t think we’d score, because we were playing poorly and you didn’t want to take as long getting home vs if you waited until the end (like the rest of those that did the same).
Unfortunately, blind loyalty and doing things we don’t want to for the greater good is not something that can be seen as much as in the past (today’s young generation want everything now and act like spoiled brats), Bournemouth lost their first 4 last season!
For me, fans need to stay to the end, we need to support the team to the end and stop
Using the board, the stadium or effort as an agent excuse. None of that matters, self pride means we should not care about our problems.
We must give the team every chance by cheering loud, which lifts any team. We must not give the board, players or management any excuse for losing. If they lose it must be on them and then we know we’ve done everything we can as fans.
Besides if you always leave early, or when things are not going how you want, you will never see a late, late comeback or fluky goal
goal from nothing to send you into Dreamland and give you something to remember for years to come
COYI
Football is a game of opinions, I gave mine on how I saw the game on Saturday and overall from the last few years, it doesn’t make it rubbish! And as for it being a excuse to leave early it wasn’t intended as one it was why I left early and nobody has to justify themselves to you my friend. I’ve spent thousands of pounds and hours watching the boys at the LS, Upton Park, Cardiff and Wembley stadium for finals! I at least show up for every game unlike all the empty seats you get at games at the LS. But then some people who comment on sites like this think they are always right and discount and rubbish other people views and opinions if they don’t share the same views as them. Some people just have RUBBISH for brains.
It takes a long time for new players to adapt and to throw 5 or 6 straight in was always going to lead to this start to the season.Bournemouth yesterday and Watford and Brighton today have bought players too but only played 1 or 2 at a time and they have reaped the rewards with fine starts thanks to continuity and familiarity.The one thing this league does not give you is time and instant success.Obiang needs to come back,Cressie when fit and Rice for starters.
Pellegrini started to tread dangerous ground the moment that he signed up with West Ham. In doing so, he has risked being found out. From the performances of the team so far, it would not appear to me that he is “the Messiah” that we were led to believe he was. I, of course, have no idea of whether he is going to be a success at West Ham, but, as I see it so far, he appears to have little idea of how to get the side to defend competently – or to win a game. Let’s hope that I am talking out of my a**e ! He may be a league winner at a team that has most of the best players in England, but life is very different at a mediocre team like West Ham.
He’s changing style and half the team, this is hopefully the reason for the problems.
Also he managed lesser teams, with lesser budgets to the Champions League in Spain (Malaga), so let’s hope he doesn’t have to manage a Man City in the Prem to have any success…
Make him spot on it’s embarrassing to see and we do it more than any other set of fans
Well said Bro 😊
When the middle caves in at the back and in the midfield like it did in the second half? And One knows no extra effort is going to happen (don’t you just wish for the Billy Bonds spirit to happen?) Its a long walk back to any form of transport in Stratford so why endure anymore non effort? You just want to have a pint (drown your sorrows) or trudge the mile or so back to the stations or car parks. And anticipate the flack your gonna get from the spuds fans on the Monday at work !!!!
Must point out that me and my crowd never leave early or ever have , always stay behind and have a pint in the stadium bar after the game to let the crowd’s go down. But I don’t condemn those that have to catch a train on a tight timetable and go early.
I found the wait much, much worse waiting in the queue outiside the Boleyn.
There’s no excuse needed but no need to dress it up. People who leave early do so because things aren’t going how they want them to and they don’t want to see it through and stick by the team through thick and thin.
Interesting post – I feel that the fans will never forgive BFS for the ear cupping after the Hull game – and this (while obviously much milder) seems to be venturing into that territory
I watched on TV in South Africa so obviously could not leave the stadium but it never really seemed that we were going to threaten the Bournemouth goal.
A number of commentators have made the point that it is up to the players to get the crowd going (and up to the manager to get the players going)
As soon as Noble did not take the penalty it struck me that the obvious reason was that the penalty taker should usually be the same person and that the obvious conclusion is that Noble will play less often this season.
I left when the 90 minutes were up, it was obvious that we were not going to score, the biggest thing MP needs to address is the attitude when we go behind, he seems to understand it based on his comments, as soon as we conceded the second the players seemed to have a collective dip which they have done for the last two seasons or pretty much since Payet left, we played the team yesterday who have won more points from winning position than any other in the PL and I will be very surprised if we don’t have the polar opposite, I can’t remember a single game post Payet that we have come from behind to score any points, which if correct is astonishing and unacceptable it shows a lack of leadership as well as belief, the spine of our team behind the forwards are weak at the moment, I would be encouraged to give Ogbonna a week off aswell as Arthur, Balbuena looks like a winner, although he has good reviews Fabianski doesn’t do anything for me to inspire confidence, his distribution was woeful yesterday he made two good saves yes but I can’t help feeling Adrian would have saved at least one of those and probably the third from Wilson that went straight through Fabianski and who knows with the headed goal … Pellegrini is right to be honest, he is calling on the fans to help the team, it is absolutely every ones right to do as they see fit but if you are a manager you have to demonstrate the courage of your convictions and say what you feel, I don’t think he believed we would be quite as much of a mess as we are and he must be feeling the heat because these are all his signings, the chairmen have been good. I have every confidence that he will get it right, its a dramatic transformation to go from what we were to a posession based team. The posession side of things went pretty well imho, the achilles heel is as it has always been when we don’t have the ball, players don’t show enough sense of urgency to get into a defensive shape, the fitter they get hopefully that will come.
should have read we played the team who have won more points from losing positions 😉
Your last paragraph defines somebody who isn’t a supporter. By definition a supporter is someone who supports the team in the 90 minutes plus injury time. The final whistle is when you leave, unless you are unwell! I’m sick to death of the leave early brigade it disrupts my viewing of the match and shows a level of ignorance of the effect leaving early can have on the team. If you can’t stay to the end don’t come in the first place.
I usually do leave at the bitter death but I was actually very thirsty seeing as I couldn’t get served a drink at half time and didn’t have time before the game to get one but my definition of a supporter is anyone that pays money to follow a club, I don’t judge others on their own preferences.
This is true but teams have better and worse support.
Leaving before the end = worse support than teams with fans that don’t.
There’s plenty of lower league teams that lose week after week whose fans always stick it out.
Agree with you but its not down to each of us individually to impose what we want on others, I think in all the time I have supported the club I personally have left two games early both for good reasons, the club should also sort out the bars at half time if it is impossible to get a drink in 15 minutes then they clearly need another solution more proof that the current stadium operators couldn’t organise a p1ss up in a brewery, wonder how much money they are losing the tax payer every week…
It’s the same every home game whatever the score. It was the same at the Boleyn. The common denominator is poor transport links.
i totally disagree. The manager is in no way wrong. You guys are privileged enough to be on the stands. Some of us could give anything in our reach to leave our screens and be able to catch the action live as we support the team through thick and thin.
I believe anyone who sings the bubbles song is not there just to be entertained but more importantly to prove his or. her support to the Irons family.
With all due respect my esteemed and top class writer(one that I look upto) together with all the hammers who share similar sentiments, you all got this one wrong. Support the squad always. Show the value of your ticket membership by supporting the manager annd the squad always.
We will make it by God’s grace all you have to do is to believe.
COYI!!!!!!!
100% pellegreni is spot on.
Absolutely embarrassing that people leave. Only 1 goal in the game! No matter whos in charge or whos managing or what players we have…we ..the fans …are bloody west ham and other things change but we are the club!
If you can’t stay 90 mins then give your ticket to someone who can. Me and my son have sat there through conceding 3,4 and 5 so many times …but i will not let the other fans feast on us. Stay put if you love west ham!
When he uses the word “trust” I believe it is mentioned to be understanding, commitment and dedication to each other. Trust as in the action of supporting each other with understanding of the efforts, intent and exact same desires. The club is working towards this but has a long way to go and all of us need to go on the journey together. The fans have a few inches, some players a few yards, others may not get there and the club’s leaders a long way. But Pellegrini talks of a project. It’s building a strong well defined and flexible conglomerate of people in different roles all believing in one single idea with many goals.
Sitting in your seat till the whistle, tracking the runner or acting on the supporters requirements are all small parts in being United as WHUFC.
It is definitely a change for the worst among our support. When I was able to go to matches I saw about 600 games and the ground never emptied out till the end. With 10 minutes left anything can happen, and it usually did with our crowd causing a final crescendo of sound to help it.
Now watching the ground half empty with 10 minutes to go like on Saturday, I’m glad I can only watch on internet stream, because I don’t get the feeling of shame I would get at the game.
Oh happy days we’re off the bottom. Onwards and upwards.
I don’t like people leaving early, but it is a personal decision. That means it’s not for me, nor Mr Pellegrini, to decide when Joe Bloggs sitting next to me should get up & leave. It doesn’t help the team, but it is up to them & the manager to give the fans something worth staying for. We have had several years of dross now &, perhaps unwisely, our hopes were raised by the transfers. A certain amount of frustration is to be expected I think.
Also, I don’t believe we are worse than any other set of fans. The media long to build up a picture of a set of fans who are unbelievably loyal (& of course they love to paint us as the complete opposite). Often a newly promoted club’s fans get a lot of coverage for ‘making a lot of noise’ & ‘singing to the final whistle’. It seems to me this enthusiasm usually wears a bit thin after the first season or two. I saw several games last season where fans who had been described as incredible were booing their own team & trooping out before the end when they were losing.
So do these so called supporters buy a ticket to see a movie at the cinema, and leave 10 minutes before the end !
Hammer22….
A movie is different. You don’t know the ending until the end. You can usually guess the end of West Ham’s games at the beginning
Some people leave early from cinemas, pop concerts & other events they have paid for.. When they are not enjoying it some will say ‘I would rather be out of here than get my full money’s worth’. I have never done it but I don’t think that makes me a better person/supporter than them. I am totally mystified as to why you would leave eg when we are three up & playing well (yes that has happened in the dim distant past!). Or when we are hanging on to a lead. Losing 3-0, 4-0 is easier to understand. But we are all different. I don’t think those who stay are justified in referring to those who go as ‘so called’ supporters. They pay their money & they make their choice.
I do agree it deflates the place when large numbers leave. But it’s still their decision. I suppose it is just a cultural change. Those of us who don’t like it just have to suck it up as the younger generations say 😄😄.
They say soccer is bigger than life or death..
If you want to be a true West Ham fan, you give as much as the players..
No player feels good at the sight of early exiters
We are West Ham and we should stay till the bitter end and give the boys our full support!
The players left at halt time