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The Strange Way West Ham Blow Millions

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Sometimes the way West Ham United functions is beyond me. It is as if there are two different forces, pulling in the opposite direction – or more graphically, the claret and blue car being driven at full speed with the handbrake still on.

Let me explain.

On the one hand, the board sanction hundreds of millions of pounds in player purchases over the last five year. Conservatively, football365.com claims The Hammers Fifth in the spending stakes with a net spend of £276 million – even allowing for the Declan Rice £100 million coming back in. That is a huge amount of money.

Some of those purchases have been utter gambles. The £25 million ‘wagered’ on Luis Guilherme, the unknown, untested teenager from Brazil was an utter punt with so far absolutely noting to show for the ‘bet’ which the club took.

Hardly ‘risk averse’.

On the other hand, we are told that ‘The Board’ chose not to sanction Ruben Amorim’s recruitment owing to the ‘risk’ of appointing a young coach with little Premier League experience and a £10 million compensation package due to his old club. (Gonzo’s article yesterday)

‘Risk-averse’? Absolutely.

Ruben Amorim deemed ‘too risky’ for London Stadium.

Highly recommended, could have been a world-beater: Manchester United will get to find out. Rejected by West Ham over the ‘risk’ – the same West Ham that took a £25 million punt on an 18 year old unknown. How do those two actions sit together? One minute high risk, the next – caution personified.

Who’d be a Technical Director working within that inconsistent, unpredictable management situation.

Maybe Tim Steidten deserves our sympathy not our ire for ‘missing’ players like Duran. At best, it is a conundrum but at worse it creates an unfathomable working environment for those under the board to try and work in.

It can also create a ceiling which West Ham will never break through whilst there is this reluctance shown to ‘invest’ in managers but a devil-may-care approach to throwing money at players in the hope of unearthing a genius.

If Jurgen Klopp had been available to West Ham in 2015  ( imagine!) we’d more than likely have rejected him because he was ‘only’ in his forties and hadn’t got any Premier League experience and therefore deemed ‘too risky’.

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From the old Bobby Moore Upper to the Billy Bonds' stand these days I've been watching since '03 and a supporter since about 1970.. 'Football is Life' oh yes. Let it raise your spirit but never darken your mood. Life's too short not to enjoy the journey with our Claret and Blue heroes n' villains.

15 comments

  • Punter says:

    Mark my words. Luis Guilherme will be worth more than Declan Rice in a few years time. I guarantee it.

  • Phil Baker says:

    Priorities for Westham are not getting relegated and a good chance at a European football finish ( top 7 ) , therefore buying Guilleherme for 25 million , a player not ready for first team football this season if ever , is 100 percent a mistake . Clearly that spend has prevented Westham from having a stronger current squad . Westham only had enough money to buy an old , slow broken donkey ( Fulkrug 25 million ) to go with the other old donkey ( Ings 15 million ) a panic buy 2 years ago to pasture with ancient donkey Antonio who ironically is still deemed better at almost 35 years old . Still chaotic recruitment which will prevent Westham from finally stepping up to the next level as a historic club with a massive following .

    • Martin Treasure says:

      Agree, Phil, only if I post that I’m accused of ‘being negative and undermining the club’ Shhhhhh…

  • John Ayris says:

    Two things strike me as odd, from a while back now. Savio and Jordan Hugill.

    • Martin Treasure says:

      Nothing has changed, the almost ‘impulse’ buys that turn to dust. Just bigger outlays now. Save was about 10-12 mill I think, now they’re ‘betting’ twice that much.

  • Len Scannell says:

    It’s obvious to us all that the problem is Sullivan. He has ambitions for WHU to be a top club but his terror scenario is being relegated and losing his billionaire status at 75…

  • Hammeroo says:

    There’s a reason for everything that happens at West Ham. David Sullivan!

  • Ricky Jonesy says:

    It can be dressed up anyway the owners want but the truth is that Sullivan is to tightfisted to spend the money required on a new manager having a good manager is as important as putting together a quality squad and we have seen the disaster that has come from that ok.we beat Ipswich and Man Utd but more by luck than forward planning especially against Man Utd a game that we could have lost in the first half by a number of goals thankfully their strikers didn’t have their goal scoring boots on but that is not a good reason to believe that we will beat forest on Saturday if they are in the form that they have been this season so far we will have to raise our game 10 fold to get any sort of result

    • Hammeroo says:

      @Ricky Jonesy. Are you just Bennyboy baker with a different name? Your writing ‘style’ is identical and a dead giveaway!

  • Bill Ryan says:

    Said exactly that yesterday kretinsky needs to have a word I’m sure Sparta praugue isn’t run like this circus of ours is,he said in a rare interview west ham is important to him so Daniel prove it

    • Carrick hammer says:

      I think it’s wrong to blame sullivan everyone including myself was delighted when we bought guillemere building for the future great.
      But that money would have covered the shortfall on Duran and the amorin compensation so the money was spent.we now have to just wait and see which choice was the right one?
      C.O.Y.I

      • Alan says:

        I find it hard to believe an extra £5m (as reported) couldn’t have been found for Duran. My guess is Sullivan wouldnt sanction going any higher and hoped the player would force the move.

        Amorim would have been agreed ahead of any signings being made including the young Brazilian.

        • SydneyC says:

          Villa wasn’t selling Duran. Would have taken north of $60 mil. Read Monchi’s comments. We didn’t miss Duran because he was never seriously available. So that wasn’t on Sullivan’s penny pinching.

    • Martin Treasure says:

      I suspect that’s why he (Kretinsky) inisted on a Technical Director -his inside man- to oversee transfers and spending. Trouble is Steidten has gone off and blown the budget on ‘hopefuls’ or ‘slow’

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