Bowen’s Commitment Brings Back Memories
When Jarrod Bowen confirmed he would be staying at West Ham for the forthcoming season in the Championship, it reminded me of a former player who did just that, Michael Carrick.
Back in 2003, the then West Ham Chairman, Terry Brown, issued a statement confirming the club’s financial situation.
Many players left, in the main due to financial constraints.
Les Ferdinand, Trevor Sinclair, Frédéric Kanouté, Joe Cole, Paulo Di Canio, Glen Johnson, David James, Ian Pearce and, in the next transfer window, Jermaine Defoe all departed the club, which was once described by the media as “too good to go down”.
Carrick Stayed To Fight For Promotion
Michael Carrick, who at the time was aged 22, remained. He believed in the club’s ability to bounce back and wanted to help the club win promotion back to the Premier League.
After making 45 appearances and scoring one goal and providing four assists, his performances that season earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year. West Ham did not secure automatic promotion and finished in fourth place, making the play-offs. The final was at the Millennium Stadium in Wales, a game I witnessed, versus Ian Dowie’s Crystal Palace, who beat us 1-0 via a Neil Shipperley goal. The drive back home was a long and emotional journey for me and many other fans.
The nail in the coffin was the departure of Carrick to Tottenham Hotspur in 2004.
History Does Not Need To Repeat Itself
Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself. 50,000 season ticket sales suggest us, the supporters, believe that’s not the case!
COYI!