It was absolutely nailed on that the Mauro Zarate signing would end in tears – Mauro’s ways are not Sam’s ways!
Many, many readers predicted it and sadly all those fears came to pass yesterday with the player making his feelings about Sam Allardyce very well known as he prepares for a Loftus Road exit.
The history of the signing is well known with the two Davids suggesting to Sam Allardyce that he might be a decent buy and the manager agreeing.
That’s the way it works at West Ham and all the stuff about this one being a Sullivan signing and that one an Allardyce deal, is wrong. It remains a consultative process.
Had the bookies been offering odds the player would have been on his way by January, however, I’d have been shovelling my hard-earned over the counter.
Zarate is not a work rate player beloved of our manager. He’s a skilled striker/poacher with lots of tricks and invention.
These are not trademarks of the Allardyce brand of management. Zarate’s departure was as near a given therefore as it’s possible to get.
The player also has a big personality edge having previous in his approach to clubs if it goes wrong! Remember he went AWOL from Lazio claiming sickness before being discovered taken an unofficial holiday!
Thus, when he eventually allowed his frustration to boil over yesterday and an explosion of words were directed at the manager nobody should have been surprised.
Whether he was correct to do so is neither here nor there. He is what he is and claimed he hasn’t been offered a decent chance. Anyone arguing?
Before sitting down to write this I was told by an insider: ” We feel the player needed games and that he will get them at QPR. Then we will assess if he’s good enough for our first team next season.
My hopes for 2015:
1. Zarate is a huge success for QPR
2. Allardyce’s contract is not renewed
3. Zarate returns from his loan to a new manager who understands about football.
i couldn’t put it better markro , i hope he scores loads at QPR this manager has to go
I am more than a little disappointed in both of you.
Remind me to be bothered.
Yes real shame he is going and looks like he would only come back if we had new manager. An obvious skillful player that we may well of needed over the African Cup period. Leaves us with just Carroll, Valencia – and of course Cole! Let’s hope nobody gets injuried! Still at least Nolan will play every match!!!!
As I posted earlier, my sentiments exactly Markro.
We must not also forget the forgotten man Morrison. Another Fat Sam outcast. Yeah we know he’s a maverick, so was Gascoigne, Di Canio and Frankie Mac, but what talent, what crowd pleasers and worth the entrance fee, alone some days. Love them or hate them, football is an entertainment, we want to be thrilled, by the Zarate’s and Morrison not bored to death with a goal less draw sitting back and pumping balls at a lone target man from all angles. The days of Kevin Davis are gone Sam, your days are numbered if I read the Board correctly, no contract ! no Fat Sam !…. in the words of Len (Hammers Fan) Goodman get in there …..Mr Sullivan.
The tide seems to be turning against Sam again. I often question his commitment to the well being of the team/club as opposed to going out of our way to prove himself right.
I think the club, players, owners, fans and management have done a fantastic job to have us in 6th at the end of 2015. Some argue that with a bit of luck we could be higher, we could also be lower with less fortunate luck.
I think though for the club to progress we need to do so without Sam. Thanks for achieving everything asked but this club can do better than this. Treatment of players like zarate, nolan show that Sam does not have the flexibility to take us to the next level.
Allardyce gas given jo evidence in the time with us that he is committed to our club.None He has increased his bank balance,which is consistent with his trophyless career and in that respect I accept that.But now we need someone who wants the best for the club and fans and Sam just isn’t it. Its time for the Davids to take stock.
This issue all seems to be about BFS letting Zarate go,but if the Davids have a big hand in signing players,do they not also have a say in who we release.I cant see as owners Sam has just said that Zarate is out,end of story.They have surely sanctioned this move to QPR & so it is a decision made across the board.Who knows guys,maybe they have a a player in their sights coming in in the next few days or weeks.Lets wait & see.As for Sam not liking mavericks or entertainers,damn,Jay-Jay Okocha was a magician & a given on BFS’s team sheet week in week out at Bolton,he certainly wasnt a grafter but a gifter 😉
Jay Jay Okocha like Nolan, Carroll, Kevin Davis were all his buys, he will stand by them thick and thin. He is not flexible or tolerant enough to accept there may just be an alternative to his perception and style of play. He should check the stats which he prides himself on being an expert. Valencia, Sakho & Downing up front 21 goals in 13 games:
Sakho scored 6 goals alongside Valencia, Since Carroll’s return he has registered just once. Allardyce has a preference for negativity not flair. He always reverts to type. Sorry but he is and always will be a long ball manager. Sometimes there is a need……but not when you have the quality to play it to feet.
I wondered who the BS fan was and one I know ,after reading your 2 replays today rads45 I hope you have some inside knowledge the rest of us don’t have, I personally don’t care what went on at Bolton thar was years away when BS was a lot younger and open minded unlike now,you have forgot how he let Cole go last year thinking Carroll was not going to get injured, we were all glad to see him comeback,yes we did have a good start to the season but many teams did not ie Liverpool ,Man Utd ,Arsenal and Spurs ( even with that lucky win against us) this half is ging to be a lot harder and we need all our good players not passing them off to the opposition,.
I didnt say i was a BFS fan,that is your assumption.My comments about Zarate where purely based on him as a player,f**k all to do with Sam.He has historically been loaned oit for not being up for the challenge at his parent club.Wtf does that have to do with Sam.I just offered my opinion.I didnt say it was correct,but i certainly aint goingto throw my toys outta the pram coz we have lost two & Zarate has gone on loan.This time last year everyone was screamijg for ravel to be playing.Now most dont even give a damn where he is.I have supported The Irons for 40yrs,watched some real dross at times & now i am just enjoying the good times.Not looking for any reason to have a moan up,lol.I also hate Nolan being in the team,he has had his day.So no i aint a Sam fan,i just objectively look at situations & see the reasoning from both angles.Sorry to offend you so much 😉
The improvement this season came after McDonald nearly left for Carlisle. Was it his return that saw the 4-4-2 diamond deployed? Sheringham has clearly worked well with the whole team in delivery of balls in final third and shooting. The Board seem to have had more of a say in the summer transfers, as Creswell, Zarate, Valencia do not fit the physical profile of all previous Sam signings. Of the two that do (Kayoute and Sakho) we know that Sam was against Sakho signing!
Team selections against Chelsea and Arsenal were strange to me, with the substitutions even worse. Zarate has done well when asked and must be very frustrated to be behind Carlton Cole and Nolan. In a crowded fixture list in December he didn’t get any playing time. with Sakho leaving for AFCON, he should have had some game time.
Sam clearly has his boys and Zarate is not one of them.
I am very impressed with the improvement in Carroll, but we cannot return to the free flowing, quick passing game of Sept/ Oct with him in the side. He is too static and leaves midfielders with little option but to hit long. Downing exploited the gaps created by the clever runs of Sakho and Valencia. He is struggling once more, now that space has gone.
Sam has his boys. He has taken the plaudits for changing his style, but slowly we have moved back to the 4-5-1 he feels comfortable with.
As other teams improve their squads, change managers, change ideas, the second half of the season will be tough for us unless we revert to the dynamic game of earlier. Thank goodness we only need 9 points for safety! Liverpool are proving now, most teams cannot defend against pace. We need to bring that back.
Sam is not the Messiah ……..
I am already anticipating the comments on West Ham fan sites when Zarate scores his first for QPR.
My word. I am not a BFS fan, but I am certainly not going to condemn him after two narrow defeats against Chelski and Arsenal.
As for Zarate … well, he himself has outlined, not for the first time, the deficiencies in his character. Good riddance. Look to Mark Noble, and you might learn something, mate.
Finally, I personally think that Nolan stinks up the place – but his attitude is miles better than Zarate’s. As is Carlton Cole’s.
We would all be much better off praying and hoping that Amalfitano can develop into something, imho.
Why, thank you for your misguided and mildly amusing condescension, “mate.”
I’ll be sure to follow your words of wisdom avidly henceforth.
Great comments fellows.Does anyone sense Valencia isn’t happy on the bench?Sam is unashamedly inflexible and the quicker we get get back the Sahko – Valencia combination the better.
Zarate is a mercenary who has been loaned out his whole career. He is a show pony who is capable of scoring the off spectacular goal but at the highest level in Italy his goal scoring was sporadic. I think a couple of seasons ago in Italy he only scored 3 goals in 29 games so he has already bettered that. He scored a lot last year for velez sarsfield but that league is hardly the highest level of football. He has a history of falling out with coaches and clubs. He once went on holiday to the Maldives when he was supposed to be getting treatment for an injury. He has been dug out by previous managers for not being a team player and not offering anything to the team defensively. You know allardyce likes strikers like sakho and carroll that get back and defend. Defend as a team. Attack as a team is his policy. We might have known a player like zarate might not fit in.
Trouble with that Conkerpot is he didn’t want sakho either
Spot on conkerpot,all you have said is exactly true.He never cut the mustard for other teams & has always ended up being loaned out.He is now going to a team fighting relegation,if he is so great why have no bigger clubs here or in europe come calling for him when his avaliability was made known.If he is such an amazing footballer then why has he been shipped out so often by teams.I think the guy is a decent player but to hold him in such high regard as some sort of messi type maestro is crazy.He ended up back in argentina for a reason,coz he couldnt hack it in europe on a regular basis 😉
Good post MerryMichael.