A couple of years back West Ham signed exciting young goal poacher Sam Baldock from Mk Dons for an undisclosed fee, held in a high regard at Stadium Mk he was going to be missed by the club.
On arrival many were left bemused, as this wasn’t your average Sam Allardyce striker.
Baldock didn’t posses great height, overpowering strength, or the ability to win a header against a 6 foot.5 defender. Nevertheless we all had high hopes for our new number 7 and initially he didn’t disappoint; scoring his first two goals in a 4-0 victory against Blackpool. Baldock went on to score 5 goals in his first 6 games. Injury soon struck Sam B down and first team chances became limited, furthermore with the arrival of Nicky Maynard and Ricardo Vaz Te this made increasingly difficult on Baldock to regain any real consistency.
Towards the end of the season Sam didn’t feature much in West Ham’s play-off winning triumph and he was eventually sold to Bristol City. Since moving to Bristol Sam put in some decent performances; notching up a few goals along the way. Although Sam’s impressive goal-scoring form this didn’t stop Bristol City from being relegated to League 1, so Sam is back where he started for the time being.
With his future at Bristol remaining uncertain, where next for Sam Baldock?
I was bitterly disappointed Sam left us, throughout last years pre-season their were reports linking him with a move away but I hoped it would be a loan move rather than permanent.
When I look at our current lack of strikers I wonder if Sam could have eventually broke into the first team and assisted Andy Carroll?
With Nicky Maynard its different because with Cardiff getting promoted to the Premiership he will get his chance in the big league, whereas Sam faces the possibility of playing back in League 1, a league he has already proved too good for!
Was letting Sam go a mistake?
Could he of broken into the first team at some point?
Let me know what you think!
About Stevo
Don’t just consider Baldock in this. Maynard, Vaz Te, Maiga and Carlton Cole have all failed to deliver. Why? It’s not good news when Nolan is our top scorer. And I don’t expect Carroll to deliver 20+ a season. He will always be marked by 2 defenders. Yes he will cause chaos and goalmouth incidents. But he can’t do it on his own. And Premier teams are well aware now of the Carroll/Nolan combination. We won’t get the best out of Carroll unless we play him alongside a natural goalscorer in a 442 formation.
I guess we’ll never know Shaun. He did really well for us and I liked the look of him in front of goal – a natural goal-scorer. I wasn’t happy when he was moved on but it’s really hard to say whether he’d have made the grade.
The game’s not the same as it was. You only get a decent crack at the whip if you’re an established player nowadays. This is detrimental to the development of young English players nowadays.
I’d like to see Jordan Rhodes signed but, if we got him, would that destroy him the same way as it has done Sam Baldock I wonder?
I tend to agree that he wasn’t given a fair chance. He looked pretty sharp to me and a decent prospect. Certainly a step above Sears, Stanislas, Hines and Nouble. I was never particularly impressed with that lot. Maybe he wanted first team football and asked to leave, who knows. I thought he was keeping, but Big Sam hasn’t got much wrong yet.
I know this kind of stupid article is purely designed to drum up business but please! The only thing to say in this matter and it applies equally to all other players who haven’t made the grade, if you are good enough then you are good enough if you ain’t then you ain’t! It’s as simple as that! The margins are so fine at the top level and if you haven’t got that final little bit then you wil be found out! It’s a cut throat business and in these matters we have to trust Big Sam to know his stuff! In any transfer there is that element of a gamble and some work out and some don’t. All we can be sure of is that if Big Sam thought a player he was looking at was good enough then they would still be at the club!! End of! COYI!
You’re living in a world of absolutes IMO. Some time of adjustment to a higher level of the game is always needed – otherwise you’d never sign a player from a lower division. Discarding players who’ve proved themselves when they’ve had the chance (is 5 goals in 6 games a decent record? – no need for an answer there btw) but needed a little run to get fully back up to speed is harsh.
Truth is that Sam Allardyce just didn’t fancy him – and let him go because of it. As for just trusting in Sam Allardyce – well I’d like to but someone who puts Pogatetz on the bench for the last few games of the season when you have much better options at your disposal should be questioned. Trust is earned and I’m not fully there yet.
COYI
yes he should never have left he was the new cottee in disguise would have had no problem getting into squad today greatly missed.
have a butchers at hamad on kneesup mother brown he looks the dogs at 22 worth having a spend up just what we need.
he played lots of games and has since gone to Bristol City, the wworst side in teh Championship last season
he scored 5 from open play and spent half his time there as sub
I think it’s fair to say he’s not good enough, certainly not a premier league player which is what we are now