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Message To Big Sam: Don’t Sign Louis Saha

May 31, 2012 By Stevo Leave a Comment

There are a few rumours flying around about West Ham going in for Louis Saha. What do you think, is it a good move?

I remember him well when he played for Manchester United and he was even in France’s squad. He was a nice player back then, wasn’t he?

Tottenham signed him from Everton much to the bewilderment of the fans as he got out of the blocks straight away and impressed then suddenly went downhill which had everyone’s back up.

Now Tottenham have released him and nobody is going to miss Louis Saha. Everton certainly didn’t miss him and must have thought that Christmas came early in the form of a Tottenham transfer! Saha only scored two goals in 20 appearances for the club, too!

The Hammers, who are back in the big time, are busy looking out for a few summer bargains. They are looking for experience to help out young Nicky Maynard and Portuguese wonder kid Ricardo Vaz Té and they may be looking at Louis Saha.

My advice is “spend your cash elsewhere”. Let’s face it; Saha is 33 and no longer the player he was at Man Utd. I think the Hammers would be going backwards instead of forwards with a transfer like that and they’d be sending the wrong signals out. I think Saha needs a spot of playing in the Championship as his days in the Premier League are at an end.

If the Irons are to have any sort of impact on the Premier League next season, they’d better forget Louis Saha as his ability to knock them in the net is steadily going down, not up. Bad news.

A much better option for the Hammers would be Wigan’s Hugo Rodallega, a Colombian who can play both as a forward and on the wing – a much better choice, and younger – seven years younger actually!

Whatever happens, the Hammers have a number of doors open to them, it’s just a case of choosing correctly and not falling into any old habits such as picking up strikers on the cheap. I say take it easy and bide your time Mr Allardyce and co.

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The Goalkeeping Dilemma

May 30, 2012 By Iron Bobby Leave a Comment

So news coming out of the rags today is that Rob Green is not playing ball with a new contract and West Ham are looking to sign a new number 1 with Mr. Green’s imminent departure.

We all know what’s in the media isn’t exactly gospel, but if they are right and Greeny is on his way then what are our alternatives? Iron Bobby has two possible candidates who could fill the goalkeepers jersey quite nicely should we need it.

Jussi Jaaskelainen1. Jussi Jaaskelainen

The keeper is available on a free transfer after his club Boltons demise from The Premiership.

Not the youngest goalie on the list but he has a wealth of experience in the top flight and would be as steady as they come for a few seasons while we source a long term option.

There is a reason Jaaskelainen was courted by Manchester United on numerous occasions as well as a host of other top clubs, the guy is a great keeper and if Green went then I would not be upset with the prospect of having this guy between the sticks next season.

Paul-Robinson2. Paul Robinson

Robinson is another keeper who had the misfortune of being relegated to The Championship after Blackburn endured a torrid campaign under Steve Kean.

However this should not detract from that fact that Robinson is a top keeper and produced some wonderful saves last season. Like Jasskelainen he has a wealth of top level experience and has a lot of good years left in the tank.

The only downside is he played for Spurs 🙂

So there we have it, my two stand out candidates who will either be available on a free transfer or command a low fee, leaving vital funds for Sam to strengthen the rest of the squad. There are other keepers who I was thinking of, Wayne Hennessey of Wolves was one of them until I saw he is out for six months so wouldn’t be ideal!

How about your thoughts? Who would you bring in should Green seek pastures new?

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Big Sam, High Aims

May 28, 2012 By Iron Bobby Leave a Comment

Good to see our manager Sam Allardyce is setting the bar high for our first season back in The Premiership.

Not just content with avoiding relegation which is most promoted clubs ambition, Sam is looking to get The Hammers out of the blocks fast so we don’t have to look over our shoulder at a relegation battle all season.

“My job is to aim as high as we can in the Premier League and not to say fourth from bottom is enough,” said Allardyce.

“Let’s see how far we can get this team at the first time of asking. The real challenge for me is to prepare the team for the best possible start for the first 10 games.

“That will take the pressure off as you’re not in a relegation position every week, which is a constant gnaw at the player’s confidence.

“That’s the way forward if we can achieve it.”

I like to see that we are serious about being a mid-table team and building from there rather than just trying to avoid relegation.

However, I do feel we need quite a bit of strengthening before this is possible with some quality full backs, a centre back, a good holding midfielder, a few tricky wingers and another good front man all needed before we have a solid enough team to carry out Sam’s plan.

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Tony Cottee: Michael Owen Would Be Ideal At West Ham

May 28, 2012 By Stevo Leave a Comment

There has been a few rumours lately about the possibility of ex Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United forward Michael Owen coming down to the Hammers on a transfer.

I don’t know how much to read into this and we know that Allardyce is keen to go shopping and pick up a few summer bargains to help give the Hammers the start they need for next season.

Tony Cottee has come and said that West Ham needs some quality additions to the current squad and that Owen should be high on the list of players Allardyce should take a sneak peak at.

Cottee told the Sun newspaper: “A new striker is a must but also a proven Premier League scorer would be ideal. Everyone talks about Owen’s injury record but you know he guarantees reaching double figures in goals, which would take the pressure off the rest of the players.

“I know the fans would be excited about signing someone of his calibre. It would send out a message that the board want back the manager with quality.”

Maybe West Ham legend Cottee has a point. Sir Alex Ferguson was right to sign him and I think he even said something like: “If Michael Owen only sticks ten goals in the box in a season, then I’ll be happy”. A lot of people especially the Liverpool fans trashed the idea of Owen going to Utd but Ferguson proved them wrong I think. Ok, so he hasn’t started that many games and the guy is so injury prone it’s not even funny. I’ve probably started more games than Owen over the last 5 years!

Let us not forget though is Owen’s pedigree. He was the housewive’s choice, had deadly pace and awesome finishing in the box. A lot of that may be in the past now but I think Cottee is more interested in Owen’s ability to bring experience and knowledge to West Ham. Let’s face it, Ferguson used to bring him on for the last quarter of an hour. He may be a valuable addition and as he’s a free agent he just might be tempted for some East End love, who knows?

If he came to the Hammers and played well the fans would love him for sure. Owen’s still only 32 and might have a few good years in him if he can keep injury-free. On the other hand though, a forever injured player sitting on the bench and coining it in would be another story for the Hammer fans, wouldn’t it?

Something tells me that his experience would be invaluable for our young guns up front, especially Vaz Té and Carlton Cole – they would benefit enormously from Owen’s vast experience.

Whatever happens about Tony Cottee’s Owen rumours there’s going to be some action this summer and Upton Park will be a hive of activity regarding transfer news. So if he does come down to the East End I think he’d be welcomed with open arms – we’d then just have to wait to see if he can produce the goods.

 

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Carlton Cole Took Pay Cut To Ensure Hammers Promotion

May 24, 2012 By Stevo Leave a Comment

After all the chit chat about Blackpool’s sour grapes especially from Baptiste of all people, Carlton Cole comes to the rescue with some true Hammers spirit.

Did you know that our boy Cole took a 50% cut in wages to play for the irons, the club he loves, to help get us back to the Premier League where the claret and blues belong? Cole is a gentleman and a scholar in my book and deserves a round of applause!

I mean, there he was on 28 grand a week before the irons dropped off the radar and into the Championship last season and he slashes his wages to 14 grand a week because he loves his team and wanted to get back to the Prem. The guy’s a legend!

Ok, a lot of us would say “Mmmm, 14 grand a week’s not bad either” and rubbished the generosity of the player. But guys and gals, don’t forget that these players have different living standards, higher taxes, businesses to run etc etc and all I can think of is that he’s a great guy.

I wonder if some of the Manchester city stars would take a 50% pay cut “to help out”? i don’t think so, especially with the likes of Nasri et al who have left decent clubs that have made them the players that they are today for some easy cash up the road which has fallen off the back of a camel 🙂 Maybe Jermain Defoe should take a look at himself and make a self examination. You remember, he was that guy that jumped ship and handed in a transfer request the day the Hammers got demoted in 2003 – nice fella.

Don’t forget that Cole was offered a lifeline by Stoke City to stay in the Premier League, too. He turned it down though to help the lads get back up.Such loyalty is rarely seen today especially when you have the likes of City splashing their cash and changing the face of football in the process. Anyway, so much for splashing the cash, they only won the league on goal difference at the death of it.

Carlton Cole had this to say about his pay cut:

“I’ve kept my mouth shut for quite a while but I did take a wage cut to stay in the Championship. Half of my wages just went.

“But I thought ‘You know what? I want to help this club get back where we belong.’

“I didn’t want to leave the ship, I am that sort of guy. I would not have been able to live with myself.

“It is just such a reward today to get to the Premier League again with West Ham at the first time of asking. This was D-Day for all of us”.

Cole believed in Sam Allardyce and his team and that was a big factor that led the player to hang around at West ham and not jump ship. The player doesn’t intend on taking another hit in the wages department and plans to fire the Hammers into the big time and stay there.

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