jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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There are many clichés in football; it being a ‘funny game’ is usually foremost amongst them, it also being a ‘cruel game’ normally following closely behind. Alan Pardew learnt the meaning of both of those today as new Chairman Eggert Magnusson took one look at West Ham’s performances against Wigan and Bolton before dispensing with Pardew’s services, almost before the new owners sign had been placed in the Director’s car park.
No matches to turn it around, no money given in the transfer window, this was ruthless and sent out a clear signal. Put simply, when £85m plus has been invested then relegation is not only not an option, it is not even to be flirted with. And I think we can ignore the idea that the Icelandic consortium are, even as we speak, desperately searching out for a successor. These people know what they want and they know how to get it. Expect the new manager to have already been approached.
Regardless of whether or not the sacking was justified – and, as ever, opinions are largely divided – most West Ham fans are shocked at the departure of a man who was just a minute away from delivering the FA Cup just seven short months ago. Hammers supporters may well consider another cliché though, when viewing the sacking of the popular manager; ‘Be careful what you wish for, it may come true’.
After years of under-funding and under achievement, where the appearance of yet another young England hopeful meant that ‘bigger’ clubs would come circling with cheque books poised, long-suffering Hammers fans had long prayed for a new board and owner, one that would grab the club and drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st Century and, like it or not, that appears to be what they now have.
The chairman and Icelandic banking mogul Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, who provided most of the cash for the £85million takeover, were both present at the defeat by Bolton and they were patently not happy at what they saw. I can’t blame them – neither was I. But for a club like West Ham to subsequently sack the Manager immediately after – particularly after two seasons in which the club has had a successful return from the Millennium Stadium – is a shock to the system and hardly the 'West Ham way'. But isn’t decisive action what the fans have been crying out for years and something that Terence Brown singularly failed to do in the Glenn Roeder era?
The new owners are not looking for West Ham to scuffle around bobbing and weaving between divisions, they are not even looking at trying to scrabble around in mid-table, Gudmundsson and Magnusson have their sights on top European competition and they expect to get there sooner rather than later.
These men haven’t been brought up in the East End, they’ve not learned that West Ham are a loyal club who are loath to sack managers – hell they probably don’t even understand how a few thousand Hammers supporters finding their team 4-0 down should suddenly decide to remove their shirts and do the ‘Hokey-cokey’ in the rain. But why should they? These new owners simply looked at the squad, looked at the achievements of recent seasons and asked if something hadn’t happened in the Manager’s office. They felt they knew the answer and acted according to how most businesses are run.
Of course, the irony of all this is that virtually all West Ham fans will feel genuinely sorry for Alan Pardew. A good and likeable man whose feelings for West Ham were shown at their best after the late winner against Arsenal that so upset Arsene Wenger, Pardew had shown signs last season of being a top English coach who might have even been touted for the England role had his success in the FA Cup come a season before.
After a tentative start, Pardew had shown himself to be an excellent manager with a good eye in the transfer market, who was able to coach his team in the fast running; free flowing football that served so well last season, suggesting that a foreign manager didn’t always need to be the way forward.
That being the case this season’s slump has puzzled many. Whether he has been shown the respect he deserved by some of his players and if he was a victim of circumstance with regard to the Tevez and Mascherano transfer – the circumstances of which still haven’t been fully released - we may never know (although released from his Managerial shackles, expect to hear the full story soon). Nevertheless, I know hardly any Hammers fans who didn’t will Alan Pardew to turn things around, and many will still think he wasn’t given sufficient time, but that is the ‘old guard’ mentality and I think its something many of us will need to be wary of over the coming seasons.
Of course, the paradox here is that there are generations of supporters who cannot remember Ron Greenwood and Bobby Moore, a time where the local support and East End fraternity meant a special bond between club, fan and local community. Many of these ideas have been passed down from Father to Son and have become so imbued in the fabric of the club that it is often hard not to find yourself wondering why you have these feelings for something you barely remember. But, in a week when ‘What is a real Cockney?’ has been discussed on the Forum perhaps it is inevitable that this week has turned the old regime upside down.
Me? Well after initial doubts that I can’t deny (they appeared in my book) I really took to Alan Pardew and I’m both saddened and bemused by what has happened this season. Quite why these cycles appear throughout West Ham’s history is something that I’m perfectly happy to let the Icelandic Consortium find out and hopefully solve. Neither am I too concerned about West Ham’s immediate future. The sacking of Alan Pardew has shown me that the new owners mean business and I suggest there will be a number of clubs around the relegation area wondering if they might have to remove the Hammers from their ‘perm another two from five’ calculations. But that’s the future. Right now I’d like to take some time to thank a man who must feel gutted at what has happened to him these past three months.
Alan Pardew has had a rough ride at West Ham, both at the beginning and end of his career. But he was always stoical and determined to get things right and eventually won fans over with the 2005 Play-off semi-final victory over Ipswich and the final win over Preston in Cardiff, during which he seemed to grow in stature. In 2005/6, with pundits tipping us for a quick return to the lower division, Pardew bought us a magnificent season that was eventually cruelly ended in the most heart-breaking way in the F.A. Cup Final but not before a scintillating game had taken place in what is regarded as the greatest final of modern times.
Personally, I’ll always remember celebrating with my Son, a boy too young to remember the ‘good days’, after a Marlon Harewood strike had secured the semi-final win at Villa Park. Alan Pardew bought us that and, whatever intentions the new owners have, they will have to come up with something to better it.
That semi-final and final are a memory that no-one can take from me and it’s something that Alan Pardew should remember as he contemplates his future in football. I don’t expect him to be out of work for too long – I can imagine a couple of Premiership clubs are already looking up his number – and, whatever he does, I will certainly wish him well. As West Ham look to a new and different future so should Alan Pardew.
Where West Ham go from here remains to be seen but, for now, I'd just like to say Good Luck Alan – and thanks for the memories.
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Jules
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Registered: 26th Nov 04
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Status: Happy
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Summary please?
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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quote:
Originally posted by Jules
Summary please?
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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read the fucking thing, hence the title, it makes alot of sense
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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Alan Curbishly 4/5 from 11/10
SGE 8/1
Iain Dowell 11/1
Glenn Hoddle 11/1
Paul Jewell 12/1
Kevin Keen 12/1
Claudo Ranieri 12/1
David Oleary 16/1
Gianlucca Vialli 16/1
Ian Holloway 16/1
Billy Davies 16/1
Bryan Robson 20/1
Martin Maddog Allen 20/1
Kevin Keegan 20/1
Steve Coppell 25/1
Ruud Gullit 25/1
Steve Parkinson 33/1
Greame Souness 33/1
Alex McLeish 33/1
Harry Redknapp 33/1
Teddy Sheringham 33/1
George Graham 33/1
Peter Taylor 40/1
Julian Dicks 66/1
Paulo Di Canio 66/1
Tony Gale 100/1
Alvin Martin 100/1
Tony Cottee 100/1
Roy Evans 100/1
Trevor Brooking 100/1
Neil Ruddock 150/1
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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quote:
Originally posted by jr
read the fucking thing, hence the title, it makes alot of sense
Im not reading all that. If the summary sounds good then I'll read the whole article!
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
Location: Im the real one!
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Svens agent has come out and said he is 100% not going to West Ham as has other plans in motion!
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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i dont want sven anyway
not posted by me but someone else:
An antidote to all you sentimentalists
Our 'family' club's board unceremonously dumped John Lyall, Billy Bonds, Frank Lampard/Harry Redknapp - all far more West Ham than Pardew. They unforgivably ignored Bobby Moore until after he died. They tried to con us with the Bond Scheme. They sacked the inept Roeder far too late.
Today a new ambitous board rightly sacked a manager who was almost certainly taking us to 'THE CHAMPIONSHIP' ..fucking grow up and move on.
CMON YOU IRONS
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Hammer
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Registered: 11th Feb 04
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Imo he is a good manager, just too weak, or at least that is the impression the general public are getting.
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Cosmo
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Registered: 29th Mar 01
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TBH with all the shite that has gone on this season...Argies coming in and mixing things up, dragged out takeover of the club...its not suprise that you are where you are. I dont think its down the manager for that either.
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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no i dont either cosmo, you dont become a bad manager IMO
alan was let down badly by the players, espcially his captin, who he put so much trust into and made him what he is, only to have it slammed back in his face
NRC has been a disgrace to west ham captins IMO, hes the one who should be leading the line, no hiding from it
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chris-sri
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Registered: 3rd Apr 05
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Didn't NRC have a strop because they wouldn't let him talk to Man Utd.
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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yep
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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well them and arsenal
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J9QZzHuDMM
i know its only yhr highlights, but you can see battling performances they just havent hapend this season
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Danny P
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Registered: 20th Nov 02
Location: Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Jules
Summary please?
Its a good read is that.
Basically he's saying how a new foreign owner has come in and only seen 2 games before deciding he's not good and decided to sack him without giving a real chance to turn things around. Them coming in and changing things without really knowing the club or its supporters and what they stand for.
Similar thing happened at Huddersfield around 5/6 years ago. We had a manager similar to Pardew he'd done well for us but a new owner took charge and thought he knew what he was doing. As Jackson wasnt a "big name" he got rid and appointed Steve Bruce, think he wanted to create a bit of a media storm, let everyone know who was boss. He came in and changed everything about the place, even changed the clubs crest (something had been around for nearly 90yrs previously) Changed how the way things were run and anoid a lot of supporters, drove the sole near enough out of the club. Yeah we had some success for a while, was even top of the now called Championship at one point bordering on promotion to the Premiership, but all of a sudden Mr. Rubery realised how much a football club actually cost to run, shit imself, ordered all the best players to be sold and fucked off.
We were relegated twice and 3 seasons ago were only about 12 hours from going out of business because of him. Where was he, and did he care, did he fuck, he'd got his money back and was probs sat on some boat somewhere in the Sun, while the fans were walking to away games to riase money to get us out of the shit.
Not saying this will happen at WHU, but I hope he knows what he's doing otherwise there will be some very angry Hammers fans about
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Russ
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Registered: 14th Mar 04
Location: Armchair
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hoddle would be excellent choice, he did good things here, made the best out of bad situation and bought best out of players. problem he had at wolves was, you cant polish a turd
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Hammer
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Registered: 11th Feb 04
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Just read his wee piece there on his sacking, left with his head held high and his dignity intact, even wishing the new chairman all the best in the future!
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Russ
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Registered: 14th Mar 04
Location: Armchair
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dignity? ofc he has, he isnt the one to blame, all the media will say this and he'll come out unscathed. west ham are fucked for a while, especially man u on sunday, the dissapointing thing is the way all west ham players wil work there bollox off for new guy, for a few months at least
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Ojc
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Registered: 14th Nov 00
Location: Reading: Drives : Clio 197
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2005 Play-off semi-final victory over Ipswich
Should never been in the play offs in the first place.
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antscorsa
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Registered: 11th Aug 02
Location: london
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for obvious reasons id rather see west ham go down jr lol but to be fair i think pardews a good manager, passionate, english and i think he would of done the job giving some more games.
wrong to sack him and he be welcome at millwall with open arms i feel.
still cant see you going down though james i think your pick it up ur just having a bad run. the clubs too passionate to go down without a fight and ill be surprised if u get relegated.
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RyanSxi
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Registered: 26th Jul 06
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west ham are too good to go down.
although the same was said about leeds...
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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quote:
Originally posted by Ojc
2005 Play-off semi-final victory over Ipswich
Should never been in the play offs in the first place.
 to be fair if you finished 6th and went up you wouldnt have complained
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Robbo
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Registered: 6th Aug 02
Location: London
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quote:
Originally posted by RyanSxi
west ham are too good to go down.
Nobody is too good to go down!!!
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RyanSxi
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Registered: 26th Jul 06
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quote:
Originally posted by Robbo
quote:
Originally posted by RyanSxi
west ham are too good to go down.
Nobody is too good to go down!!!
sorry  lol
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