Blowing bubbles %2364 november 2016

Exclusive: Nigel Reo-Coker reveals where it all went wrong

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NOBODY DESERVES IT MOORE

The campaign to award Bobby Moore a knighthood

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I can’t think of a single reason why Bobby should not be a Sir B obby Moore should be the first ever recipient of a posthumous knighthood. Full stop.

There can be no argument, in my eyes, against giving the West Ham and England legend this honour - especially with this year being the 50th anniversary of England’s glorious 1966 World Cup win.

I was, therefore, delighted to read Julian Shea’s excellent piece with Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, who says Moore’s achievement, stature and contribution are such that he merits the award he was denied in his life-

time. Mr Collins, who was also elected chair of government’s culture, media and sport committee last month, also says he will continue to champion the cause for Sir Bobby - something most West Ham fans, including Russell Brand, refer to him as anyway.

With this high-level focus on one of - if not the greatest - person to ever where claret and blue, it felt fitting that we should dedicate this issue to his memory and donate profits from this month’s magazine to the charity set up in his name.

We’ve already raised more than £500 for the

Bobby Moore Fund through our Blowing Bubbles for Bobby campaign, which is still ticking along nicely, but I’m keen to continue raising money for a charity that means so much to me personally.

But let’s not stop here. Let’s continue to show our support for fundraisers like Jonjo Heuerman and help to raise as much money as we can for the Bobby Moore Fund and Cancer Research UK because together we will beat cancer.

Enjoy the issue.

David

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The big interview: Nigel Reo-Coker

‘West Ham hung me out to dry but I never wanted to go’ He was Irons captain at 22 but Nigel Reo-Coker’s career fell off the rails after the FA Cup final, here he tells us why it wasn’t all his fault

JULIAN SHEA @juliansheasport

L

ooking around West Ham’s new home at the London Stadium, spectators can see banners listing the club’s honours over the years.

There’s the 1964 FA Cup, 1965 Cup Winners’ Cup, 1975 FA Cup, 1980 FA Cup – and but for one moment of agonising last-minute brilliance by Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, there would also be one saying 2006 FA Cup. ‘I honestly thought we’d won it,’ Nigel Reo-Coker, West Ham midfielder and captain on the day, told Blowing Bubbles in an exclusive interview. ‘In the last couple of minutes, with us 3-2 up, I went over to the sidelines and spoke to Alan Pardew and Peter Grant, who told me to stay close to Gerrard as he was the

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Boss: Alan Pardew signed Nigel Reo-Coker in 2004 one person on the pitch who could possibly turn things round.

‘But then right at the end, something happened on the right and my instinct was to dash over and try to sort it out and close the ball down. That left Gerrard free, and it could only be someone of his quality who could do what he then did – but even then, if you asked him to

try that 100 times, he’d probably struggle to do it again.’

Sadly for West Ham fans, what Gerrard did manage to do was score an unlikely last-minute equaliser, taking the game to extra time and a penalty shoot-out, won, of course, by Liverpool.

Heart-breaking for all involved, not least Reo-Coker, now aged 32 but then just 21, who

was denied the chance to join Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds as Irons captains to have lifted the FA Cup, just 16 turbulent months after arriving at the club from Wimbledon.

As the young skipper of such a talented side, Reo-Coker looked set to become a fixture at the club for years to come, but just a year later he was out and on his way to Aston Villa, but only after being at the eye of the storm in one of the most turbulent periods in club history.

Play-off final loser, play-off final winner, FA Cup runner-up, World Cup stand-by player, scapegoat and eyewitness to the Tevez/ Mascherano affair and the Great Escape – Reo-Coker’s stay at West Ham may only have been a brief one, but it was certainly not short on drama.

Now after a period playing in Major League Soccer, Reo-Coker is back in England and looking for a new challenge, and he told Blowing Bubbles that his time at West Ham

Skipper: Nigel Reo-Coker was made West Ham captain at an early age

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had been the making of him as a person and as a footballer.

‘What I went through at West Ham, those are experiences which have set me up for the rest of my footballing career,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing that can happen to me now which I can say would surprise me, after all I went through there.’

Even before Reo-Coker arrived at West Ham in January 2004, he had already clocked up plenty of character-building experience at his first club, Wimbledon.

‘I captained every team I ever played in, from youth team upwards, and I think I was the youngest captain ever in the Championship, at 18 or 19, so taking responsibility was something I’d never shy away from,’ he explained.

‘Growing up in that environment, at such a close-knit family club, surrounded by old school players and having to earn their respect was a superb experience.

You had to say what you meant and then do what you say.’

That time at Wimbledon was made all the more testing by the club’s precarious situation as it went through the death throes before the move to Milton Keynes, being put into administration – with star attractions like Reo-Coker prominent in the shop window.

‘Even though I was playing in the Championship, several Premier

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Friends: Nigel Reo-Coker spent most of his West Ham career playing with Marlon Harewood League clubs were interested in me and I even got as far as signing a contract with Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth, but Wimbledon’s administrator pulled the plug on the deal, and then West Ham came in for me.

‘Alan Pardew, who’d seen me when he was managing Reading in the Championship, had just taken over a few months earlier following relegation from the Premier League and

must have decided that I had the sort of character and qualities that were needed to get the team back up.

‘The club wasn’t in bad shape when I turned up, it was a few months after relegation and there were still some people who couldn’t believe that they’d come down with such a good team, so it was a bit of a challenge for the club to adapt to the Championship because it’s such an incredibly competitive

league. No matter how big a club thinks it is, anyone can beat anyone in that league. It’s very rare for a team to run away with it. It’s not always going to be the prettiest league to watch, but it’s all about getting the job done to make sure you get out.’

This was something Reo-Coker and his team managed to do at the second time of asking after losing the 2004 play-off final to Crystal Palace, before getting

@easycartoons

it right 12 months later against Preston, to regain their place in the top flight, which led to two of the most dramatic seasons in the club’s history.

‘To me, football’s not a science, it’s about putting the pieces of a puzzle together, and in that time, West Ham built a great team – we had a real mix of characters and wonderful camaraderie,’ Reo-Coker explained.

‘I’m not going to pretend everyone got

on, and of course we had some difficult times, but you needed that mix of personalities for everything to work, and what really bound us together was pride in the club we were playing for.

‘I’d been lucky to grow up at a club like Wimbledon, where there was a real respect between the players and the rest of the staff at the club, and it was a very similar set-up at West Ham. ‘What I experienced there was fantastic, and

that’s what made my time there so special.

The journey we went on in those few years was amazing, and that’s why everyone still thinks of West Ham as the club where I really made my name and established myself.’

Thanks to Gerrard, the Irons’ first season back up in the top flight ended in heartbreak, and the run to the Cup final sowed the seeds of the drama and disappointment that was to occur

Reo-Coker’s West Ham timeline January 2004: After impressing in a struggling Wimbledon side, Alan Pardew signs Reo-Coker to help West Ham’s promotion bid. He makes his debut a week later in a 2-1 home win over Rotherham United.

March 2004: Scores his first goal for West Ham against Wimbledon in a 5-0 win.

May 2005: Plays 39 times and scores three goals during his first full season at the club before West Ham are promoted back to the Premier League.

August 2005: Is made club captain, replacing Christian Dailly.

May 2006: Leads West Ham out in the FA Cup final but the Irons are eventually defeated on penalties after a thrilling game that finished 3-3.

December 2006: Is blamed, along with the rest of the ‘Baby Bentley Brigade’ for West Ham’s dire start to the season and Alan Pardew’s sacking.

July 2007: Is sold to Aston Villa for £8.5million.

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the following season. ‘In the summer, I was called up as a stand-by player for the England World Cup squad, but the England medics noticed something was up and sent me for a MRI scan.

It turned out I’d been playing through the end of the previous season with a back problem and it was only then that the full extent of it became clear.

‘That ended any chance I had of going to the World Cup, and also meant that I didn’t have a proper pre-season with West Ham for the following season, which had a huge impact.

‘There were quite a few factors to what went wrong that second season back in the top flight. Personally I didn’t have a full pre-season, and across the team there was maybe a bit of complacency, which can really affect things.

‘We also had a few new additions to the club, and that can also be a factor and make things difficult – the art of football is getting the right team together.’

Two new arrivals who definitely had an impact on the team were Carlos Tevez and Javier

Clash: Nigel Reo-Coker did not get on well with Alan Curbishley

Mascherano, whose hugely controversial stays at the club impacted on everything that happened that season.

‘It wasn’t a case of anyone else there being jealous, but they were all anyone talked about, so it was a big distraction,’ said Reo-Coker.

Seven months after

Tough day: Reo-Coker at the 2006 FA Cup final

taking his team to the FA Cup final, four months after signing Tevez and Mascherano, and less than a month after the club was taken over by new owners, Pardew found himself out of a job – with, ironically, his final match being a loss to Sam Allardyce’s Bolton.

Exit Pardew, enter Alan Curbishley, and for Reo-Coker, already mounting problems were about to get a lot worse.

‘There was a lot going on at the club at that time, and I’m very proud that we managed to get through it all and ended up staying up at the end of the season, but

from a personal point of view, as a 22-year-old, I was getting the blame for a lot of things that happened, and I didn’t get support from people at the club who should have backed me.’

There was one particular incident, or rather phrase, that still bothers Reo-Coker to this day.

‘The manager came out with this phrase the ‘Baby Bentley Brigade’, talking about some of the younger players in the team who were seen as a bit full of themselves, and it really bothered me,’ he said.

‘I wish he’d said who he meant, rather than generalise like that, because

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it meant all the younger players at the club were being blamed and branded as not caring, and I was the captain.

‘I found it amusing how they could say everything that was wrong at the club was down to me. I was 22 and they were saying I was the dressing room rebel, as if the likes of old pros like Teddy Sheringham would listen to me at that age!’

Despite an initial recovery under Curbishley, West Ham’s problems continued throughout the season, and eventually it fell to Reo-Coker to live up to his captain’s responsibility and speak to the manager.

‘It was tense, and we had a few strong characters who weren’t scared of stepping forward, so we went to talk to the manager about what we felt was going wrong, and fortunately he agreed with our suggestions and changed things in training. Management gave us the opportunity to change things, and we did, and we turned things around.’

That season culminated in the Great Escape at Old Trafford, where Tevez of all players,

Nightmare: Steven Gerrard broke West Ham hearts

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Shock moment: West Ham signed Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano in 2006

scored the season-saving winner against Manchester United in what turned out to be his final game before signing for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team.

But it also turned out to be Reo-Coker’s final game in a West Ham shirt too.

‘If I’m honest, I thought that Manchester United game was going to be my last one for West Ham. I didn’t want to go, but some people

there didn’t want me at the club so there was nothing I could do about it. I just had to follow my path in life.’

What came next was a move to Aston Villa, and rather than just come out with the usual comments about being happy to be there and looking forward to the new challenge, Reo-Coker spoke up about his feelings about being forced out of West Ham. ‘The experience I had at West Ham was amazing. I arrived as a young man, went through a tough time and came out the other side a grown man, and I didn’t want to leave,’ he explained.

‘I felt like I was being hung out to dry, so that’s why I said it. There’s no

way you can blame all that was going on there on a 22-year-old.

‘If anyone wanted to describe what it’s like to play for West Ham, I’d say the key word is honest; you may not be the best player, but fans will appreciate you as long as you try, and they can see it. I wasn’t going to cry about what happened, but I was just being honest with what I said.

‘West Ham was part of my life journey in making me the person I am today; the experiences I had have been priceless, you can’t find many players around the world who’ve been through the experiences I did, leading a team of West Ham’s stature at

that age and surviving all that turmoil.’

But rather than a new dawn, Reo-Coker’s time at Villa Park was to be a similarly frustrating experience, seeing him appointed captain before being released at the end of his contract after four years and, he says, only being informed of the news by friends when he was on holiday, rather than by the club directly.

‘The set up at Aston Villa is very similar to West Ham in some ways. There were a lot of changes going on when there when I was there, and if you look at where they are now they’re probably there because of so much change and coming and going in that time, I could see things happening,’ he said.

Next stop was Bolton and it was an event which happened there which was to send Reo-Coker’s career off in an unlikely trajectory.

‘I was on the pitch at White Hart Lane the night Fabrice Muamba collapsed and nearly died, and that really shook me up,’ he said.

‘It’s something you can never imagine going through. This isn’t a dangerous sport, it’s just football so to see someone come so close to death in front of my eyes really put me in a different head space, reassess my priorities, and one of those was to go and play abroad.’

For the last three years, Reo-Coker has been plying his trade in Major

League Soccer but anyone who sees that as an easy option for players who are past their best is very much mistaken.

‘Sometimes MLS doesn’t help itself image-wise with some of the players it recruits, but people don’t understand the different mentality in America,’ he said. ‘It’s a totally different environment in every way. Americans always like to have their own way of doing things so anyone who thinks they’ll go over there and have an easy time, they need to know the lifestyle and league is very different.

‘It’s a league that’s still growing and has a way to go to be where it wants to be, but it’s still been a huge learning experience for me.

‘Last season I got to play for Montreal against Club America of Mexico, who are their equivalent of Manchester United, in their North American Champions League final – I played in the Azteca Stadium in front of 110,000 people. That’s something amazing that can never be taken away from me.’

Reo-Coker is now actively looking for a new club back home, and clearly feels he has plenty still to offer the right team.

‘I definitely want to continue playing. I reckon I’ve got four or five good years left in me at a high level, and I’d love to finish things off playing back home,’ he said.

MLS: Nigel Reo-Coker was last seen playing for Montreal Impact ‘A lot’s changed while I’ve been away, I just want the right opportunity to show people what I can do. I’ve had a few conversations.

‘I remember when it was about clubs buying players to win things, now it seems lots of them are more interested in buying young players for re-sale value.

‘There’s not many players around my age who’ve got the experience I have, so I want the right opportunity.

‘There aren’t too many natural born leaders in this generation, certainly not with my experience, and so much of that came from what I went through when I was at West Ham.’ BBM

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Your shout

Email: editor@blowing-bubbles.co.uk

Don’t let a few idiots ruin what was a really amazing evening T he image that many West Ham supporters will remember from last month’s League Cup tie was that of a lone Chelsea fan walking across the divide to confront the home fans.

I am most certainly not suggesting the crowd trouble was all down to Chelsea, but I was shocked to see West Ham getting all the blame from the media.

I am increasingly getting fed up of the press writing the easy story of West Ham ‘hooligans’ causing all the trouble every game.

I go to football, like I do in all the sports I follow, to have a break from my job, to have a few beers and a laugh with my friends and family and support my team.

West Ham were brilliant against Chelsea and fully deserved to win the game, and that’s what should be focussed on not the stupid minority from both sides of the

LETTER OF THE MONTH

Muppet: This Chelsea ‘fan’ should get a life ban segregation. These are not football fans and they should get banned for being plonkers.

However, the atmosphere was not poisonous. It was brilliant.

The vast majority of the crowd got behind the team and in all honesty it is a relief that the

stadium won’t become another library like many new grounds.

Against Chelsea the Olympic Stadium felt like a real football stadium. The atmosphere was loud and I’m glad we got to enjoy our first really special night there.

Andrew Osborn

the competition but the Hammers boss was right to go for it.

The draw for the quarter final could have been kinder but the fact remains the Irons are now just three games

from Wembley and the chance to win their first major trophy in 36 years.

That opportunity was far bigger than the chance to be rested ahead of Everton away.

Martin Bryant

Bilic was right to play a strong team in cup Well done to Slaven Bilic for playing a strong XI as West Ham beat Chelsea to progress through to the quarter-final of the League Cup. Too many managers play their reserves in

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Obiang’s role has been vital It’s hard to believe it now but many fans expected Pedro Obiang to leave in the summer transfer window.

The Spanish midfielder had been unable to establish himself in the West Ham side since arriving from Sampdoria the year before and was heavily linked with moves away.

How times change.

Since Slaven Bilic introduced his 3-4-3 formation Obiang has become one of the first names on the team sheet.

Having a specialist holding midfielder has freed up Mark Noble and also allowed Cheikhou Kouyaté to move back into the defence.

Everything looks more balanced now and fingers crossed the Hammers can continue their rise up the table in November.

Darren Lewis

Moodley needs more positivity What planet is Kiran Moddley on? I don’t think I’ve disagreed with a writer more.

He is so negative and I get the impression he wants the team to lose to prove his negative outlook wrong. Why do you continue to give him a platform?

Daniel Thomas

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Cresswell is a star

Problem: Simone Zaza is yet to find the net

I

How many chances can we afford to give Zaza?

t was great to see that Simone Zaza’s performances improved during October but we really need him to find his shooting boots soon.

I appreciate that it is tough to play in the Premier League. It’s certainly more physical over here than in Italy and Spain and players need to adjust but we’re now in November and he still hasn’t scored for us.

You’d hope if the performances are improving, he is growing in confidence and the goals will come.

I know Slaven Bilic

warned it would take Zaza time to settle but I’m sure even he didn’t foresee Zaza’s lack of goals.

One or two goals, however, would give him a massive boost and would add to the confidence of the players and the fans.

The problem Zaza has is West Ham will, according to his agent and father, have an obligation to buy the striker for £20m in he plays 10 games.

If this is true, he only has a few games left to show us what he can do and ultimately the

answer of whether or not he stays is down to what happens on the pitch and how many goals he scores.

Strikers are judged on their goals so he really needs to start scoring now.

You always want the rest of the team to chip in with goals every now and again but at the moment our midfield and even defence are scoring all our goals and this can’t keep happening.

You really feel once he scores one, he will go on to score plenty and show us why Bilic rates him.

It’s been great to see Aaron Cresswell back on the pitch for us and playing very well.

I wrote in this column recently that sometimes you have players that you don’t appreciate how good they are until they are out injured and his return from injury, and subsequent performances, have shown how important he is to West Ham. During the Palace game, it just felt like he was back in the team and everything just clicked, and I think Cresswell will continue to thrive in this new 3-4-3 system we’ve been playing.

It really shows our intent to attack teams and we’ve certainly got the players to suit this system - as we saw last month.

One player who also continues to impress me is Michail Antonio. He is the sort of player you love to have because you just know he will do a job for you.

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Pub talk

Blowing Bubbles’ top writers settle down to put the world to rights...

West Ham seem to have finally turned a corner after a disastrous start to the season. What is the main reason for this turnaround?

Emily Pulham: Pedro Obiang. That and the Middlesbrough game.

That draw stopped us from sliding and panicking and allowed us to start building on a more solid foundation.

Kiran Moodley: I think it’s been a combination of factors. Playing Crystal Palace, a team we’ve had a good run against away, along with winless Sunderland certainly helped. Now that we’re in November, the players have had longer to gel after such a large influx of transfers. We still have to be cautious, bar the Chelsea and City games early on, we haven’t played the big teams in

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Relaxed: Recent results have eased the pressure on Slaven Bilic the league. The corner is not yet turned.

Danny Rust: Players returning from injuries is one reason. For instance, West Ham certainly missed Aaron Cresswell.

But it seems as though the change in formation has worked wonders.

We’d been leaking goals in the opening months of the season, but since changing to a 3-4-3 for-

mation with wing-backs, we have looked much better both defensively and going forward.

Stuart Plant: I agree with Emily, Pedro Obiang. Solely Pedro Obiang! To be honest I think it’s a culmination of picking the right XI and the right tactics.

The 3-5-2/3-4-3 style formation seems to suit us very well right now

so that’s also a main element to it. Ultimately, it’s most likely down to the confidence from the 1-1 draw against Boro which is growing with every passing game.

Slaven Bilic has adopted a 3-4-3 formation in recent weeks. Do you think this system is a long-term solution for the club?

EP: It’s certainly worked out well lately, hasn’t it?! It’s a formation that definitely works for us and hopefully will as a long-term strategy, but one thing that should be noted is that this formation works at it’s best when Aaron Cresswell is playing. I’m not completely convinced by it without him.

KM: 3-4-3 seems to be the formation of the season so far after the old, reliable 4-5-1 of

last year. As I said, it’s too early to tell whether this will work or even be a long-term solution but the early signs are promising. I think 3-4-3 works for our attacking prowess and the ample players we have in those departments but I’m not sure how it will work with the defence until we really get a good team together at the back.

DR: It can be a longterm solution because the majority of our players are suited to that system. Cresswell is superb going forward, and so playing as a wingback will get the best out of him. Mark Noble and Pedro Obiang, meanwhile, both like to sit in front of the defence and so that gives the wingbacks the opportunity to push forward without needing to worry about leaving space for the opposition. The skill of Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini, along with the pace of Michail Antonio will work in the system, too.

SP: Possibly. It’s worked so well as we have a decent load of centre backs, plus our full backs are by and large very attack-minded, quick, and direct. It aids our attackers and our lack of direct pace in the middle of the park having our very attacking wing-back options bombing on too.

Will it be used long term though? Guess we’ll have to see how well it works if picked with a fully fit XI! Pedro Obiang has

Impact: Aaron Cresswell’s return has made a massive difference

made a real difference to the midfield in recent weeks. Can you ever remember a ‘squad player’ taking his chance in the team so well?

EP:I have so much time for Pedro Obiang right now. It was clear to him he wasn’t part of Slaven’s plans this season, but instead of leaving or sulking he worked his socks off and has rightly earned a starting position in our team. He has been an integral part of our improved fortunes

and deserves a huge amount of credit for it.

KM: I guess Obiang’s rise is similar to that of Antonio’s last year, when he utilised a spate of injuries in autumn to make his mark. Obiang has been an almost instant success, whereas Antonio took a few matches to find his stride. Obiang shows that sometimes you don’t need to buy what you need is silently sitting on your bench.

DR: It could be argued that Darren Randolph

has been a more-thanable understudy to Adrian. Some, including myself, would argue that at certain stages of last season and early this season, Randolph may have been deserving of taking over as Slaven Bilic’s number one. He was superb in the cup competitions last season and was excellent once again against Chelsea.

Edimilson Fernandes has also been superb since stepping in during Cresswell and Sam

17

Byram’s absence at wingback.

SP: The only one off the top of my head who had such a change of fortunes was Johnny ‘USA’ Spector. From zero to Lionel Messi-esque destruction of Manchester United. Pure magic.

Notable shout out for Julien Faubert who had a torrid time with us, stuck it out after we got relegated and came good in the Championship.

Was chuffed for him.

The victory over Chelsea was West Ham’s first really great performance at the Olympic Stadium. Is it starting to feel like home for you yet?

EP: Yes, it really is.

We needed a high-energy night game to get stuck into and we did.

The atmosphere was incredible, the noise was top-rate. What a night.

KM: The early teething problems seem to be slowly improving, but having spoken to many Arsenal friends, it does take a while for fans to get used to a new stadium. But even Gunners fans still miss Highbury and say it’s not the same.

DR:The performance and result was superb against Chelsea and, for the most part, the atmosphere at London Stadium was excellent.

However, the atmosphere and feel of the stadium still doesn’t match up to that at the Boleyn Ground, in my opinion.

It will take some time for London Stadium to feel like home. Better results

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On target: Cheikhou Kouyate scored against Chelsea

and performances on a regular basis will go a long way to making the new stadium feel like home.

SP: I think for many it did already. For those who didn’t quite feel ‘homely’ enough – that League Cup win should provide some serious swaying power in favour of the Olympic Stadium.

It was, and still is, always going to take time for the vast majority to really bed into the new stadium. Get used to the surroundings, the journey to and from, the atmosphere, security, etc. There are always teething issues at first.

West Ham’s reward for the victory was a League Cup quarter-final against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

How far can the club go in the competition this year?

EP: As far as we want to go! There is no reason we can’t win it.

KM: I would hope we give it a good shot as we have as much a chance as any, especially when other of the big clubs will not put as high a priority on it. I hope we’ve calmed down from the talk of Champions League football last year to realise that we need to think of a long-term

path to being a big club.

The League Cup could be a good start.

DR: I think we can go all the way. Against Chelsea, we looked confident and defended well.

Although Chelsea had a few chances, we could and perhaps should have scored more goals. If we perform like we did against Chelsea, we are more than capable of seeing off Manchester United and the other teams that remain in the League Cup. SP: If we get past a Jose-led Manchester United at Old Trafford, I don’t think there’s many sterner tasks left. BBM

UNITED WE CAN MAKE BOBBY PROUD Bobby Moore made us proud to be football fans - now it’s our turn to make Bobby proud.

It’s been 20 years since Bobby died of bowel cancer and the chances of dying from this disease have fallen by 30% since the Bobby Moore Fund was set up in 1993. But we can’t stop there.

Research is vital to saving lives and with your help we can beat bowel cancer sooner.

Text BOBBY to 70200 to donate £5* bobbymoorefund.org

Official Charity of The FA *Texts charged at £5 plus a standard rate text (age 16+, UK mobiles only). From this, Cancer Research UK will receive £4.89. Full Ts&Cs at www.cruk.org/text.

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Arise Sir Bobby

It is time to change the rules to honour our great captain Death should be no barrier from Bobby Moore becoming a knight

C

onservative MP Damian Collins has told Blowing Bubbles that making West Ham and England legend Bobby Moore the first ever recipient of a posthumous knighthood would be the ultimate way to mark the 50th anniversary of England’s 1966 World Cup win.

There have been repeated calls for captain Moore, who died in 1993 aged just 51, to receive the highest honour the country has to offer, which has been given to his 1966 team-mates Sir Geoff Hurst and Sir Bobby Charlton.

At the moment, the only circumstances in which honours can be given posthumously are military awards for gallantry, but Mr Collins says Moore’s achievement, stature and contribution are such that he merits the award he was denied in his lifetime.

‘This year is a very special anniversary of what is one of the iconic moments of 20th century sport, so we as a country should do something appropriate and significant,’ said the MP for Folkestone and Hythe, who was elected

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Star: Bobby Moore during his playing days with West Ham chair of government’s culture, media and sport committee last month.

‘Bobby Moore is one of the central figures.

Had he lived, he would have been knighted and received the recognition that others have, so I think some posthumous recognition would be a fantastic part of the celebrations of the anniversary.’

As chronicled in Matthew Lorenzo’s recent

film Bo66y, Moore was largely sidelined by the world of football following his retirement, and the rest of society treated him little better.

Although he received an OBE, honours for sportsmen and women were far less commonplace in the 1960s and 70s than they have become now something, Collins says, which reflects a changing recognition of the social

role of sport. The way honours were given to sports people in the past were that there were some which were seen as good enough for them, but the knighthoods and other titles went to people who had done something more serious,’ he explained.

‘The world has changed now, though.

Cultural leaders are seen as massive part of our national life, so they deserve the same treatment.

‘I think it’s down to a wider recognition of sport and its contribution, and a realisation that these people can be community leaders as well as ambassadors for our country. In the past, they weren’t regarded that way.’

Awarding a posthumous honour would not be straightforward, however, as there is no precedent for it.

‘It may require a change in the law, it would certainly require a change in the process of how honours are bestowed and we wouldn’t want a situation where retrospective honours are being awarded all the time,’ he explained.

‘The thing about Bobby Moore, though, is it’s a way of saying he should have received the recognition in his lifetime and he didn’t, so what’s the best way to show our gratitude? A knighthood has a degree of permanence and it’s very public, so that’s why it would be fitting.’

Mr Collins cites Sir Alex Ferguson’s knighthood and honours for England’s 2005 Ashes-winning cricketers as similar examples to what he hopes to do for Moore – ‘those were acknowledgements of singular achievements that moved the entire country,’ he explained.

Whilst a campaign to honour Moore would be sure to be a popular cause, mere public feeling is not enough to make it happen on its own but Collins adds, it could help.

‘Anyone can set up a petition through the Government petition website which can show support, but nominations need to be made through the Cabinet office. Letters of support certainly help, though, I’ve certainly done that for constituents who have been put forward,’ he explained.

Moore is honoured by statues outside Wembley and West Ham, but Collins says – provided the system made it possible – it would be appropriate for there to be a lasting national memorial as well, in the form of a knighthood.

His finest hour: Bobby Moore holds the World Cup aloft in 1966

‘That huge statue outside our national stadium shows what a significant presence he is in English football, but he looks a bit solitary, so we need to put an arm around him in some way.

‘It would be recognition not just on an extraordinary achievement, but also an extraordinary life which touched so many people across the whole country, and which wasn’t

honoured properly in his lifetime – and what better time than the anniversary?’ he explained.

‘We don’t want to have a situation where posthumous honours are being granted all the time, but let’s say that once a year, the country has the chance to honour a person who was overlooked in their lifetime - I’d say Bobby Moore would be the perfect first person for that.’ BBM

Profits from this issue to be donated All profits from this month’s issue will go to the Bobby Moore Fund, a charity Blowing Bubbles has supported for several years.

Editor David Blackmore has personally raised more than £15,000 since 2010 for the charity that raises vital funds for research into bowel cancer.

And last year we launched our Blowing Bubbles for Bobby campaign that has today raised more than £500 for the charity.

The Fund, official charity partner of the FA, was set up

by Stephanie Moore MBE who was delighted with the continued support from Blowing Bubbles.

‘I am extremely grateful to Blowing Bubbles for donating their November issue profits in support of the Bobby Moore Fund and I would like to congratulate them for hitting an incredible £500 from their ‘Blowing the Bubbles for Bobby’ Campaign,’ she said For more information visit bobbymoorefund.org.

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Greatest goals

Ten magical West Ham goals that took your breath away

Dimitri Payet’s stunner against Boro was the latest fine Irons strike

BRIAN WILLIAMS @BrainWill26

W

est Ham supporters may not see eye to eye with one another about everything right now, but we can all agree that Dimitri Payet’s wonder goal against Middlesbrough was one of the best things to happen at the new stadium so far.

This got me thinking about the contenders for the club’s greatest ever goals.

Of course, we all have our own favourites and I am not claiming this is the definitive list.

But here is my personal top 10 – in reverse order, naturally. Oh, and I’ve only allowed myself one goal per player – don’t ask me why.

10: Paul Ince v Liverpool (1988) A controversial choice, I accept. It was a League Cup game against Liverpool in 1988. They were reigning champions

Fabulous: Bobby Zamora scored some fine goals during his time with West Ham while we were destined for relegation. I was bang in line with Ince when he soared into the air on the edge of the box to hit one of the sweetest volleys ever seen at Upton Park to put us one up. We went on to win 4-1 with a performance that made a mockery of how appalling we were in the league that year.

Oh, West Ham, why do you do things like that to us loyal supporters?

9: Anton Ferdinand v Fulham (2006) Fulham were arguably having the better of things before we were awarded a corner, which was cleared to the edge of the area – from where Ferdinand unleashed an astonishing volley that was a goal from the moment it left his boot.

This one is for defenders everywhere, but only got in after careful consideration was given

to marginally less spectacular volleys by Colin Foster against Everton in the FA Cup (1991) and Winston Reid v Millwall in the Championship (2012).

8: Bobby Zamora v Ipswich (2005) Mention the words “play off ” to Zamora and it’s as if someone has pressed the on-button in his brain. Before scoring the winning goal for us in the play-off final

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against Preston, he got two in the second leg of the semis at Portman Road. His second was a blinder – Marlon Harewood won the ball in our half, went on a blistering run that involved a onetwo with Reo-Coker, and then put in a snorter of a cross, which Zamora put away with a superb cushioned volley. I still say Bobby never got the recognition he deserved from many West Ham supporters.

7: Mark Noble v Spurs (2007) The goal came after Carlos Tevez brilliantly chested the ball into Noble’s path, allowing him to volley home from the edge of the area.

In truth, I have seen more memorable goals, but I’ve included it to remind Mark Noble that we all love him despite the fact sections of the stadium get on his back from time to time.

6: Martin Peters v Leicester (1968) Despite being overlooked by the numpties in the club’s marketing department in a sticker book of West Ham legends that they produced at the beginning of the season, Peters really was one of the greats – and this goal proves it. John

Famous: Martin Peters scored a memorable goal against Leicester in 1968 Sissons had controlled the ball on left, made ground and put in a decent cross. Peters, meanwhile, had stormed into the box from midfield and, without breaking stride, smashed a volley past Peter Shilton that the England keeper barely saw. This was two weeks after Booby Moore’s wonder goal against QPR that

Famous: Trevor Brooking’s header against Arsenal

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was repeatedly shown on the big screens at Upton Park last season. Those were the days!

5. Trevor Brooking v Arsenal (1980) Okay, this wasn’t exactly a contender for goal of the season – and Sir Trev could easily point to any number of games in which he scored with breath-taking efforts, Eintracht Frankfurt for starters. But any goal that wins you the Cup when you go into the final as such massive underdogs as we did against the Gooners has to be on anyone’s list of favourites.

4. Ronnie Boyce v Preston North End (1964)

Another goal to win an FA Cup final. I had taken the life-changing decision to support West Ham in the run-up to the game. Ticker had scored twice in the semi-final to get us to Wembley, and his last-minute winner against Preston cemented that decision.

However, this was three weeks before my eighth birthday and boys that age have been known to change their minds.

Who knows if I would be a Hammer today if he hadn’t put away Peter Brabrook’s cross and West Ham had lost in extra time? Sorry. Did

someone just call me a glory-hunter?

3: Dean Ashton v Man City (2006) This was in the sixth round of the FA Cup at Eastlands. With four minutes to go to the interval Ashton won the ball with a deft header which he then brought under control without letting it bounce. There was a one-two with Matty Etherington and a flick from Nigel Reo-Coker before he turned Sylvain Distin inside out and smashed the ball past Calamity James. Not only was this a brilliant goal, I’ve included it in lieu of all the others Deano would have scored for us if his career hadn’t been cut short by injury. To be honest, I never thought he’d score a better one – and then he proved me wrong with that fabulous overhead effort in Mark Noble’s testimonial. I still wince every time I think of him crashing back to earth!

2: Carlton Cole v Wigan (2009) One of the best onetouch passing moves you could hope to see, rounded off by a delightful finish. Scott Parker, Mark Noble and David Di Michele were all involved before Cole swept the ball past Chris Kirkland. Carlton did rather spoil it slightly by getting sent off three minutes later but, hey, we’ll always believe in Cole!

Right, that’s nine out of the 10, and we

are missing some big names on this particular scoresheet.

No Geoff Hurst, Billy Bonds, Tony Cottee or Frank McAvennie?

What about unsung heroes such as Geoff Pike, whose headed goal from the edge of the area against Man U in 1986 would be on many people’s list.

Then there’s Paul Goddard, Graham Paddon and Patsy Holland, whose equaliser in the dying minutes against Hereford in a 1974 Cup tie could well be my number 11. Pop Robson and Clyde Best both came close, but didn’t make the final list. Even Jimmy Quinn and David Cross nearly got a lookin (Ted MacDougall didn’t). But we all know if you haven’t made the cut by now you are never going to, because there really can only ever be one winner in the competition.

1: Paolo Di Canio v Wimbledon (2000) I don’t really need to describe this, do I? Just close the old mince pies for a moment and picture that cross from Trevor Sinclair. Now envisage Di Canio: the run, the leap, the volley, the sublime ecstasy as the ball hits the net.

I know you’ve all seen it a thousand times before, but to misquote Samuel Johnson: ‘If you’re tired of reliving it, you are tired of life.’

Can it be bettered?

Come on Dimi, see what you can do. BBM

Unforgettable: Paolo Di Canio scored a sensational goal against Wimbledon

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FROZEN IN TIME

Wednesday, October 26, 2016: Cheikhou Kouyaté heads home Mark Noble’s cross to give West Ham the lead against Chelsea in the League Cup. The Hammers went on to record a famous 2-0 victory at the Olympic Stadium.

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Pedro Obiang In the team: Pedro Obiang has taken his chance in the West Ham first XI

Obiang is being rewarded for his patience since joining us The holding midfielder has found a place in Slaven Bilic’s 3-4-3

STUART PLANT

T

@IronViewsStu

he beginning to this season has been a far cry from the dizzy heights we became accustomed to under Slaven Bilic last season, but the turning point seems to have been the

28

draw against Middlesbrough.

Granted a draw at home to Middlesbrough is not so much to shout about but it was the importance of stopping the rot and then building on that.

‘First, you have to stop losing’. That mindset has been stuck to, and we are now reaping the benefits of the growing confidence throughout the team.

One man who came in for that Boro game, and

has been in the starting XI since, is Pedro Obiang.

Noble and Kouyate looked lethargic and blunt in the early stages of the season but the dependable Spaniard has come in and freed both men up to flourish in their own respective games.

This is good enough reason by itself to have him in the XI but he remains an extremely underrated player in my opinion.

His variety of passing, technique, defensive positioning, general ability on the ball, and his uncanny knack of popping up in those Frank Lampard (sorry!) positions on the edge of the box.

We saw that again against Chelsea in the League Cup game where I genuinely thought he’d scored our goal of the season once the ball left his boot with his audacious attempt which Begovic did well to keep

out. On that note, I’m sure one of his long range attempts will soon go in.

Without doubt he is a brilliant all-round defensive midfielder.

Despite his disadvantage in terms of minutes played, he is only second behind Arthur Masuaku in terms of tackles per game.

His passing more often than not is pin point, averaging a neat 83 per cent pass success rate, plus it’s the variety of passing which really strikes you.

For his age and frame, you wouldn’t assume he’d be so confident on the ball in a still relatively new league to him.

But he exudes confidence and he is definitely one of the players if served a hospital pass, he’d rectify the mistake and get the team out of trouble calmly.

In terms of what he brings other than his own attributes, his freeing up of Mark Noble has seen our captain start to return to the sort of form we know him.

Cheikhou Kouyate, who was also having a similarly disappointing start to the campaign, is starting to flourish. Both in his defensive and offensive roles.

I’m by no means saying that our recent turnaround in fortunes is solely down to Obiang’s inclusion in the team but it cannot be understated how important a cog he is in our team.

He benefits everyone.

Impact: Obiang has made a huge difference to West Ham’s midfield

The defence have a player in front of them who will actually give them the protection they need.

The midfield have someone behind them which allows them to go further forward whilst he ships the ball to them, meaning there’s a much more fluid transition out from the back for us.

This ultimately also benefits the man up top, as he knows that the midfield will be closer

to him and actually be within earshot – rather than cutting an isolated figure by himself against four defenders.

Obiang was one of the players who we had several enquiries for during the summer, so it is brilliant to see that not only did we rebuff these approaches but also that he is of the mentality to get his head down and fight for his place.

Having done that, and subsequently proven

himself, Obiang is currently one of the first names on my team sheet.

So not only will we see this impressive Spaniard more often but that will also mean it can’t be long for one of those outrageous long shots of his to go in either.

Obiang provides us with the defensive protection we need, a naturally deeper lying midfielder and a player with some seriously neat technique. BBM

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Tottenham Hotspur

Why West Ham must become just a little bit more like Spurs Our arch-rivals have shown it is possible to break into the top four

KIRAN MOODLEY

@kirancmoodley

I

hate to admit it, but we need to learn from Spurs.

When that final whistle blew, sealing a tense 1-0 win, I turned to my neighbouring season ticket holder and did the only thing I could: embraced him, relieved.

We’d beaten Spurs.

The team that for some reason, not due to upbringing nor any particular defining event, I have always loathed.

Victory over them is always so sweet, if tinged with foreboding, acknowledging that they will come back stronger.

But much of that fear about the next derby against Tottenham is down to a genuine admiration for the White Hart Lane set-up, as well as admitting that I dislike the demeanour of their fans rather than the club as an institution.

For as we try to turn

ourselves into a Champions League side through quick-fix solutions, out with Big Sam, a ready-made stadium, and throwing money at the transfer market, Tottenham have quietly and patiently made themselves genuine title contenders.

The point about Sam Allardyce is not to bring up old arguments that are no longer worth fighting, especially given his current state of

affairs, but it is about an understanding of what exactly Tottenham got and were expecting from Mauricio Pochettino.

They wanted him because of his achievements at Southampton and his philosophy, traits that made him a viable long-term solution to their quest for success.

For me, Slaven Bilic is not the same in terms of his appointment by the board.

He was the third

choice and a man brought in more for the need for “attractive football” than for any long-term goal.

The board caved to pressure for flair over substance, for a one-season wonder over a five-year plan.

Pochettino over-succeeded last season but is building on it this year, rather than with Bilic, who over-succeeded last season and seems bemused as to how to continue.

There is no long-term plan from either him or the owners. It was a dash and grab for the stadium.

The sad thing is that West Ham have become victims of the short-term, managerial turnover bandwagon of the Premier League.

I’ve made this point numerous times before but until the end of the Harry Redknapp reign, we had such a low turnover of managers, with Ron Greenwood, John Lyall and even Redknapp having time to build up teams, go through struggling seasons but have time to work through them.

Yes, that means Bilic

31

must be given time to build, but is that what the owners had in mind?

Bar the Croatia job, Bilic hasn’t been a man to stay and to firm a club up. But is that what the owners want?

A seventh place finish last season and a new stadium means that the board seem to think success and stability is an inevitability.

If we look at Tottenham, it has taken them a while to break into the top four, they had to be patient.

The admiration for Arsene Wenger is for the consistency he has brought Arsenal: other teams have dropped out of the top four, they have not. Instant success and trophies is not a given, even if an instant stadium does exist.

Look at that stadium project Tottenham are now undergoing, an ambitious project to rejuvenate their old home for the 21st century, knowing that despite the cost, they had a team that relies on youth talent to ensure they won’t fall behind.

It is telling that their E20 plans were to demolish the stadium and build anew, adding funds

Shrewd: Daniel Levy

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Bold: Tottenham Hotspur are building a new stadium

instead to the development of Crystal Palace.

Perhaps their board simply knew from the offset that trying to turn an athletics stadium into a football one is not an option. Perhaps they weren’t looking for a quick win, an easy buck?

And money doesn’t solve all your problems, even in the Premier League.

A few seasons back,

Spurs went through something of a crisis of financial management: overwhelmed by the windfall from selling Gareth Bale, they spent big but with little reward.

It has taken Pochettino’s management to rid himself of the excess, nurture the best that he saw, and then rely on the youth system.

That is where West Ham have fallen afoul it appears this season.

Whereas Pochettino has built a team and kept it together, with minor tinkering, Bilic has applied a Redknapp-esque “foreign legion” approach, hoovering up players left, right and centre, rather than realising that if last season’s

team was strong enough to finish seventh, not much was needed.

Yes, a striker, but has he bought well? A major strengthening of the defence, but has that been achieved? Bilic and the board seem so smug with their business acumen regarding Dimitri Payet, combined with their belief in counter-attacking football, that they have simply bought more and more of the same.

We have now become a club with an expensive squad but with little to show for it.

The revolution towards a counter-attacking, attractive style has been at the expense of the solid-at-the-back Allardyce

approach. Defence was the old style, it seems, rather than a need to ensure it was solid before strengthening the front.

Tottenham have done that, we have not.

Which comes to the final issue; What is the Bilic philosophy? As has been pointed out, West Ham have enjoyed more possession in their opening games this season, and Bilic seems unaware of how to respond.

He is used to little of the ball and a quick break. Now, with more of the ball, the players seem lost as to how to respond, and in their lack of clinical shooting, have now stopped scoring as well as conceding far too many.

Bilic needs to develop tactics and a philosophy that works, as well as being more disciplined with his players.

Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp invest in youth and pressing football, as well as a carrot and stick approach towards their

players that gets the best out of them.

Bilic needs discipline and a desire in his own managerial plan.

West Ham and Tottenham are two teams whose heyday was in the 1960s, so they are two clubs constantly wanting to go back to the glory days as well having to adjust to the reality of today.

Tottenham have done this but by biding their time, learning from their mistakes, investing in both the future and a long-term plan.

We as a club need to heed that approach, rather than make rash decisions based on a quick-fix solution to how you get into Europe’s elite.

It breaks my heart to think that this stadium move was planned for so long, but the actual building up of the squad and the team has been left behind. We need to become a team, not a business. BBM

Driven: Mauricio Pochettino has taken Spurs to the next level over the last few years

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www.blowing-bubbles.co.uk 33

Ryan Shawcross Bring me the halflings: Do West Ham need to sign a hard centre-back?

Is signing a horrible defender like Shawcross the answer?

Most fans hate him, but the Stoke City centre-back is pretty effective

LUCY WOOLFORD @lucy_whufc

M

any Stoke City fans hail him as one of the greatest defenders to grace their club in

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modern times, but the rest of the football world struggles to think of Ryan Shawcross without some of the horrors of his game springing to the forefront of their minds.

Down the years, Shawcross has pulled some shocking tackles out of his back pocket that have piled momentum onto his ‘bad-boy’ image.

As Stoke City captain

for six years, the defender has made his mark on football for some undesirable reasons, but has he learnt to curb his negative aggression and turn that into quite a powerful on-field leadership?

What’s more, is this type of leadership something that clubs, such as West Ham for example, should look for in players to instill passion and

positive aggression into their teams, week-onweek?

Perhaps if a player can show the right amount of hostility towards opposition, intimidation is a valid tactic. After all, you don’t cement the captain’s armband to your sleeve for as long as Shawcross has without some positive justification.

It’s not possible to look

over the likes of Shawcross’ career without it being marred by leg breaks and red cards, but once he takes that out of his game, he leaves an impression on Stoke City so big, that it would be hard to see the club without him.

It has to be said any bad words to be spoken about the 29-year-old remain on the field.

It’s rarely suggested that Ryan Shawcross isn’t a nice guy off-duty, so this is in no way a slur of his personality. It’s a genuine attempt to illustrate that a team like West Ham needs someone with his forceful attributes but without taking it too far.

He has tallied up over 300 league starts for Stoke now, something that in this day and age is all too rare. His loyalty to the club and in turn their devotion to him through bad times speaks volumes for his importance.

Which players at West Ham mirror Shawcross’ strong qualities? Do opposition players have the same fear of Mark Noble as they do of the Stoke defender? Probably not.

Although, that’s for the right reasons. We can’t talk about his career without pulling his controversies out of the bag.

The former Man United man has the potential to do serious damage to a player and that’s not something we want to see from any professional in the Premier League.

Tough: Ryan Shawcross is loved by the Stoke City fans Francis Jeffers and Aaron Ramsay have been the most notable recipients of broken limbs from reckless tackles, with Emmanuel Adebayor also having a spell on the sidelines thanks to a bad challenge outside of the pitch boundaries.

While his teammates would emphasise that ‘he isn’t that kind of guy’, there has to be serious

cloud cast over a player who can even go in for a tackle with the potential to be a career-changer.

Arsene Wenger found it hard to forgive the Stoke man for the horrors that he bestowed on his players, particularly Ramsay.

On a personal level, Shawcross was clearly in a state of shock following the infamous tackle and attempted to apologise

more than once. It led to his first sending off of his career.

Throughout his Premier League years at Stoke City (he’s into his ninth top-flight season now), he’s clocked up five red cards and 56 yellows.

For those of you who like goal stats, that works out at around four and a half yellow cards per Premier League goal for Shawcross - not bad for a solid defender.

There’s certainly a case to state that as the Englishman ages, his head is leveling. Last season saw him with only three yellow cards, but that could be down to his absence through injury.

Perhaps that’s the key though, to have a player who’s not fresh from the academy and too eager to make a name for himself by throwing himself around and being reckless.

Is it about time the footballing world gave Ryan Shawcross credit as the tough but intelligent defender that he is?

He’s openly admitted that he doesn’t want this negative image to follow him, but it clearly hasn’t had an impact on his ability to get his head down a do a job for Stoke City.

Do West Ham want someone whose career could be marred by negatives? Not particularly, no. But would we consider taking someone who’s going to put some fear into opposition – I don’t see why not. BBM

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London Stadium

Fans should stop whining now and make the best of Stratford Like it or lump it, West Ham are never going to go back to Upton Park

JAMES JONES

@JJ2388

O

ur move to the London Stadium was originally billed as an opportunity for the club to take a step to the next level, to compete with the very best in England and even the rest of Europe.

But after just a handful of games some fans are already writing the move off as a disaster, the club’s identity ruined as a result.

The transition from the Boleyn Ground to London Stadium hasn’t been plain sailing, we all know that, but that’s not to say it’ll never work out in the end. It will and, regardless if you wanted the move or not, it’s something we’re just going to have to get used to.

There are many people who can be blamed for the way in which the early transition between stadiums has turned out,

36

New home: West Ham fans are still getting used to life in Stratford but you can never blame the club for wanting to make the move in the first place.

Lady Karren Brady was tasked with the unenviable job of making the whole thing work from start to finish, and she has done that very well.

The early issues were always going to tarnish the incredible job she and the club had done to that point, though.

However, the club had always made clear its reasons behind pushing for the move and even

the decision to change the club’s crest.

Karren Brady was the face of the club’s rebranding. A rebranding she claimed needed to happen in order for the club to push on.

It’s understandable that the rebranding did not sit favourably with fans, who would never accept the fact their beloved club was about to change.

But the reality is that if we want West Ham United to be successful, then we need to

move with the times. A football club is no longer just a football club, it is a business, a brand.

And it’s the club’s brand values and culture that Brady recently came out and spoke about.

What she said made sense. It’s just a shame the media felt the need to mis-quote what she had said.

More tragically, it’s a shame that a large section of the fans did not have the intelligence to understand what Brady meant.

Brady said at a conference in October: ‘We saw the move as a real opportunity to change the brand values of the club. Rebranding ourselves was really important with our new stadium.

‘Getting the culture right, being a place where something is expected of you, that wasn’t there when the chairmen took over.’

Fair comments and words that you’d expect to hear from someone who has been tasked with boosting the club’s global commercial value.

But the British media had other ideas. Brady

was immediately misquoted as saying that the ‘club had no culture’ in a way to deliberately provoke West Ham fans who were still feeling the pain of moving home.

Brady was absolutely right to say what she did.

The club is no longer just a club, it’s a business, which means it must be economically savvy when it comes to brand values and marketability.

At the moment the club is doing all it can to ensure we can compete with the elite on the pitch, let alone off it.

Believe it or not, in 2016 and in the modern game, both go hand-in-hand.

However, the aftermath of Brady’s quotes led to what I believe to be an even bigger embarrassment than our own fans fighting each other in the stands.

That is because if you had half a brain you would’ve understood Brady’s comments and even looked further into the context in which she spoke.

One quote that isn’t so widely reported is this: ‘Protecting the fans’ traditions and their values and their integrity is very important.’

I’m not sure about anyone else but that says to me that the club has always had the fans in mind throughout the move.

But let’s not get that in the way of an excuse to blame someone for what has so far been a disappointment.

The fans have been

@easycartoons

desperate for someone to blame this season and the media misquoting Brady has given just that.

The abuse Brady got in the aftermath was nothing short of disgusting.

A mixture of grown men and children all aiming abuse at Brady for what they thought she’d said, instead of showing the integrity and intelligence to really find out what she’d said and exactly what she’d meant by it.

As a life-long West Ham fan, one who

had a season ticket at the Boleyn Ground for 22 years but still in favour of the move to the London Stadium (yes, we exist), I’m more embarrassed by the behaviour of our so called fans this season, mostly on social media, than I am of some of the performances we’ve put in on the pitch.

Karren Brady, David Gold and David Sullivan will have done and said what they thought was right for the club, and they deserve respect for

what they’ve achieved with us so far.

Some fans will continue to go against the owners and the move but, in my opinion, those fans will not have the right to celebrate with the rest of us if we do finally reach that next level.

It’s time for the fans to get behind the club, the owners and Brady, or at least start thinking for themselves rather than listen and believing to what the media wants them to hear and believe.

BBM

37

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Rigobert Song

The Song who was never quite able to live up to expecations

Former Hammer Rigobert is battling after suffering from a stroke

GEOFF HILLYER

I

@geoffhillyer

t’s been very pleasing to see the footballing world coming together to show its support for Rigobert Song.

The ex-West Ham defender last month suffered a stroke earlier this month and, after coming out of a two-day coma, is continuing to receive treatment in a French hospital as Blowing Bubbles went to press.

I can still remember him arriving in England to start playing for Liverpool. He’d already appeared in two World Cups for his country, Cameroon, and was their captain so the £2.7m they paid for him in January 1999 appeared a snip.

He quickly became a fan’s favourite because of his attitude and effort and appeared 34 times for the Reds.

His move to West Ham came after

Battle: Rigobert Song has a long road ahead as he recovers from a stroke being dropped from Liverpool’s first XI in the 2000-1 season, after playing just four games.

Arriving at Upton Park in November 2000 for £2.5 million, there were high hopes that he would be an able replacement for Rio Ferdinand, who’d we recently sold to Leeds United for a then-record £18m.

There was no reason to think that this couldn’t happen. After all, Song

was only 24 when he arrived, with the peak of his career still ahead of him and a strong international record.

His debut, however, was probably a fair indication as to what was to come as the team slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Upton Park in the League Cup against Sheffield Wednesday, with Song at fault for the first goal.

Perhaps it was unfortunate that Song

was signed with the Rio Ferdinand money.

People may have had expectations that he would slot straight into the side where Ferdinand left off, but this never really happened.

Indeed on signing, he was aware of the immediate comparison: ‘You can’t compare us. I am different from Rio but I will offer the same hard work and desire to improve. I will be bringing my own experience and character to the club.’

A very likeable player, perhaps his stay at the Boleyn was unfairly affected by this comparison, and this appeared to unsettle him at times.

He remains, however, a player that is held in good esteem by West Ham fans because of his character and attitude on the pitch.

Song’s final appearance for us was a 5-0 defeat against Everton. Shortly afterwards, he left Upton Park with just 27 appearances under his belt in two seasons, having spells at Galatasaray and Trabzonspor.

Everyone at Blowing Bubbles wishes him a speedy recovery. BBM

39

Michael Carrick

The sun sets on the jewel of West Ham’s golden generation Michael Carrick was the heartbeat of our very special youth team

EMILY PULHAM

@makingthemarrow

W

est Ham’s upcoming game against Manchester United is sure to be an exciting one - not just for the fans but also for former West Ham midfielder Michael Carrick.

The 35-year-old appears to be in his final season at Old Trafford and is to soon be another of West Ham’s golden generation of youth stars transitioning out of the game.

Ahead of what is possibly Carrick’s final game against West Ham, it’s a good time to reflect on the careers of the golden boys. Was he the best of West Ham’s golden generation?

There’s certainly a lot of success in Carrick’s life, starting with his time in West Ham’s youth team.

Carrick was in our youth squad from 1997 to 1999 where he won

40

Young: Michael Carrick started his career with West Ham United the FA Youth Cup. He played a strong role in the infamous 9-0 aggregate victory over Coventry City, scoring twice.

He then played for the first team from 1999 to 2004, making 136 senior appearances and scoring six goals.

When West Ham were relegated in 2003, Carrick initially stuck by his club, unlike fellow golden boys Joe Cole, Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe, and helped

to get West Ham to the play-off finals.

After failing in our first bid to return to the Premier League, Carrick made a £3.5 million move to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

He spent two years in North London before moving further north in England in 2006 to the club where he has spent the majority of his senior career - Manchester United.

I think it’s fair to say that his senior career

really took off at Old Trafford.

In his time with the Red Devils he has won the Premier League five times, the Champions League once, the FIFA Club World Cup once, the League Cup twice, six Community Shields and an FA Cup in 2016.

Carrick has also been capped by England’s senior team 34 times and was a member of the England squad for World Cups in 2006 and 2010 - although, the less said about England in recent international championships, the better.

He’s certainly had his share of achievements, but what of his golden teammates? How have messers Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Glen Johnson, and Jermain Defoe done since leaving West Ham? Lampard spent the majority of his career at Chelsea where he became the club’s alltime leading goalscorer and arguably, and rather annoyingly, one of their best-ever players. Alongside winning the mighty Intertoto Cup with West Ham, Lampard also has three Premier League

winner’s medals, four FA Cup winner’s medals, two Football League Cup medals, two Community Shields, one Europa League medal and one Champions League medal under his belt.

Joe Cole played with Lampard at Chelsea, and enjoyed most of the same accolades although he won one less FA Cup and, notably, does not have Europa or Champions League medals on his bedside table.

Glen Johnson also jumped on the Chelsea bandwagon from 2003 to 2007, winning the League and the League Cup. Subsequent stints at Portsmouth and Liverpool have led to an FA Cup and a League cup, respectively.

Jermain Defoe currently plays for relegation candidates Sunderland and once won the League Cup with Tottenham.

There are some impressive careers above but of all his fellow golden boys, most impressive is probably that of Rio Ferdinand.

He played with Carrick at Manchester United for eight years and has a trophy cabinet which is similarly stuffed with awards.

Ferdinand won six Premier League titles, six Community Shields, three League Cups, the Champions League, a Club World Cup and spent time captaining both England and Manchester United at the height of his career.

Winner: Michael Carrick has won almost everything with Manchester United

But he was also given an eight-month ban in December 2003 for missing a drugs test.

It was a difficult time for Rio, but did lead to one of the best chants in West Ham history: ‘His name is Rio and he watches from the stands’.

It’s an incredible collection of accolades for the golden boys, spanning an incredible 63 club trophies and there is some sadness for football - and for the England team in par-

ticular - at these players now wrapping up their playing careers.

Afterall, Carrick is certainly not in the dawn of his career anymore, and at the time of writing, he has made just one appearance this season under new boss Jose Mourinho.

Carrick signed a oneyear contract extension in summer 2016 but has only featured in a League Cup game against Northampton.

Mourinho has assured

Carrick that he remains a part of the plans at United, but given the few playing years that Carrick has left in his career, he’s unlikely to want to spend his remaining years sitting on a bench, however illustrious that bench may be.

Still, there’s life in Carrick yet and let’s hope that he doesn’t get an opportunity to return to form against the club where he learned to be they player he is today.

BBM

41

The big debate

Did England’s Sam Allardyce really deserve to be sacked?

The former West Ham boss lost his job after a newspaper sting

Yes!

SAYS

KATIE SHERGOLD

I

can’t say I am the biggest Allardyce fan but when the FA appointed him for the job in July, I thought he was probably the best person for the job, considering they wanted an English manager.

It was the job that Sam had always wanted and he must have felt that his dream was finally a reality, yet it seems his greed and need to boost his profile finally got the better of him and after just 67 days in charge, he was sacked by the FA. The video emerging of him discussing how the rules on third-party ownership were “ridiculous” and telling reporters how to circumvent them, together with his mocking of Roy Hodgson and negative comments about Gary Neville, Prince William and Prince Harry, were all pretty grim viewing for an England fan and undoubtedly for the FA. I have read some articles from high-profile

42

Sting: Sam Allardyce lost his job after revelations in the Daily Telegraph media outlets suggesting that the FA acted rather hastily in sacking Sam and that they should have asked him to make a statement apologising for his foolishness and naivety, whilst requesting tapes and transcriptions to buy time, before making a considered decision.

In my opinion this is outrageous and the FA had no choice but to sack Sam, who officially

left by mutual consent.

Yes, he can be accused of being naive, but the only naivety I can see is him thinking he would get away with making more dubious deals and deeming himself to be above the rules and regulations.

English football was at an all-time low after our humiliating exit in France this summer and I did not think it could get much worse.

However after this shameful video of Sam materialised, things have really hit rock-bottom.

England desperately need some positive media attention and at the moment I cannot see where this is going to come from.

If the FA had decided to stand-by Allardyce, I believe the negativity surrounding England would have increased and England would have

No!

SAYS HOLLY WORTHINGTON

Sad: Where does Sam Allardyce go from here? become even more of a laughing-stock, if that is possible, around the world.

The trust between Sam, the FA and England fans was broken the moment the news emerged and I do not believe there was any way back from it.

If I had landed my dream job, was being paid £3m plus bonuses, you certainly would not catch me behaving in this way and I think this

would be the case for most football fans.

You cannot defend his actions. The FA had no choice, for their own reputation if nothing else. Sam Allardyce had to go and sadly for him, he has only got himself to blame.

Sam’s greed and arrogance appears to have caught up with him in the end. Simply put, he was just not worthy of his dream job. BBM

There’s been a lot of negative publicity about West Ham recently, which has certainly not been helped by the sacking of former hammers boss, Sam Allardyce.

Big Sam didn’t help himself but after having mutually agreed to end his contract as England manager after only 67 days, I was left asking myself was it really fair for him to leave?

Branded essentially as a form of “slave trade”, third party ownership involves an investor or agent owning a stake in a footballer, guaranteeing them a fee whenever the player is transferred.

The Telegraph lured Sam into a meeting that would unknowingly lead to his downfall as England manager.

Organised by his agent and lifelong friend, Scott McGarvey, the pair attended the meeting with no idea that it would all become valuable evidence in a sting operation. During the meeting, which was recorded on camera, Sam allegedly explained that bypassing

third party ownership rules was ‘not a problem’, adding that he knew of other agents who were ‘doing it all the time’.

But while Sam suggested he knew of ways around the rules on third party ownership, at no point did he say that he played any part in it, or would accept money to break these rules.

He told the people he believed to be businessmen: ‘I haven’t heard that, you stupid man. You can have that conversation when I’m not here.

Don’t even go there.’

Arguably, when put in a situation designed to make you speak about certain subjects, in this instance third party ownership, many of us would fall into the same trap.

But can you sack somebody over something they have not even acted upon?

Sam repeatedly said he would have to run any job past his employers first, presumably turning any offer down which The FA did not agree with.

On top of this, it was thought to be a private conversation.

Personally, I don’t feel Allardyce’s actions warranted his departure. There could have been a number of alternative solutions, including a suspension or fine.

43

Supporters’ club of the month

#19: Italian Irons This month we caught up with Matteo Martino to discover more about the Italian Irons.

When was group founded?

Our group is not that old, but we all have many years that we follow the team home and away around England.

We just decided to give it a name: “Italian Irons” How many members in your group today?

Today we can count on between 50 and 60 members. But the group, is slowly growing. We are very proud of what we do, especially letting people know the history of the team and spread our love for these colors in our country. We carry out various initiatives related to West Ham during the year in Italy, between Milan and Rome, and every time there are more and more who participate. When we can’t go to London, we watch the games at pubs.

We have a special place in Milan, that is all about West Ham, and we invite any West Ham fans that come to Milan to visit it: ‘The Football English pub’. But there are many of our members that

44

Up for it: The Italian Irons enjoy the pre-game entertainment

watch the games in Rome, and in other parts of Italy too.

How many times do members travel to games?

We try to always be present at home games, and often we succeed.

We also do a lot of games away during the year, last season we went to Anfield, Goodison Park, Stoke, Old Trafford. We’ve had two memorable days as a group.

Firstly, Wembley for the final of the Championship Play Off, and

Tottenham away when we won 0-3. But we also remember the derby against Millwall where we won 2-1 at home. We were there in that game.

What are the benefits of being part of your group?

We are a group of friends, who decided to get together and follow the team. We have many English friends, who cannot wait every weekend to see us. We meet up in a East London pub before and after the game, and this makes us very happy. For those

in Italy who are fans of West Ham, we always try to advise and help with travel or at least we try to integrate people in our group to share everything about West Ham. We are happy with the work done so far, because it is never easy to know and appreciate a foreign team in the country in which you live and you were born. * To discover more about the Italian Irons, find their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter @ItalianIrons

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West Ham Ladies

West Ham must now take the Ladies team more seriously Alan Guest on why the Ladies could now have a very bright future

F

or the past year, I’ve been privileged to witness first-hand the trials and tribulations of running a Ladies football team.

The main problems always boil down to finance. To put on a match costs hundreds of pounds, even the hire of the pitch and the officials amounts to much more than can be acquired through the turnstile.

But this looks like that could all change now with West Ham taking over the Ladies side.

A few weeks ago the Ladies were rattling down the M4 to Cardiff in a 17-seater charabanc which looked like a converted ice cream van.

But, following the takeover, they were transported to Cheltenham in an air conditioned coach.

Not only that, they had an overnight stay at a local hotel so that they could be rested and prepared for their afternoon cup clash with Cheltenham Town Ladies.

In addition to this, the well-publicised odd size shirts bearing names of ex-players long gone are well and truly in the bin.

West Ham United

All change: Will West Ham Ladies have reason to celebrate in the coming months?

Ladies, after 25 years of gently tapping on the window, have finally been welcomed into the West Ham United family home.

The takeover wheels were set in motion when father and son chairmen John and Stephen were experiencing second season syndrome following their baptism of fire first season.

Maybe it wasn’t what they had signed up

for, or maybe they had just had enough of the headache of running a football club.

Frustrated with what they perceived was a lack of support from the ‘main’ club, Hunt Jnr took his beef to the BBC who deemed the ‘sexist card’ played newsworthy.

The news report highlighted that the girls were being forced to do their running on the ‘mean streets’ of Chad-

well Heath.

But in reality it was one of their favourite parts of training instigated by James Marrs to improve their fitness and stamina.

The claims and counter claims, the accusations and denials which ensued are well-documented, but I suppose only those privy to the inner sanctum will ever really know what the reason for the Club’s change of heart was.

Two days after the news broke, the West Ham Ladies had an away evening fixture against C&K Basildon.

The anticipated media frenzy never happened.

No news hounds, no BBC outside broadcast vans, and no main club representatives - just a lady photographer and myself.

There was a chap with a cap and a notepad who could have been a club representative or spy from another team but he kept himself to himself and then disappeared.

Stephen Hunt confided in me that this was to be his swan song as chairman and had no idea how West Ham United

47

would take over the reins of the club.

Along with his father he was to be the first casualty of the takeover would there be more?

As part of the media team, I mused whether I would also be replaced by someone who could take better photos then me, which isn’t difficult, or by maybe someone who had a better grasp of English grammar and knew how to use football clichés in match reports.

Back to the match, which the Hammers won, the soon-to-be ex-chairmen had their last hurrah, photo bombed the team photograph, and everybody went home happy with a certain amount of uncertainty.

I wondered how manager James Marrs would fit in the new regime with his ‘closed shop’ mentality.

He had worked hard to implement his own philosophies and ethics within the squad, driving them hard in training and expecting 100 per cent commitment. Those who didn’t conform either walked or were jettisoned.

Personally I thought he was doing a good job. The players looked fitter, they were playing as a team and from the dugout, he kicked every ball, and marshalled his players relentlessly.

On the down side, he frowned on social media and ‘encouraged’ players not to use it, which was a bit frustrating.

48

Star: Boost: AmyCharlotte Cooper Gerr could is one have of the a big players role to play who could this season benefit from West Ham’s new hands on role

I had been an advocate for the Ladies for a year and had tried to raise their profile to create interest in the matches.

My hit and miss efforts no longer seemed to be required and I was fully aware that I should know my place and keep a distance from the team.

Parents were also barred from watching training to keep distractions to a minimum. His protective arm around the players was maybe a little over protective.

I struggled to see how someone displaying megalomaniac tendencies was going to fit into

a corporate environment.

Maybe James Marrs had the same doubts and resigned his position before we had the chance to find out. More turmoil.

Marrs had brought in players that had been loyal to him in the past and there was a strong possibility that they could leave with him creating more disruption The first fixture under the official West Ham United banner was the home cup tie against Crystal Palace Ladies.

I was surprised that there wasn’t any signage outside the ground or

en route to the ground advertising the match.

The Ship Lane ground has a lot of passing traffic with links to the A13 and M25 and the Lakeside Shopping Centre, a temporary banner would have helped to improve the crowd.

The average attendance for a home West Ham Ladies match is between 20 and 40, including away supporters, and that’s being generous.

Maybe this information hadn’t filtered through to the club because they provided eight stewards to look after the safety of the fans, that’s about one for

In next month’s

Ambition: Karren Brady says the club have big plans to grow the Ladies team

every three supporters.

That’s the same as having 18,000 stewards at the London Stadium, but I’m sure these are just teething problems, or maybe there’s the option of moving the games to their Rush Green training ground complex.

West Ham had sent down their own photographer to capture the action and take profile shots of the players which was good to see.

It gave the occasion a more professional feel even if it meant that he would render my own grainy offerings redundant, for that match anyway.

The new management team of Greg De Carnys and Josh attended but left the team duties to Colin Bennett, the Ladies Reserve team coach.

He was the fourth manager in as many months to take charge of the Ladies and unfortunately he didn’t fare any better than his predecessors losing 4-0.

And so to Cheltenham and the job of resurrecting the fortunes of West Ham Ladies and putting them on the map began in earnest.

There was a real feel good atmosphere about the squad. Manager Greg

De Carnys has a friendly and approachable disposition and was willing to listen to supporters views and ideas, even mine, in order gain as much knowledge as possible that would be beneficial to his new charges.

He touched on the fact that they need to make Ship Lane feel more like a home ground, maybe some claret and blue branding.

A last minute win in the Autumn sunshine was a great way for De Carnys to begin his reign and for the West Ham Ladies. The future looks bright. BBM

Exclusive interview with West Ham icon Bobby Zamora

Out on Dec 3

49

The last word

The world has finally woken up to Dimitri Payet’s genius David Blackmore on why the Ballon d’Or nomination is justified

I

s there anyone left in the footballing world who still doesn’t understand Dimitri Payet?

If there were, they’d certainly know about our majestic Frenchman now following the announcement of nominations for the 2016 Ballon d’Or award.

The usual suspects are on the 30-strong list this year with Lionel Messi, who has won the award five of the last seven years, and three-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo strong favourites yet again.

But I was delighted to see Payet’s impressive first season at West Ham and strong performances at Euro 2016 have been recognised in this way.

Blowing Bubbles columnist George Parris said towards the end of last season that accolade after accolade would be heading in Payet’s direction and he wasn’t wrong.

His nine league goals and eight assists in his debut season earned him a place in the PFA Team of the Year and also Hammer of the Year. He also won the Player of the Year gong at the London Football Awards.

50

Honour: Dimitri Payet is now considered as one of the best players in the world

So impressive was his first season that he forced his way into Didier Deschamps’ France squad ahead of Euro 2016, where he netted three times as the hosts reached the final, which in itself is a significant accolade.

The Ballon d’Or nomination is also not just brilliant for last season’s Hammer of the Year but also West Ham United and, dare I say it, the brand.

The nomination puts the club’s name along-

side the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona and will show players across the world what they can achieve if they decided to ply their try at London Stadium.

You’d hope this international recognition would also encourage football fans around the world to adopt West Ham as their English team.

Equally, it might help put our new home in the spotlight for the right reasons for a change and possibly lead to a major

corporation putting their name to our stadium.

Do I think he will win it? No but we should all be pleased to see his name included on the list, even if it means other clubs will be asking themselves yet again if they need a Payet in their squad.

Even though it is unlikely he will win the award, I wouldn’t put it past Payet to finish in the top three. The award is, after all, given out by French magazine France Football. BBM

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