Premier League
What have West Ham fans got to complain about?
There are three big negative creeds in politics – conservatives (small ‘c’), technocrats and idealists.
Conservatives mostly look back and rarely give change a chance; technocrats are preoccupied with means and not ends; idealists often expect too much and provide too little. At a time when it is difficult to please West Ham fans – no, actually I mean at a time when it is difficult to please a large section of West Ham home fans – there is a little bit of all three of these creeds at work. Let me explain.
The backdrop to this article is based around a few facts. First, West Ham’s style of football is currently not as attractive to watch compared to the football played under Redknapp or the football of the 05-06 season under Pardew. Second, this season, West Ham’s forwards have been goal shy. The final fact is that facts one and two have given a significant section of the home support reason to boo tactics and players. The more reasonable of us Hammers note that the length of the injury list itself explains all, and that this season is in fact looking like sure and steady progress despite notable absences from the first team. Alas, this washes over some, so hear goes nothing.
Despite being a Hammer himself, Curbishley came to Upton Park with baggage. Charlton were famous for being a well-organised and stubborn side to break down, often grinding out results as opposed to attacking the game with guile and flair. In short, not a brand of football that the claret and blue faithful buy into. So some of the current negativity is a continuation of the mistrust felt towards Curbishley’s tactical approach. Fellow fans often recall his days at Charlton and ask me: “Is that what you want? Cos that’s what you’ve got!”
And here we find the conservative, preoccupied with Curbishley and Charlton rather than Curbishley and West Ham. This blinkered position claims that both teams under Curbishley played a defensive way because that’s the way he likes it. Of course, this is nonsense. With Charlton, there was no other way; it was a case of being well organised defensively or being relegated. I think history proves the point clearly. Just ask any Charlton fan who went to Blackpool away recently.
With Curbishley and West Ham, likewise, there was no other way. After a season of flirting with relegation, a manager shouldn’t subsequently instruct his players to bomb forward and dazzle the crowds; and when a team has the chance of a Uefa cup spot, as West Ham currently do, a manager should stick to the players and the formation that works best whether it’s conservative or not. This would be done not out of choice but out of a desire to bring some success which West Ham has very rarely tasted. Only technocrats of the footballing world would be so obsessed with style to the detriment of achieving anything. Sometimes fans just get too close to it all and miss the bigger picture.
The biggest sin of not seeing the wood for the trees goes to the idealists, those that expect all parts of the West Ham team to consistently function in perfect harmony. Their intentions might be good, but their behaviour gets us nowhere. Luis Boa Morte and Carlton Cole have been the targets of this brigade, hounded for poor finishing and passing, while Dean Ashton has also taken flack for not closing the opposition down and working hard enough. No doubt, the lack of goals is disappointing. But in each case the individual makes a notable team contribution. LBM work-rate is high, and his closing down of defenders has hurried opposition players into mistakes.
Cole has found a first touch and his movement has improved tenfold. With some composure to improve his goal ratio, he could become an established striker. Ashton is West Ham’s best finisher and arguably most valued asset. Give him the opportunity, and he is most likely to score. Having to find match fitness and form on the job is not easy and until now he has been our only viable alternative to Cole. The fact that he is also struggling to adapt to a system that is based on a more direct approach only compounds the problem. But there is no choice.
How can any manager leave Ashton out of first team squads when he is deemed fit enough to be considered? He cannot.
It doesn’t matter which angle it is looked at from, the current disgruntlement amongst some home fans is bewildering. Maybe it is being stuck in the past, or taking it all too seriously, or expecting too much, or all three. I am not entirely sure. But what I do know is that given last season’s turmoil and given an injury list that would create a relegation season for most clubs, the vast majority of West Ham fans should be enjoying the stability, professionalism and safety of this season.
What have West Ham fans got to complain about?
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Tags: Alan Curbishley 
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Despite having been a loyal WHU fan for 45 years and having lived through all the failures and dissappointments over the years I have to admit I am one of those dissafectioned fans who finds the “Charltonesque Style” to be completely alien to everything I thought I admired about the clulb. You may think it irrational but I would rather see us flirting with relegation than having to watch “safe pairs of hands” such as LBM and Lee Bowyer wearing the famour claret and blue every week. Stupid you may say but that is how I feel. That “win” against Fulham was really rock bottom. So I guess I am an idealist and happy to be so.
I’ve had 27 years of playing attractive football and winning sod all and accomplishing little. A bit of base building is what’s needed at the moment. How any fan can even think of criticising Curbs given the problems he’s had to overcome this season and last year is beyond me. Perhaps it’s symptomatic of the fickle “I want it now” footballing culture we’re living in that means good managers aren’t given the chance to become great managers anymore. It’s no coincidence that the longest serving managers in the top flight occupy the top two places!
yeah, can’t stand all the booing recently myself.
richard - i think what the article is saying is that curbs hasn’t had his chance to make his mark on us yet and that with charlton he had no choice but to play conservatively. so maybe you are just getting too close to it all and not being patient enough with players coming back from injury and regaining form. curbs bought attacking players with bellamy, dyer, faubert, ljunberg, solano so just give it all time to gel ffs!!!! the bigger picture is that now we have a solid defense we can push on next season and integrate the attacking players into the team when they are all back. the fact we can still qualify for europe is quality i think.
I dont want us to flirt with relegation again,we are heading in a new direction,and as this article so rightly points out we are asking too much especially with the injuries at the moment.If we gaze back briefly when Bellamy was playing we can see we were attacking,because we had him as this option.Ashton will come thru but this takes patience,and some people do not realise the agony of that sort of injury and the intricate structure of the ankle and what happens to it when it is smashed,i know because i had a similar injury to my ankle and even when stable it still takes time.Ashton will shine,and we are doing a great job under curbs despite the injuries,this is not a charlton style of football,its making sure we are safe,picking up points and closing the opposition,and i believe when we have our players back from injury,we’ll see more than just defensive work,we will see more goals
I first went to Upton Park in 1957 when I lived in the area. So I have seen the many downs sprinkled with a few magical “ups”. These days I pay nearly £800 for a season ticket, take an hour and a half to drive to the ground and fight worse traffic coming home. I would like the team to win trophies but that would be a bonus. I just expect to be entertained. Not unreasonable I would have thought. Clearly, however, that isn’t happening at the moment but, let’s face it, the injury level has been ridiculous. So let’s see what happens next season when, hopefully, there will be a fully fit squad.
3 wins on the bounce against Man U
Back to Back wins against Arsenal (last season)
First win against Liverpool in 20 odd years
Yes , Curbs is very boring and at times the football follows suit but surely the club needs a break after last seasons heroics. Curbishley is shaping up to be the best manager since JL simply because he will keep us in the PL because he knows we can’t trust to scoring one more than the other side. Besides when Bobby Z returns I think we will see a few fireworks , he always seems to be the catalyst to West Ham heroics …
Nice one Richard, I will NEVER boo any West Ham player,but we are turning into Charlton. Yes, most fans appreciate the problems Curbishley has had. However, there are games we should be going out to win in style. Unfortunately Curbs has his favourites in a stubborn kind of way, that’s the way he is. Fulham was a joke, as was Birmingham and Wigan. I want Curbs to succeed, but I want to see the football of old. Just when will we be able to put our strongest team out, probably never, so let’s try and win games against the lower teams, and yes, for now, be more cagey against the top teams. But please remember, all of you that boo. What good does that do. Get behind the team. Come on you Irons
Unbelievalble…still impatience,we went thru hell last season and we still dont have our full squad,yet as the guy who wrote the article said…well he summed it up in a nutshell.If u want attractive football,then be patient and know that this will happen next season instead of whinging at our manager.Some of you want it handed on a plate…reality check,its not going to happen over night,attractive football or not,we have paid for our tickets and thats our own doing regardless of the money,surely after all the years of ups n downs we would know whether we want to pay out or not by now,and surely we are tough enough now to take the rough with the smooth.For gods sake gives curbs a chance,its easy for us to say what we think he should do,but we are not in his position.Lets get behind our team abit more and not be like those you no who clubs,and lift the spirit that is West Ham United.We have a great chairman and a great manager who will make the whingers eat humble pie very soon,i gaurantee it
No we are not charlton by the way,get real
i think the frustration most people feel right now is due to our lack of finishing and options on that front. otherwise we have a fairly consistant side with a bit of depth to it. we’ve taken a gamble by signing a few injury prone players such as dyer and come a little unstuck but we’ve signed players with no such reputation and paid the going rate and still ended up with injuries. i think most fans would have been grateful if offered a 10th place finish at the start of the season so lets be happy with it and start preparing for next season by blooding some of the youngsters here and there. there is after all a habitual goalscorer and predator in freddie sears waiting in the wings to go out on loan somewhere, try him alongside goal who’s strength is providing not finishing and see if anything comes of it. accept the fact that 5th place is probably beyond us so we won’t get a european spot and start building for next year early.
We aren’t all moaning, it’s just the internet breed of fans, and their opinions unfortunately seem to be louder than those that are content!
It’s been a good season!
Great article and spot on. 40 points already with an awful injury list affecting our most attacking players says it all.
maybe many of the complaining west ham fans can not adjust to the sweeping changes that have taken place at the club in recent times. BG wants to take us forward big time with a new stadium, new players and the new manager AC who was employed to avoid relegation and start to build a team to succeed in europe. The man has only been in the job for one year and has been brilliant to get us where we are now-safe and pushing for europe. Real fans could not ask him for more just now and regarding the west ham style of play AC knows about this better than any of us and in time will deliver I am sure- just be patient but most of all get behind the boys!
The sweeping changes at the club recently have obviously unsettled some fans in that we have a chairman who wants to take our club to the top of the tree and being a formidable business man he knows it will take time and maybe several seasons. He employed AC to avoid relegation and start to build a successful team and curbs knows better than any of us about the west ham way of playing and he will deliver in time. I have supported the club for 48 years and have never been so optimistic as I am right now so please all you moaners just show a little more patience and get behind the boys as WE ARE SAFE AND PUSHING FOR EUROPE WELL DONE ALAN CURBISHLEY
good article. I think we just have a few too many new fans who don’t quite understand that west ham has a history of patience with players and managers.