What a difference a couple of months make. Rob Green, idolised by the West Ham fans and all but guaranteed a starting position between the sticks, now finds himself second choice at QPR. His short career at the Hoops can hardly be described as a successful one thus far. After turning his back on West Ham and signing a lucrative deal at the West London club, the England International would have expected to be a staple in the QPR starting XI. Instead, after a contender for the worst performance of the season, a 5-0 defeat against Swansea was all the persuading Mark Hughes needed to re-enter the market once again.
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The following weeks saw QPR sign what seemed like every footballer over the age of 30, and among them, was Brazilian keeper Julio Cesar. Green was immediately relegated to the bench, and barring a run of poor performances from Cesar, his career at his new club could be already be over.
Hughes was quick to point out that he would talk with Rob and discuss his options, hinting at the possibility he would be able to leave on a free. In all honesty, no one can blame Mark Hughes. Cesar is a tremendous coup for his club, and would have been foolish to reject the chance to sign him simply because he had already signed a keeper during the transfer window. In other words, Robbo has options. A potential move back to West Ham has been hinted at, but nothing has come from either club. The hypothetical question as to whether we would have him back, however, is certainly an interesting one.
The first thing to note is that Sam Allardyce is an extremely stubborn man. Despite being within his rights, a move from West Ham to QPR would do little to advance his career, regardless of whether he was playing first team football or otherwise. The obvious conjecture to make is that Green’s head was turned by a big pay cheque. Resultantly, Allardyce would see this as a lack of loyalty towards him and the club, and a lack of trust in his ability to take the club forward. Because of this, I think Allardyce would be reluctant to rescue Green from his QPR nightmare. On top of this, if BFS truly felt that his side were lacking in the goalkeeper department, he could easily sign Craig Gordon, who is still without a club. We have been active in bringing in free agents on trial, and the fact that the ex-Sunderland stopper’s name hasn’t even been mentioned tells me all I need to know about Sam’s faith in Jussi and Stephen Henderson.
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I think the fans would have a much more mixed opinion on the topic. Many fans would feel betrayed that Greeno let money take precedence over loyalties. But at the same time, the mantra that you should act in the best intentions of the club also come to mind. Such a likeable character, and almost universally liked among West Ham fans, time would almost certainly heal the wounds of his departure from the club, and in time, he would be accepted back in a West Ham shirt.
The far more relevant question here is, do we need him back? Clearly, for reasons I have already discussed, Allardyce would appear to believe the answer to that question is a resounding no. Although our goalkeepers are weaker this year, I think its time to move on. I like Rob just as much as the next West Ham fan, but I allowed myself a wry smile when I saw his debut performance. As a team who is looking to move forward, we should look forward, not back. Resigning a 32 year old ex-player with diminished loyalties for the club, on would be a lucrative contract, does not make financial sense. I am hopeful our Finnish keeper, who’s surname I still refuse to learn how to spell, is returning to form after a shaky start. Let’s not forget Stephen Henderson either, who is expected to blossom into a solid goalkeeper. We certainly don’t have the best keepers in the League, but there are more viable, and more sustainable options than signing Green back.
Only Green himself knows if he regrets the decision to leave West Ham. Perhaps the extra £10,000 a week is a fair trade for first team football. But maybe the money does not soften the blow. One thing is clear, the grass isn’t always Greener on the other side.
I resisted the urge to use that pun for so long. I just couldn’t help myself.
Tom Kilbey can also be found at @tom29whu. Please follow and let me know your thoughts on this. Do you agree with me?
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Well done Tom, finally a very good West Ham blog. Green didn’t cover himself in glory and as a QPR fan I didn’t want him! I don’t understand how highly rated he was, you have a better keeper now anyway.
Personally I think if we keep Nolan quiet we’ll win but should be a good game.
If Green came back to West Ham now, not so sure he would be no.1. I was skeptical about Jussi when he arrived, having slipped to no.2 @ Bolton & all however a few little things aside, surely he counldn’t have asked for a better start to his Hammers’ career. Some awesome saves so far + he looks very confident in the air – which we all know is not Rob’s strong suit. Rob probably makes the “better” saves as such however can also be inconsistent. IMHO Jussi is, based on his start, the better all round keeper.
Jussi is miles better that Rob so let him go elsewhere.