Many of you will have seen the match against Manchester City last Tuesday, even if you promised yourself you wouldn’t and it wasn’t worth it. I watched it as well, and saw the exchange of jokes between Kevin Nolan, Carlton Cole and Joleon Lescott. At this point, West Ham were losing 9-0 on aggregate and had been completely outclassed by City.
The people of Twitter were furious about this. Frank McAvennie added fuel to the fire, tweeting: “Changed days at Upton Park when you see players smiling after getting humped 9-0 on aggregate. #embarrassing.”
To be completely honest I think the whole thing has been blown massively out of proportion. Even if Lescott did make a joke at West Ham’s expense, would you prefer the players to take it in good spirits or by punching him in the face?! Yes Nolan, that is something I think you would do…
Carlton Cole has since come on Twitter and apologised for his actions, explaining that Nolan and him were actually making a joke with Lescott about the possibility of the defender joining the Hammers on loan. He was obviously annoyed at the attention the incident (if you can call it that) had received and replied to one fan by saying: “If you think I can leave, what am I still doing here? I’m committed & have a passion for the club just the way you are.”
For one thing, how can you say Carlton Cole doesn’t care about West Ham? He’s said it so many times himself in his tweets and in interviews – he bloody loves the club. In the world of modern football, his loyalty is refreshing and as he puts it, West Ham have turned him from a boy into a man. I honestly was finding it funny at how over the top people were being in their abuse to him. Be angry at the score by all means, but singling out a player for smiling at a joke is ridiculous.
I saw quite a lot of people tweeting saying they would care about a team if they were getting £40k a week and no other clubs had wanted them. The fact is, other clubs did want Cole and he was the one who wanted to prove his loyalty once more by signing for the Hammers for a third time. He has also revealed that in the summer West Ham did not offer him a new deal, which is contrary to what David Gold had previously tweeted. He is one player who I honestly believe will be as angry and disappointed as we are at the way things are going.
Let’s face it – we were never going to beat Man City in that tie. I would much rather the players had fun and tried to keep positive about our current plight than get angry at eachother and feel consigned to relegation. Let’s face it – if we don’t laugh, we’ll cry! Onwards and upwards for our beloved Hammers – let’s get behind the team instead of booing them!
GET A LIFE FOLKS… HE MAY HAVE LAUGHED BUT HE WASN’T DRUNK
Spot on Kat! It seems certain fans are determined to be outraged about everything around the club no matter how ridiculous. On another matter, I was more upset by McAvennie’s comments than the original “offence”. There is a man who was regularly drunk before games complaining about professionalism? All round, a storm in a teacup.
give me a drunk McAvennie anyday compared to Nolan.McAvennie could play
28 goals in his first season. 32 in the next six. The expression “one season wonder” could have made for Frank McAvennie…
just ask the fans who payed to watch this crap if they found it funny, no pride, no passion and no idea, for the life of me, icant see anything to laugh about, unless you have a wager on them getting relegated…
I paid. I was alright about it.
Well just a cock then it was a shameful display horrific no fight no passion how can u not see we are fucked
Overreact u can’t be talking about us west ham fans now if u was accusing them of all ways putting negative comments and moaning about who’s a good signing and who’s not a good signing and we’re down and sack Sam in stead of getting behind the team I would agree with u COYI
BML, your ok with watching players laughing at losing 9-0 and think Nolan is a better player than Frank Macavennie………you are either under 30 and believe that football didn’t exist prior to the premier league and lap up everything that sky sports tell you or your simply an idiot who wouldn’t recognise a decent player if they fell over them….hold on your not Sam Allardyce are you?
You love tilting at a straw man don’t you?
I wasn’t “ok” about us losing against Manchester City, it hurt like hell – but then I never said I was. But similar to the author I couldn’t summon up the outrage at two players sharing a joke – after all, I often find humour the best antidote in miserable times myself.
Plus I didn’t claim Nolan to be a better player than McAvennie – in fact I didn’t make any comparison at all!
I’m old enough to have seen Bobby Moore wear the claret and blue in the flesh. Also old enough to remember Macca’s pre-match routine, which didn’t involve putting on his shirt in the tunnel (Ince) or even puking up (Gale) but getting legless down Hollywood’s in Romford the night before…
What facts? Cole had no offers and for £40k a week he is a waste or resources. He andnolan showed exactly why we got tanked are Bottom three and going down.billy bonds would never do this as captain and Neither should Nolan.disgraceful
carlton was wonderful against millwall and enjoyed every minute of it, me may have intermittent chocolate boots but he is west ham
where booing sam he is a bellend
I would just like to say i am 52yrs old season ticket holder for 23 yrs & paid at the door b4 that. I am so fed up with this anti whu shit. There are people out there that live in dream land & will moan what ever we do. GET BEHIND THE TEAM coyi
BML – nice articulated reply my friend. It’s obvious you’re from the old school and I would value your opinion above a lot of others. Top man.
They probably thought that we need Lescott on loan and a bit of friendly banter might help to persuade him to come. It is what you would expect of loyal employees who want the club to avoid relegation.
Totally agree with hammer52. Too many whiners and whingers bleating on rather than supporting the team. Those that constantly slag off Kevin Nolan should remember what he bought to us prior to this season. Since then he hasn’t had a fit/decent front man to play off, hardly his fault. They’re probably the same people that booed Scott Parker when he came back to Upton Park.
Spot on mate! If you bothered to listen to Nolan’s comments after the match you would have heard him trying to get lescott to sign for us! 9-0 is a bit embarrassing but the time to get angry was on the pitch at Maine road! Youngsters/squad players etc was just an excuse and a smokescreen for players who should have been proud to wear the colours and have been willing to spill blood for the club, no matter who they were playing against! Blame big Sam all you want but having watched the game some of them weren’t even trying! That’s the disgrace! As for Frankie Mac, remind me again how given the choice of being a goal scoring west ham legend or a junkie fuck, tart chasing drunk who pissed his chance up against the wall, is qualified to talk about embarrassing the club?!? Oh hang on, maybe he is! Calton deserves all the credit going for what he has done since his return to upton park! for the way he has gone about his business and for his goals! He may still have his limitations but none can deny his commitment to the claret and blue! Who knows if he keeps it up we won’t need any foreign imports! as he will keep us up on his own!! Just a thought on relegation battles past, was it just me but did Zamora do more to keep us up that year than either tevez and his Argie pal combined? Still hate that bastard warnock! Sheffield utd and that wank whelan at Wigan! Oh and the egg for letting them get away with it! Still bitter? You better believe it! Now looking to the future and honestly believe that with all our injured players back we will be far to good to get relegated! New signings can only give us a lift! can’t wait for chelski! COYI!