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West Ham’s fans causing a national debate

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Mark Noble Hull CityWest Ham have been making headlines this week after our home win against Hull City and, sadly, it’s not because we somehow robbed that team of three points and moved up to 11th. It’s because at the final whistle, a large portion of people in the ground booed the team off the field.

It’s not an episode I’m particularly proud of, but it’s also one that I sympathise with. I was at the game, and it was one of the most tedious, terrible, and boring football matches I’ve ever been to. I didn’t boo— I like three points as much as the next person irrespective of how we got it—but also I was already losing my voice from spending hours screaming at Kevin Nolan to stay onside.

To many, the idea of fans booing a team who just collected a valuable three points seems unheard of and shocking, particularly for a team who have spent the majority of the season dancing around the relegation zone. But that’s not to say the fans booing didn’t have reason to do so.

That wasn’t a game of football.

Only one team on that pitch played like they had ten men, and it wasn’t Hull.  Hull, in spite of their injured (and still hospitalised) keeper getting sent off early on, were disciplined and never stopped moving the ball around. West Ham winning that game was an entirely undeserved fluke. It’s not even that we were lucky; Hull were just hideously unlucky.

For me, the best part of that game was the referee blowing the final whistle. There was nothing good about that performance, and the people paying to watch that travesty against football rightly want to see a better collective performance from a team they care about.

However, the problem with booing is that a performance like that certainly doesn’t deserve applause at the end – but the second you start booing a performance that moved us to 11th and extremely close to our survival points tally, you loose a bit of credence about why you are so angry. Boo the losses if you wish, by all means, but was this the best occasion to let our frustrations get the best of us?

Of course matters were further aggravated by Big Sam’s disrespectful ear cupping gesture, and his criticisms of the fans who booed have perhaps finally severed any chance that “Sam Allardyce’s Claret and Blue Army” will ever ring out around the Boleyn.

Fortunately Mark Noble has presented a much more appropriate response to the boos, acknowledging the fans’ concerns – “We know that you have spent your hard-earned money to watch us and we desperately want to put a show on for you in every game” – whilst still reminding them that the negativity in the stands can really affect players on the pitch, but that message should have come from Sam, instead of his dismissive gesture and remarks that will further alienate a large portion of supporters.

Wednesday night wasn’t a good night for anyone, and I can’t help but think that ‘win’ did more bad than good for the Hammers going into a crucial last seven games of the season, and has put the actions of supporters up for nationwide debate – which is something we, as a club, could do without. But hey – at least we’ve stopped short of renting a plane to fly over the ground – and no, that is not a suggestion for the Liverpool game.

Did you attend or watch the Hull “game”, and if so did you wrestle with ‘to boo or not to boo?’ Is this it for Sam’s “relationship” with the fans? Let us know below.

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21 comments

  • Andy Kay says:

    I might have booed if I had not already left, I think it would have been an uncontrollable reaction by me to a game of football that you could watch over most parks on a Sunday. The inability of many to control or pass the ball accurately, together with the lack of somebody like Morrison to play the ball forward, make an incisive pass or beat an opposition player turned the performance into a predictive, one dimensional, slow tempo and laborious “up and under” game to the excellent yet unsupported Carroll who showed glimpses of excellent control but with no support around him. I’m still at loggerheads to understand why we’ve waited virtually the whole season to get our big number 9 fit and when we do we play Diame out wide rather than say Cole who can beat his defender and get crosses into AC if that’s our plan A with no plan B to follow. If your back four are unable to bring the ball out then it creates problems in that the opposition can just sit knowing that we will/can only laboriously play the ball side ways. Finances and the move mean that we have to play this way under SA to survive as a club that aside, I would prefer to be in The Championship playing Greenwood/Lyall football than watching the crap served up at the moment. , as before.

    • ckmh says:

      We weren’t booing the team. We were booing bfs. The boys are restricted by his neolithic tactics. He refers to us as the west ham fans, he doesn’t identify with the club and neither should we with him . We are West Ham’s claret n blue army !

  • Pam says:

    I attended the game and stayed to the end. I was surprised by the booing, which I would never do, but I do understand. People in the times of austerity have paid a lot of money to watch the team the love play football. However, what they got cannot be described as football and this has been the case all season. The best team lost through bad luck. We are where we are because of Mr Allardyce’s tactics or lack of. He has put all his eggs in one basket and does not have a Plan B. He does nothing to get the fans on side

  • Martin says:

    I am numb with embarrassment as a life long fan of this great club but not surprised by the reaction, but outraged at why our fans hand the initiative to the opposition.

    We’ve all been at a game when the nerves are jangly, you can feel the tension and most of the time this happens- we end up tasting defeat. Please can we start a campaign to educate our “supporters” to help the team focus on the game with encouragement and becoming the twelfth man.

    At the risk of marginalising myself on the wide majority of opinion about Sam, I offer you my thoughts and feelings on the big fella. Sam is a fundamentally good guy, who has a great deal of respect paid to him in the wider reaches of the game and fewer managers have his experience at this level working with a team on a budget, due to dealings from previous managers and owners. I wasn’t a happy man when he was given the job but he has delivered and he will continue to evolve this team to strike the balance he seeks. We just have to accept that we get to safety as the priority, better secured with 6 games to go than the last day make or heartbreak- give us 3 points anyhow I care not one shite!

    On one final note and probably my biggest call, this will cause a great deal of controversy!
    When we get in to the Olympic Stadium, let’s get rid of “I’m forever blowing bubbles” as the lyrics are defeatist and depressing. Let’s nick something uplifting, iconic and passionate- I throw it before you!

    Thanks for reading, if posted

  • Westhamwill says:

    The big question is, is 34 points enough to stay up? I say this because we will not have that sort of luck again for a long while and there is absolutely no way we will pick up a single point for the remaining games this season. No way at all, this is disgraceful and embarrassing I am sad to say but it really is.

    • JB says:

      Well incredibly Westhamwill, the answer to your question may be yes, as just take a look at the remaining fixtures of the bottom 9 clubs. I can’t see Palace getting past 34 pts, let alone Cardiff & Fulham, Sunderland may, but then again may not, but looking at the fixtures says yes to your question & we may already be there?

    • Youirons says:

      Your an idiot!

    • Alan Kerby says:

      @Westhamwill… Sober up!

  • Clacton Rd Iron says:

    I took my youngest to break his Upton Park cherry and he asked he for his quid back. FS misses the point completely making a defence for that shower of s#i# by drawing a parralell with Cardif and Swansea when we saw those games out with 10 men. Against Cardif were winning 1- 0 with 15 minutes to go and against Swansea we were winning 2-0 with 30 minutes to go. Those footballing giants Hull, were 1-0 down with 70 minutes left!!. Did Sam get his boys to keep possession and get the 10 men chasing the ball?? Did he think to push Nolan further forward (apart from being offside) as we still outnumbered Hull in midfield? No?? As far as I could make out the tactic was to play for a one nil at home with 70 minutes left. What has he done to the half decent players who he has bought in ? – Downing was an international now he can’t even cross the f##k##g road. Carrol was in Curtis Davis pocket the entire game – how far has he dropped from £35 million.
    Nobody got on the Team’s back during the game – what else as a fan can you do after that – Is that Team capable of getting anything out of the last seven games? Liverpool and the Spuds could top the 6-0 Man City fiasco. And those wrting off Sunderland what price a West Ham win without our best player from Weds – the linesman and an own goal or two.

  • Croydonhammer says:

    I was at the Hull game with my (adult) son and a mate from work. I have never and will never boo my team and at the end the three of us were disappointed by the booing bearing in mind the team had won three priceless points. But, on the other hand, knowing how fickle some fans of any club can be, it was no surprise that many did boo. At the ground, I wasn’t aware of the reaction of our manager, but had I been I think that would have caused me to boo. His disrespect for the fans over almost the entire period of his time in charge is the root cause of the discontent amongst the fans. I think that potentially we have a reasonable set of players but that their potential is restricted by the manager’s tactics (or lack of them). I am also disappointed by the way he marginalises players – Morrison may deserve his treatment but I am appalled to hear that Winston Reid was fit but dropped from the squad because of his unhappiness at being left out since his return from injury. We needed Reid on Wednesday but the manager’s arrogance and stubbornness could have cost us dear. So to conclude, I think the fans’ frustration is entirely with the manager and it is him the boos are directed at, not the team. The trouble is he is too arrogant and thick skinned to recognise the point the fans are making. If the Davids are the true fans they claim to be, they will understand and do something about it. Please!!!! COYI!

    • Westhamwag says:

      It was reported on WHUFC that Reid had a stomach bug and that was the reason he wasn’t in the squad on Wednesday.

      • JB says:

        REFLECTIONS ON THE SEASON
        Even with the FA’s injustice in not overturning the red card that Andy Carroll received against Swansea on Saturday 1st Feb, (even Swans manager at the time Michael Laudrupp, thought Andy’s dismissal was harsh) West Ham have come through the battle field intact. Everyone but the FA thinks it was a complete accident; The FA were obviously swayed at the antics of a grown man acting like a little girl when Andy had hardly even touched him. I mean ffs, why was John Terry not sent off for slapping Andy around the face during the match at Stamford Bridge on 29/01/2014? Andy didn’t roll around like Flores did, but you could tell that John had really hurt Andy, but no, real men just get on with the game. You are a real man Andy. Don’t worry about it son. West Ham got those wins in your absence, we owed you that much at least OK? And we will still get at least 2 more wins before the season’s end. Thank you for making our resolve even stronger FA. Absolutely incredible, because after winning against Cardiff & Swansea with 10 men, West Ham have also beaten Aston Villa, Norwich, Southampton & Hull. That leaves just 1 more win needed from either the game against Crystal Palace or Sunderland. That will be enough points required for continued membership of the Premier League. Looking back, at West Ham gaining a point at Chelsea on 29/01/14, as well as beating Cardiff, Swansea with 10 men, then beating Villa, Norwich, Southampton & Hull, that has all but erased the pressure. If West Ham can get 3 more pts from Sunderland &/or Crystal Palace, with just the 1 win needed that is very getable, then we should be safe by no later than after the game at home to Crystal Place on 19th April. I’d be very very surprised if we are still not safe after the game v Palace. We have an away game at West Brom on 26th April. The away game at Everton was tough, and so does the away game at Sunderland look tough. The home game v Man Utd was tough, as will be the away game at Arsenal. If the required points are gained from the games mentioned, then we may not need any points against Spurs at home on 3rd May, before our last game of the season at Man City, where we will be odds on to get nothing, so safety should have been won by the time of Palace game concluding on 19th April. West Ham’s game in starts, pauses & bursts has lifted considerably from how we had been performing, so yes, just 1 more win & 3 more draws would give us the magic 40pts traditional safety barrier for survival. West Ham can be on 40 points, after Sat 19th April, & even if just 1 more pt is required after that, then WH will be OK, as there will still be 3 games remaining, & in reality there are 10 other clubs from 10th place down that are all in this same situation, leaving just 3 points to get from 7 games. It doesn’t matter how we got the points. We’ve got them & are getting them. This season has certainly been an adventure & never without a dull moment or drama. Thanks for sticking by us Sam. I’m not sure if anyone else would have kept this squad up. Come On You Irons. Up West Ham!

        • Woody says:

          Agree. Be careful what you wish for when booing a manager, just ask Palace, Fulham, West Brom & Cardiff who are all beneath us after changing managers, partially because of an inability to grind out results, something Sam specialises in…

  • mickysz says:

    West Ham United, the team of Bobby Moore, Hurst, Peters and Brooking playing hoofball!

    We knew it would end in tears but yet we still gave the fat one a chance. This is the result!

    West Ham fans are very vocal and particular about clubs they want to see relegated as their football is seen as horrible and yet here we are!

    I think the other day we all finally woke up from the coma we have been in for two years and realised we are now Bolton

    Shocking football and as a Hammer i’ve had enough!

    • Martin says:

      If you’ve had enough then we’re sorry to lose you, but you can’t bring back the past nor those players from that era. We are a club who doesn’t have the money to buy Bale, Ronaldo or Van Persie so we have to mix it up with a different style in order just to survive at this level. Get behind the team, the manager and those who saved us from obscurity when it all went tits! COYI!!!

  • JB says:

    It’s publicity for all the wrong reasons. Booing isn’t the way lads. It only causes negative results. Booing almost cost us the game v Hull. The West Ham players do have big hearts & were obviously hurt & greatly affected by some fans action. Take it out on the manager, not the players, and as former manager of Hull, Phil Brown said, that West Ham’s fans have to know where we are & who we are. We are not a big club, but we are in the Premier League. Just be thankfull for that & for the man that took us back up. Lets see this season out & get safety before taking this storm any further, IF WE HAVE TO?

  • Woody says:

    I have to say I disagree with one thing that keeps being said along the lines of “I pay to be entertained”
    I pay for Sky TV to be entertained so if you want to complain if a lack of entertainment stay at home, watch Eastenders and boo all you like.
    Sam and the team aren’t paid to entertain, they’re paid to win games, even ugly ones. When I go to football I pay to watch the game and to SUPPORT, as that’s what I’ll do whatever the performance, style of play or scoreline…

  • Joe D says:

    The booing was a culmination of this seasons efforts rather a focus on this one match, as a season ticket holder I’ve never known so many people unhappy with the club as they are now. Unfortunately the only way that the fans have of telling the manager and board that they are unhappy is booing and that isn’t a great spectacle.

  • anne says:

    Surely as long as we stay up playing ugly football at times is worth it. So we play pretty football and go down again. Always have done. The West Ham way has never really go us anywhere in recent times. Other clubs buy big name players to which we will never be able to compete with. We were bought by BUSINESS men who wanted to SELL Upton Park and get a virtual FREEBIE Stadium. They will never give us enough money to compete in the premier League. Surely i am not the only one that can see what has happened and what will happen to our club. WE WILL BE HOMELESS after over a 100 years. THATS WHAT WOULD BRING TEARS TO BOBBIES EYES.

  • Adrian Knowles says:

    Manager of the month with four wins in Feb, three weeks later Allardyce out? Amazing.it is the Allardyces and Pulises that keep mediocre teams in the top flight. Thats not disrespect to anyone, thats realism.I would rather a dull performance and a streaky three points in the premiership than the classy stuff against a championship side every week . We have to be realistic, without a filthy rich owner to fund the best players a top six finish is extremely unlikely. Booing when we win – national debate or national laughing stock? I dont see how pre sackings Laudrup or Mackays results at Swansea and Cardiff were demonstrably better than
    The Irons. Finally, dont the players have some responsibility here too ?

  • David Spellbound says:

    The booing IMHO was justified on Wed night. It wasn’t just that game which caused it. How rubbish, negative and gutless were we against ManU the Sat before. Embarrassing. They should of battered us. Then the Hull game. More negative, moribund, joyless, possession less (if that a word..!) football. Dogshit. For £42. Damn right we should boo. Sooner Sam heads off to Real Madrid the better. My WestHam are just an embarrassment. What I would give for a team to be proud of. Full of verve, style, adventurous attacking football. It comes down to the big question, what would you take, winning ugly (and mostly not winning), or attempting to entertain, having a go a teams but perhaps not being as effective ? I pose the question as apparently playing with style and winning must be unattainable for WHU (something I don’t agree with..)

    If we just all accept hanging by our fingertips in EPL every year under Sam, playing this utter shite football, then good luck to you. I’m not interested in lining peoples pockets who are happy with that…

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