This summer the Hammers are looking to build on the partly-impressive penultimate season at the Boleyn ground. With promising playmakers ( Obiang & Payet) being signed as well as useful squad players in Randolph and Hendrie in goal and at left back respectively.
However, for me, this off-season bears a brief resemblance to that of Alan Pardew’s final season. A big international signing dripping with appealing statistics in Frenchman Dimitri Payet leaves me reminiscing of Javier Mascherano and 2006/07 hammer of the year Carlos Tevez’ illicit double deal, this likeness not helped by the commandeering of the deal by Payet’s agent in true Kia Joorabchian fashion. And Darren Randolph seeming to have signed on in the Roy Carroll bench warmer position.
This likeness to the calm before the storm of the 2006/07 season is also brought on through the time consuming early European campaign which for all its positives (added money, sponsors and general recognition) comes with a list of negatives twice as long as that year (blowout, potential embarrassment, fixture pile up).
I mean, don’t get me wrong, the prospect of a ‘European Tour’ is just as appealing to me as anyone else but I don’t look at the current squad and see it as anything better than Pardew’s squad, and that squad went out in its first round of qualifying. So here’s to hoping that the two Davids add as much further quality as they can, unlike the egg-man Magnusson.
Ultimately however, for all the similarities, I believe Slaven Bilic to be more prepared to take on the job at hand as he joins our club with the correct mind-set of resting players. Also Bilic comes to our club being the fans’ choice just as Alan Pardew was after the FA cup run of 2005/06 but without the arrogance and idea of job security of the former coach, shown through the clauses he agreed for his recently assembled deal that the Croatian was more than happy to sign. But nine years on I hope that these similarities don’t materialize, that the club has learned from the past and we have our best season since the 5th place finish of 1999 or even the top half finish of 05/06 accompanied with a cup final.
I can’t see a comparison to the signing just made to that of the egg man debacle.
kia joorabsan only put tevez and mascorano in as a sweeter in his attempt to buy the club which failed.
then all the illegal ownership rubbish began which nearly killed ourclub and cost millions.
The two daves and the baroness aren’t running the club in that way and wouldn’t allow that crap to happen all over again
you are way off the mark.
Tony