Source: The Football Forum
MacGill I've sat down and watched the entire match again on Sky Sports' Football First programme, then watched the game again on Match Of The Day and I am now recording the highlights of the game from Football First. I want to be reminded of this day, I want to have some form of memory from the 1st January 2007, I want to be able to look back in 20 years time at this monumental day in West Ham United's history. Today is the day the fans of the club and the staff of the club divided. It is no longer West Ham United Football Club, just merely West Ham Football Club.
West Ham fans have now accepted we are to be relegated, so it is now time to look to the future and our promotion campaign in the Coca-Cola Championship next season. A number of the players in our squad would easily help to get us promotion, but quite frankly I don't want them at the club. So hopefully January, or the Summer, will see the back of: Nigel Reo-Coker, Yossi Benayoun, Shaun Newton, Tyrone Mears, Roy Carroll, Paul Konchesky, Carlton Cole, Marlon Harewood, Bobby Zamora, Teddy Sheringham, Lee Bowyer, Matthew Etherington and Javier Mascherano. Not to mention the rather sad and unfortunately inevitable departure of the fantastic Carlitos Tevez.
Which would leave us with a squad of: Robert Green, Jimmy Walker, Marek Stech, Jonathan Spector, John Paintsil, Anton Ferdinand, Danny Gabbidon, James Collins, Christian Dailly, George McCartney, Mark Noble, Hayden Mullins, Jack Collison, Kyel Reid, Hogan Ephraim, Dean Ashton. 5 or 6 bodies short of what we will need to push for promotion, but with the money raised from the inept clowns sold in Janaury and in the Summer, we should be able to fund the signings of the required players.
If we are unable to sell the 13 snakes above during the January Transfer Window, then they will have to be kept in the reserves until we can offload the vermin. We have to remove the cancer from the club and rebuild from the bottom once again, and sadly the only way to do this is via relegation back to the Coca-Cola Championship. A new manager will need to be installed as Alan Curbishley has proven himself to be out of his depth at a club any bigger than Charlton Athletic. Perhaps we should look to either re-sign Alan Pardew from Charlton Athletic or Paul Jewell from Wigan Athletic.
West Ham Player Ratings Against Reading:
Robert GREEN - 6 - Kept it under 10. MOTM.
Christian DAILLY - 4 - Limited, but he tries and he cares.
Anton FERDINAND - 5 - Next to an injured Gabbidon he was exposed.
Danny GABBIDON - 2 - Only 2 for trying to play with an injury. Ludicrous from Curbishley.
Paul KONCHESKY - 0 - Pointless. Leave.
Lee BOWYER - n/a - Missed a sitter at 0-0 which eventually proved crucial.
Nigel REO-COKER - 0 - <Please don't use that word again> off you piece of <Please don't use that word again>.
Hayden MULLINS - 6 - The only outfield player who looked like a footballer.
Yossi BENAYOUN - 4 - Weak, brittle, out of position, should sell him.
Marlon HAREWOOD - 0 - Lost all respect for Marlon today. Leave my club.
Bobby ZAMORA - 2 - For a die hard fan, he cares very little. Leave.
SUBS:
Shaun NEWTON - 1 - A long awaited return, clearly not fit or good enough.
Jonathan SPECTOR - 6 - Ridiculous substitution at 4-0 down. Did OK.
Carlton COLE - n/a - Had no time at 6-0 down to do anything.
For the FA Cup fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend it is probably for the best if Alan Curbishley, if he is still in a job, plays a youthful side who will be at the club next season, so we can prepare for our promotion campaign against lower league opposition. The likes of Mark Noble, Jonathan Spector, Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney and Jack Collison should be absolute certainties for this tie.
But the amount of quotes coming from Hammers fans about yesterday is extraordinary.
