What an occasion it was last time we were here at Upton Park. With 10-men in the first 10 minutes it was possible to envisage us embarrassing ourselves and sinking without a trace; but the players really stepped up to prove that they are completely committed to West Ham United. And we can be equally proud of the behaviour of our fans, it was admittedly a tense atmosphere but there was an absence of trouble from start to finish.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was more crime as a result of this fixture; domestic violence on men is likely to rocket. There’s obviously an old, grumpy, single man at the helm of the nPower Championship who chose the date for this game, so thanks a lot for that one mate, you created an awkward conversation for many of us.
For those of you lucky enough to have escaped Valentine’s Day duties to be here tonight, at least you have a romantic fixture on your hands. Finally we get the chance to take on Southampton, who have accompanied us in the automatic promotion spots for the majority of the season, in our home stadium, and can further stretch the gap which divides us.
If it wasn’t for Peterborough’s absolute inadequacy to compete at this level of football we could be in a much better situation. Because of their poor facilities, last weekend’s game was postponed which means we were unable to maintain our 4 point safety net over the Saints. Fortunately for Southampton, their game was in their hands rather than that of an incompetent club, and so they now have the momentum and the opportunity to overtake us. But I’m confident we can handle the pressure.
Despite arguably being the Championship’s biggest game thus far, media attention has been greatly reduced due to the relentless coverage of the England manager’s vacancy. As an Englishman I’m delighted that Fabio Capello has resigned. It still baffles me as to why, in a world where two billion people can speak English, we chose someone who couldn’t to manage England’s national football team.
Hopefully the FA can make a better choice this time as, with Capello out of the picture, I am far more excited for the European Championships in the summer. It is almost inconceivable to imagine anyone other than Harry Redknapp taking over now as it seems inevitable that he will be offered the job.
I think Redknapp would be a good England manager but the main thing for us Hammers is that none of the job changes affect Sam Allardyce’s position. If Redknapp takes the England job, David Moyes could be appointed at Spurs and you might have Everton knocking on our door for ‘Big Sam’, what a disaster that would be.
I know there is still a minority of cynical West Ham fans who would still, ludicrously, welcome Sam’s departure, but if we emerge victorious today it must surely convince the remaining doubters that he has been an outstanding success. If we lose today, our fortunes could reverse as drastically as Redknapp’s did last Wednesday, when he was on his way to prison in the morning and on his way to managing his country in the evening; that is how important today’s game is.
The ideal outcome for West Ham would probably be the simple scenario of Jose Mourinho getting the national job, thereby avoiding the managerial merry-go-round which a Premier League appointment would entail; I can’t see Real Madrid looking to Allardyce as a replacement. This situation is not completely out of the question as I wouldn’t blame Harry for rejecting the job and remaining at White Hart Lane.
Redknapp has built the best squad he has had in his entire career at Tottenham and they are at the perfect age to continue to flourish if they remain loyal. It would be a great shame to throw that away. And looking at the manner in which the media have pounced on Stuart Pearce already, chastising him for something he said 18 years ago and his brother’s political views, why would you swap a job which you are doing fantastically in, for one with such intense pressure?
However, I personally think Redknapp will take the job, he seems to be one of the last old-fashioned, English managers to whom the national job probably still means more than a Premiership one. It wouldn’t surprise me if Spurs declared an interest in Allardyce, just in an effort to unsettle him; they love being a thorn in our side. But they may have already identified his replacement; did anyone see the photo of Avram Grant at the Tottenham training ground on Thursday? Now that would be funny!
With all of this speculation aside, our main concern is today’s game. I’m glad it’s come in the form of an evening game, even if it has fallen on an awkward date. A top of the table clash under the floodlights at Upton Park is something we haven’t experienced enough in recent years. It would be nice to get a glimpse of Ravel Morrison who has already been labelled a ‘homophobe’ by the media. For anyone who didn’t see it, the story was probably written by the same desperate journalist who called Stuart Pearce racist; needless criticism.
It will also be exciting to see our other signings who will probably feature sooner than Morrison. I hope we start with Nicky Maynard up front tonight, supported Ricardo Vaz Te on the wing so we can really attack Southampton in a Valentine’s Day massacre. Come on you Irons!
Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93
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