Ravel Morrison should NOT play for England

This is a plea in the national interest to the senior England team NOT to choose Ravel Morrison until after the World Cup.

After that breathtaking trip to White Hart Lane, which now seems like a foggy dream after a rare international break of actual importance, the name on everyone’s lips is Ravel Morrison.

Suddenly, after being ditched in the depths of football’s bad boys and labelled a thuggish outcast, Morrison has been linked with a new contract, a glorious return to Manchester United, and a seat on the plane to Brazil.

Many people have been credited with the early stages of Morrison’s rehabilitation - Sir Alex Ferguson and his Manchester United set-up for having the foresight to let him go, Sam Allardyce for patiently working with him, Lee Clark for nurturing him during his loan spell at Birmingham City and, of course, Morrison himself.

One of the most positive elements of West Ham at the moment is what seems to be a strong and united dressing room. It is fair to say Kevin Nolan’s lack of mobility in midfield may earn him some criticism, but his leadership skills are evidently some of the best we’ve had for some time. The English domination of the dressing room must also create a greater sense of comradeship than other recent groups we’ve had.

This background atmosphere is highly likely to be a major reason why Morrison has begun to flourish. Suddenly he feels part of a team, whom he is equal with, who are relying on him to focus and work alongside them. It has been widely reported that Mark Noble in particular has built a protective bond with Morrison and made gestures such as inviting him into his home for dinner in an attempt to help him to integrate with the squad.

No longer is he the problem child, confined to a special support unit in what is a huge, unforgiving and assumedly overwhelming machine in the form of Manchester United. Morrison has been freed of that boarding school environment, which he so easily rebelled from, and is now affectionately ‘one of the lads’.

The faster Morrison’s reputation elevates, the faster this cosy set-up will disintegrate. The organic support system now surrounding Morrison will protect him from himself until his own ego transcends his perception of the club. Stars such as Rio Ferdinand tried and failed to tame Morrison’s wayward attitude, so Nolan and Noble deserve credit.

Both having had distinguished Premiership careers, these two players have yet to attain an England cap and it looks increasingly likely that neither will get the opportunity to represent their country. Particularly for Nolan, who has consistently scored a high volume of goals in the Premier League, an England cap has remained an illusive pinnacle of his career which, frustratingly for him, it seems he will never reach.

I would not like to suggest either Nolan or Noble would begrudge Morrison of a chance to play for England, but human nature would suggest an element of envy would certainly affect the relationship if Morrison was handed a call-up just a few good games into his career. In addition to this, Morrison’s past psychological problems suggest that he may then begin to see himself as superior to the pair who have taken him under their wing, and the relationship in its current form will thus be destroyed.

I have been personally surprised by Morrison. I don’t think it his quality which is surprising but his personality. I imagined him to be far more boisterous than he has been. It seems it may have been a little unfair, but the ‘gangster-wannabe’ stereotype has inevitably been associated with Morrison.

After a couple of goals, I’m sure I’m not the only one who expected him to bowl out of the changing room, snatch the bottle of champagne from Geoff Shreeves and declare himself on par with Lionel Messi in a rap-infected dialect. But whether it is due to good advice or his own judgement, Morrison has remained impressively quiet.

It is, finally, his football thrusting him in the limelight. He is undoubtedly a player of immense quality and his penetration in the attack is very special; his ability to glide past players and complete the move with a finish was shown against Spurs and repeated for the under-21s on Tuesday night.

But the FA are already drawing intense attention to Morrison. In his few days with the under-21 squad they released a video of his skills in slow motion, set against a dramatic, operatic soundtrack, and also leaked footage of him scoring an ‘outrageous chip’ in training. West Ham have also used Morrison’s image to promote today’s game.

2 goals for the under-21s will not help us quieten the Morrison hysteria - but a heated exchange with Manchester United’s Wilfried Zaha was a reminder that his maturing transition from hot-headed prospect to world-class is not yet complete.

I don’t wish to put a downer on the Morrison revelation. He is a player of immense quality and has been a breath of fresh air and much-needed creativity in our team. It would be great to keep him as part of our progress as a club into the Olympic Stadium, but if not, dependent on contract clauses, we could make a huge profit on him enabling us to propel the club upwards, much like how Tottenham have profited from Gareth Bale.

But Morrison is a complex issue. It may seem selfish from a West Ham perspective, but, at 20 years of age, I think at least a season focussing on domestic football, off of the international stage, would be beneficial for everyone. Undoubtedly Roy Hodgson and Allardyce will speak about Morrison, time will tell if they feel the same way.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with David Sullivan on University, East London and Olympic Stadium

David Sullivan is the proud owner of Premiership football club West Ham United, who will soon be moving into the 54,000 capacity Olympic Stadium. His journey to riches and controlling the club he supports has been somewhat unconventional - but it all began at Queen Mary.

Mr Sullivan made his millions in the adult industry and admits he was a little naive with regards to the stigma attached to his business. However, it is fair to say he has little regret considering the fact he became a millionaire just 3 years after graduation.

Sullivan insists “it was a very easy market as it hadn’t been exploited and the people in it were like old gangsters so if you had a bit of marketing skill and some brains you could slice right through it and make bundles of money”.

Undoubtedly, Sullivan is a very shrewd and intelligent man. He achieved 3 As at A Level before veering away from the likes of Oxford and Cambridge in the hope of a less ferocious three years at university.

He eventually decided to follow his brother to Queen Mary to study Economics. “Queen Mary was a really good college”, he said, “they call them all universities now to cheat the stats, but they’re really polytechnics called universities”.

The Hammers’ chairman certainly reflects back on his time with mixed emotions. Whilst he gets a warm feeling if he returns to the area, an issue which resulted in him narrowly missing out on being one of the only students in his subject to get a First still bothers him.

“Unfortunately we were taught the wrong maths syllabus and with 3 weeks to go our stupid, stupid young teacher said I’ve taught you the wrong stuff and I’ve now got to teach you 2 years in 3 weeks” he said. “I would have got a First had I been taught the right syllabus. I’m still bitter! Even 43 years later I’m sour about it”.

Whilst being happy he did the course, Mr Sullivan concedes that university probably wasn’t the best years of his life - and he’s certain that the six boys to one girl ratio in the economics department played a big part in that!

Sullivan had a fair amount of involvement with the Students’ Union during his time. “I was chairman of the economics society”, he said. “And I ran for President but they disbarred me because I was going to win! Because the Economics department was down the road then it was scary for them that someone from outside the main university could win”.

In terms of sport, Sullivan trained with the University of London boxers religiously during his second year, but he is more grateful for what he avoided rather than what he gained from the experience. “One night we were due to fight the British army who would’ve absolutely mutilated us”, he said, “it got called off for some emergency - I look back now and it was like a miracle! It would’ve been like slaughter!”.

Despite earning such a fortune so shortly after graduating, Sullivan does not underestimate the challenges faced by current students. He described the ‘work-for-free’ and internship culture as appalling and admitted it was far simpler for him to find employment in his time.

With so much money in the bank, Sullivan came to a point in his late-twenties when he questioned what to do with his life. After exploits in race horses and independent films (as well as an early attempt to get on the board at West Ham), Sullivan purchased Birmingham City FC with business partner David Gold.

“We bought Birmingham to have a hobby and a bit of fun”, he said, “that’s one thing money allows you to do. But the fans knew we wanted to be back in London and, despite being there for 17 years, they didn’t really respect the job we did until after we left”.

After finally taking over his beloved West Ham in 2010, again with David Gold and Karren Brady, Sullivan claims the West Ham fans have been far more appreciative of his efforts, especially the initiatives like ‘kid-for-a-quid’ and other attempts to “put a bit back into the community”.

A little unsatisfied, he hopes that even better times for West Ham are just around the corner, and is clearly itching to progress further. But he is very happy that he and David Gold have managed to secure the Olympic Stadium as the Hammers’ new home ground.

“I think it’ll be fantastic”, he said, “I think we’ll attract new supporters and the atmosphere will be terrific. The alternative is an empty stadium - that’s no legacy. We’ll have a vibrant stadium that’s used all the time and the surrounding area will get a huge boom on match-days. The legacy will be jobs, usage and the fact that every time people come they’ll think of the Olympics - mentally there will be a legacy”.

It has been reported that the extra capacity will allow West Ham to offer tickets at a very reasonable rate in comparison to the average fee for a Premier League football match.  Ticketing initiatives involving local schools and colleges are inevitable and Sullivan insists Queen Mary could be a part of that.

Surprisingly, with so many universities in London and Queen Mary just five stops away from Upton Park on the District Line, the student market hasn’t been particularly fruitful for West Ham. “We’ve tried cheap deals where students would have to produce an NUS card and we only sold a handful of tickets. I used to go when I was a student so I thought they would watch football - it’s a market we will continue to work on”.

Another market Sullivan is keen to penetrate is “English-Asians”. He explained that much of West Ham’s core support had now moved out further into Essex and that many areas of East London had become far more multicultural and “many of those living there don’t support football”.

“We are attracting small numbers”, he said, “we do have some Indian and Pakistani season ticket holders of all ages and a few corporate clients but we would love to become the club that English-Asians supports in London and that is probably our next big challenge”.

At the age of 64, Sullivan shows no sign of slowing down. His memories of Queen Mary are still incredibly detailed and vivid but his mind is certainly in the future as opposed to the past.

“They’ve never invited me back for an honorary doctorship or anything” he said, citing Karren Brady’s honorary doctorate with a little envy. Perhaps Queen Mary should be looking to to form a better relationship with this member of their alumni who is bringing accessible Premiership football even closer to their doorstep.

This article was written for QMessenger (http://www.qmessenger.co.uk/2013/10/515/), the student newspaper for Queen Mary , University of London

West Ham to sign Romanian striker

In addition to the possible return of Carlton Cole, West Ham could yet make another signing in the attacking department.

The club are considering offering a trial, or even an immediate deal, for Romanian forward Ciprian Marica.

Marica had been linked to various other clubs throughout the Summer, including Arsenal, however the former Schalke man is still in the hunt for a professional contract.

Standing at 6’1”, Marica fits the physical mould of Sam Allardyce’s preferred forward. He is also more than comfortable playing on the wing or behind the striker, meaning that his versatility would be very attractive to the Hammers.

As well as being his fellow countryman, Răzvan Raț, who was recruited by West Ham on a free transfer this Summer, also played with Marica at Shakhtar Donetsk and thus it is thought Raț’s influence will be integral to any deal going through.

Having plied much of his recent career in Germany with VfB Stuttgart and Schalke 04, Marica has been tested at a good domestic level. He has also amassed 62 caps for the Romanian national side, scoring 21 goals.

Whilst for his club sides he has mainly offered his services on the wing or as a second-striker, Romania have often needed to use Marica as a centre-forward and he has impressed in the role. West Ham would obviously utilise this versatility by using him as an under-study to Andy Carroll as well as an option elsewhere in the front three.

With David Sullivan and David Gold now confined to searching for targets in the free-agent market, it is thought Marica could be one of the only viable options available if the Cole deal falls through completely or even in addition to this.

Jack Sullivan, the chairman's son, has recently tweeted that Cole is not fit enough for Premiership football at this current time and that the club are looking at other non-contract players; Marica is the most serious of these targets.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93 for more West Ham news and articles.

Learn to appreciate the new direction

My overriding memory of the last Premiership fixture at Upton Park is the crowd bellowing out: ‘Andy Carroll, we want you to stay!’ Jeremy Nicholas (rather embarrassingly) asked the fans to get behind the cause to keep Andy but in truth it was not needed. It seemed every supporter was desperate for the big man to put pen to paper on a permanent deal.

There is great irony in the fact that the chant desperately aiming to persuade Carroll to remain at West Ham was in the same tune as the dreaded ‘we play on the floor’ drone which was so commonly sung by those disgruntled with Sam Allardyce.

Allardyce must be left scratching his head when fickle supporters express displeasure with his style of football, yet sing the praises of the forward who epitomises his tactics. The fact is; if you’re a fan of Andy Carroll then you are inevitably a fan of Sam Allardyce.

If Allardyce and Kevin Nolan were not at the club, a pairing who a section of supporters take issue with, then the England international forward would not be at West Ham United. It is as simple as that.

I think it was obvious that Carroll was left unfulfilled by his time at Liverpool and would’ve liked to have proved doubters wrong. But in a World Cup year, he made the correct decision to join a club with whom he is already settled, who will base their team around him and, vitally, who will play a style of football to suit him perfectly.

Personally I have no problem with Allardyce’s style. It is, of course, direct at times, but with an asset like Carroll it would be foolish to not to utilise his aerial presence.

We should be proud to be one of few clubs preserving the dying breed of the old-fashioned English centre forward rather than internationalising ourselves like everyone else in an effort to become yet another cheap imitation of Barcelona.

With the signing of another England international in Stewart Downing secured, we can now look forward to the prospect of two top established wingers supplying the delivery to our number nine. Surely we don’t have to be ashamed of having an appreciation of that?

I am quite surprised at the amount of supporters who aren’t happy with the Downing signing. The wide-man has been to a World Cup with England and undoubtedly we would’ve all loved to have snapped him up during his time at Middlesbrough and Aston Villa. Two average years does not mean he will not return to great form.

Unsurprisingly there was no such disapproval at the signing of Joe Cole. Cole was arguably a much poorer signing than Downing – he does not really fit into our current tactics, is older and was extremely injury-prone and out-of-form when we signed him.

Understandably the affection and nostalgia surrounding Cole provoked a reaction of sheer delight but, regardless of personal attachments and feelings, Downing will be a far more useful player to us than Cole this season.

Another fresh player in the squad is Ravel Morrison. Although he joined some time ago, his lack of action in a West Ham shirt and high appraisal gives him the intrigue and excitement of a big new signing.

Six goals in pre-season could show that Morrison is finally ready to fulfil the potential which was suggested when Sir Alex Ferguson said he was one of the best players he had ever seen. I am dubious to trust Morrison with his track-record and attitude problem, but he could be very useful if given the chance.

Apparently Allardyce has rejected several loan offers, including one from Birmingham who he was on loan with last year, and so it seems Morrison is finally ready to step into the first-team and prove whether he can make it at the highest level.

Morrison looks to be a fantastic player, and his skill was undeniable at the Pacos de Ferreira home friendly, but we can’t place too much responsibility on the shoulders of a young man who has proved he is liable to get a rush of blood to the head at any moment.

It is interesting that all the players mentioned in this article thus far are English. The English core at West Ham United is undeniably one of the strongest in the league now and something I’m sure all fans will welcome.

Of course it is great to have the exotic foreigner, we have certainly fallen for a few of them over recent years with the likes of Paolo Di Canio and Carlos Tevez, but as an English fan I think it definitely gives you a greater intimacy with the squad when they are of the same nationality.

The sense that they understand the club and its culture is invaluable and something I think will help drive us forward this season to an improved Premiership position and hopefully an impressive cup run.

And, as mentioned, it is a World Cup year. Who’s to say we won’t have another three Lions in Brazil in the Summer? Exciting times are ahead, I hope the persistent moaners can recognise that and embrace the direction we are moving in.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

Mourinho's return is a mistake

‘Never go back’ they say. But Jose Mourinho has done just that and is once again at the helm of Stamford Bridge as manager of Chelsea.

Mourinho’s time at Real Madrid has been stressful for the mere spectator. The political circus and civil feuds which have surrounded recent times at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium have taken their toll on him.

His hair is shorter and greyed, his skin sags slightly from his tired face. The Mourinho at his inaugural Chelsea press conference this time around will be a little less vibrant than the ‘special one’ who memorably entered the English game back in 2004.

Back then he was hungry to gain the reputation as the greatest manager in the world. He was on the breadth of the wave of having taken a Portuguese club team to Champions League victory – an achievement none had predicted.

The young, charismatic Mourinho had a clean history with nothing on his record but victory. Now he re-enters after, perhaps, his CV’s only blotch; his failure at one of the biggest clubs in the entire world.

Mourinho was tasked with toppling the Spanish domestic dominance of Barcelona, somewhat of his arch-nemesis, and also putting Madrid back in the reckoning for European honours, a competition with which they have such great history but have struggled with in modern times.

But Mourinho could not handle the pressure in Madrid. He could not survive under the watchful eye of President Florentino Pérez who loomed over him like the burden of a mountain of debt. And for the first time in his career his man-management failed to control the dressing room. In the likes of Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos he encountered players with egos as big as his own who revolted against his regime.

Mourinho’s return is almost an attempt to pick up where he left off and forget the time in between his reigns. By returning to Chelsea, Mourinho is trying to return to 2007, or at least 2010 before he joined Madrid, when he was a young man who had never failed.

Admittedly Chelsea have not challenged for the title in the last two seasons, but they have won the Champions League, a trophy with which they have had such an intimate relationship yet which was so elusive to them. If Mourinho could swoop in and snatch this holy-grail for Chelsea then I would suggest his appointment would be justified.

But Roberto Di Matteo has already won the Champions League with Chelsea leaving them with an identity crisis. Chelsea no longer need to prove they can win the major trophies. They are seeking longevity, style and purity – Mourinho has many effective qualities but he does not possess any of these.

Roman Abramovich and his advisory board ditched Mourinho back in 2007 and after several heirs failed to emulate Mourinho’s success, the Russian tycoon finally tried to reinvent Chelsea under Andre Villas-Boas. Young players were signed under a young manager who wanted to win with style.

But unsurprisingly Abramovich became impatient waiting for the long-term project to come to fruition and the stop-gap coaches ever since Villas-Boas was dismissed have merely built a long, winding road back to Mourinho.

Mourinho’s return to Chelsea has the feel of an old, successful TV show returning to air years later. The cast all look a little older and have all experienced highs, lows and misdemeanours since the original production, making the purity of what was originally created somewhat tainted. Additionally, the expectation created by the popularity of the original will be suffocating.

It was key that Mourinho signed up to the second coming, he’ll probably bring Michael Essien back with him. The likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard were always willing to be involved. The absence of stars like Didier Drogba just means it won’t be the same.

‘He’s coming, he’s coming!’ Brace yourself for the fanfare and a love-in between Mourinho and the media. Mourinho has spent the last year alienating himself from the Spanish press whilst cleverly convincing the British media that they adore him.

I hope Mourinho is successful for the sake of English football. The Premiership is certainly in need of a boost. But I wonder if it would’ve been better to hold on to the nostalgic memories of Mourinho’s story at Chelsea rather than to add a new chapter which has the potential to ruin the ending.

Mourinho is an effective manager for specific situations and is a fascinating man. But whether he is tailored for Chelsea in 2013 is certainly questionable.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

Scottish and Irish football could merge into 'Celtic League'

Today marks the first time the Republic of Ireland have faced England since the controversial riots in Dublin back in 1995. But the thirst for football in Ireland has never evaporated.

Similarly, Scotland are looking forward to a fixture at Wembley in August as the English FA clearly seem to be satisfying the demand for the English national team to battle its closest neighbours.

For English fans this kind of fixture adds a welcome pinch of spice to friendly games which are usually incredibly mundane and played against an experimental eleven of one of the world’s other elite nations. Irish and Scottish fans are likely to have a far greater interest in these matches.

The popularity of club football in England undoubtedly surpasses that of the national side at the present time. English football fans’ relationship with the club they support is far more intimate than the connection they have to their country, and crucially their club participate in many more enjoyable and meaningful games during the Premier League season and the Champions League.

Obviously a major tournament such as a World Cup will rekindle an Englishman’s affection for his national team but generally club comes first in the modern day. Unfortunately for Scottish and Irish fans, their league football is far inferior to that of England’s and thus they often have to rely on international games for big football occasions.

Celtic and Rangers are obviously the biggest clubs over the two nations and currently ply their trade in the Scottish football leagues. Rangers’ financial crisis has left them stuck in the lower depths of the Scottish leagues and thus Celtic have been left to steamroller domestic football. The 3-0 victory over Hibernian in the Scottish Cup Final epitomises how comfortably they were able to complete the domestic double this year.

By criticising the standard of Scottish I must point out that I am not criticising Celtic. I feel sorry for them. Celtic are a big club who are trying their best to outgrow the league they are in. They performed well in Europe this year but it is extremely unlikely they can push on from this with the inferior funding they get in comparison to England and other major football nations such as Spain, Italy and Germany.

The prospect of Celtic and Rangers joining the English Premiership has been mooted for some time now but the idea has never received enough momentum to be followed through. This is probably because, although the deal would benefit the Glasgow clubs, it would destroy Scottish domestic football whilst not transforming English football enough to justify such devastation.

The SPL is currently going through a transitional phase as a reform package was finally agreed this month to deliver a merged league body involving play-off games and better financial redistribution with regards to lower tier clubs. Hopefully this aids the improvement of Scottish football but perhaps the SFA could’ve looked at a more drastic plan to reinvent the league.

Whilst the SPL is comparatively weak to the rest of Europe, the leagues of Ireland and Northern Ireland are even poorer. Shamrock Rovers are the most successful team in domestic Irish football and have a stadium capacity of just 6,000. Compare that with Celtic Park’s 60,832 and of course the home of England’s most successful team, Manchester United’s Old Trafford which holds 75,765.

Irish football could certainly advantage from an affiliation with Scottish football, but perhaps the Scots could also benefit. The Scottish and Irish football associations clearly enjoy a decent relationship seen in their joint bid to host Euro 2008 and Euro 2020 (which involved Wales). Could something not have been arranged to plan a merge of the leagues?

The idea of a joint league has been put to FIFA before as the leagues of Belgium and Netherlands merging to create one division has been suggested. Interestingly this is already the case in women’s football which has the ‘BeNe League’ comprising of teams from both nations.

Belgium already has some relatively big clubs such as Anderlecht, Genk and Club Brugge. With FIFA ratification, merging these with teams in the Eredivise such as Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord could create a more competitive ‘Atlantic league’.

The Irish and Northern Irish leagues have no clubs of this stature and thus the merge could be even simpler. Club football in Ireland and Northern Ireland could be completely torn apart and rebuilt to have brand new teams representing cities such as Dublin, Ulster and Cork. These teams would undoubtedly have more appeal to the population of the area, tourists and football fans in general.

One has only to look over at football’s egg-shaped neighbours rugby, who created a ‘Celtic League’ for Irish, Scottish and Welsh teams in 2001. The competition, now known as ‘Pro 12’, has been extremely successful and more competitive, and has also now attracted Italian teams to compete in it.

I don’t want to blur the borders between domestic too much. Losing national leagues completely would be a travesty and a ‘European Super League’, which has been suggested before, would completely destroy the beauty of domestic football. Thus strict regulations and boundaries would have to be written by FIFA if a merged league was to be. But the idea of an Irish/Scottish league is an attractive one.

Television companies would be more interested, players would be more interested, and fans would be more interested. The money would increase dramatically and perhaps allow Scottish and Irish football fans to support a club which actually has the capacity to compete on Europe’s biggest stage.

Incorporating Welsh football clubs would be extremely unlikely as tempting the likes of Cardiff and Swansea from the glamour of English football would be impossible and thus there is little Wales could offer the league. Wales now occupies a tenth of the Premiership and so, although their domestic league is weak, they have club teams more than capable of satisfying supporter demand. Perhaps Welsh clubs could apply on a case-by-case basis to see if they could benefit the league.

Creating a ‘Celtic League’ in football would be a major job full of countless complications and hurdles to jump, but I have no doubt it would be a profitable venture. Scottish and Irish football both owe it to their own supporters to form a league which their population can finally be proud of.

Money talks in football, and who knows, someone with vision and big pockets could swoop in and make this happen. If Qatar can host the World Cup, anything can happen.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

Signing older players like Ambrosini could be the way forward for Allardyce’s West Ham

A minority of West Ham fans have expressed some dismay with Sam Allardyce’s transfer policy after rumours emerged that AC Milan veteran Massimo Ambrosini is in London for talks with the Hammers.

In his recent interview with the Mirror, David Sullivan spoke glowingly of Allardyce, arguing that ‘he is intelligent, he prolongs careers and he is brilliant in terms of maximising players’ potential’. Prolonging the careers of older players thus seems to be an attribute which makes Allardyce a valuable asset for Sullivan and co-owner David Gold.

The prospective Ambrosini deal is not one which is out of character for Allardyce. The man affectionately known as ‘Big Sam’ has taken a number of international superstars and squeezed a few extra years out of their careers at the highest level.

Jay-Jay Okocha, Youri Djorkaeff, Gary Speed, Fernando Hierro and Ivan Campo are just a few footballers who were entering the twilight of their careers when Allardyce utilised them at Bolton Wanderers.

Many Irons supporters also doubted Allardyce’s choice to rely on 38 year-old Juusi Jääskeläinen for the first season back in the Premiership following Robert Green’s departure but have gone on to be proved wrong by the Fin who was eventually voted runner-up Hammer of the Year ahead of the likes of Andy Carroll, Momo Diame and Mark Noble.

Although his image may be moulded into that of an old-fashioned, unforgiving ‘gaffer’, Allardyce is famed for his focus on fitness and the cutting edge technology he uses to maintain this. Just recently West Ham were featured of ‘Sky Sports News’ for their use of an ice chamber to aid muscle recovery.



Allardyce and aging players can thus have a great relationship. They can use him to prolong their careers and he can use them to add quality and depth to his squad.

Another important factor for Allardyce, and of course the owners, is that he is extremely unlikely to pay for these players despite the competitive market. Razvan Rat, the recent acquisition from Shakhtar Donetsk, came on a free transfer, as will Ambrosini if the deal is completed.

Saving money on players like these to fill out the squad allows Allardyce to spend large bulks of his transfer budget on quality players for the first eleven, who also have re-sale value. If Allardyce wanted to spend £6-7 million on additional centre-midfielders and left-backs with no experience of the Premier League, there is no way a £16 million deal for Andy Carroll could be financed, especially with the new Financial Fair Play regulations.

The intent shown by West Ham and Allardyce to sign Carroll proves that they are not manipulating supporters by sexing up the signings of over-aged ‘has-beens’. As an English striker under the age of twenty-five, Carroll is in the most expensive bracket of footballers. If fans worry that Allardyce is creating a short-term team of OAPs they need only look at the genuine ambition shown to get Carroll permanently.

Additionally, the experience, attitude and aura of a multi-Champions League winner in the squad who has played over 300 times for one of the world’s biggest clubs can only be positive for a team like West Ham. In order to grow as a club it is important to have experienced winners amongst the ranks and whilst West Ham linger in the mid-table zone, they will need to accept those coming towards the end of their careers.

How any football fan can moan about having a few aging players in the squad on the back of Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy at Manchester United is beyond belief. Ferguson continued to use the likes of Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs well into their thirties and persistently won trophy after trophy. Many of Ferguson’s veterans will continue to be utilised by David Moyes.

Also, Ferguson wasn’t shy to bring in aging players in order to strengthen his squad with quality and experience at a low price. Henrik Larsson was drafted into his title-winning squad of 2007 at the ripe age of 36. Ferguson even wanted Larsson to continue at Old Trafford but due to family promises in Sweden, the former Celtic and Barcelona striker felt obliged to leave.

Finally, some West Ham fans are often desperate to hang on to their proud reputation with regards to producing young players in Tony Carr’s academy and therefore scoff at the idea of an older recruit getting first-team chances ahead of youth players.

If Allardyce and the staff around him felt that a player was good enough to step up into the first-team, there is no doubt that he would get the chance. Why would Allardyce waste any of his budget on a player if he had a younger, hungrier version sitting in the reserves for free?

Signing older players will actually benefit the youth players at West Ham. Not only do they gain from the experience of a man with a magnificent career behind him, but there is a place in the squad with a nearing expiry date which they could step into.

Short-term options therefore actually give enough time for young players to develop and show whether they will make the cut. For all we know, Allardyce could have big plans for the likes of Ravel Morrison next season. By bringing in Ambrosini, he provides a young midfielder like Morrison with a role model, competition and someone who plays in the same position, which can relieve the sense of pressure on a young footballer who is likely to burn out if he is heavily relied on for 38 games a season.

Similarly, Ambrosini is unlikely to be able to play two games in one week so he would benefit from having a young protégée to take over for certain fixtures in what will inevitably be a congested schedule. It is a win-win situation for everyone. If West Ham had a decent youth prospect but signed a 25 year-old midfielder in his position, the chances the unproven youngster would play are likely to be far more limited.

Therefore signings like Ambrosini should be looked at very positively. Moreno Roggi, Ambrosini’s agent, confirmed that there is an offer on the table for West Ham. Let’s hope all parties agree as contrary to popular thought, this is a forward-thinking decision rather than one rooted in the past.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

Mourinho; Moyes; Allardyce

I have an embarrassing image in my mind of Jeremy Nicholas innocently cueing a rapturous round of applause for Sam Allardyce’s new contract this afternoon and instead being met with a disgruntled mixture of jeers, boos and of course, a number of justified cheers.

As Allardyce’s second term in charge reaches a climax, it is fair to say he still hasn’t won the support of everyone. That is despite an immediate return to the Premier League, a trip to Wembley and a mid-table finish in the top flight.

Much like you are probably bewilderedly wondering why Manchester City have dismissed Roberto Mancini just one season after he snatched the league title from the red half of Manchester, plenty of football fans will be scratching their heads for as to why any Hammer could legitimately oppose Allardyce’s reign.

Whilst I am not arguing Allardyce is an inflated, northern reincarnation of Pep Guardiola, I do think that to suggest his style of football is far different from plenty of other successful coaches is a myth.

Last Saturday we were beaten comprehensively. Allardyce himself admitted that the players looked distracted and has also stressed the need to improve away from home next year. Thus we should hold back on whining about away form and give Sam a chance to rectify it over the Summer. After all it was our home form which was criticised last year and our away form celebrated. Some people have short memories.

Apparently Saturday’s game was one of Everton’s best performances of the season, undoubtedly sparked by the emotional exit of David Moyes who will succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.

Moyes’ eleven years at Everton are considered successful because they were stable. He has managed to operate on a tight budget and still wedge the club firmly in amongst the top seven. If Allardyce has already broke into the top ten in one year (assuming we hold on to that place today) then what makes you think he cannot replicate Moyes’ success?

It is also important to remember that Moyes has been criticised in the past for similar to reasons to why Allardyce has been. Brendan Rodgers, Steven Gerrard and even Ferguson himself, the man who recommended Moyes as his heir, have labelled Everton long-ball merchants.

With reference to Marouane Fellaini in Manchester United’s game against Everton this very season, Ferguson argued “it was just difficult to handle him when they were knocking these balls up to him. He is a handful, a big, tall, gangly lad, and they just lumped the ball forward to him, that's all they did”. Sound familiar?

Fortunately for Moyes, these jibes have been brushed off whereas for Allardyce, the label has stuck like fluff to Velcro. This is probably because Moyes has become somewhat of a media darling for the longevity of his time at Everton whereas Allardyce will always be 

Moyes' new 'image' at Man U

associated with an unfashionable Bolton Wanderers team.

When questioned about these criticisms back in November, Moyes was unfazed. He argued that “we are beginning to compete better against most of the top clubs now so that’s perhaps why these things are being said. I’d sooner get that, them having a dig, than people being nice about us because we’ve lost”.

Moyes makes a valid point. West Ham went through a stage of being continually praised under Gianfranco Zola, and whilst it was flattering, we were a far weaker and unstable outfit back then. You must first become hard to beat in the Premiership to earn the right to attack with fluidity.

Anyone who saw Everton against us last Saturday, or at their best during the season, must admit that they play an attractive style of football, and most importantly a successful brand of football. However they set up for games very similarly to us.

They have a solid back four, two deep-lying central midfielders, two wingers, one striker and a goal scorer sitting just behind him in the form of Fellaini (our Kevin Nolan). The only difference between us and Everton is that Moyes has had the time to acquire quality players and to have them play with each other regularly.

Allardyce is in a fantastic position to do the same. In Andy Carroll we already have a superior target-man to Victor Anichebe; if we can hold on to him we can work on improving our squad to a similar standard.

As useful as Joey O’Brien has been this season, Leighton Baines is obviously a better attacking force. Similarly a goal-scoring winger in the form of Kevin Mirallas was the difference between the sides on Saturday, he is far better than Ricardo Vaz Te.

Allardyce has admitted “we need better players” despite the fact that the squad is already strong. If we support him and give him time to upgrade the team in a similar manner to how Moyes has, we could be rewarded with a team regularly competing in the top-half of the league.

Allardyce is perhaps in a better situation than Moyes was as he has greater funding, the prospect of a large new stadium and the attraction of London which is likely to appeal to some transfer targets.

Another coach likely to be plying his trade amongst the Premiership’s elite next year is managerial superstar Jose Mourinho. Unlike Allardyce, when you think of Mourinho, you do not think of the long-ball, you think of trophies, a fashionable foreigner and ‘the special one’.

When compared to English coaches, Mourinho’s career has been rather fortunate. It was Mourinho’s short success at União de Leiria, a side now in the Portuguese third division, along with his charisma, which convinced Porto to appoint him.



The English equivalent of Porto would have undoubtedly looked abroad for their manager whereas Portugese coaches have a greater chance of managing the major clubs in their home nation. With just one year’s managerial experience Mourinho got the Porto job; Allardyce had four smaller jobs before his eight-year spell at Bolton but he was still inevitably leapfrogged by foreign coaches for the top jobs.

In reality it is the image of Mourinho which makes him so attractive to employers. He is charismatic, lovingly arrogant and above all a winner. In just two years at Porto, Mourinho was fortunate enough to inherit a good group of players and dominate the Champions League in a particularly weak year. Porto eventually overcame a distinctly average Monaco in the final and the rest is history.

I am not trying to criticise Mourinho. I am just pointing out the opportunities he has had in his career are because of his image and his nationality. If he was a somewhat overweight, Worcestershire-born bloke named Sam I suspect his career would’ve panned out extremely differently.

Mourinho is actually extremely similar to Allardyce in terms of tactics. He is a pragmatist and his teams are predominantly reactive rather than proactive, even when they do include the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo as opposed to Kevin Nolan.

His favoured 4-2-3-1 is similar to the way Allardyce lines up as it can smoothly transform into a 4-4-1-1, a 4-5-1 or a 4-2-1-3. These rapid transitions are the reason that 4-4-2 is rarer in modern football; it is simply too rigid to adjust quickly when a team wish to change the emphasis and speed of the game.

If Allardyce hadn’t been alienated from so many other coaches via his reputation, perhaps he would be better appreciated like Moyes. The fact is that Allardyce has become an iconic image within the game, but he represents everything which has become unfashionable.

Allardyce represents the antithesis of the stylish manager, but in reality he may not be so different. We should appreciate finishing the season in tenth position in the capable hands of Allardyce and I hope next season is another one of many stable, successful campaigns under his guidance.

 

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93

Practicality vs the Barcelona blue-print - West Ham vs Swansea

Today marks the occasion of a meeting between two sides whom many believe to be polar opposites.

Swansea City have been irritatingly praised by the media for their ability to keep possession and pass the ball smoothly ever since they were promoted to the Premiership. Sam Allardyce, whether he is managing Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United or AC Milan, will always be shunned as ‘a long-ball merchant’.

The birth of the modern Barcelona as the greatest footballing side in the world (and the consequent dominance of the Spanish national side) has resulted in a far greater emphasis on ‘style of play’.

Gianfranco Zola tried to adopt a slick passing style here a few years ago and although it had moments of success, the fragility of his team meant David Sullivan and David Gold opted to make a change, deeming it too risky for Zola to continue with the ‘project’. A sensible decision, albeit one executed terribly with the appointment of Avram Grant.

Swansea began their transition to prioritise attractive football with the appointment of Roberto Martinez in 2007. Since then they have remained dedicated to the trend of passing football and young, suit-and-tie coaches in the form of Paulo Sousa, Brendan Rodgers and the manager today, Michael Laudrup.

Swansea’s ‘project’ is thus six years old and began when they were in League One. By beginning in the lower leagues they have had time to remould the club from top to bottom without the desperate fear of losing Premiership status.

Our owners on the other hand, who infamously previously billed relegation as ‘Armageddon’, would rather take a more practical approach than follow the Barcelona blue-print and have thus chosen to favour an experienced, hardened, English manager like Allardyce.

After a disappointing run of form it seems some fans are again beginning to criticise Allardyce. However, I am extremely grateful that we don’t have chairmen like many other clubs who are quick to follow the fashion and become Barcelona wannabes.

Nicola Cortese at Southampton is so desperate to get the sort of praise that Swansea have had that he recently sacked Nigel Adkins, a man who had taken Southampton from League One to just two losses in twelve Premier League games, for a poor man’s Pep Guardiola (Mauricio Pochettino) who can’t even speak English.

Pochettino now has to motivate his players to stave off relegation (in Spanish) whilst introducing a complete change in style of football. Hopefully they are punished for their treatment of Adkins with relegation.

Barcelona is certainly a story for the football purist. They fielded an entirely home-grown team in November and won 4-0. They are widely regarded as the best team ever and sit fifteen points above their arch-rivals Real Madrid at the top of the league.

Barcelona’s situation took years of hard work and restructuring, and they are now reaping the rewards of enduring years of Real Madrid-dominance during a time when Barca pumped funds into their academy whilst Madrid opted to splash out on ‘Galacticos’ such as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham.

But crucially, Barcelona were a big enough club to sustain a high level of success during their era of restructuring. The Nou Camp already existed (holding nearly 100,000 people), they were able to have some stars such as Carlos Puyol, Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert and their league was not nearly strong enough for someone to rise up and topple them as a top 3 team.

West Ham are not nearly as big as Barcelona and English football is ruthless enough to mean if we spent a couple of seasons focusing on off-field restructuring rather than on-field matters we would quickly find ourselves relegated.

I’m not saying West Ham will never be in a position in which we could be comfortable enough to put a great deal of focus on our famed ‘academy of football’ and build a side capable of playing attractive football, after all, we could be in a 60,000 seater stadium in a few years, but practicality is the priority for now.

Stick by Big Sam during this wobbly period; anyone must admit that this is one of our strongest squads for many years. Never have we had so many options in midfield (I’m hoping Momo Diame is still a West Ham player by the time you are reading this). And I’m confident that the defence will become efficient again under the guidance of Allardyce and the immense Winston Reid.

Today we may be outclassed at times but I’m confident we will dominate periods and probably get a result today. If Gold and Sullivan had made a Southampton-like decision and appointed someone to play Swansea at their own game then I believe we would sink without a trace.

Some fans should learn to appreciate our current team rather than continually moaning about tactics. Every team hits a sticky patch in the Premiership and we must remember that this is our first season back in the top flight! It would be extremely unusual for us to effortlessly float into a European spot as many seem to expect us to.

Trust in Big Sam and over the next few years we will rise above those more interested in uncovering the next Lionel Messi than getting results on the pitch.

Follow me on Twitter @RichMaher93