I have never been an admirer of Sven Ericsson. But I have to admit he learned his lesson well after managing England for so many years. It is almost impossible to make a winning team that is based primarily on home grown footballers.
You need to add the flair and skill that is very rare in England.
Not because English boys are not capable of becoming Ronaldihnos or Messis but rather because of the way they are brought up.
They learn the hard physical game and they play square and direct football.
But they are criticised when they try to explore and develop their potential. It's the old "we are British and we do things our own way" thing.
So, Sven came in at Man City 2-3 weeks before the start of the season and managed to secure the services of great international players.
Such as Elano, Bianchi and many others which he added to the good local core of players such as a Micah Richards.
The thing is that Sven managed to do in two weeks what Curbishley failed to do in six months.
Alan couldn't keep or motivate some of our best players like Tevez, Benayoun, Reo-Cocker and yes, even Harewood, who has potential to develop into a much better striker than the ones he kept e.g. Carlton Cole.
In my book, this is a manager's failure of gigantic proportions. So, we don't really need a Director of Football to help Curbishley. We need a new Manager. And I hate to admit it; yes, perhaps one more like Sven.
As an after thought….
West Ham's match against Sunderland at Upton Park on Sunday supported what I always suspected; that Solano is in fact the best buy for Curbishley this year (ironically he came in on a free transfer).
He brings vision and fluidity in the middle of the field and he understands how to play football in a dynamic way. He is real class and the player West Ham badly need in the middle of the field.
As a West Ham sympathiser, I hope Curbs will realise this sooner than he realised that Tevez was the key man last year.
England will probably never be a world football power again
Wenger enters the world of advertising but with a touch of class
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11 comments:
I think West Ham escaped relegation last year inpite of Curbishley. He doesn't seem capable to inspire the players. He is definitely no Arsene Wenger. This means that not only he can't attract great players to the club but also that his most gifted players also start thinking about leaving.
I agree with the previous anonymous. He has bought a lot of mediocre players who can't cut it in the Premier League
Yet another off the cuff blogg about West Ham with no foundation!
The comment about not being able to motivate players like Tevez, Benayoun, Reo-Cocker and Harewood is utter rubbish, other than Tevez all the others had to go due either bad attitude or poor advice from their agents, Benayoun one minute is pledging his loylalty to West Ham and then Liverpool come knocking with an offer of more money and guess what? He goes back on his pledge and would rather sit on the bench form most of the season, yet another money grabbing foriegn import with no loyalty!
Too many foreign players in the Prem. is killing our International team just look at the state of England, can't even qualify against the likes of Russia or Croatia, god help us! How many Arsenal players have there been in the Engalnd squad in the last 5 years??
It's all about balance, what Curbishley is trying to do is build a team around British players with a mixture of foreign talent to compliment them. It doesn't help his cause when he has 9 first team players in the treatment room.
West Ham need help!
Lots of English players-little quality! Curbs had Mascherano in his ranks, the best South American midfielder whilst he was in Brazil, and he left hi to rot on the bench, and bought in Quashie, now what the hell is that all about!!
With regards to Arsenal and England, we have undoubtedly given the English team the highest quality players as proven in the awards post World Cup/Euro champs where Campbell and Cole were voted the best in many tournaments, what has West Ham produced since the Great Bobby Moore?
If West Ham have among the finest in British, then British players are not of a good enough standard-shown by Noble and his awful challenge on skilful Hleb!
Unforgiveable what Curbs did with Mascherano or playing Tevez as a left winger, does he not have scouts or even youtube to see he does more damage centrally?!!baffling really!
Good blog by the way, keep it up chum!
Who have West Ham produced since Bobby Moore?
Try Rio Fedinand, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard in recent years - home grown talent all from our youth system. mark Noble is just begining to show his potential in the U21's.
It is widely acknwledged that West Ham have one of the best Youth Acadamies in the country. We don't just go out and buy youngsters from other countries and claim them as our products like Man U and Arsenal do!
To 2;21 anon, Before u start going on about who Arsenal have produced, have a look around the country and u will find many players, English or Foreign who Arsenal have produced but not cut it at the club! There are quite a few! There are many clubs who have benefited from players who have been brought up the Arsenal way. I admire West Hams youth acadamy but dont start running your mouth about Arsenal, when the facts are we have one of, if not the best youth systems around! Wrighty
You accuse me of running my mouth off, but i'm just stating facts.
Arsenal don't get rid of players who can't cut it..Arsenal just don't see the potential so they get rid of them to make more space for the foreign imports!
Campbell wasn't a product of your youth system, he was a Spurs player that was already an international before Arsenal bought him!
Arsenal's youth system stinks!
Hey , back off you Gooners.
The facts are more like this:
AW is undoubtedly one of the best managers the game has ever seen. So don't bother comparisons with anyone. Any club in the world would like to have him, no contest. It would be nice if he signed and blooded a few more English players, because I suspect anyone he had faith in would walk into the England team.
West Ham's youth academy is one of the very best in the UK.
AC has had barely a year to get to grips with a new club (which was in a bad way) and has made mistakes and had sucesses (even as a hammers fan we were very lucky to stay in the PL). Tevez and Mascherano were always going to leave, they are mecenaries , and will do it again to some other clubs (hopefully MU and Liverpool). Now we have mid-table mediocrity (without 9 of our top players) and something like a happy dressing room. Most Hammers are just relieved that we are competing again, we did well against you last season and I don't think we have disgraced ourselves against you this season !
Arsenal's youth system stinks?! Cor, could u imagine how good Arsenal would be if our youth system was any good? Oh I almost forgot about the rave reviews that Arsenal's youth system gets! And so what if the player's are foreign? Arsene will do whats best for Arsenal and why not? He does'nt owe to anyone to produce just English player's! He does what will benefit Arsenal and rightly so! Wrighty7
The amount of foreign players in the premiership has raised the standard of our league so much its unbelievable! England would still be as dire if the foreign players had'nt come in their numbers. Its only in the last decade foreign players have come, what did England achieve in football in the time between 1966 and 1996? Nothing! England cant keep using foreigners for our failings! Wrighty7
What a crap post that doesent make any logical sense. You try being a manager attracting both big name signings or youth players with huge potential, when your bottom of the leauge. He got what he could and they contributed well. Players like davenport were brought in as Collins, Gabbidon, Ferdinand, Upson and Neil were all injured at the same time. again, we have been unlucky this season with many attacking midfielders and 3 of our first team strikers (ashton,Bellamy,zamora) all injured at the same time. I cant wait for the day when you have FIVE of your first team central defenders out. or 3 of your firs team strikers out. Lets take away Adabayor, Van persie and Walcott out of your team for the next 3 weeks. then a following month take the WHOLE of your defence out and see how you cope. ANY, and i mean ANY team in ANY leuage with them specfic area injuries would cripple them serverly. But as your not west ham fans you probly didnt relise any of the above, you just see the team line up in the sun week in week out. How many youth cups has arsenal won, please tell me? All england fans probly, as much as they dont like to admit it, appriate the players who have come through our ranks and will continue to come through. Football is a brilliant game, and altho every team wants success, it brings me great pride to know my team has been doing more then its bit for English for for the past 40 years. and i agree, you cannot compare Wenger to curbs, Wenger is diffrent class and is buy far one of the best managers football has seen. but compare Curbs to Jol and you begin to understand he's not that bad after all.
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