Acquisitions and Disposals

If West Ham were a UK retailer they would be announcing disappointing results and issuing a points warning. Management would reveal its plan to focus attention on core activities - such as defending. Despite worrying underlying trends, it would blame the adverse weather, particularly the lack of snow at Ewood Park on 18 December which caused the game against Blackburn to go ahead and the team to drop two points.

On a more upbeat note, it might cite 2007 and 2009 as examples of how the club traditionally sees positive results in the final three months of the season. This could not, however, mask the fact that no meaningful acquisitions were likely due to challenging trading conditions.

How did it come to this? Fretting over whether Steve Sidwell will snub us for the lure of Molineux. Confusingly, Sidwell has already passed a medical and agreed personal terms with West Ham, leaving fans to ponder why no-one involved in the deal thought to suggest that asking him to sign a contract might have been a logical next step. Perhaps they just hadn’t bargained on Mick McCarthy’s dulcet Yorkshire tones turning his head. Or Mark Hughes, if you are to believe the latest reports.

Fearing the worst, many fans have already resorted to “didn’t want him anyway” remarks. These fans presumably still harbour hopes that Radoslav Kovac is about to come good any time now. Confusion still reigns as to whether Sidwell had a change of heart or whether our inability to persuade Roma to further bankrupt themselves by acquiring Valon Behrami means we cannot afford him. Neither explanation offers any comfort.

West Ham fans know from bitter experience that transfer window activity is not always a good thing. In January 2007, as the Icelanders were busy trying to make the club insolvent, pricey purchases included Luis Boa Morte, Callum Davenport and Nigel Quashie. The players who really made the difference in the final weeks - Carlos Tevez, Mark Noble, James Collins - were already at the club, they just hadn’t been properly utilised.

Many fans are just as keen to see a few disposals. Indeed, the new Premier League quota system necessitates this. However, there also seems to be a feeling that there will be something cathartic about relinquishing ourselves of everyone’s favourite scapegoat, Carlton Cole. In the absence of a replacement, the alternative of trying to actually unlock some of his undoubted potential seems more practical.

The Age of the Understatement

"A bad day at the office" was how Avram described Wednesday’s 5-0 humiliation at St James’s Park. It’s a fair comparison if he’s talking about one of those days when you turn up late, miss a deadline, lose a major contract and get your hand caught in the paper shredder.

Having not seen the game this blog is not in a position to analyse it but if it’s true that Piquionne played in midfield and Noble out wide, then Avram’s make-it-up-as-you-go-along ethos seems to be alive and well.

This blog has made little secret of its antipathy to Avram, but if latest reports are to be believed and the only thing keeping him in a job is the absence of a suitable and willing replacement, then a sense of perspective suggests that this would be a strange time to sack him. A 5-0 defeat is humiliating but making such a pivotal decision should be as a result of looking at the bigger picture, not as an emotional reaction.

Sunderland lost at St James’s Park this season by a similar margin and are now on the verge of a Europa League place. In the 2004/05 season which culminated in promotion, we were beaten 4-1 by a not very good Cardiff team. Thrashings are not much fun, but is this week’s nightmare not mitigated somewhat by 8 points from the previous 12?

On only one other occasion this season have we lost by more than two goals. There are many arguments for relieving Avram of his duties. A rare thrashing is not one.

The Twits

Now for a bit of comic relief and the story about Aldershot Town striker Marvin Morgan who came over all Kevin Pietersen this week and posted a rather inappropriate tweet. Responding to the booing he received from his own fans after a 2-1 defeat to Hereford, Morgan tweeted, "Like to thank the fans who booed me off the pitch. Where's that going to get you! I hope you all die."

Perhaps he did go a tad too far in wishing death on the Shots’ fans, but would it not be rather refreshing to see similar emotion from some West Ham players? It would certainly make a change from Zavon Hines and Anthony Edgar telling us how great this God bloke is.