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were our former Icelandic owners and now our current bosses intentions to win the Championship within seven years or the Champions League? Our bi-annual dalliance with relegation is confusing me. Exciting as this is, i’m finding it difficult to summon any enthusiasm. Deeds please.

Returning to London after a weekend away, I got on the tube at the same time as Shefield United fans returning home after their Championship play-off final at Wembley. I approached one fan, who was holding a limp team-flag and asked him the score, “lost one nil” he replied. Well, after all the whingeing and the pocketing of £25,000,000 (from West Ham, ed.), Sheffield United, the Blades, failed at the last hurdle to make it to the Premiership and I’m delighted.

Light at the end of the tunnel? It looked ominous two months ago, an untried manager, an unsettled squad,  the backers going bust and the team in free-fall. But it looks like West Ham have got some iron in their management structure and all seem to be singing from the same song sheet. Zola seems to indeed have the last say about transfer dealings and, Bellamy aside, has rebuffed the richer clubs attempts to cherry pick from our squad. A new era?
Carlton Cole seems to have sensed it and is in the form of his life. This stability may prove to be the right way and the future may prove bright allowing us to move on from the boom and bust era of the past?

If West ham aren’t careful they will be tip-toeing their way to the Championship. Maybe Curbs saw the looming credit crunch coming that has knocked the Hammers for six, and did a runner. We should have seen it coming. The squad was “trimmed” in the close season in an attempt to cut costs. West Ham are owned by an Icelandic banking consortium which have gone as bust as “XL” the club sponsor. continue

getting to the sharp end of the season, really exciting is n’t it? Do we play Carlton Cole as a lone striker or Carlton Cole as a lone striker? it’s mind numbingly dull at the moment being a west ham fan. bring back the brinksmanship of last year, a non goal here, a unreistered player there. beating manu and arsenal home and away. great times. Are the injuries just becoming an excuse? Maybe Curbs needs some new ideas and be a little bit more adventurous at home. roll on next year.

Is it me but I find the international breaks a little bit of a distraction from the real business of league football. I miss my (bi) weekly fix of the mood altering drug that is being a West Ham United fan. The highs and lows produced on the whim of the fates is only good enough until the next time. continue

Being a team that perennially need to sell their big name players due to our regular dalliances with relegation, I have compiled a list of ex- Hammers and my attitude towards them. Normally these opinions are formed by the terms they left the club, with honour, putting club on a par with their own interests or slinking away in a vile self-serving cowardly manner. continue

What must it be like to the the fans boo-boy? You can do no right in the eyes of the hard core. Having a good match is seen as an aberration rather than an improvement. Perhaps being the scapegoat is just the embodiment of the frustrations and dashed hopes of the fans, whose expectations have been raised? Maybe, but Carlton Cole is still rubbish.

Green for England call up. The campaign starts here.

Being sat near the West Ham fans, one particularly obese gentleman dressed in claret and blue was asked plaintifly whether in fact it was he who ate all the pies. continue

West Ham United, vintage 2007.

New money, new owner, new West Ham squad that doesnt yet feel like a good fit. It seems the hand-me-downs look like they were bought for someone else. The squad looks uncomfortable and a bit scratchy the only constant in a changing world is Curbs. But will he know what to do with such a disperate bunch? I hope he can or he’s at risk of taking the helm of a bunch of over paid merceneries. We will wait and see if they can be melded into a footballing unit that can deilght as well as win?!

Looks like we are certain for relegation, even before the Spurs match. Still hard to see why we have had such a bad season. Suffering from the “deficlt ” second season syndrome it seems. I think last year our batch of average players over achieved and this year the opposite has been the case. I think it’s continue

I happened to be cycling past Upton Park yesterday afternoon, a few hours before the Liverpool game. The buzz was already building , the souvenir shops were set up and the burger bars had already overcooked the onions. It’s at moments like these that all seems well in the world. The approaching storm clouds forgotten and we remember why we love this game. No matter what happens.

Playing well, scoring goals but having decisive decisions going against us resulting in draws instead of wins and cries of “unlucky” or the kiss of death ” too good to go down”all point to the fact that West Ham are toying with a quick return to the championship. The fact that continue

The roller coaster ride of being a West ham fan provides a good grounding for life. I learned from an early age that winning doesn’t come automatically, you work hard just to maintain an even keel, become stoical through the rare highs and frequent lows. Even when we beat Man U this week, a win that allowed us just to keep in touch with fourth bottom Middlesboro! barely registered as a flicker. The ghost of Kenny Brown past was visiting Fergie and the Man U defence so scrooge like became generous to a fault.Who knows, West Ham may now be able to throw away their Tiny Tim crutch and fulfill their potential.
Merry Christmas Fergie, Merry Christmas one and all!