Now I'm Worried

[15woodcroft]

I just read this in an article on KUMB. Now I'm not much on the conspiracy theories, as I thought the argies deal was just a good business deal for all concerned. However...

Today's edition of Folha carries an article in which they claim MSI's takeover bid is worth a total of £200m; a figure that would clear any debts the club held, pay off existing shareholders - and most importantly, grant Alan Pardew a transfer budget of around £100m with which to improve his squad.

My fear is that AP doesn't need 100m to build the squad, but Kia wants the money spent on players that he can turn around and sell on for more. You see where this is going. The quick money in football is to be made by buying and selling players not owning a club (with the accompanying workload that entails). I don't think AP would go for that sort of sodding about with his squad, so then, the inevitable departure of the manager, a degradation of the youth system and poor performance all follow. More or less what just happened at Corinthians.

I wonder if Kia will tell us all about how he used to stand in the Chicken Run as a kid?

[Footstomper]

Me an all. I dont wanna sell the soul of the club. Maybe I'm just chicken but these people sound as bent as a nine bob note

[Chadwell]

Yep. I'd have to question my loyalty to the Hammers if NRC, Matty, et. al. got sold off just to line someone's pocket.

[Batcave Brigade]

That article started out here this morning and eventually made its way to KUMB via ITBS.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=404256

[hammer_scout51]

Me an all. I dont wanna sell the soul of the club. Maybe I'm just chicken but these people sound as bent as a nine bob note

Me to stomps with certain reservations.

West Ham is a very much a working class area. Old school East Londoners have mainly moved out into the suburbs or like many of us overseas.
Which basically means we have to attract local support through community projects or success on the field of play. East London is no longer the same as we lived in and i loved living in. With tickets being bloody high many families can't afford to attend matches on a regular basis. Shirt and other commercial item sales are luxuries battlers can't afford. Talking to an old friend recently he takes his kids to 3-4 games a season. His kids got hammers shirts for christmas he's on a reasonable wage but attending a match would cost between 120- 200 pound for the whole family.
The club is owned by its original owners decendants, plus TB. All wealthy people but not mega rich or prepared to invest in the playing squad.
Some 6 years back i spent some time showing the kids my old haunts. I was astounded by the amount of Man U Arsenal and other club shirts i saw in our area. A recent (sort of survey) on a site saw no future for growth support from many youngsters in the West Ham catchment area. They concluded we have not had success for 25 odd years and todays kids want to support successful teams.
In recent times we have had Roman, Enic, Pompey, Al Fayed, Lerner, Kraft family etc etc. All mega rich people invest in football clubs. Man U have been bought out by Glaziers huge borrowings and Fergie is suddenly struggling to compete.
I really believe if we are to continue to grow in the business that football now is we have to change with the times. Look for investment, hopefully keep our great traditions in tact. Even Brown who does love West Ham in some sort of advisory capacity.
Its bloody sad i know, but football isn't going to go back to what it was in the past.
Sh1t i hope i make sense here, i welcome all comments that may make me understand if i am right or wrong.

[Footstomper]

Me to stomps with certain reservations.

West Ham is a very much a working class area. Old school East Londoners have mainly moved out into the suburbs or like many of us overseas.
Which basically means we have to attract local support through community projects or success on the field of play. East London is no longer the same as we lived in and i loved living in. With tickets being bloody high many families can't afford to attend matches on a regular basis. Shirt and other commercial item sales are luxuries battlers can't afford. Talking to an old friend recently he takes his kids to 3-4 games a season. His kids got hammers shirts for christmas he's on a reasonable wage but attending a match would cost between 120- 200 pound for the whole family.
The club is owned by its original owners decendants, plus TB. All wealthy people but not mega rich or prepared to invest in the playing squad.
Some 6 years back i spent some time showing the kids my old haunts. I was astounded by the amount of Man U Arsenal and other club shirts i saw in our area. A recent (sort of survey) on a site saw no future for growth support from many youngsters in the West Ham catchment area. They concluded we have not had success for 25 odd years and todays kids want to support successful teams.
In recent times we have had Roman, Enic, Pompey, Al Fayed, Lerner, Kraft family etc etc. All mega rich people invest in football clubs. Man U have been bought out by Glaziers huge borrowings and Fergie is suddenly struggling to compete.
I really believe if we are to continue to grow in the business that football now is we have to change with the times. Look for investment, hopefully keep our great traditions in tact. Even Brown who does love West Ham in some sort of advisory capacity.
Its bloody sad i know, but football isn't going to go back to what it was in the past.
Sh1t i hope i make sense here, i welcome all comments that may make me understand if i am right or wrong.
I think you're right. I guess I was hoping we could make it under our own steam. We seem to be one of the last real local teams, along with the Geordies and the mickey mousers and I dont want to lose it. I'm also really proud of our academy and I'm worried that if we start splashing the cash on instant success the youth are gonna suffer. And why dont we have any asians in our team?

[15woodcroft]

I don't fear investment in the club, by all means bring it on. But real investment builds on the assets that already exist, the academy, the fan loyalty, a squad of young premium-priced english talent, and a thorough and studied approach to player management under a progressive coach, all the positives the club has right now.

But I worry that whomever buys the club just wants to use the club as a showroom floor, with a revolving list of players in and out the door.

[west_ham]

I share all the sentiments expressed here so far. It's always a scary prospect being taken over by the devil we don't know, so to speak, but like Scout says we can't wind the clock back. Like it or not we have to move with the times if we are even going to survive in this league.

I just hope that we can keep our traditional qualities in tact and learn from the mistakes that the likes of Chelski have made through having so much money pumped their way. I remember when Roman first arrived and Ranieri was being interviewed. His face was beaming at the prospect of having loads of money to spend on players. Personally I find it quite a serious predicament to have to deal with and I am only a fan.

One of the biggest things I think we have to lose is our reputation. We could well have people calling us hypocrits after criticising Chelski's alleged money laundering when we are now doing it ourselves.

[claret50]

Sh1t i hope i make sense here, i welcome all comments that may make me understand if i am right or wrong.

You always make sense Mike, and no one is ever wrong about something they believe is right either, after so many years of supporting this club, it would be really good to see some silverware in the trophy cabinet at long last, ideally, it would be great to maintain our small club "family" football club image, but as you say, times have changed and we have to move on, like it or lump it, so if this proposed takeover by the MSI group goes ahead, I'm all for it, and the sweetener could be that the spudz might become our feeder club.;)

[GringoTex]

The quick money in football is to be made by buying and selling players not owning a club


Is this really true? Who has ever spent a a hundred million on players and then turned and around and sold them for a profit? Obviously, smaller clubs can develop a player and sell him for a huge profit, but the buying of an already established superstar and selling him for a profit is rare.

[TheNewOrleansHammer]

I think you're right. I guess I was hoping we could make it under our own steam. We seem to be one of the last real local teams, along with the Geordies and the mickey mousers and I dont want to lose it. I'm also really proud of our academy and I'm worried that if we start splashing the cash on instant success the youth are gonna suffer. And why dont we have any asians in our team?


If this takeover really does happen, my hope would be that Pardew is allowed to do things his own way. I could see him buying english internationals before the Ballack's and Shevchenko's of this world. So who knows maybe we'll get Joe and Rio back. :rolleyes: How nice would that be?

UP THE HAMMERS!!!

[Footstomper]

If this takeover really does happen, my hope would be that Pardew is allowed to do things his own way. I could see him buying english internationals before the Ballack's and Shevchenko's of this world. So who knows maybe we'll get Joe and Rio back. :rolleyes: How nice would that be?

UP THE HAMMERS!!!
Nah. You can never go home. Anyway we've got the best of the bro's

[TheresaWHUFC]

Like some of you here, I can't help feeling a little uneasy about a possible takeover by Joorabchian (allegedly an Arse supporter btw), Russian bloke or whoever. In an ideal world it our knights in shining armour would be a Cottee-led consortium, Tabor or any other true West Ham fan, and I'll admit I'm finding it hard to accept the way that our beautiful game is going these days.

I read a lot of papers yesterday seeing as we featured so heavily (front and back pages of the currant bun ffs!!!) and there was a very interesting piece written in the Express (of all places) by someone (I think) by the name of Willson. I'll try and find a link but apparently he's a fan and is worried about the consequences of us being sold to MSI or their associates, and in his words, "selling our soul". We've all cried out for someone, maybe anyone, to oust Brown in the last few years, but as this Express bloke said, "Be careful what you wish for".

Apologies if this has been done to death elsewhere, I don't want to sound like a party pooper, I just want what's best for West Ham United. Anyway, I'm off to watch our new boys v Brazil and I'm sure that's gonna make me forget these niggling little worries at the back of my mind :)

[Batcave Brigade]

Like some of you here, I can't help feeling a little uneasy about a possible takeover by Joorabchian (allegedly an Arse supporter btw), Russian bloke or whoever. In an ideal world it our knights in shining armour would be a Cottee-led consortium, Tabor or any other true West Ham fan, and I'll admit I'm finding it hard to accept the way that our beautiful game is going these days.

I read a lot of papers yesterday seeing as we featured so heavily (front and back pages of the currant bun ffs!!!) and there was a very interesting piece written in the Express (of all places) by someone (I think) by the name of Willson. I'll try and find a link but apparently he's a fan and is worried about the consequences of us being sold to MSI or their associates, and in his words, "selling our soul". We've all cried out for someone, maybe anyone, to oust Brown in the last few years, but as this Express bloke said, "Be careful what you wish for".

Apologies if this has been done to death elsewhere, I don't want to sound like a party pooper, I just want what's best for West Ham United. Anyway, I'm off to watch our new boys v Brazil and I'm sure that's gonna make me forget these niggling little worries at the back of my mind :)


Well supposedly Tabor is part of the consortium backing Kia along with Arab oil tycoons. Having Tabor in there will probably put the boards minds at ease.

[norwaytips]

Talk of Tabor? I never knew June was interested in football:confused:

[blainehammer]

Hey Guys and Girls it is no use worrying about things we can't control. We can only complain about things that have happened.

So chill and wait and see how this thing unfolds.

Up the Irons.

[ballard45]

Hey Guys and Girls it is no use worrying about things we can't control. We can only complain about things that have happened.

So chill and wait and see how this thing unfolds.

Up the Irons.


Spot on blaine.

You know what I am finding more and more interesting is the amount of opinion being spewed forth by various sections of the media. Also the supposed comment from Manure and the Arse that they turned the players down.

Methinks that perhaps a green-eyed monster is a work. The media hates to think of West Ham being anything but a mid-table club and the so-called 'big 4' are pissed off that a club such as West Ham dare think about joining the elite.

Based on some of the outpourings of dribble, can it be assumed that Michael Carrick was 'parked' at Spurs until such time that a 'big' club could get him. I don't recall seeing the media or others speculating on that deal!

Regardless of whether these players are at West Ham for 5 years or 5 minutes, the fact is they are here and hopefully will fit in and give us something extra. As I mentioned in an earlier post, if these 2 allow us greater success then other players will not only want to come to us but more importantly our home grown talent will not want to leave to join a so-called 'big' club because we will be one of them!

An interesting time ahead for the Hammers but one that I am sure AP will manage in his unflappable style.

[northbankbar]

I have to agree with everything you've said Ballard.

The media hates to think of West Ham being anything but a mid-table club

Especially this. I wrote something to the same effect on another board as I think this is a major theme running through all the media stories. Any club outside the big four (plus maybe Spurs and Newcastle) who has any decent players are talked about as if they're going to sell them. We seem to come off worst in this respect, maybe because of our track record of developing great players and not being able to keep hold of them.

It's easy for the press to keep harping on about us not being able to keep any player coveted by another club - many of them are lazy b****ds and filling up column inches with this kind of speculation means they can finish early and enjoy a long lunch without having to tax their brains too much.

How long did it take before Ashton and Harewood were going to be sold after they became too "good" for little old us? There was no way Pards was going to sell either of them (especially Ashton who'd been with us for a matter of months), but that didn't matter to the journos looking for some b.s. to spout.

[northbankbar]

If the quotes from Zahavi are accurate it just backs up how inaccurate the media reports are.

http://www.kumb.com/0506_story.php?id=11855

Intersting that the quotes from Gill at Man Utd seem to contradict them. Maybe Zahavi means that he only had contractual talks with West Ham. Obviously an agent would be talking about a great deal of things to various clubs in the course of a transfer window.