Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Cock a Hoop

Look who's managed to spawn himself another year's paid leave in a Premier League treatment room. Now 32, Kieron Dyer mustered a staggeringly poor 34 appearances in four years at West Ham, at a cost of over £175,000 each (not taking into account his sizeable wage packet). The Hammers can't say we didn't warn them. And now the Little Waster has scored another pay day, moving across London to newly promoted QPR.

Dyer had the audacity to claim: "I've got something to prove after the couple of years I've had, but I feel good and I'm really looking forward to playing my part next season." "The last couple of years"? Seriously?! He's hardly kicked a ball since the middle of the last decade. Meanwhile his new gaffer Colin Wanker declared: "I instantly liked him when we met. You get feelings like that as a manager." Just you wait, Colin - you might be regretting your decision when he demands that the team coach turns around so he can return to an away dressing room to collect a diamond earring...

Only a few days ago I commented about the Hoops keeping their transfer powder conspicuously dry, but in addition to Dyer they've just announced the signing of former Toon target Jay Bothroyd, also on a free. The journeyman striker is determined to add to his solitary England cap - and, with Demba Ba recently arrived at St James', he probably stands a better chance of doing that by getting regular football in west London.

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6 Comments:

Anonymous fred149 said...

dont worry if you dont do well enough this year demba ba will soon be off again hes a money grabbing hoar

10:54 pm  
Blogger Ben said...

Hammers fan? Not sure why you're bitter - it's not as though Ba could have done much more to keep you up in his brief stint at Upton Park. Why not direct your anger at all the others who underperformed?

As for chasing the cash, he was always likely to be cherry-picked by a Premier League side, as one of your best players and someone your board will have been keen to get off the wage bill.

If anyone's followed the money, it's Kevin Nolan - why else would he drop down a division? Still, I'd guess that most Newcastle fans wish him well - he was more forced out than chose to leave.

11:22 pm  
Anonymous fred149 said...

Its more the way he left then leaving thats left many hammers fans bitter including me . Nolan dropped down a division because of allardyce and allardyce is the reason he left bolton for newcastle anyway. I do hope newcastle do well though but believe me i rhink some of you newcastle fans really underestimate good old pardew. You wouldnt mind telling me why you fans dont like pardew would you

2:03 am  
Blogger Ben said...

Just to correct a falsehood that's been doing the rounds: Allardyce didn't sign Nolan for us. He was sacked in January 2008, and Nolan didn't join until a year later, when Joe Kinnear was (nominally) in charge. But yes, his affiliation with Fat Sam was no doubt a significant factor in his decision.

As for Pardew, I don't think it's fair to say that he's generally disliked - it's more that we're wary/mistrustful of him. He and the squad certainly did a decent job last season - but he was always going to have trouble winning some fans around after replacing a very popular manager in Chris Hughton, one who never deserved the sack. To have seemed to collude with Mike Ashley in the whole affair, and be rewarded with a five-year deal when the man who got us straight back up with over 100 points couldn't get an extension of any kind, was bound to get people's backs up.

The major sticking point now, as I see it, is his habit of making bold declarations and then weaselling his way out of them eg Andy Carroll will not be sold etc. Either he brazenly lies to the fans, or he genuinely believes what he's saying is true, only to be undermined by Ashley and then have to backtrack. Definite question marks over how much control/authority he has - a bit of a puppet, I think.

8:30 pm  
Anonymous fred149 said...

i know hughton didnt deserve to get sacked but i think alot of people seem to take it out on pardew when all he did was apply for the job and believe me pardew is very shrewd in the transfer market/ he doesnt often sign players who arent capable

12:53 am  
Blogger Ben said...

I think he was a bit lucky to get the job, and certainly a contract as long as he did. But as I say he's done well enough so far.

The transfer issue thing is interesting. The West Ham fan who wrote us an opinion piece earlier in the week said much the same as you - but like a lot of fans I'm sceptical as to exactly how much control Pardew has over signings. He may be canny with a bit of cash, but it strikes me that it's really the money men who are calling the shots.

1:10 am  

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