Football
FanCast guest columnist Colin
Woods is hopeful that West Ham
learn from their mistakes of last summer and bring in the right calibre of
player.
I remember my late father once saying to me, "Son if you are going to support the hammers,
embrace yourself as it is never easy." It was not quite what I wanted to
hear as I set off with him for my first ever game, but it's fair to say the old
man had a point.
We have had our disappointment's that is without question and
moments of adulation have been few and far between, but it has never stopped us
believing that one day we will become a force, live up to our potential and
finally challenge at the top end of the table on a regular basis.
I'm sure that I am one of many hammers fans that thought our time had come, when the Icelandic consortium moved in and all our previous limitations seemed a thing of the past. There was a new vibrancy around the place, belief that we could now compete financially and the common practice of selling of our best players confined to the past. Curbishley now had a seemingly open chequebook and we all waited and wondered who would arrive last summer.
All in all I don't think there were many West Ham fans that were over the moon about the arrivals last summer. Sure the likes of Scott Parker and Julien Faubert were considered excellent acquisitions; however there were certain question marks around the signings of Dyer, Ljungberg and Bellamy. All very good players when fit, but that is just it. It was a massive gamble by Curbs that backfired and that is why I refute any claims by the manager that last year we were unlucky with injuries, what did he really expect?
It is vital that we don't make the same mistakes this summer if Curbs has any hopes of being in the job come next year. He has an experience guy in Nani alongside him who will hopefully assist in bringing in the right calibre of player. There was a time at West Ham where you had to accept the clubs limitations, due to financial constraints however no such problems now exist so in my eyes, there is no longer an excuse - it is time we stepped up.
Quarter Final Spain vs. Italy. 19.45