West Ham Banter 4

19 May 2026 07:44:35
What's most worrying for me is recruitment.

I see today Wolves are chasing Raul Jimenez, so they are already building for a quick return.

We couldn't recruit properly in the Premier League, so we've got no chance in the Championship under these owners.



We need somebody who knows the Championship and how to recruit players.

If, as suspected, Spurs get at least a point tonight, I would hope we get on with rebuilding or selling quickly.

19 May 2026 14:45:21
With Sully still there, you've got no hope.

18 May 2026 13:12:37
Relegation is now a certainty. Therefore, I would get rid of Fernandes, Diouf, Ariola and Pablo, alongside the loanees. This would gain us about £90m, alongside the parachute payment that would mean £130m plus £400k approx each week in wages.


I would play hard ball with the squad and say no one else is leaving, you've got to get us up!
The players signed contracts, so they can abide by them. It's now time for the board to grow a pair.

18 May 2026 15:15:03
Hmm. Maybe a little wishful thinking here, my friend.

Not that I disagree with you about enforcing contracts, but it is very difficult to do in practice. Most of the sales money will go to reducing general debts, whilst the parachute money will be for players.

WH are already starting to sound out Championship possibles starting today. The first contact was with Brighton for Igor Julio, the CB we had on loan. His contract expires next year, so a loan looks a no-go, but a small fee may suffice.



Long road coming up. Disasi returns to Chelsea, Todibo will be sold whatever, Kilman wants to leave (only good news), if he can find any club silly enough to take him.

With the best will in the world, I cannot see Bowen taking a £75 k a week pay cut. The others you mention are all likely to leave.

It will be awkward, painful, but necessary. How we return to the Premiership is another story. Choice of manager, for me, is the most important thing before we start any rebuild. Joyfull.

18 May 2026 17:10:26
The last thing we want is another boring, inept manager. There are a good few players on massive wages that will be hard to shift as well, even if they have enforced pay cuts. We have a core of youngsters that should be ok in the Championship.



Scarles, Earthy, Kante, Potts, Mayers, Orford, Marshall, to name a few. Get them in that first team now, and try and bin as much deadwood as possible.

18 May 2026 18:05:54
Well, we have a keeper in Hermandsen. Kwp and Scarles as full backs. Kante, Potts and Earthy in midfield, and Marshall up front. All young, hungry and eager. Clearly we will need cbs, wingers and forwards.

We need serious help everywhere, and we need to act fast.

Coupled with this World Cup coming up, and we all know how the board love to drag transfers out. Gonna be long frustrating summer.

18 May 2026 20:13:51
I think Mayers is a cb, and, by all accounts, not too bad. I didn't rate him when I saw him play for us. He did nothing wrong, but not much in general, and he was being played as a left back for us. 🤷‍♂️

18 May 2026 20:41:38
Joyful, what is the situation with Taty? He was bought in January when we were in the mire, so knew he was running the risk of facing relegation. Is he likely to drop with us?

18 May 2026 21:02:12
Good question! He's on 75 k a week. Will he drop to half of that? Bear in mind that's still more than he was getting at Lazio. He is a trier, no question. At Championship level, he could do very well.

To be honest, I don't know. But if Pablo goes then Wilson's off. West Ham could try to persuade him. Maybe a deal can be struck, it's too early to say.

19 May 2026 05:36:19
Wilson has just signed an extra year's contract. He could do alright in the Championship. 🤷

19 May 2026 08:13:03
He did alright in the PL, Stevie, when he was played correctly and not stuck up front on his own.

Let's hope Nuno gets another job quickly, as he is the only one stupid enough to take Pablo off our hands.

19 May 2026 08:35:56
Brentford are trying to make a deal for Pablo, whilst don't count on Wilson to be there, Joyfull.

19 May 2026 12:41:15
I actually think Pablo would be an asset for us in the Championship.

19 May 2026 13:31:05
I've not seen anything from him that would suggest there's any sort of player in there, to be honest, Dabber, apart from running about a bit, which is what I'd expect from players anyway.

19 May 2026 14:46:17
Brentford see something in him? Amazed, I am. That's football. He's a runabout, a general nuisance, ok. Couple of good passes, that's about it for me.

19 May 2026 14:48:26
I think whoever goes, we need to get top dollar for them, rather than our usual buy high, sell low.

19 May 2026 15:20:12
Unfortunately we aren't really negotiating from a position of strength when it comes to demands, Hammer D, as everyone will know we have to sell.

Fernandes, Summerville, Diouf and AWB would probably bring in the most. Not sure about the others. Bowen looks like he's lost a bit of pace, but would still be 30 million id think. The rest are just a wages dump, really.

20 May 2026 09:17:45
Totally take both your points about Pablo, but a hard-running worker who puts in the effort and has a decent pass is exactly what we'll need down there. The fact that Brentford are looking at him must mean there is something, as what wouldn't we do for their recruitment strategy of the last few seasons?

18 May 2026 08:30:17
Time dropped off two friends, didn’t get home till 2am, missed just 3 games, this season

After yesterday, I’m thinking, do I need this anymore?

I expected us to come flying out, pressure everywhere, trying to get the win.

Instead got lazy, careless attitude, presently completely fed up with it all.



Bowen, apart from scurrying about, was so poor. Even when he got a good chance, just shot tamely at the Gk.

Time for massive change, there’s no choice anyway Joyfull.

18 May 2026 09:06:52
Joyful, that's commitment, feller. 👏👏

I just feel down this morning, as I always felt we would get out of it, particularly after the good run of form post QPR. Lured into a false sense of security.

When the dust settles, and you feel up for it, can you shed some light on what you think the side might look like next season, and who you think might stay out of the current squad.

I think if we can keep Taty, at least out of the bigger names, we have someone to build round.

18 May 2026 09:49:42
If they hadn’t been already, all the players and staff will now be on the same line of thought, what’s next for me?

Nuno was shell shocked yesterday, quite rightly so. I’m not sure he would want to stay on anyway. Within the next two weeks, we will find that one out.

Agents will now start working overtime to get the best deals for their clients.

Fire sale? Not quite, although money will be needed for both debts and purchases of new players. Sullivan seems determined to get the most revenue he can out of those who wish to leave.



The situation is a very mixed bag, players' wishes, their families, etc. Fernandes is the most in demand. Man U want to steal him, naturally. Sullivan has blanked them after one call, told them to get real.
Give it a fortnight, then things will begin the long journey of taking shape, Joyful.

For me, my present thoughts are, next season I’ll probably go to the first few away games, then take a view on it. In the Championship, there’s loads of mid-week games at far away places, that’s a decision for a later date.

18 May 2026 10:27:41
With respect, Joyful, I have stood up for Nuno a lot this season, never thought he was brilliant but after the bad run had learned a lot by his mistakes. But yesterday, if ever there was a day where someone condensed all their previous failings into one game, it was then.

You are right, there were some very poor performances by some prominent players. But why play the 3 CBs, and not only that, play them in their wrong positions: Disasi on the right, Todibo on the left. He seems to think he has the masterstroke, and defence is the best form of attack. Obviously, the game was lost after 25 minutes.

We have played so much better with 4-4-2, and the games against City and Arsenal were decent performances, but should have been one offs, and both times after we played the 2 big sides he tried to stick to that formula against inferior sides. Probably our 2 worst matches this Callander year have been against Villa and Newcastle.

I have a lot of admiration for guys like yourself who travel the length and breadth of the country to watch us. I struggle to get to the LS.
The manager and many of the players let you down big time yesterday and much of the season.

18 May 2026 12:04:03
A lot of older fans, like myself, and mates, will start to appraise the situation for next season.
Travelling home, leaving places like Cardiff and Stoke at 10.30 pm on a cold winter's night, getting back at 3 am.

Maybe, maybe not.

18 May 2026 22:15:56
I feel your pain, Claret. I got home 0.30 and was up at 6am for work. I've decided to not renew my season ticket. They'll be loads of tickets available next season.

17 May 2026 18:58:09
Simple as this Spurs get a draw against Chelsea, we are relegated.

17 May 2026 19:25:58
Yup. Blown it too many times by not turning up to big games.

Time to start rebuilding. If we could keep hold of Taty, Kante, Sougassa, Hermandsen, and KWP, it's a start with a half-decent spine to the team.

17 May 2026 20:32:02
Hermandson is garbage, Phil. We will have problems in the summer. We still have JWP and Cornet on the books, and the young uns will need to step up.

17 May 2026 22:06:15
Don't forget Killman, as all other CBs will be off.

17 May 2026 22:15:52
And Fulkrug.

18 May 2026 07:22:03
Alvarez as well.

18 May 2026 07:23:59
Apologies. Hermandsen needs to go as well.
Utter garbage.
Problem with our team is that our big players don't turn up consistently, and the way the manager sets us up doesn't help.

I like Nuno and think he's done OK, but his selections leave me scratching my head.



First thing we have to do is sell and get new owners. Then flog our best assets, clear the debt and start again. Even if it takes a couple of seasons to get things right.

17 May 2026 18:56:59
Time to leave now. Work tomorrow. Five hour journey here we come.

17 May 2026 19:55:21
Brave & dedicated man Brooking, along with all you other wonderful travelling fans. 👍 I switched off at 2-0, even then fans in the Stadium were leaving. ⚒⚒⚒

17 May 2026 18:23:36
Appalling defence, just in a dream slow motion defending.

Newcastle are nothing special, lost for words.

WH are playing like their mid table, you have to ask yourself the question. Do we deserve to stay up?

On this performance definitely not Joyfull.

17 May 2026 18:58:59
3-0 Wow, we are dreadful. Summer rebuild needs to start now for the Championship, because Wolves and Burnley already have a leg up on us.

If Nuno isn't staying (and, to be honest, why should he), who takes over? Scott Parker?

17 May 2026 19:17:13
There have been a couple of players really trying, Summerville and Tatty, but our so called talisman Bowen has been absolute dogs**** and he ain't alone.

17 May 2026 20:07:50
Hammer, why should Bowen be singled out & shoulder the responsibility because he's been so fantastic for us in so many games since he's been with us, but as you rightly say he ain't alone, Manager is responsible for s*** defensive tactics especially when we've had the upper hand & leading in many games. 😡😡😡⚒⚒⚒

17 May 2026 22:15:31
Chelmsford, you are right, without doubt regarding the manager. We lost it today, and it was totally down to his nonsensical team selection and set up. But I was very disappointed with JB's performance today and over the last month or so. My feeling is he is carrying an injury, but has been playing through it. Wilson was poor, but that was down to him being played as a lone striker.

That was never going to work; he had to have a partner. Bowen has, by and large, been one of our most consistent performers through thick and thin. I'm not trying to blame it all on him, but of late he has been poor. He is one of our only game changers, and when he goes missing, it's noticeable. Just my opinion.

17 May 2026 22:44:40
I agree, Hammer-D.

18 May 2026 09:08:53
Chelms, because he's the captain buddy and did little if anything to rally and inspire his troops...

17 May 2026 17:58:24
That’s it turned it off at 2-0. 😡😡😡😡😡

17 May 2026 18:22:16
Likewise. Was gonna travel. Glad I didn't.

17 May 2026 18:30:44
We've got better since Taty came on, defensively so so poor though. Even if we got 2 you'd have to think Newcastle would get another, fingers crossed we get something early.

18 May 2026 15:05:28
Dabber Hammer 2. Totally take your point about Bowen being Captain & not inspiring others. He shouldn’t be Captain, possibly offered to him as lots looked up to him, being the shining example of the club through commitment, setting example with work rate & the club possibly hoping to keep other clubs away by flattering him with Captainship.

I obviously don't know, just an opinion! Better options, imo, Mavrapanos or Soucek, but all a bit late now. Bowen should have relinquished the Captaincy some time ago. ⚒ ⚒ ⚒ ⚒ ⚒

17 May 2026 17:56:42
We’ve bottled this. Really fancied us today when I saw line-ups. Need to go 442.

17 May 2026 18:24:41
Not arf. In a game like this, he plays one up front and 3 central defenders. This should have been a winnable game, but he has blown it big time.

17 May 2026 19:35:40
Yep, absolutely shocking tactics. Should have been 4-4-2 today. Nuno blew it! Bowen was also absolutely awful today. Where was the leadership? Instead, he preferred to hang out on the right wing, watching everybody else. It was a game for our big players today, and they failed us all! Championship football next season, and wholesale changes from top to bottom, methinks.

17 May 2026 20:06:28
Agreed, Dabber, time to clear out the entire club from top to bottom.

17 May 2026 17:54:57
And I know it's early days but again we've not turned up when it matters. Sick of watching this rubbish. 2-0 in 20 mins, and we've not laid a glove on Newcastle. Game over already.

I hope Spurs win on Tuesday to put an end to it all. Had enough.

17 May 2026 09:10:55
Well the day is here and I’m on my way, realistically nothing less than a win will do, and as we all know, we are not in control of our own destiny.

All we can hope is give it 100%. And somehow the cards fall for us.

Im not expecting them too, we haven’t had any luck at all this season, very little has gone our way.

The first 21 games under Potter is the inescapable reason why we are here today.


Que Sera Joyfull.

17 May 2026 14:11:45
Potter contributed heavily to our current position, but Nuno also has to shoulder the blame. His ridiculous team selections on occasions, his defensive tactics, and poor in-game management have thrown away precious points which could have saved us. Added to our incompetent transfer dealing, it's been an uphill struggle from day one.

17 May 2026 14:55:43
I make you wrong, Moanlegs. I blame Glenn Roeder.

17 May 2026 17:14:29
Nuno has had 30 games this season, can't really blame Potter and what happened last year, yes there are other factors, but no doubt Nuno has contributed to our current position, and, as Tin says, weird team selections and negative tactics.

We really need to go at this today. 3 points is a must.

17 May 2026 17:49:04
That was such a soft goal. He has to play a back 4, not a back 5.

17 May 2026 18:13:45
Turned it off at 2-0, Hammer. s- pass out by Hermandson. 😡 😡 Why the -- can't he bloody kick the ball upfield. 😡 😡 How Soucek got away with that handball in the box, I do not know. Cert pen for me! Spuds must be laughing their socks off. 😡 😡 ⚒ ⚒ ⚒

17 May 2026 17:51:47
IronGeez,
Under normal circumstances I just ignore your childish posts, but on this occasion you have excelled your ignorance with your pathetic personal campaign against me. No matter what his record as a football coach, Glenn Roeder was a fine man who was diagnosed during his tenure as WHU manager in 2003 with a brain tumour.

A condition which eventually took his life many years later after a courageous battle to regain his health, You should be ashamed of yourself.

17 May 2026 18:53:13
You're a total weirdo Moanlegs. We all know what i'm talking about, to use that and twist it like that. You are toxic.

17 May 2026 19:06:12
how you can call someone toxic when you make no point whatsoever is frankly bizarre to be honest

17 May 2026 23:36:06
I think it's plain for all to see who the twisted one here is.

18 May 2026 07:37:22
Amazing that everyone else is twisted but you Tin.

You've had a go at everybody on here at one point. God forbid someone should voice an opinion you don't like or agree with, but its called "freedom of speech"

Give it a rest

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