Sam Baldock: departure confirmed

[Simply Moore]

lol I can't believe we have a thread basically about how tall players are, we've reached new lows

[Denbighammer]

lol I can't believe we have a thread basically about how tall players are, we've reached new lows

Or highs, depending on how tall the player is.

[englebert]

Baldock isnt good enough for the premiership, certainly not at the moment. We cant afford to give him 10 games to see if he can improve enough.

He cant play as a lone striker or wide right either. Certainly not in the tactics we employ anyway.

He would have got a few for us last year in the right circumstances. Didnt happen though.

Good luck for him at Bristol if he joins

[floydie_hammer]

If he scores goals, why did he not score in about 20 games last season?

Didn't he score 5 in 6 games when he was given a chance? After injury the next 14 were mostly just 5 minutes off the bench stuck out on the wing.

And one of those 5 was one of the very few 1 on 1s with a keeper that anyone in a west ham shirt managed last season

[HamburgHammer]

We are going back and forth on this thread, Baldock supporters on the one hand and Baldock doubters on the other hand.
We've been talking about his lack of height, about so-called sitters he missed, whether he has ever been given a fair shot by Big Sam, why other clubs are not lining up for his signature and so on.
As previously mentioned on this thread by many Baldock has actually scored regularlay when played for several games in a row.
He obviously didn't score when he was injured and when he was only getting a few minutes here and there.
Played regularly in preseason again, guess what ? He has been our best goalscorer.

Regardless of his height, IF played in the Premiere League on a regular basis he would score goals as that is what Baldock will always do, in thenear future for Bristol City, Brighton or Charlton I reckon. West Ham will move on as apparently we are in for two top strikers (Tevez/Carroll) and even if we don't get those there are apparently back up options lined up who'd also be above Baldock in the pecking order, together with Cole, Maiga, Vaz Te and Maynard. So even if Baldock scored a hattrick each side of halftime against Ipswich I unfortunately no longer see a future for him at West Ham.

And you can say what you want: I have a feeling this Baldock thing isn't entirely about football.A lot of you said there is no problem between Big Sam and Baldock. Maybe. But what a (more important) teammate not getting along with Baldock ?
Or Baldock demanding more time on the pitch and other strikers getting pissed off about that ? This would not be something the club would want to get out in the public domain.

Still to this day, I just don't get the point of selling Baldock after just one season at the club, with three years left on his contract and a wage so low it wouldn't make that much of a difference to the overall financial situation. I acknowwledge the need to ship out the deadwood, but does Baldock really fall into that category ? Or is he, at this point, a very useful, talented and cheap squad player with a purpose, like O'Neil, O'Brien or Maynard ?

[Denbighammer]

But what a (more important) teammate not getting along with Baldock ?
Or Baldock demanding more time on the pitch and other strikers getting pissed off about that ? This would not be something the club would want to get out in the public domain.

This is pointless, idle speculation. Unless you can name this mystery 'important' player?
I should hope Baldock is demanding more playing time, its the least I'd expect. Why would other strikers be annoyed at him wanting to play more? and why the club would care if that came out I don't know?

Still to this day, I just don't get the point of selling Baldock after just one season at the club, with three years left on his contract and a wage so low it wouldn't make that much of a difference to the overall financial situation. I acknowwledge the need to ship out the deadwood, but does Baldock really fall into that category ? Or is he, at this point, a very useful, talented and cheap squad player with a purpose, like O'Neil, O'Brien or Maynard ?

I don't think anyone actively wants him sold, just doesn't care that much if he is shipped out as there are better strikers infront of him in the pecking order. One of them being Maynard IMO.

[Aztec Hammer]

The last couple of posts remind me of that Soccer AM teammates video when Maynard says Baldock is the best trainer at the club 'god likes a trier'..

[upton o'good]

lol I can't believe we have a thread basically about how tall players are, we've reached new lows :

Or highs, depending on how tall the player is.

But since this is a thread about Sam, not that high

I dont think i have expressed my view on Sam yet - so here goes. Quite unconvinced by him - reasonable but not outstanding finisher at championship level - and doesnt really fit any system bar 4-4-2. Cant see him making the grade at prem level. If he is happy to stay and play from the bench, he's probably worth keeping as a cheap alternative option assuming we arent going to pick up another poacher. But the new Cottee he is not.

The fact that no leading team in teh championship feel the need to add him to their squad, when it is clear he is probably gettable suggests that the doubts about him are shared.

[hudds town hammer]

The last couple of posts remind me of that Soccer AM teammates video when Maynard says Baldock is the best trainer at the club 'god likes a trier'..

thats just what i was thinking

[Cambiasso]

....
As previously mentioned on this thread by many Baldock has actually scored regularlay when played for several games in a row.
He obviously didn't score when he was injured and when he was only getting a few minutes here and there.
Played regularly in preseason again, guess what ? He has been our best goalscorer....

In the end he hasn't had the opportunity to play regularly - deserved or not. For me this means he's still unproven at Championship level --- an unknown quantity. I think the reason that Championship clubs haven't been lining up for him is that even the modest price tag being banded about is too much given his record or lack-there-of in that division. For those smaller clubs the price to performance/ability ratio is probably still too high. Only time will tell whether he can cut it or not. A part of me would like to think he can. That's why I think he should be loaned out rather than sold. Even if he's not first division material, at least if he does well he might attract a few more bids next transfer window.

[Denbighammer]

I think the reason that Championship clubs haven't been lining up for him is that even the modest price tag being banded about is too much given his record or lack-there-of in that division. For those smaller clubs the price to performance/ability ratio is probably still too high.

I'm not so sure. Blackburn have spent £3m on Leon Best, now he's got injured they are looking at Jordan Rhodes who would be pretty expensive. I cannot believe that clubs like Blackburn, Blackpool, Bolton, Brighton (he'd fit in with their football), Leeds, Forest, Sheff Wed or Wolves wouldn't be linming up if he was that highly rated amongst the football world. Lets not forget Baldock was scoring at a similar rate to Rhodes, in the the same League at the start of last season and we hardly had to fight off a big queue of clubs to get him from MKD did we?

That's why I think he should be loaned out rather than sold. Even if he's not first division material, at least if he does well he might attract a few more bids next transfer window.

Agree, he should be loaned out. I'd like to keep him. Perhaps the club need the money, perhaps they rememeber what happened to Sears when we loaned him out and he never scored. His value, such that it was, disappeared overnight.

[EvilC]

The last couple of posts remind me of that Soccer AM teammates video when Maynard says Baldock is the best trainer at the club 'god likes a trier'..

You could apply that phrase to HamburgBaldock, sorry HamburgHammer, as well.

[jaybs]

On many types of forums this thread would be locked by now! we are coming up with nothing new, we are completely three ways some like Sam and think he can develop, others just don't like him and some would at least give him a chance or loan him out for a while.

This old potato about height is a joke, that may be right in Big Sam's old school, but the tallest lad up front, does not mind if he can play football or has a brain just aim the ball in the air to his head! we may get four goals in a season off him that way! what a JOKE!

[chunkay]

It'll get interesting again when something happens in the transfer saga.

[hammerdivone]

If he scores goals, why did he not score in about 20 games last season?

Didn't he score 5 in 6 games when he was given a chance? After injury the next 14 were mostly just 5 minutes off the bench stuck out on the wing.

And one of those 5 was one of the very few 1 on 1s with a keeper that anyone in a west ham shirt managed last season

A point I have made continuously but seems to be ignored by most, don't waste your breath floydie as they need someone to run down!

[D C]

Le Fondre didnt need much more than that to find the back of the net for Reading.

If he was this great natural goalscorer he would have scored off the bench or on the wing surely?

[happydaystoytown]

There seems to be a ridiculous amount of knee jerking and slashing generalisation about Baldock based mainly on his height, a handful of games and who isn't kicking the door down to buy him.

How long has Cole been given, to not fulfil his potential and when he was available, who wanted him.
But he's a big lump, which seems to be the main criteria in some people's eyes.

Lets get this into perspective, he's not expensive, he was promising at a lower level, he's only had a handful of games to prove what he can do now and what he might be capable of in the future and yet apparently he isn't prem quaity and never will be.
We don't know yet.

If he doesn't want to wait for his chance then fair enough, let him go, (preferably on loan) but this criticism of a promising, seemingly professional young striker who's done nothing wrong is totally unwarranted.

[HamburgHammer]

Thank God we're trying to sign Mohsni for 150K, and he can play also anywhere on the pitch. So as soon as Baldock is sold, Mohsni can become our new natural goalscorer. IF we increase our offer and sign Mohsni surely this will be our best signing of the window and the sale of Baldock will make much more sense...

[Aztec Hammer]

I really don't think there is even one more unique argument regarding Baldock that hasn't already been put forward in this thread. It's getting quite tedious now!

[Muddy]

Still think the best option is to loan him out. If he does well and Sam still doesn't fancy him at least it increases his value.