Our future manager is... Avram Grant

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WestHamByTheSea
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by WestHamByTheSea »

Since Avram took over I've noticed the pop-up that appears when I log onto KUMB has changed from one from a gambling website to one for The Economist. Being in a fine mood as I am, having been for a 8 mile walk round Poole Harbour on this beautiful day, I choose to interpret this mere coincidence as being a metaphor for more stable times ahead instead of the frantic fiscal madness of late. :thup:


...particularly like the tips on Northern Rock and Enron in that mag, too...what can go wrong?
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hammer1975
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by hammer1975 »

Tel The Hammer wrote: I just hope that some of the dopey, fickle supporters who frequent the Boleyn Ground realise that it isn't going to be like watching Brazil play every week. We had some top, top times and results under Curbishley, yet some still thought it was right to sing "You're getting sacked in the morning" to him when we were losing at home to Macclesfield in the League Cup.

God only knows what kind of stick Grant will get if we have to grind out a few home victories.

I think he's a very Curbs like appointment, which is fine by me. Some of the people who expect us to play like a John Lyall side every week, which won't be and isn't possible for a club of our stature in this day and age, could turn against Grant very quickly.
too true Tel
let's just hope he hires Zola's PR man....i swear that man could dish up the shitest, dullest, least imaginative football I've seen in my entire life and still people talk in mellow, dreamy tones about his 'attacking football'....

IMO we need a period of strengthening the team with 'known' quantities like Hunt, O'Hara, Chpora, LBM, Yakubu, Davies, Shorey, Young to complement the strong spine that so dramatically underperformed under Zola's guiding hands....not a continuation of the football manager type obsession that has dominated this forum for the last two seasons....I'm actually really positive about next season and think with the right bottom prem/top CC players in the wide positions and a manager that ensures the team are motivated and understand their roles then we could finish 7 places higher comfortably (with much more exciting football using the width but accepting we will need to grind out some 1-0's).
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by Denbighammer »

Great post, says it all. Not sure that you'll get what you wish for but the sentiment is spot on.

Good luck Avram! :thup:
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by PATISH »

Chrissieboy wrote:I can't even begin to say how underwhelmed I am about this. I have a lot of Pompey mates and though they liked his bit of passion none of them are sad to see him go and didn't really rate his managerial style, tactics or substitutions. Sounds perfect us.
Pompey fans have a point, he is a mediocre tactician, I know of him for over 20 years and I am not very impressed with his on the pitch performances and decisions

BUT
The man is a grand master motivator, I have never seen an equal to him, simply magic, the players will "eat" the grass to please him and bottom line will make us all proud of the team, I have no doubt (any more).

Come on you IRONS :crest:
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by beckton »

hammer1975 wrote: too true Tel
let's just hope he hires Zola's PR man....i swear that man could dish up the shitest, dullest, least imaginative football I've seen in my entire life and still people talk in mellow, dreamy tones about his 'attacking football'....

I've seen people post on this forum that Zola was given a hard time by the fans, I think he got the easiest ride of any West Ham manager in the last 30 years.
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by SiO »

Well, I am sure that you're correct re: Zola....... but I remember a thread that questioned what the average Hammer wanted.

My post then, as is now, is that my basic desire is that we avoid relegation, maybe push the top 8, but play some attractive football along the way... I am certain that Curbs would have stabilised us, and I am am absolutely certain that at times Zola's team played worse football than Curbs did, but I am wondering if we are now looking back at Curbs' regime with claret-tinted glasses because Zola didn't do well last year... The year before, many were celebrating GFZ's tenure.

I am still adamant that Curbs' spell in charge was the least enjoyable of my 25yr following... Not that I am damning his remit but just for my own desires... GFZ did well season 1 then floundered... I hope like **** that Grant manages to find the middle ground between stabilisation and WHU traditions.

I for one welcome his appointment and hope that he is able to buy players to move us forward... Not just Pompey players... just don't believe he would be that narrow in is search, esp with a few more quid

Welcome Avram :crest:
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by North Devon Hammer »

Look on the bright side. If it looks like it's going Tits up he could probably arrange for the IDF to storm the stadium, shoot a few of the opposition players whilst claiming that they were being threatened with deadly sharp studs and blockade Stamford Bridge.
With Gullivans dubious contacts and Grants possible ability to call on his "friends from the East" we should carry genuine threat next season.

OK, I admit it, I'm bored and the World cup is still over a week away :oops: .
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by WoodgateHammer »

Well one thing is for sure..........."Avram Grant and his claret and blue army" rolls off the tongue very easy :thup:
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by MacGill »

David Gold: "He has a great sense of humour and I'm sure the players will relate to him and the fans will warm to him."

Oh, so we have employed a comedian? I was hoping we might employ a footballing man like Gianfranco Zola or Arsene Wenger. A man with a win percentage of 20% in the Premier League last season. A man with an inability to win vital football matches. A man who has failed in his last 2 jobs in English football. A man who has a relegation on his C.V and a propensity to make excuses. Is this the man to lead West Ham into this brave new era? Probably not, but he will do whatever Sullivan tells him to.

We await your first moves Avram......

The world of West Ham United is watching you closely! Don't let us down......
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by WoodgateHammer »

A man that can clearly motivate his players - look at what they acheived after Grant took over - yes they got relegated but that wasn't completely down to the players, had they not lost those nine points, I truly believe Grant could have saved them and it would have been a **** load harder for us.

Let's not forget also, the man almost won the Champions League two years ago, he's no mug which is a great start for us.

I just hope that Grant stays for the full four years or more whatever happens, we need stability more than anything else, then the move to the Stratford stadium, then onwards from there.
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by Faubert's Boot »

MacGill wrote:David Gold: "He has a great sense of humour and I'm sure the players will relate to him and the fans will warm to him."

Oh, so we have employed a comedian? I was hoping we might employ a footballing man like Gianfranco Zola or Arsene Wenger. A man with a win percentage of 20% in the Premier League last season. A man with an inability to win vital football matches. A man who has failed in his last 2 jobs in English football. A man who has a relegation on his C.V and a propensity to make excuses. Is this the man to lead West Ham into this brave new era? Probably not, but he will do whatever Sullivan tells him to.

We await your first moves Avram......

The world of West Ham United is watching you closely! Don't let us down......
****ing hell you dont half talk some tripe. Lets keep zola who almost got us relegated, had no tactical sense and apparently had lost the respect of the players (respect and friendship are different matters). Arsene Wenger...... :lol:
I wouldnt class him as a comedian either really, i would zola, the **** i saw last season was hilairious.
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by WoodgateHammer »

North Devon Hammer wrote:OK, I admit it, I'm bored and the World cup is still over a week away :oops: .
-
Painful wait innit....
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by Trap1 »

MacGill wrote:David Gold:

Oh, so we have employed a comedian?

No, as Mr Gold said, Mr Grant has a sense of humour. It's a perfectly natural human quality MacGill.



I was hoping we might employ a footballing man like Gianfranco Zola or Arsene Wenger.

We did employ a footballing man, I'll send you a copy of his cv.

A man who has a relegation on his C.V and a propensity to make excuses.

Or the man who took a team to the champions league final and was a penalty kick away from triumph?

Is this the man to lead West Ham into this brave new era? Probably not, but he will do whatever Sullivan tells him to.

Well considering he has instructed the board to sign up half a dozen players then I doubt it is a one sided relationship


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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by bobd_uk »

MacGill wrote:I was hoping we might employ a footballing man like Gianfranco Zola
A man who got us 7 less points than the relegation season under the mighty Glenn Roeder you mean?
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by cockneylol »

I guess that means no more mid season breaks in Dubai then?
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by Dogmatic »

Can anyone confirm what signings Avram has been responsible for while at pompey and chelsea?
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by BabyClaret »

Dogmatic wrote:Can anyone confirm what signings Avram has been responsible for while at pompey and chelsea?
At Chelsea? Anelka, Ivanovic and Di Santo.

At Portsmouth? Tosic, Rocha and Quincy.
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by Northern Paulo »

MacGill wrote:David Gold: "He has a great sense of humour and I'm sure the players will relate to him and the fans will warm to him."

Oh, so we have employed a comedian? I was hoping we might employ a footballing man like Gianfranco Zola or Arsene Wenger. A man with a win percentage of 20% in the Premier League last season. A man with an inability to win vital football matches. A man who has failed in his last 2 jobs in English football. A man who has a relegation on his C.V and a propensity to make excuses. Is this the man to lead West Ham into this brave new era? Probably not, but he will do whatever Sullivan tells him to.

We await your first moves Avram......

The world of West Ham United is watching you closely! Don't let us down......
I'm sure he'll have taken note of your comments/reservations, and will await your verdict with bated breath, just like the rest of us. :asleep:

Grant is just the type of manager we need at this time.
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by Cuenca 'ammer »

It's probably futile asking for people to be reallistic, so I won't bother.

Any expectation of the Chumps league in my life time (and to be honest I hope that I live for a while yet) people should got into hibernation, and we'll wake you up later.

Realistically this team should have finished about 10-14th but more likely around 12/13th. We had some decent players, some good players and some gash players. Good players take you only so far. Even crap players can play hard and work their bolleaux off. Ours never seemed to. IF, and it's a big if, the new manager who ever we might/could/have got, can get our boys playing at 30% better than last year, I would think that it would have gotten us maybe 9 extra points. That said, if we could get everyone on the same page shape wise, whether it be 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 4-4-2 and play that way with everyone knowing what is expected of them, we could realistically moved up 4 places without any problems.

The are 3 phases of the game and it is quite simple. When you have the ball. When your opponent has the ball. The moment it changes hands (whether you lose or gain possession). To be honest we were ***** in transition. When we got possession we never got players forward quick enough to support the striker(s). When we lost possession we never got back quick enough or put pressure on our oppnonet and slow them down enough for us to regain our shape. If we could fix just a few things, with the squad we had alone, we would have been as I say maybe 9 points better off. Now we could and we hopefully will strengthen some areas that need strengthening. We should play to our strengths which last year apart from not knowing what they were, we never did. As many have pointed out, most players were not aware of what they should do, their roles and responsibilities. Just fixing those bits, I believe we would not have struggled as much as we did. Yes, we would have struggled the team is good enough to push on, of that I think we are all agreed. BUT, we are not 12 players away from being a mid table team.

Grant might bring that to the table, and if he does, next year will be better. Then progress can be made, we might be a more attractive proposition than other teams around us, (Sunderland/Wigan/Brum etc) and then we might attract a few better players. You are not going to attract even merely decent players to a team that is constantly struggling and hardly ever puts up a fight.

imvhfo.
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Re: Our future manager is... Avram Grant

Post by sendô »

Four year deal? That'll cost the club when they inevitably sack him in 18 months time.
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