I just wanted to say goodbye, says Collins

  • by Staff Writer
  • Friday, 27th September 2019

He had been a loyal servant of West Ham United's for 11 years since signing from Cardiff City as a 20-year-old.

Yet James Collins, affectionately known by the fan base at 'Ginge' only found out that he was being let go by West Ham when he received an email from the club confirming that he wouldn't be offered a new contract.

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Collins, who spent two successful spells at the club was the special guest on this week's episode of the Elias James Feast of Football Podcast, which is co-hosted by his lifelong friend and former colleague Danny Gabbidon.

And he revealed how his career at West Ham - a club he had grown to love - ended in the most disappointing of circumstances.

"I was coming to the end of my contract, I had five months to go," said Collins. "I'd previously spoken to Slaven Bilic during pre-season [2017/18] about another year's contract.

"He was more than keen because I'd finished the season before well. Unfortunately we didn't get off to the start we wanted and Slaven got sacked.

"David Moyes came in and it was tough for him, as he was there to make an impact himself. He didn't really want to be speaking to me about a new contract as he was concentrating on keeping West Ham up.

"He only had to the end of the year so he couldn't really make a call on me, as he might not be there himself - even though he fully believed he had the job, having kept West Ham up quite comfortably.

"That would've been an easier conversation for me, but it didn't turn out that way."

And Collins revealed that, as he prepared for what would prove to be his final ever match as a West Ham player, he still had no idea whether or not he would be offered a new deal.

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"Fast forward to the last game at Everton and in the week leading up to the game, I still didn't know if I was going to be at West Ham the following year," he recalled.

"By this time I was on to my agent saying: 'You need to speak to the owners and see what's going on'. So there was a little bit of chat, but no definitive 'yes' or 'no'.

"That was tough for me because I wanted to say 'goodbye' properly after 11 years. It's not like I was there for only six months, it was a long time. I spoke to Mark Noble and said: 'Look Nobes, this could be my last game for West Ham'.

"That's when he decided to give me the armband when I came on [as substitute at Everton]. I'm not sure if that was the final nail in the coffin without having an answer, but that's how it went.

"So weeks went by and the only conversation we had was that David Moyes had left and the new manager - which, as it turned out was Manuel Pellegrini - will have his say on you."

Then, a bombshell - as the former Welsh international finally received confirmation that he wouldn't be granted the extended contract he so desperately craved. By email...

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"I got an email on my phone from West Ham saying that I wouldn't be offered anything next year," he said. "I wasn't to know, but apparently that is a generic email that goes to every player who's out of contract.

"So naturally I was fuming - I was thinking they'd told me by email. I've learned since that that wasn't the case, but obviously there was no conversation after that and that was the end of it.

"I now know that West Ham send that email to every out of contract player. Looking back, they haven't gone: 'Right, Ginge ain't getting a contract so we'll send him an email and be done with it'. But I didn't know that at the time.

"Since then I've spoken to Manuel Pellegrini and Dave Sullivan and they've both been great. There's no ill-feeling about that any more but at the time, I was fuming as I didn't know enough about it.

"But they must have known before then; a month before, at least. They knew me as a player and what I could do. The hierachy at West Ham must have known I wasn't getting a contract."

And Collins says that his greatest regret as a result of the ongoing uncertainty is that he was never offered the opportunity to bid farewell to the many friends he had accrued at the club during his two spells there.

"I don't want to say I deserved better, but I would have liked the chance to say goodbye to the people I wanted to," he told the Podcast.

"I was 20 years of age when I went there. Anita, who works in the office, I've known her since I was 20 and I've walked out and not spoken to her. Nor the chef, or the kit man.

"It may sound stupid, but that's the sort of person I am. Even the fans, just one chance to say 'right, I'm done, thanks for everything'. Unfortunately it hasn't happened.

"I know football. I'm big enough and ugly enough to know that if a manager came up to me and went: 'Ginge, we don't want you', I'd go: 'You know what, I'll hold my hands up - what a ride'.

"I had a great time at West Ham, 11 years - just give me one chance to see who I want to see and say to the fans: 'Thank you very much, thanks for everything'.

"They gave me everything. The life I've got in London, my wife, my kids - that wouldn't have happened without West Ham. So to walk out after 11 years and not be able to show some sort of gratitude is the only gripe I've got."

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Since leaving West Ham at the end of the 2016/17 campaign, Collins has spent one brief spell at Ipswich Town, for whom he only played a handful of matches.

Yet he still believes, at the age of 36, that he could still pursue a career as a professional footballer - despite having been out of the game for a while.

"I still want to play. It's looking less likely as the weeks go on but I'm staying fit," he added. "I haven't had too many offers but the plan at the minute, at least until Christmas, is to find somewhere to play.

"I was in a similar position last year as I didn't sign for Ipswich until early January. I think pride took over a little bit; I spoke to a few clubs having got used to playing at a certain level with West Ham.

"I thought I should've still been playing at West Ham and some clubs that came in, I thought 'really'? It's probably been a little bit easier this time, but I still think I could do a job - although you get to 36 and people start thinking you're gone.

"I did well at Ipswich. I only played six games in the the end, but we won three of those and they only won five games all year.

"But the body said hang on a minute - you haven't had a pre-season, you haven't properly trained with the team and the body packed up a little bit. It took me a couple of weeks to get over it, then I got a couple of niggles and that was it.

"The way it finished at West Ham didn't help either as I was quite down about that for a while.

"So I went up to Colchester and did a little bit of training with them. I also trained with West Ham's Under 23s. That's the thing - I'm fit, but until a club sees you or it's known that you're training somewhere, they're not really going to pay attention."

For now, however, Collins is simply concentrating on the soccer schools he had recently set up with the help of some fellow pros and former players.




"I haven't done my coaching badges yet so wondered what I could do, he says. "A few people who used to work at West Ham approached me so I started one up in London, where I'm living at the moment.

"Now I've started one in Rougemont School, in Newport, for the October half term. That's for four to 15-year-olds. It's going really well, we've had lots of bookings and I'm looking forward to it.

"I'll be there for the first and last day - and I'll be teaching heading, so whoever can head it the furthest will win a prize!"

You may listen to the full, hour-long Elis James' Feast Of Football Podcast with James Collins on the BBC Sounds website.

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