Furthermore, Grant is renowned for bleeding through the younger talent at whichever club he may be stewarding at that particular time. With the possibility of wantaways and deserters this summer, Grant would have been ideal for picking and choosing the best of his academy and youth players to step up to the plate and become heroes at their beloved club. At this time of peril the West Ham players need a bit of solidarity in their player management and having a relatively experienced manager who has proven that he can win things tossed aside so nonchalantly may have a considerable impact. If it was up to me I would have given Grant a season in the championship, a league in which a manager like himself with the team he has at his disposal should easily shoot straight back out of, however it seems the two Daves have something else up their sleeves for the forthcoming season.
The final thing to consider with the Hammers relegation is what might happen to their takeover of the Olympic stadium after the 2012 Olympic Games. Whilst the club have a good three years to secure their place back in the top flight before they move all their stuff in, there must be some worries as to what would happen if they didn’t re-establish themselves as a Premiership club over the next three seasons. Surely there must be something in the form of small print that says the club needing to be bringing in the sixty thousand capacity on a regular basis, and when the team could well be playing the likes of Doncaster Rovers (no disrespect intended Donny fans) for the next three years if they don’t get out of this rut, the club may run into some serious trouble along the line.
Furthermore, with relegation to the Championship, West Ham have the daunting prospects of visiting, and being visited by, the likes of Millwall, Leeds, and (possibly) Cardiff next season. Whilst the Inner City Firm might enjoy a bit of a punch up with the likes of The Service Crew and the Bushwhackers, the fans mustn’t forget what happened when the Hammers and Millwall met in the League Cup a few seasons ago; the club simply cannot afford to dish out payments for fines, and deal with the negative press that goes hand in hand with hooliganism. They simply cannot afford to have the image of the club tarnished by a small minority who feel that being an extreme violence merchant is what the club requires.
Should this happen, the London Olympic committee and the Mayor of London may collectively bellow “What the shit have we gotten ourselves into here?” and not be so welcoming in what they offer events-wise, and therefore money-wise to the new build, landing the club in unnecessary debt.
All in all though, I sincerely hope this doesn’t happen to West Ham. I’ve enjoyed their presence in the top flight for the last six years and whilst they certainly have made a bit of a booboo this year, I’m confident in the idea that the board will turn their fortunes around and they’ll be back in the top flight in a mere fourty six games, with a brand spanking new stadium to settle into, complete with a track to send Robbie Keane around a few times to make him sharper for pouncing onto balls fizzed across the six yard box.
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