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The transfer deadline closed at midnight with just the much reported and wholly expected James Collins deal being completed, as the centre back joined Aston Villa in a £5m move.
As Hammers MD Scott Duxbury had earlier spoken of 'only offloading the fringe players' you have to wonder exactly how the management are going to explain away the Ginger One's transfer. The arrival of Da Costa reported earlier presumably brings cover to the defence but Collins had started the season partnering Upson and, even after he supposedly turned down a move to Stoke, was still playing in the centre of defence last Saturday against Blackburn. Disguise it which ever way you want but a fringe player Collins wasn't!
Whatever happens on Saturday, the player replacing Collins is going to have to convince that he was first choice - difficult being as he wasn't being chosen to play! James Tomkins would seem to be the best option to take over - I genuinely believe he was the reason that Zola thought he could allow Collins to leave - but it's a steep learning curve for the young defender and, if he does come up short with inexperience, then Matthew Upson is going to find himself very busy up until January.
The Hammers inability to actually shift the fringe players they were hoping to offload has, presumably, worked against them and the loss of Calum Davenport may prove to more detrimental to the club than was initially thought. Davenport, whose career hangs in the balance after his stabbing was surely one of the fringe players marked for a move and several clubs were reported to have shown interest at £2-3m and that may have meant the Collins move need not have happened. Nigel Quashie is still at the club but, other than that, it's difficult to see who the other fringe players are although based on recent events, it would seem that Danny Gabbidon, just returning from injury, was more likely to be a cull victim than his Welsh team mate.
I'm sorry to see James Collins go and wish him well at Aston Villa where I think he will prove an astute buy for Martin O'Neill. As for West Ham, I'm hoping the injury jinx stays away and the kids prove to be as good a crop as previous years.
Comments
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Posted by Duke818 on 09/02/2009
I'm sorry to see Collins go too. Our defense has been nothing but solid through three games this season. We've only given up two goals: the first coming from a terrible back pass from our forward and the second coming on an unfortunate slip from our outside back. Outside of those somewhat freakish mishaps, we've haven't given an inch.
It seems a shame to mess with what we have going. Good luck to you Collins.
Blagg says: Some of you are going to have to stay in after School if you insist on spelling Defence as Defense. You have been warned!
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Posted by Kevan Prior on 09/02/2009
A pity that we couldn't hang on to Collins, but the club managed well enough after selling Anton Ferdinand and Paul Konchevsky ( did I spell that correctly Billy ? ) Surely Luis Boa Morte must be considered to be on the fringe as well, but no one wants to buy injured players .
Blagg says: Konchesky? Who knows? Apparently I can't even spell defence!
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Posted by Duke818 on 09/02/2009
Here in the states, we spell defense with an 's'. We also write center instead of centre (as you wrote in this post).
Regardless of whether you spell it defense or defence, ours is going to miss Collins.
Blagg says: Dukey, Dukey, Dukey - I KNOW you lot spell center and defense. It was intended ironically. Actually, center I like - not keen on defense especially if it's pronounced DE-fence
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Posted by Groggy on 09/03/2009
Gabbidon was first choice before hs injury, so i guess they saw him returning and Collins becoming surplus?
With Danny and Tomkins plus the newby they should have plenty of cover.
Still, if it ain't broke don't fix it and he has been damn solid with Upson. Perhaps not the best deal in the long run. Wish they'd found another striker.
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Posted by tazromania on 09/03/2009
Billy, you send Duke818 back to school! Why don't you join him? If attack is the best form of defence (Zola's only tactic soon, the rate that West Ham are selling defenders) here goes.
Possession is nine-tenths of the game and you often lose it: a mere defender's spit, The Hammers' inability.
This is as irrelevant and frivolous as your comment but he who casts the first stone...
Stick to writing about what you know.
Suggestion: could Duke818 have been alluding to Spector (American: defense)?
Blagg says: errr...of course he was American....bad day at the office was it?
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Posted by Jay on 09/03/2009
Billy has Neill been snatched up yet? As far as I have heard he is still a free agent, and although it would suck to take him back (I would rather he remain clubless and NOT get picked of Australia's Squad since he left for greener pastures of European football) He may be a necessary buy for us, and has proven he is a talented player.
Blagg says: Still not signed for anyone at the time of writing but I think he may have cooked his goose at UP
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Posted by mirrorman1982 on 09/03/2009
Yea I agree the Collins-Upson partnership was looking good. Tomkins might do well as a replacement and we have Danny Gabiddon as well. Still hoping that the forwards or midfield will start scoring!!
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Posted by DeVek on 09/03/2009
Collins was an apt defender, clear head, unfussed, and up for it when it mattered. But, given the state of West Ham's affairs right now - we'd be in administration were it not for the "goodwill" of the club's banker's - selling Collins was the only option. We have cover in JT and if we can get to the January transfer window at or just below mid table, GZ may be able to convince the board to open up the purse strings and buy a proper, experienced center back. Plenty of internationals want to play for Zola.
Best possible scenario: American Clark Hunt buys the club outright and gets us out of our Icelandic nightmare.
And, Hunt, if you do buy the club please look to Randy Lerner as an example more than the Glazers or the Russian/Arab oligarchs of the world.
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Posted by Mik F on 09/03/2009
Blagg- the next time you run into your grammer school teacher you should ask for a refund...
Blagg says: Please tell me that 'grammer' was an intentional joke....
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Posted by easty on 09/04/2009
i'm gutted too with the loss of Collins. however with Danny Gabbidon coming back and young Tomkins coming through i have no worries that our defence is still in a solid state. Gabbidon is like a new signing really and has said he's keen to prove himself. he was quality a few seasons ago before his injuries. Tomkins looks the business with a few matches allongside the experinced Upson we'll have no worries. Good little earner for the hammers with collins leaving. Zola would have never sold him if he didn't have someone good enough to replace him.
shame we never bought a bloody striker with the money now that could cost us come january
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Posted by TMM on 09/04/2009
Quashie should have been sold already.Tomkins have lots of potential seeing him breaktrough the first team last season.Hope we get a result against wigan this week =)
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Posted by john hooper on 09/04/2009
bringing in da costa to take collins place at centre back, they could pay back the money they borrowed from the sponsers.Lets hope dacosta is a good footballing centre back, and also good in the air.But I'm fully confident in tomkins I think he will get better and better as the season progressers.Lets hope diamanti can be another macavennie.
Posted by Adui Omar on 09/08/2009
I'm not happy about the departure of collins because the pair of collins and Upson is to the tune that they are not shakeble in front of green and now bringing in da costa which has no Hammers tradition is a big blow.
The writer is a strong westham fan in Uganda Africa
Blagg says: To be fair, someone has pointed out that Tomkins has had an ankle injury that has kept him out for the start of the season (if this it true then I missed it). Had he been fit then he would have started with Upson. So I'm told anyway...
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About
Born at an early age a mere defenders' spit from the Boleyn ground, Billy Blagg has seen every West Ham game from 1898 onwards. Blagg was mentioned by Kenneth Wolstenholme in 1966 as one of the people on the pitch during the famous Hammers win over West Germany that lifted the World Cup and he returned to the pitch again for the 1975 FA Cup Final but stayed on the terrace for 1980 FA Cup victory. Blagg, 26, now lives with his eighth wife and innumerable children in a small semi-detached with chintz curtains in Dagenham, Essex and still attends every Hammers match and training session.
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