Filed under: West Ham, Premier League, Football, Team Reviews
WEST HAMFinished: 20th
FA Cup: lost 6th round
Carling Cup: lost semi-final
The highlight: Were there any? Thrashing Manchester United I suppose, but that was in the Carling Cup and that ended unhappily too.
The lowlight: August to May at 90-minute intervals. Plus the botched attempt to bring in Martin O'Neill. Shocking in every sense of the word.
The lowdown: When owners David Sullivan and David Gold opted to appoint Avram Grant as the successor to Gianfranco Zola there was hardly singing and dancing in the streets of West Ham. And for a reason: the Israeli is severely lacking in the inspiration department. And so the Hammers struggled right from the off and spent virtually the whole campaign in the drop zone.
West Ham 2010-11 Season Match Log: Previews, Live Commentaries and Reports
Just seven wins all season tells its own story. The Hammers would play well against the better sides but lose - and then play badly against fellow strugglers and lose those too. The game that sent them down summed up the whole season. Leading 2-0 at Wigan, they were 45 minutes from potential salvation but ended up losing.
Grant must take the blame for his poor leadership, the owners too for constantly meddling and destablising behind the scenes but what of the players? Scott Parker will become a quiz question in years to come as the man who was voted the season's best player while playing for the season's worst team. He alone can be absolved of blame therefore. Everyone else either went missing or couldn't hack it - and that includes a number of other England internationals who will now look for a fat contract elsewhere. Lob in the wrangling over the Olympic Stadium and it all adds up to a disaster of a season for those who are forever blowing bubbles.
Three pros:
Parker - if ever a player deserved more for his efforts it's him.
Jack Collison - back from serious knee injury. If only it had been sooner.
Mark Noble - West Ham through and through and will lead the charge next term.
Three cons:
The owners - no chance of medals if all you do is meddle.
Matthew Upson - offered zero leadership yet he'll be back in the Premier League next season.
Avram - the relegation specialist added another to his c.v.
By the numbers:
£40 million - the cost the owners estimated relegation would cost their own pockets
7 - wins in 38 games. No wonder they finished bottom.
19 - defeats in 38 games. See above
11 - number of experienced internationals who should have done better
11 - number of experienced internationals who will probably be at new clubs next term.
2 - number of goals contributed by January loan signing Robbie Keane.
32,793 - people who attended the Sunderland match even though the Hammers were already down.
2014 - when the Hammers can take over the 60,000-seater Olympic Stadium.
By our numbers:
Manager's job: 0.5
Entertainment: 8
Team spirit: 4
Fans' satisfaction: 0.00005
Overall campaign: -10
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Jason Day Javier Mascherano Javier Zanetti Jeff Overton Jim Furyk
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