Made the mistake of spending a week in Brussels and Amsterdam thinking that not a lot would happen on the West Ham front in July. We were visiting the Rene Magritte Museum (Belgian painter geezer) in Brussels when Matt texted to say that Andy Carroll is out for four months. At first I thought this was some kind of Magritte-style surrealist joke, but sadly it turned out to be true. Big Andy has done his ankle ligaments on the New Zealand tour and has flown to the US for an operation.
It's all very worrying when you look at his injury record: one month out with a hamstring problem after his first WHU game in September 2012, two months out with a twisted knee in November 2012 and seven months out with his heel injury in May 2013, followed by his latest four-month setback. That's 14 months of injuries so far. Before his latest injury I was defending AC to my 13-year-old daughter Nell who keeps telling me that AC doesn't score enough goals and is always injured, but now it seems she might be right — as she was about it being stupid of WHU to appoint Avram Grant after his Portsmouth side were relegated. Big Andy really has to get fit and put in a full 12 months now.
While at the Flanders Museum in Ypres (all about young Brits going over the top via route one against better-armed foreign opposition so no WHU links there) further texts revealed that West Ham had lost 2-1 to Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand (though at least Zarate scored from the bench), with Kouyate and Tomkins being injured by over-zealous tackling, and then we lost 3-1 to Sydney, with Demel getting injured. Now Big Sam has gone public and said the tour was a trip too far.
Big Sam also said that Ravel Morrison was not part of his plans, before being publicly rebuked by David Sullivan who stated that the board disagreed and wanted to offer Ravel a new contract. Big Sam then appeared to backtrack and say that he would offer Morrison a chance if he worked hard. And today it emerges that Ravel Morrison has been charged with assaulting two women (his ex-girlfriend and her mother) outside a bar in Manchester in the early hours of Sunday morning and then at a house in Salford. He's been remanded in custody until August 7. Innocent until proven guilty of course, but in the wrong city in the wrong place and attracting trouble again.
On the positive side, at least we're getting our crises in early…
6 comments:
Great article, it's never a dull moment!
Thanks Boleyn Bob. Looks like we might get Jenkinson on loan too, so a lot going on!
Fraser emails: I watched the Wellington game on TV and am glad I didn't get up for the Sydney game at 3 am on Saturday. We looked woeful - no Morrison, no Carroll and Diame played out of position again. Very few ideas going forward, not helped by Noble looking totally unfit. It's going to be a long season - though hopefully not for Fat Sam.
Sam right again. Let him get on with the job of keeping us up. Now about Ravels new long contract Mr Sullivan...
Yes maybe Big Sam was right all along. No doubting Morrison's ability, but if Ravel is found guilty then his career at WHU is surely over.
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