The East Enders have a proud tradition, but is this compatible with the modern game?
‘... it seems like Curbs is doing a decent job, guiding them to mid-table safety after not so much flirting with relegation last season, as walking down the aisle with it and only deciding to jilt it at the altar.’
Some clubs just seem to exist, offering little more than a generic "football experience" to their supporters. Win some, lose some, a promotion here and a relegation there.
The culture around those clubs grows into something pretty generic, too, with the same songs sung up and down the country with a couple of words changed to make them fit their local heroes. Of course, they do attract some loyal, passionate support and I have the greatest of respect for them, but it is probably fair to say they never do so in sufficient numbers for those supporters to take the culture surrounding the club and mould it into something uniquely theirs.
A few clubs, though, are different. They are unique, and their supporters fiercely protect and celebrate that. I am fortunate enough to support one such club (Liverpool) but we're not the only ones and I would put West Ham into the same category.
From the songs they sing (who can't fail but to appreciate the sweet melancholy of I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles?), to their tradition of developing young players, they always seem to me to be "proper" supporters of a "proper" club.
I always enjoy the matches we play against them (ok, that might be helped by the fact they haven't enjoyed much luck at Anfield over the years), but when they visited earlier this month I was taken aback, as it was clear that the core of their support was less than happy with Alan Curbishley.
From the outside it seems like he is doing a decent job, guiding them to mid-table safety after not so much flirting with relegation last season, as walking down the aisle with it and only deciding to jilt it at the altar.
His track record isn't exactly bad either, having taken Charlton to heights they surely only dreamed about, and there seems little to suggest he can't at least replicate that with the Hammers. Given time and funds, there seems no reason why he can't guide them to at least challenge for a European spot – and let’s remember that for all I think of West Ham as being a "big club" they have achieved little in recent years except for yo-yoing between the top divisions.
The problem seems to be that Curbishley just doesn't set his team out to play in the “West Ham way”. "Two up front" was the demand coming from the away end, and when they finally got their wish the extra space opened up to allow Fernando Torres to complete his hat-trick and Gerrard to complete the night’s work.
It may be better at least to have a go and lose 4-0 as limply accepting a 2-0 defeat, and I can understand supporters wanting to see that, especially after they have made a long mid-week journey after work.
But, is it better to demand a particular style of play week in, week out when that might well be at the expense of results? Would it really be better to be back in a relegation battle playing "the right way"?
Ultimately, if Curbishley can't win the battle for the hearts of those on the terraces, he is going to lose the battle on the pitch. and it won't be long before somebody else is appointed to guide the team. If that occurs, he will no doubt go on to manage competently elsewhere, leaving his successor to be similarly constrained by the demands of tradition.
In the modern climate, where the game is dominated by pound signs, I hope there is a role for the traditional club trying to do things the right way. But if that comes at the expense of success, will the supporters accept the consequences?
Are West Ham fans too demanding? Tell us what you think, either in a Sportingo article or with a comment in the box below.