Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TOXIC HAMMERS
Nothing’s changed on and off the pitch since we went down in 2011... I fear for them now, and owners must take blame
DANNY GABBIDON has warned West Ham they face a disastrous repeat of history if they don’t change their flawed “half-measures” strategy – and quick.
The former Hammers defender – now a TV pundit – holds deep fears for the relegationthreatened club because of how it is still being run by co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan.
Gabbidon was part of the West Ham squad that were relegated from the Premier League in 2011 and sees alarming similarities between then and now – both on and off the field.
The former Wales star (right) insists that David Moyes and his team have got to start scrapping for every point in even the most unlikely places – such as today’s visit to the Etihad.
“I do fear for West Ham now, if I’m honest,” said Gabbidon. “I think most of us were reasonably optimistic at the start of the season, given the players they had brought in.
“But those players didn’t really perform. There is a toxic atmosphere down there at the moment.
“The players are not doing enough to relieve that with their own performances and they’re in a difficult moment.
“When you are in the relegation zone, the quicker you can get out of it the better.
“You can’t target games and say, “These are the ones we need to win”.
“You have to try and win every game, no matter how unrealistic that might look – but the next four fixtures look extremely difficult, when every game is a pressure game.”
Moyes’ appointment after the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini in December brought a thumping victory over Bournemouth, but the “new manager bounce” hardly got off the ground and United are without a win in six matches.
Gabbidon is reluctant to pin too much on the boss – and firmly believes that owners Sullivan and Gold have presided over a botched reboot.
He added: “I wouldn’t say it is the manager’s fault. He’s come into a difficult situation and he’s trying to rectify it.
“The owners have to take the brunt of the blame.
“For a long time now, they have promised a lot and haven’t delivered.
“That’s where the frustration of the fans lies – not with the manager.
“For me, it always seems to be half-measures. You can only do that for so long
and then it catches up with you.
“It looks, on the surface, as though they have spent money. But when you look at those players who have gone out, then the net spend is not as big as some people may think.
“Then, you look at the training ground.
“It was an old training ground when I was first there back in 2005 and they really need to start moving with the times.
“They need a new training ground – but they’ve been using the one for their academy.
“The stadium itself isn’t their own and it’s multi-purpose, not especially suitable for football.
“So there are lot of things that have been done by half-measures.
“Every club is now spending, trying to develop and I just think the West Ham outlook has been more from a business perspective.
“But you have to get the football side right first, and the business success only follows on the back of that.”
Gabbidon says new January signings Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek offer West Ham some hope of escape, but he can’t escape the parallels with the 2010-11 season when he and the Hammers were relegated under the uninspiring Avram Grant.
Their fate was sealed by a catastrophic 3-2 defeat at Wigan, where they had been 2-0 ahead.
Gabbidon said: “Back in 2011, we didn’t sign enough players pre-season.
“We brought guys in on loan in the January, like Robbie Keane and Wayne Bridge, but by then it was too late.
“The club were cutting corners, even back then.
“The fans got on the players’ backs and, by the end of the season, it became difficult to play at home, there was so much pressure.
“By the end, I can remember there were at least a couple of players who just didn’t want to be out there.
“It is now up to Moyes to galvanise the players. He has brought in a couple of new faces.
“Bowen’s been scoring in the Championship, should feel confident and I’m hopeful he can brighten things up. Soucek might add some steel to the midfield.
“It would be disastrous to get relegated, so damaging to the club – but it’s going to happen if they don’t start getting results.”