Hammers open window of opportunism

West Ham v Liverpool: 'Bonzo' hopes backing for Roeder is maintained as club benefit from the Di Canio effect

Steve Tongue
Sunday 02 February 2003 01:00 GMT
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As "The Great Escape" boomed out over the public address system before West Ham United's 13th attempt this season to win a Premiership game at Upton Park, their former captain and manager Billy Bonds told his audience on Capital Radio: "I think Blackburn are there for the taking." They were, and for once the home team took them, to change the whole complexion of their campaign ahead of today's visit from Liverpool.

Change it with one shot, it might be said. The 1-1 draw that seemed the likeliest outcome as the fourth official held up his board to indicate a few paltry minutes of stoppage time would have been an anti-climax, as well as creating another statistical mountain to climb: not only have no team avoided relegation after spending Christmas at the bottom of the Premiership, but none have survived after a run of 15 matches without victory. That was the sorry milestone West Ham would have reached had Jermain Defoe not beaten Brad Friedel with characteristic opportunism right at the death to spark wild celebrations and sudden new optimism in London's East End.

More than any of the 34,000 kindred spirits around him, Bonds knew what the victory meant for the current manager, Glenn Roeder. "Bonzo" had been there and suffered during an eventful four full seasons in charge, during which the club dearest to his heart after almost 800 appearances were promoted twice and relegated once.

In the latter season, 1991-92, the atmosphere was worse, because of the loathed bond scheme that the directors were trying to force upon unwilling supporters. The team won nine games out of 42, scoring only 37 goals and finished bottom of the pile. "It becomes a very lonely job," Bonds said late last week. "It's not nice when everyone is knocking you like they have been with Glenn. You've got to remember that last season they finished seventh. The board have stuck with him and you wonder, with a bad result against Blackburn, how long they would have done – they must have been very close. But I'm delighted he got the result, for his sake and the club's. It was looking a bit naughty. But that's put them right back in the hunt."

In any other season they might by now have been out of it. By this stage, two teams have normally been cut adrift at the bottom, yet with that one strike from Defoe, West Ham were able to leap above West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland while increasing the pressure on the equally vulnerable Bolton. They have scored more goals than all three and, with Paolo di Canio and Frédéric Kanouté returning last Wednesday, should continue to do so. The problem, as is well known, has been at the other end of the pitch, Dwight Yorke's feebly contested goal for Blackburn having been the 48th to nestle in their net.

"It was a poor goal again and there's still a nervousness at the back," Bonds said. "Blackburn didn't put them under much pressure, but the confidence still isn't quite there, which is understandable. Glenn had made some important decisions in leaving out Gary Breen and Trevor Sinclair and bringing in the young lad Glen Johnson at right-back, who did well. But I think the goals they've been giving away have just been down to basic errors, lack of concentration and wrong decisions. Nigel Winterburn, at 39, has been the best defender for me this season but you can't see him playing twice a week. And whatever Glenn's tried at centre-back has just not worked."

That saddens a man who stood at the heart of the defence alongside Alvin Martin in the one season in their history that the club were seriously involved at the top of the table, 17 years ago. (They finished in third place, four points behind the champions, Liverpool). What Bonds believes that West Ham team had, apart from genuine ability, was a strong dressing room full of experienced characters, and a manager in John Lyall not afraid to make them aware of their responsibilities. "John was saying in the week that when we were in trouble he'd throw it back at us and know that we were with him. We had some good leaders and I think they lack that at the moment, though there's no doubt they've got the talent.

"It's difficult to find a leader these days – people like Tony Adams are a dying breed. But sometimes you just need someone in the team, the skipper maybe, to get the others going. I don't think West Ham have got anyone like that really. Look at young Joey Cole, a 22-year-old kid who's been leading the side as skipper. That speaks volumes."

After returning from Italy last week with his injured knee repaired, Di Canio is taking back the captain's armband, and will lead by example from the front in his own, more idiosyncratic way. Roeder believes that Cole's spell in charge will help him in the long-term, but knows that the Italian's presence on and off the pitch will be a huge bonus: "We knew straight away when Paolo came back and went into a friendly game against Colchester how hard he'd been training in Bologna because he was right up to speed. He started with the intention of just playing until half-time but he was feeling well and loves playing that much he decided to play the whole 90. He's a great example for all players, especially young ones."

The subject of a new contract for the mercurial striker remains one of the great taboos, however, on which no discussion is encouraged from either the media or the player himself. There is no point in negotiating one until West Ham know which league they will be in next season.

The great fear among supporters is that should the worst come to the worst, and Wigan and Crewe be on the fixture-list, there will be an exodus of players to make Leeds United's look a trifling affair. For the time being, those loyal followers must content themselves with the acquisition in the January sales of Lee Bowyer, Les Ferdinand and Rufus Brevett, the Queen's Park Rangers left-back, rather than the dominant centre-half that they and Roeder wanted. So Ian Pearce and the much derided Tomas Repka are expected to take the Bonds-Martin role against the pace of Michael Owen today, when Roeder can only hope that the England striker is as wayward with his finishing as against Arsenal in midweek.

Taking Blackburn was one thing; taking Liverpool will be a different matter. But after Wednesday, and with a fuller squad to call upon, it might just be that "The Great Escape" replaces "Bubbles" as the theme song in West Ham's spring awakening.

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