I now actually hope.....

[Badger Finger]

That's his charm though..

[Cureton's Volley]

Despite the rep for moaning I think Neil generally has a point, and in this case certainly. We deserve to be relegated and the fact we sacked the guy best placed to redeem that seals our fate in my eyes....

[CayeneMatt]

I thought if you were sacked, they paid you off up to the end of your contract. Didn't McD have at least a year to go, having fairly recently signed an extension along with Gibbs and other backroom staff? So if he had a six figure payoff, he was on less than £1 million a year? Good luck to AZ getting anyone else in on that amount...

No, a popular misconception. All contracts contain a severence clause which is generally 6 or 12 months. The length of the contract is arbitrary. Take Pardew for example, he signed an 8 year deal with Newcastle but he has a reputed termination clause of 12 months. Saves Ashley having to pay him about £25-30M if we wants to get shot of him.

[72 bus]

I thought if you were sacked, they paid you off up to the end of your contract. Didn't McD have at least a year to go, having fairly recently signed an extension along with Gibbs and other backroom staff? So if he had a six figure payoff, he was on less than £1 million a year? Good luck to AZ getting anyone else in on that amount...

43k per month wages my sources tell me, so around £500.000 payoff

[Royal Lady]

I thought if you were sacked, they paid you off up to the end of your contract. Didn't McD have at least a year to go, having fairly recently signed an extension along with Gibbs and other backroom staff? So if he had a six figure payoff, he was on less than £1 million a year? Good luck to AZ getting anyone else in on that amount...

No, a popular misconception. All contracts contain a severence clause which is generally 6 or 12 months. The length of the contract is arbitrary. Take Pardew for example, he signed an 8 year deal with Newcastle but he has a reputed termination clause of 12 months. Saves Ashley having to pay him about £25-30M if we wants to get shot of him.

If that's the case, why would anyone bother signing an 8 year contract? It's not like it gives you job stability or a large payoff....

[RoyalBlue]

I thought if you were sacked, they paid you off up to the end of your contract. Didn't McD have at least a year to go, having fairly recently signed an extension along with Gibbs and other backroom staff? So if he had a six figure payoff, he was on less than £1 million a year? Good luck to AZ getting anyone else in on that amount...

No, a popular misconception. All contracts contain a severence clause which is generally 6 or 12 months. The length of the contract is arbitrary. Take Pardew for example, he signed an 8 year deal with Newcastle but he has a reputed termination clause of 12 months. Saves Ashley having to pay him about £25-30M if we wants to get shot of him.

Whilst you are right (from what some Geordie mates tell me) about Newcastle and Pardew, I believe you are wrong to state 'all contracts contain a severance clause'. Many might do but not all.

[Royal Lady]

Still don't understand why Pardew would sign an 8 year contract if there was nothing in it for him (albeit one year's salary) if they got rid of him. And if, as suggested, we paid a six figure sum to McD as severance pay, as I've already stated, AZ is going to need to be paying a much higher wage to the next manager if he wants to attract anyone of any quality. So, before appointing a new (higher waged manager) he has had to pay off McD, Gibbs and the Greek bloke - he must pay a higher wage than he was for a new manager and his backroom staff and he will, undoubtedly, be asked to pay a large transfer budget in the Summer......meanwhile, we stand a good chance of being relegated, sell less STs and less people, potentially, coming in to watch on a match by match basis, no massive TV revenue, but some parachute payments.

[blythspartan]

I can't believe that there is a thread like this hoping that we go down.

I believe that we are amongst the most passionless supporters in the country and If I was a rich owner of this club I would wonder if the fans really want this.

I remember back in the 2006/2007 season in the last home game against Watford when we lost 2-0. The team did a lap of honour and well over half the fans had left the stadium and were moaning because we had lost the game. It was embarrassing because we had just finished 8th in the Premier league for fuk sake.

There is a lot of negativity about West Ham on this site but their fans have far more passion and desire than we ever will, and as such, deserve their success. I remember them out singing us when they were losing 6-0.

[Eaststandman]

I can't believe that there is a thread like this hoping that we go down.

I believe that we are amongst the most passionless supporters in the country and If I was a rich owner of this club I would wonder if the fans really want this.

I remember back in the 2006/2007 season in the last home game against Watford when we lost 2-0. The team did a lap of honour and well over half the fans had left the stadium and were moaning because we had lost the game. It was embarrassing because we had just finished 8th in the Premier league for fuk sake.

There is a lot of negativity about West Ham on this site but their fans have far more passion and desire than we ever will, and as such, deserve their success. I remember them out singing us when they were losing 6-0.

How do you feel about football merely being used as a catalyst for tribalism?

[victormeldrewsbro.]

Alledgedly Pardew was given an 8 year contract as the owner paid off his debts to a casino and so no compensation would be paid to him !

[Bristol Paul]

Hate to say it but I sort of agree with Floyd on this one.

We deserve all we get for sacking Brian with just 9 games to go. Madness and it could set the club back a long way if they don't get the managerial appointment right.

I have always despised clubs who don’t treat good managers with respect. I felt we showed little respect to Brendan, but he did not have Brian’s track record so it was perhaps understandable.

But we have now joined that group of clubs with absolutely no class.

dont understand your comment about "deserve all we get for sacking Brian with just 9 games to go" - whether Brian stayed or was sacked the outcome at the end of the season would have been the same - relegation. Villa and Wigan was the end, manager or not we'd have been relegated from that point on, so although I agree with most people that the timing wasn't great, in all honesty its not going to make a jot of difference this season

[blythspartan]

I can't believe that there is a thread like this hoping that we go down.

I believe that we are amongst the most passionless supporters in the country and If I was a rich owner of this club I would wonder if the fans really want this.

I remember back in the 2006/2007 season in the last home game against Watford when we lost 2-0. The team did a lap of honour and well over half the fans had left the stadium and were moaning because we had lost the game. It was embarrassing because we had just finished 8th in the Premier league for fuk sake.

There is a lot of negativity about West Ham on this site but their fans have far more passion and desire than we ever will, and as such, deserve their success. I remember them out singing us when they were losing 6-0.

How do you feel about football merely being used as a catalyst for tribalism?

Football is many things for different people. I enjoy the tribalism aspect, which is why I like go to away games more than home games and believe that football will always be a catalyst for tribalism. I think that it's part of our innate behaviour to want to be part of a tribe taking on our foes.

[Millsy]

...that we go down. No more than we deserve as a club. On every level. For treating a long-serving club employee so shabbily. For playing some truly horrific football. For chatting rubbish about signing proven Premier League quality and then not delivering. For the supporters who cheered ironically when Leigertwood was substituted.

Zingarevich. The players. McDermott. The fans. You all deserve to be relegated.

I can see where you're coming from.

[glass half full]

...that we go down. No more than we deserve as a club. On every level. For treating a long-serving club employee so shabbily. For playing some truly horrific football. For chatting rubbish about signing proven Premier League quality and then not delivering. For the supporters who cheered ironically when Leigertwood was substituted.

Zingarevich. The players. McDermott. The fans. You all deserve to be relegated.

I can see where you're coming from.

It is not in my nature to 'hope' for relegation but, by the same token, it is possible to be reconciled and start to plan for the future. My main concern is that the chain has been broken and we now have to build another link without losing some element of continuity.

[AirRaidSiren]

...that we go down. No more than we deserve as a club. On every level. For treating a long-serving club employee so shabbily. For playing some truly horrific football. For chatting rubbish about signing proven Premier League quality and then not delivering. For the supporters who cheered ironically when Leigertwood was substituted.

Zingarevich. The players. McDermott. The fans. You all deserve to be relegated.

Boo hoo

[Rev Algenon Stickleback H]

I remember back in the 2006/2007 season in the last home game against Watford when we lost 2-0. The team did a lap of honour and well over half the fans had left the stadium and were moaning because we had lost the game. It was embarrassing because we had just finished 8th in the Premier league for fuk sake.

I remember Kevin Dillon being pretty scathing about that, saying it was pathetic, and slating the fans for having no passion and not being real fans.

Mind you, I don't think we are anywhere as bad as the self-loathers love to make out. The kind of things that get complained about with regards to our support applies to the vast majority of clubs these days.

[Eaststandman]

I remember back in the 2006/2007 season in the last home game against Watford when we lost 2-0. The team did a lap of honour and well over half the fans had left the stadium and were moaning because we had lost the game. It was embarrassing because we had just finished 8th in the Premier league for fuk sake.

I remember Kevin Dillon being pretty scathing about that, saying it was pathetic, and slating the fans for having no passion and not being real fans.

Mind you, I don't think we are anywhere as bad as the self-loathers love to make out. The kind of things that get complained about with regards to our support applies to the vast majority of clubs these days.

True enough, the STH, the die hards, the casuals, the corporates, the curious, I expect only a small percentage, akin to the average of the Elm Park gate would be around at the end of the game as they were in 06/07 hardly a revelation though!

[handbags_harris]

There is a lot of negativity about West Ham on this site but their fans have far more passion and desire than we ever will, and as such, deserve their success. I remember them out singing us when they were losing 6-0.

The ones that hadn't left before half time you mean?

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yep...they weren't happy songs were they?


Who was their manager then? remind me someone please

[percyisfreeman]

...that we go down. No more than we deserve as a club. On every level. For treating a long-serving club employee so shabbily. For playing some truly horrific football. For chatting rubbish about signing proven Premier League quality and then not delivering. For the supporters who cheered ironically when Leigertwood was substituted.

Zingarevich. The players. McDermott. The fans. You all deserve to be relegated.

How long you been a fan son- tosser.