Forum | General Discussion

There are many Nottingham Forest supporters who have been urging their club not to sell Matty Cash for £12 Million after it emerged that Forest are reportedly willing to sell one of their star players for such a low price with supposed interest from Barclays Premier League clubs Southampton FC and West Ham United. Cash who has enjoyed an excellent season for Forest in the Championship and has established himself as one of the best young prospects outside of the top flight following a number of excellent performances at right-back, is an ideal recruit for the defensive position that has become an increasingly problematic area for David Moyes' West Ham, he is clearly a desirable player who fits well within the West Ham United manager's young and hungry template.

The 22-year-old has been a constant threat going forwards down the right-hand side for the Brian Clough's ex-team, managing to register three goals and five assists in the Championship, at the same time also managing to really improve his defending throughout the campaign under manager Sabri Lamouchi’s conservative style of play. Ryan Fredericks has been found wanting this season, not just because he is relatively injury prone, but also because of his lack of decision making with it comes to his final ball when going forward, the quality of which is an essential element of the modern day full back's game.

Forest fans will be mindful of how relatively smug they were when West Ham paid what seemed over the odds on the final day of a transfer window for a certain Mikail Antonio! We kid you not, their fans couldn't believe anyone would pay so much for a 'journeyman' footballer who had risen through the amateur leagues.

How wrong were they? £12 Million for Matty Cash is a steal, it may be slightly immoral to 'rob' clubs who need the 'Cash' but it has been done to West Ham United plenty of times in the past, it is the nature of the beast that is professional football. - Ed

There have been several mixed messages with regards to season ticket renewals, if you will pardon the pun the goal posts have been moved massively in the last 24 Hours,mindful of doing a 'Mike Ashely', the club's hierarchy swiftly reacted to a Tsunami of fan discontent by offering the '70% solution' that enables fans the option of renewing but at a greatly reduced initial cost, fair play to them for eventually doing the right thing (sic).

The new new will involve digital ticketing which will require a system that has yet to be rolled out and developed, however one aspect which may feel a bit big brother, not the TV slap show, but the Orwellian all seeing, all knowing and totally in control of it's subjects control mechanism. Season ticket holder's ID will have to be carried with them in order to access the potentially limited ballot driven seats, this is in addition to the digital interface that has yet to be confirmed.

The implications are quite simple, no longer will a Dad be able to give his brother his season ticket in order to accompany his nephew to a match that he cannot possibly get a reasonably priced ticket for. Ostensibly the photo ID criteria is to enable contact tracing of Covid -19 infected people, but realistically it is also a 'subtle' reigning in of a supporter's unofficial slight of hand that used to benefit fans with it's flexibility.

There has always been a facility whereby fans can elect to have their place taken by a fellow fan, but there has always been a ridiculous charge for what should have been a charge free option. We accept the need for track and trace, but the option to 'donate' a seat to a family member or friend should in our opinion be made as easy as possible bearing in mind the fact that there wil be a substantial amount of Hammers fans who will be feeling uneasy about attending games themselves due to being within the high risk categories advised by the Government and it's health agencies.

Will football return as we knew it within the next six months? We doubt it. - Ed

West Ham United released 'ambiguous' advice for those fans wishing to 'retain' their season tickets for the forthcoming new Barclays Premier League season that starts on September the 12th, fans have been promised refunds for all the games that they are unable to attend due to the restricted crowds, if any, that will be allowed to attend games via a ballot system.

Of course the club expect punters to pay up the full amount and then be 'credited' for those games that cannot be attended, there are a couple of acute assumptions made by the hierarchy, namely no one knows exactly when and if crowds can return, even in limited numbers, so to proceed on any basis that 'assumes' fans will be able to return is highly questionable, being asked to pay for a product that might not exist, even more so!

So what are fans to do? Obviously many who waited a long time to get their season tickets will be loath to go to the back of the queue for a new allocation if the huge waiting list is still to be believed, so it appears the club is trading on that fact in order to persuade people to part with their money. What can be done you might ask yourself, well here are a couple of options, firstly most ticket holders have let their 'rebate' from this season run on towards their new tickets, also any club cash from ticket exchange can be used as well, so the outlay will already be less than a 'normal' renewal. However there is a facility offered for ten monthly payments at 6% interest, if that option is chosen it would mean rebates would be received within the system, essentially meaning the monthly fee would not be able to be taken unless games have been attended, it is enshrined in the consumer credit act much in the same way as you can be reimbursed for credit card purchases when there has been a problem with goods or services not received.

If you do pay your season ticket in advance and don't want to use the loan facility, we highly recommend paying by credit card as the card companies have far more clout when it comes to getting refunds than individuals do, also they will refuse to pay out monthly credit card payments to the club if the games are regularly unavailable.

We have contacted the club for clarity on this issue and it's possible resolution, as yet we have not received a response. - Ed

QPR's Eberechi Eze could arrive at the London Stadium with Jordan Hugill travelling in the opposite direction, Hugill enjoyed a successful season on loan at Loftus Road and a deal looks as if it could happen. QPR will be looking to get top dollar for the very talented Eze, but the current financial climate will make that a difficult proposition, using Hugill as a make weight in the deal will appeal to all parties with Hammers being able to recoup a significant amount of the £10 Million they paid for the striker, it is believed Hugill and another £10 Million would be enough to seal the deal.

The £10 Million outlay for a young and hungry established player is within Hammers strict budgetary constraints, however any other acquisitions will most definitely have to be funded by player sales. Although the high profile signings of Sebastain Haller and Felipe Anderson will be the signings most likely to move on IF suitable funding can be provided by their suitors, but Hammers fans also need to face up to the fact that Grady Diangana is hot property and would be sought after by many clubs, clubs willing to invest in a talent that will only grow in value.

As we mentioned in our previous article, the need for two new full backs is acute, as is firming up the back up for Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena and Winston Reid are both on the books and could 'do a job' especially if they are there purely as back ups. At 32 years old Ogbonna probably only has one more excellent season in the tank, so moving on in time a replacement will eventually have to be found.

Albian Ajeti is another one who is surplus to requirements, there is no way the club will be able to recoup the £8 Million he cost, but he could fetch £5 Million. As it is unlikely that any club would be foolish enough to stump up anywhere near the £45 Million the Irons paid for him, Sebastian Haller will probably be at the London Stadium for another season, perhaps he will come good, although all the signs are that he is definitely NOT a David Moyes type of footballer.

Slim pickings indeed. - Ed