Forum | General Discussion

It seems a long long time ago that New Zealand captain Winston Reid patrolled his defensive line with his mix of confidence and physicality, and that is because it has been a long long time!
From this To this Has taken a year!
So much has happened since Reid has donned the claret and blue, players have come and gone as Reid became the club's forgotten man. Once he used to be first on the team sheet, his 'warrior' like performances inspired those around him, he also managed to write himself into folklore by scoring the winning goal at West Ham's last ever match at the much beloved Boleyn Ground in a 3-2 victory over Manchester United.

The injury that has kept Reid out for so long was unique in that he was actually unconscious when he sustained it, the fact that he was unconscious as he hit the ground meant that his knee was forced into a completely unnatural position, the exact opposite direction to the way it should be. The surgeon who operated on Reid said it would be remarkable if the defender were able to come back from the injury, such was the state of knee. While 'Winnie' has been away, Hammers defence has been strengthened with the arrival of Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena, although the latter succumbed to the Hammers injury curse leading to a lengthy lay off.

There is little doubt that a fit Winston Reid is still an asset to the club, but there is no way that he could be considered as the 'main man' in defence anymore, the imposing Diop has made that his own title. However bearing in mind the club's horrific injury lists of the past, it will be just as well to have Reid back on board, at 30 years old he still has a few good seasons in him and is contracted until 2023, but he might not be content to be a bench warmer.

It would come as no surprise should Winston Reid be shipped out in the summer, there will be plenty of takers and his wages, whilst high, are not too exorbitant. If he stays he will be a 'back up' player at best, and find himself behind Diop, Balbuena, Ogbonna and Obiang in the pecking order, a situation that probably won't sit well with the 'Warrior'.

In a way the situation with Reid shows just how far the club have come, he was once considered to be one of the club's greatest player assets and was coveted by Arsenal and Tottenham among others, in the eighteen months that he has been out of contention things have moved swiftly forward under Manuel Pellegrini's stewardship which has left Reid 'out in the cold', 'Pelle' of course might see things differently once he has had the chance to run the rule over a fit Winston Reid in a similar way as he did with Robert Snodgrass.

If Reid does stay, it would be rather good to see, possibly in cup games, the 'General' Balbuena, alongside the 'Warrior' that is Reid! - Ed

From a fan’s perspective, team sponsorships tend to blend in over time. However, they do affect things for fans, in that they help determine a team’s image and, of course, directly impact any kits or other ear people might invest in. Thus, every now and then it’s worthwhile to check in on your club’s sponsorship agreements, so as to get a feel for what partnerships are working, which ones may soon expire, and things of that nature.

Regarding West Ham, the most significant aspect of this conversation might be the state of the club’s relationship with Umbro. Listed officially as the team’s technical partner, Umbro is in charge of kits and gear in a very fundamental way, though it’s already known that the club will be switching to Nike in the near future. This is actually a little bit of a surprise and potentially a vital pickup for Nike given that the sportswear giant has been challenged increasingly by its competitors in European football. Most notably, La Liga replaced Nike league-wide with a new Puma deal for its official ball (which can’t have been a good sign particularly after Puma’s shocking aggression in the U.S. in professional basketball). For West Ham though it represents an exciting change, and means the Umbro kits probably aren’t long for this world.

The next most important sponsor for fans - and perhaps the most, to some - is Betway, which remains the principal partner and shirt sponsor for the club. By all accounts, Betway is still absolutely thriving as a company. It operates globally with a very active sports betting market, and has made advances in the gaming space too. Currently, Betway is listed as one of the sites that has embraced live gaming for its casino sector, which essentially puts it on the cutting edge (albeit with plenty of competition) in its space. There is, in other words, no reason for West Ham to sever ties, and not much has changed since the two agreed to a record-breaking deal in the first place. Now, that deal is due to expire in May of 2020, so it’s possible that we could see a new principal partner and/or shirt sponsor in about a year. However given that these two have extended deals in the past, continued partnership seems likely.

Last but not least among the sponsors most relevant to the fan experience is Basset & Gold, a financial services firm that has been the sleeve sponsor for the club since July of last year. It was said that this sponsorship agreement represented a “trade up” for West Ham following its previous deal with MRF Tires, and we have to say in purely aesthetic terms it is a bit of a nicer look on the kits. With sleeve sponsors relatively new to the Premiership they’re a bit more of an unknown as far as the length or stability of deals, but right now there’s no reason to suspect a change anytime soon.

This update should hold true throughout the remainder of this season and provide a peek at what to expect in 2019/20 as well. If you’re a fan of the Umbro kits, you may want to secure one for yourself before much longer (though they could well be discounted after the switch to Nike). The general look of the club, however, right down to the sleeves, should be fairly stable.

West Ham signed Jack Wilshere last summer on a free transfer after his contract at Arsenal expired, he was offered a three year deal much to the chargrin of co-owner David Sullivan who argued, given Wilshere's injury record, that a 'rolling' one year contract would be preferable. Unfortunately Manuel Pellegrini stood firm and insisted on giving Wilshere the deal that he wanted, apparently Jack's agent would not sanction his client signing a deal for anything less than three years.

The 27 year old started the first four games of the season for West Ham, all of which ended in defeat, before suffering the first of his season's injuries. They kept him sidelined for three months but he returned in early December as a late substitute, providing an assist in the 3-0 win against Newcastle United. However, that five minute cameo was the last appearance of Wilshere, who has spent the last three and a half months out with injury.

With just five games played this season it has been an incredibly unsuccessful and expensive debut campaign for the lad who has always been an avid fan coming from, as he does, a staunch Hammers supporting family. As is the case with that other injury prone England player Andy Carroll, Jack Wilshere doesn't like being injured and not playing, he has spent virtually his entire career on and off the treatment table and sadly looks as if he will never be able to fully show the undoubted talent that he has.

Wilshere told one of the main media outlets: “I am back in full training – it has been a long time, frustrating but it was something I had to do after speaking to the specialists, I am trying to get fit [but] it is not a great time to come back because you get fully fit, maybe play a couple of games and then the season finishes. It is going to be a big off-season for me as well but I am feeling good and I want to play again this [season].”

Admirable talk indeed, but there is a bit of an issue regarding any 'come back' appearance, who does he replace? Since Jack has been out injured, both Manuel Lanzini and Samir Nasri have become available to the manager, both play the creative midfield role that he likes to play so how can he be accommodated? The answer is he cannot, unless Manuel Pellegrini wants to choose him ahead of Lanzini and Nasri, the best Wilshere can hope for is a place on the bench, and that will suit neither the player nor West Ham who are paying £100,000 per week for the privilege of not using his services.

As signings go Jack Wilshere's has been a bit of a mare, but Manuel Pellegrini wanted to take the risk, unfortunately it didn't come off, whereas all of his others did, with the possible exception of Carlos Sanchez! Where do the club and player move on from here? Perceived wisdom would see Jack Wilshere sent out on a recallable loan in order for him to get game time, because as the player himself stated it is very difficult to get up to speed if you only have sporadic opportunities to play, and realistically both Nasri and Lanzini appear to be far better options, but then again we are talking about West Ham United a club renowned for it's lengthy injury list, and one which is only one tackle away from crisis. - Ed