Happy Hammers Will Nick Players From Chelsea, Spurs And Arsenal

Everton & West Ham United have arguably the biggest 6 weeks of their famous clubs’ histories in front of them, and it could quite literally change the landscape in such a positive way that I don’t think it can be underestimated.

Happy Hammers
Let’s start with the Happy Hammers. A passionate, emotional night at the Boleyn is waiting, with the glorious Man United waiting to be vanquished on one final Cup night. Add Fergie’s assertion that the Hammers are going to finish top 4, a new stadium move in the summer and a London address which has cachet for players across the globe, things really couldn’t be falling into much better place for Slaven Bilic, but in particular the shrewd business acumen of Sullivan and Gold.

Scorned as chancers by many due to the latters soft porn kingdom, the two of them aided by the young girl on the block turned Baroness Peschisolido understand exactly how to build a club, how to offer hope without bankrupting the club, use their Del Boy spirit to get the Olympic Stadium for cheap and crucially a couple of seasons ago didn’t sack Sam Allardyce when many were calling for his head.

They know stability and steady growth is the key for the Hammers and adhere to the “build it and they will come” philosophy. They did their experimentation at St Andrews, with West Ham United the beneficiary.

On the pitch they have possibly the most physically impressive West Ham side I’ve seen.

They can fight you as well as play football against you, make no mistake, so seemingly ready for any eventuality in an English domestic setting.

I caused a bit of a stir suggesting in another column I write, that not one Man United player would get in the current West Ham side, and I got it woefully, woefully wrong.

Maybe David de Gea would. Ha ha.

The accelerated progress the Hammers could make in season ticket take ups, players signing on the dotted line and an announcement that its not all West and North London on the London football map for me could be huge. So, the concentration on the Cup makes sense, but don’t be fooled, Fergie, in a horse racing dinner setting when making his “West Ham for 4th” prediction is no mug punter.

He knows the course, the distance and a Top 4 Cup win could easily mean nicking players out of Chelsea, Spurs and even Arsenal’s clutches. Players are fickle, they know where to follow the money and the glory, and West Ham could well be in for a very happy 2016/17 indeed.

Tasty Toffees
Likewise the Toffees, so often in the shadow of Liverpool’s dominance, then Manchester United still only down the road, then latterly City, it always seems as though Everton are hamstrung by the ground size and lack of a willing suitor who will fall in love with one of the country’s biggest but forgotten clubs and take them forward.

Well step forward Farhad Morishi. Everton get investment potentially running into the multi millions, whilst not yet having to hand him the power and potentially turning Everton into a Villa, Cardiff, Leeds etc.

The question is, what can drive his thirst to put cash in?

Well, like the Hammers, Saturday at Goodison is a bloody good start! A world class goal from Lukaku to get him out of his comfy paper seat, an early trip to Wembley as a part owner, and a squad as good as the Toffees have had since the mid 80’s couldn’t come at a better time for Bill Kenwright who looked like the cat who got the cream next to the new majority shareholder on Saturday.

So take the initiative, get to the Cup Final, win it and parade it for the first time since 1995 and perhaps,

…just perhaps if the new owner sees several hundred thousand blue shirts around the City on the parade, he may turn to Bill and say “I’m going to buy you a shiny new stadium Mr Chairman”. On such whims, multi billionaires do make decisions.

As a Villa fan I wish them both well, two clubs who gave me much pleasure as a kid with Sheedy, Sharp, Devonshire, Brooking and Co. who are important to the English footballing eco system, and sad that it is new stadia, new owners have to be the norm to get clubs competitive these days. The one constant for both of these clubs is getting both sets of fans, players and staff excited.

A trophy. And if either of these win the Cup, watch them fly.