Bye Bye West Ham

So after 6 seasons of, let's be honest, struggle, West Ham finally succumbed to the drop and from next season will be playing Championship football. After several years of bad ownership, bad management and bad players it's all caught up with the cheery mockneys and down they went after defeat at Wigan. And I'm not surprised - letting a two goal advantage slip and leaving your big name players on the bench is probably not the best way to stave off relegation.

After sacking Avram Grant (who is increasingly looking more like a cross between Larry Grayson and Droopy every day) immediately after the final whistle, more questions will undoubtedly raise their heads. Will owners Sullivan and Gold stay or go? Who will be sold off in the expected fire sale? Will WHUFC be allowed the proposed move into the Olympic Stadium whilst playing in the second tier of English football? Will Ray Winstone and Danny Dyer now support someone else?

Being a Southend fan we have a bit of a love / hate relationship with the boys in claret and blue. We tend to get their youngsters on loan to give them League experience, and when we play on a Friday night it has been known for West Hammers to attend the game, helpfully increasing gate receipts. However what's just not cricket old boy is for said West Hammers to turn up wearing their colours at our match. But what really incensed us Southend fans was when West Ham misguidedly opened a club shop in Southend High Street a few years back. Needless to say, the premises wasn't there long. After several graffiti attacks the final nail in its coffin was when one drunken Southend fan, whilst on a particularly heavy night out, took excessive umbrage and defecated through the letter box. Nice.

Maybe Southend will benefit and be able to get a few cheap Upton Park rejects to bolster their squad, but one thing is for sure - we won't be getting Scott Parker, Matthew Upson or Robert Green. It seems obvious they will be the first to jump ship if they want to keep their England dreams alive.

It's too early to predict who will fill the manager's hot seat, with first-team coach Kevin Keen yet again taking charge for the final game of the season at home to Sunderland next Sunday. But one things for sure, after having 3 managers in 3 years ( not counting Keen's previous spells in charge ) he'll need to get it right, and quick, because it seems the West Ham board do not tolerate failure lightly.

Lee Morgan

http://www.twitter.com/LeeM_007