Carlton Cole

[Iron George]

Was disappointed when Chamkah was subbed i thought he was offering something upfront, however when cole came on he offered more.

I cant understand not offering him a contract, he is a perfect squad player for the type of football allaydyce plays and he is only on squad player wages.

Chamakh showed some nice touches but looked very lightweight to me. Hill and Nelsen aren't the greatest but Hill especially just out-muscled Chamakh every time

Carlton showed more physical strength when he came on and , as someone else has said, his movement for the goal was excellent.

Given the amount of money we have to spend and the relatively low (by PL standards) salary CC is on, I would happily have him here for another two years and use him off the bench for the last 25 minutes when we need to change our attacking options.

[DaveWHU1964]

Given the amount of money we have to spend and the relatively low (by PL standards) salary CC is on, I would happily have him here for another two years and use him off the bench for the last 25 minutes when we need to change our attacking options.

To make our system work, whoever plays as our front man has to work their socks off and therefore is unlikely to be able to keep up that level of performance for a whole 90 minutes. We bludgeoned QPR for big tracts of the game and on another day would have won comfortably. Having fresh legs coming on to perform that role and therefore keep up that relentless pressure was key to why we dominated.

[the wren]

I'm a big critic off Carlton and don't think he is good enough, generally. He came on and played well yesterday. He is not a natural goalscorer and that is what we are crying out for, its very hard getting one though...

[Phil S]

I'm a big critic off Carlton and don't think he is good enough, generally. He came on and played well yesterday. He is not a natural goalscorer and that is what we are crying out for, its very hard getting one though...

Carlton doesnt play in a natural goalscorers position

Sam sets the team up that way

[Billydinho]

Carlton doesnt play in a natural goalscorers position

Sam sets the team up that way

Spot on.

The team is set up for Nolan to score the goals, sadly he isn't doing that. The chance in the first half should have been buried and we probably would have gone to score 3 or 4.

[Hammer_atown]

I think it's worth bearing in mind that CC was bought as what, 4th choice striker? The majority of his West Ham career other strikers have been brought in as first choice and in the last 3/4/5 (?) season's he's ended as number 1 striker and top scorer hitting double figures. Although I do concede he probably won't hit double figures this season.

I don't think Carlton or the system are the problem. He's a good player to have in the squad and chips in when required. I think the problem is recruitment. How many strikers have we seen be brought in by multiple managers ahead of Carlton who start brightly and then by January have faded badly? What do we need to do? Spend more? Find better scouts? Look for someone to bring in long term rather than quick fixes? Ove this is properly addressed then I think everyone will be happy. Carlton won't be first choice and will be a squad member which'll keep the haters quiet and everyone will be happy as whoever will be keeping him out the team will be playing well and probably scoring!

[bubbles1966]

Kenwyne Jones and Danny Graham both currently attracting £4-5 million bids.

Beggars belief that we'd let Carlton go for zip.

Even if he isn't the main man any more there should be a role for him here as one of the squad. He's more than proven his continuing value over the last two months.

[e17]

I think it's worth bearing in mind that CC was bought as what, 4th choice striker? The majority of his West Ham career other strikers have been brought in as first choice and in the last 3/4/5 (?) season's he's ended as number 1 striker and top scorer hitting double figures. Although I do concede he probably won't hit double figures this season.

I don't think Carlton or the system are the problem. He's a good player to have in the squad and chips in when required. I think the problem is recruitment. How many strikers have we seen be brought in by multiple managers ahead of Carlton who start brightly and then by January have faded badly? What do we need to do? Spend more? Find better scouts? Look for someone to bring in long term rather than quick fixes? Ove this is properly addressed then I think everyone will be happy. Carlton won't be first choice and will be a squad member which'll keep the haters quiet and everyone will be happy as whoever will be keeping him out the team will be playing well and probably scoring!

This is the Carlton Cole story summed up very well. Along with Bubbles about players value, it basically sums up why those criticising or suggesting he's somehow a problem for the club are so deluded

Successive managers and successive alternatives have failed to give us better alternatives or options. If this club had dished out for a Darren Bent or even a Peter Crouch 2 or 3 years ago this debate would be completely different

Instead we've gone through Benni, Blanco, Franco, Carew, Maynard, Baldock, Piq, Ilan, Maiga...

The old, the bad & the ugly

[61dicksey]

i bet all those. " strikers" value we could have bought one possibly 2 quality strikers like Bent.

[the wren]

e17
"Instead we've gone through Benni, Blanco, Franco, Carew, Maynard, Baldock, Piq, Ilan, Maiga..."


Out of all of those strikers, which ones actually had a good long run in the side?
Probably Franco who did well for us. Blanco, Baldock, Ilan, Maynard and Maiga all had bit parts and maybe struggled to impress.

[Dyl]

i bet all those. " strikers" value we could have bought one possibly 2 quality strikers like Bent.

Or Fletcher, who bagged two magnficent goals yesterday to take his tally to 10 for the season. Plus he's used to playing with Jarvis. We should have offered wolves £18m for the pair.

[vmixture]

Carlon Plus a 'fox in the box' would be great combo. I would have loved him plus a fit Baldock get a regular run in the team.

I was quite excited with that possibility.

[DaveWHU1964]

i bet all those. " strikers" value we could have bought one possibly 2 quality strikers like Bent.

We went in for Bent about five years ago. We offered £17 million for him in those crazy Eggy days. The point being that even when we fleetingly seemed to be filthy rich and had apparent ambitions for CL (no I never bought that either) he still ****** us off and went to Tottenham instead.

Maybe it'd be different now that he can't even make the first team of a poor side. Maybe he'd look at us more favourably. It's just that the way people say we could have had so-and-so never seems to take into account whether a player would want to come in the first place. The same goes for Fletcher. Why, having just been relegated at Wolves, would he choose to come to a newly promoted team who were one of the favourites for relegation when instead he could go to an established Premier League side who have spent tens of millions in recent years on transfers.

Regarding Bent- he's not even our type of player. Fletcher would be though. But Sunderland would not let him go. And even if they did, there would be other teams in for him. And if he cost £13 million in the Summer, after the start he's had on Wearside there is no way on earth we could afford the fee.

[carugohammers]

We took Carroll and Chamakh by investing money ... but him is our best striker Carlton Cole. When he entered yesterday did a great performance and contributed to the draw

[BMLGirl]

Spot on.

The team is set up for Nolan to score the goals, sadly he isn't doing that. The chance in the first half should have been buried and we probably would have gone to score 3 or 4.

And thus the system doesn't work. Atleast, not with the personnel Allardyce has or is deciding to use. He has to either change the system (and I'm not sure if he is capable of doing that) or he has to use different players in different roles, ie Joe Cole where Nolan is playing.

I'm an ST holder, have been going for year, and will continue to go no matter what but doesn't mean I enjoy what I'm seeing, and I'm not exactly finding it geat at the moment.

[BMLGirl]

Carlon Plus a 'fox in the box' would be great combo. I would have loved him plus a fit Baldock get a regular run in the team.

I was quite excited with that possibility.

Never gonna happen under Allardyce.

[westhamnick]

has a player ever had such a long thread on this forum??

proves he is a legend.......

[buckshammers]

Keep him. May run around like a headless chicken at times but his work-rate is unrivalled. Would prefer to see him come on as a sub most games. Fresh striker to run at the defence and that. Gets tired easily in my opinion so could be a handy sub for last 25 minutes of a game.

[Hockley Hammer]

I'm an ST holder, have been going for year, and will continue to go no matter what but doesn't mean I enjoy what I'm seeing, and I'm not exactly finding it geat at the moment.

Funny, I've enjoyed every home game this season (apart from Wigan in the COC, I missed the Everton & Norwich games). I think we have given our best in every game. A few have been frustrating like Saturday but can't fault the effort and we have given everything to try and win games or come back and get a point. (Sunderland,Stoke,QPR), these are the kind of games I have seen us lose time and time again over the years.

I look at this league and the results week in week out and I don't expect us to roll teams over. You can't keep giving teams a goal start and expect to win games.

[Hammer Sandwich]

has a player ever had such a long thread on this forum??

proves he is a legend.......

.................or just a frustrating enigma !