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There's a line in an old blues standard song that says 'if it wasnt for bad luck, I wouldnt have any luck at all', and this certainly seem to fit the mood and the feeling around Upton Park this season.

But why is this? Do you really 'make your own luck'? or is it true that 'the more you practice the luckier you get'?

Certainly all of these cliches can be trotted out at the moment, but what is the reality of the situation? Are we the designers of our own downfall or have we truly been cursed by Lady Luck?

Stemming back from May 13th, when Steven Gerrard hit what has turned out to be the best goal of his career to date (and something he hasnt been able to repeat since), to deny us the FA Cup, we seem to have been on a downer. Reo Coker pulled out of the England squad for the World Cup with a back injury, and along with the rest of our squad was late back for pre season training apparently, and has had a pretty indifferent (to put it mildly) season form wise. We all know what happened to Ashton and how that has seemed to have knocked us out of our stride up front.

Injury after injury has plagued our squad, leading to rumours and discussions about their inherent fitness levels (possibly stemming from late pre season training?), leaving our back four with more holes than Elton Johns hair plugged head. Who would have thought our first choice defence would now have to consist of Spector, Dailly, McCartney and anyone else who hasnt got a twinge that week, after the near heroics of Konchesky, Gabbidon, Ferdinand and Scaloni (or whoever) of last season.

Who would believe it that we would sign two of the World's best young up and coming stars on deadline day, only for them both to be left out of the squad for most of the season and then only included as a last resort. On top of that, it now transpires that there are potential issues with work permits and registrations.

Last season we rode our luck somewhat with regard to offside decisions and own goals (didnt we have the best record of opponents scoring on our behalf?) and this season, referees just havent been as lenient or, in some cases downright anti West Ham in their attitude (hands up if your name rhymes with Uriah Rennie).

On top of that we have seen our squad hit the papers for all the wrong reasons, the court cases, the baby Bentleys, the strops, the ear cupping. You name it, we have given the press such a field day of opportunities that it is now a quiet day on the back pages if they havent got some reason to knock West Ham United.

And most recently of course, there's been the buying of 3/4 of a new team in the January sales like a kid with his pocket money burning a hole in his pocket and then seeing them break down almost as soon as they set foot on the pitch which has been the straw that broke the camels calf/ ankle. But how did we manage to buy two players who managed less than a whole match between them in the claret and blue, leaving us with one of the world's most expensive treatment tables in football history?

How much of all of this is down to bad luck or just sheer bad management?

Would our players have been so unfit and therefore prone to injuries if they had had a full pre season regime? Would the Argies have 'disrupted' the team (first time I have ever heard of two World Class players disrupting a fair to middling squad of players), could the top brass have handled the whole takeover issue with a little more sensitivity and sense? Could the new powers that be have shown a little more faith in the existing manager? Would we have needed the Upsons of this world if Gabbidon and Anton et al were showing half the form they did last season?

To blame a lot of this on 'bad luck' is simply to ignore what lead to this situation. What we have now is a collection of scenarios that have come to a head due to bad preparation, bad pre season buys, a lack of respect from our overperforming team for their manager, and for the team and its fans and an appalling lack of coherence from our board.

Bad luck implies some form of inevitabilty and impotence on behalf of the suffering party. In our case, we have had a hand in pretty much everything that has befallen us this season so far.

It's time we stopped bemoaning our luck (and I mean from the manager, not the supporters) and started talking about dragging this team, kicking and screaming if necessary, out of the utter desparation we find ourselves in and up the table. Even if only as far as the dizzy heights of 17th position.

17th? I should be so lucky.

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