bq. I'm forever blowing bubbles Pretty bubbles in the air They fly so high Nearly reach the sky Then like my dreams they fade and die
Fortune's always hiding I've looked everywhere I'm forever blowing bubbles Pretty bubbles in the air -- excerpt from I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles by Jaan Kenbrovin and John William Kellette In the tense and macho atmosphere of professional sports, how many clubs can boast a fan-base that traditionally chants "I'm forever blowing bubbles" as their anthem before, during and after each game? Not exactly "You'll never Walk Alone" is it? The strange, melancholy song for the East London team exemplifies why the club and its supporters are so unique in their attitude and traditions regarding top-flight football. Sadly, on the last day of the 2002/2003 Premiership season, West Ham were relegated to the Nationwide First Division despite an inspired late-season run of form. West Ham United have not won a major title since their 1980 FA Cup Final victory of Arsenal. Yet, their perennial position as either a mid-table or relegation-threatened team has not kept the club from traditionally playing a flowing and attacking style of football to the delight of fans and neutrals alike. Hammers fans have quite possibily been treated to as many flashes of technical brilliance as supporters of England's elite (and more prosperous) tier of clubs. Perhaps the greatest contributions made by the Hammers to the Premiership have been made through West Ham's prolific Youth Academy. Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Michael Carrick have all developed through tutelage in East London to become members of the National Team. Meanwhile, Jermain Defoe is certainly a full English striker to be and Glen Johnson is another locally developed and emerging talent. The Hammers have demonstrated an amazing ability to field talented sides composed of local players who the supporters love to root for. h3. Arrividerci Paulo Sadly, Paulo Di Canio was likely to leave the club when his contract expired ths summer. Relegation simply sealed an end to the era that the Italian center-forward brought to the Hammers. Equal parts genius and agitator, Di Canio falls directly under the "you either love him or hate 'im" category of footballer. He was West Ham's offensive catalyst for the large part of his 140 appearances in a Hammers shirt, bagging 51 goals including the wonder goal of the season in the 1999/2000 campaign. Fierce, enigmatic and brutally honest, Paulo was simply the man for Hammers supporters who revelled in both his technique and temperment. Good bye Paulo, you'll be missed, but I sincerely doubt you could be forgotten. h3. Wage Exodus The reality of relegation from the Premier Division is an expected immediate shortfall of atleast £13,000,000 from club coffers. West Ham's wage bill must be cut and Di Canio and Lee Bowyer are perhaps the most notable players to have already been released outright. In efforts to further curb wages for the Nationwide it seems that many more players with inflated salaries (Dailly, Repka, Schemmel) or players with fringe places in the squad (Lomas!) are going to be soon free transferred or perhaps even have their contracts bought out in the cases of contributors with really appalling salary/performance. The greatest losses will come through the departure of the core group of youngsters that West Ham has cultivated towards potential stardom: Jermain Defoe is certain to go, despite his untimely transfer request being denied. He's right on the cusp of making a breakthrough to the senior England squad. Arguably, if the Wayne Rooney craze didn't overshadow his last season, he could perhaps be considered a replacement striker if two or so regulars were to be ruled out by injury. Joe Cole, despite endearing himself to the club with stellar perfomances after donning the captain's armband, is likely to be too tempting for the big clubs to pass up. Cole has shown this season that he may still come to be the type of rare player that can sieze a game by the scruff of its neck and force a positive result for his team. Take the ability to be a game-breaker, and combine it with his youth, English nationality, the ability to dribble and versatility to play on the left flank and I can't think of many top English teams that will not be taking a serious shot at luring Cole away from Upton Park. Michael Carrick is also a possible loss to the transfer market. However, he had a poor and inconsistent season by his standards, slipping from his prior season's stature of an emerging England squad member. Perhaps Carrick's home town club of Newcastle can be held off from taking him long enough for the young midfielder to help the Iron's quickly rebound into the Premiership. h3. It had to happen The sad part about this relegation is that such a disaster has been literally years in the making. Current Manager Glen Roeder obviously bears responsibility for such shocking failures such as an inability to earn a home win until after the season's half-way point. The team is more talented than half the mid-table teams that beat out relegation (Charlton!).