West Ham’s recent poor performance against Manchester City last time out once again saw the team maintain their horrid run, in what has so far been, an utterly disappointing second half of the league campaign.
Contrary to what the official site’s propaganda machine would lead us fans on to believe, Sam Allardyce’s squad certainly seem to be applying themselves as if they are already on holiday at the moment – with the team completely lacking the ambition, determination and gusto that raised all of our expectations at the beginning of the season.
With such an unwanted turn of events recently affecting the side throughout 2015 then, now would seemingly arrive as a slightly ill-timed moment to try and raise a bit of positivity in an around the club.
That however, is exactly what this article intends to do – and although he certainly hasn’t pulled up any trees for the Hammers of late – Carlton Cole will nonetheless arrive as the reason behind that said positivity.
He simply remains one of the best characters the club have played host to in recent years, and even if some sections of the Upton Park faithful still remain frustrated with the former Chelsea man now and then, our current no. 24 must always be considered a West Ham hero. That’s just the way things have to be.
Sam Allardyce may have overseen the former England international become a somewhat ineffective and immobile striker in recent seasons – but ultimately this is a player who all Hammers fans should have love for, regardless of where their other loyalties lie.
In his day, and under the calm reassuring management style of one Gianfranco Zola, Cole was one of the biggest assets the club could rely upon.
Us fans might have previously been excited by the thought of watching Dean Ashton, Carlos Tevez, Craig Bellamy and Andy Carroll do their thing for the Hammers in seasons past – but as reality is rather crueler to West Ham supporters than our dreams initially set out to be – Carlton Cole has in-fact been the striker we have predominantly cheered on for the majority of that time.
Big Sam’s side have nevertheless been way below par in their last twelve matches or so, not just when it comes to results, but also in the performances the fans still have to pay top dollar for.
Yet as this season increasingly looks to be Carlton Cole’s last campaign in the claret & blue, some things seemingly rise above whatever happens to be going on out on the pitch.
As the 31-year-old was pretty much ready to pack his bags and join up with Tony Pulis’ West Brom towards the end of the January transfer window, we might as well already get used to the possibility of moving on without Carlton on board next season. His contract in the east end has already expired without immediate renewal in the past after all, and this time it’s simply becoming hard to imagine the prospect of another contract being offered up for the striker.
That means that despite plying his trade at Upton Park for the best part of ten years, Carlton Cole looks to have just missed the boat in regards to the club’s upcoming move to the Olympic Stadium. It therefore comes as somewhat of a shame that the loyal front-man will likely depart West Ham rather unceremoniously before the Hammers begin that much awaited new chapter in the club’s history.
To this day however, it still remains a pleasure to see Carlton connected with the club in any way, shape or form. As a determined front-man out on the pitch, or merely as a sub warming up on the side-lines, the striker has simply been a fantastic servant for West Ham.
So in no uncertain terms, it truly would be a heart-warming experience to hear “Carlton Cole, You’re Indestructible” ring out strongly within the hordes of Hammers faithful for a good while to come – regardless of what the future ultimately has in store for our plucky little club in the next few years.
