If you go to the Shepherd and Dog in the village of Langham on the Essex/Suffolk border you can get a well appointed bar with a wide variety of real ales and guest ales. You can also get some forthright opinions on the state of the current West Ham squad from propreiter Julian Dicks.
The Hammers cult hero has launched an attack on the performances of captain Nigel Reo-Coker after their 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Reading on New Year’s Day. Languishing in the relegation zone and four points adrift of safety Dicks seethed "I think there are certain players that really don’t want to be at the club. Nigel Reo-Coker seems to have spat his dummy out. He’s one person I’d get rid of and also Marlon Harewood."
Dicks added: "Certain players think they’ve got a God-given right to play but they haven’t. They’ve got to earn that right to play at West Ham."
In reference to new manager Alan Curbishley, he said:
"He has to drop those players I’ve mentioned because they don’t seem to care what happens to the club. At least if he brought in young kids from the reserves, they would give 110%," said Dicks.
"With Reo-Coker, it seems clubs have come in for him and West Ham have not allowed him to leave, so he’s happy just to pick up his wages."
The young skipper has received hate mail from fans blaming him for the sacking of former manager Alan Pardew last month.
Meanwhile, former Upton park number two, Peter Grant, said the club made a mistake in getting rid of Pardew.
Grant assisted Pardew in helping West Ham to ninth in the Premiership last season and a place in the FA Cup final.
"It wasn’t so much that they got rid of Alan at the time, it was the fact of what he built at the club," said the former Celtic midfielder.
"That’s not just at first-team level. When he took over the place was a shambles, there’s no getting away from that, and he rebuilt it. He brought in a load of young players who were worth buttons at the time, and all of a sudden they’re now worth £4m to £5m. So I think they were short-sighted in that respect." [Mof Gimmers]