Hammers may have left Manchester with the blues on
Saturday, but Billy Bonds reckons that they still have every chance
of getting themselves back in the pink at Palermo on Thursday
evening.
"It's not a foregone conclusion that West Ham are out of
the UEFA Cup," insists the Upton Park legend, who captained
the club during the 1975-76 and 1980-81 European Cup Winners'
Cup campaigns.
"Last season they showed us that they've got goals in them
and they're certainly in with a shout in Sicily, but
they'll have to play a lot better than they did against
Manchester City.
"When I was playing in Europe, we lost a few away games but we
were able to have a real pop at opponents like Den Haag, Eintracht
Frankfurt and Castilla when we got them back to Upton Park. Our
home record took us through but this time the situation is in
reverse.
"Even if West Ham had got a result at City, though, it still
would've been hard out in Palermo because they're trailing
from the first leg and Italy is never an easy place to go to.
"But although they're up towards the top of Serie A,
Palermo aren't one of Italy's best sides and that one-goal
lead is vulnerable."
[QUOTE]"Last season they showed us that they've got
goals in them and they're certainly in with a shout in
Sicily"[/QUOTE]
Bonzo, pictured above with Ron Greenwood and John Lyall after our
1976 Cup Winners' Cup final defeat against Anderlecht in
Brussels, made 15 European appearances to become an ever-present
during those two challenges on the continent and, although the
swashbuckling skipper never crossed swords with any Italians, he
stills knows what Alan Pardew's troops can expect in the deep
south.
For not only did he play against Fiorentina in the much-maligned
Anglo-Italian Cup in the mid-70s but he also managed Hammers in an
ill-tempered, enlarged tournament against four Serie B sides in
1992-93.
"We all know what it's like when you play an Italian
team," he continues. "They can spoil the game, break
things up and slow things down by conceding niggly fouls.
"And it will be interesting to see Palermo's mentality on
Thursday night. Will they just decide to sit on what they've
already got? Or will they try to get that second goal and kill the
tie?
Continued on next page...[PAGE]
"If they just stick with the 1-0 lead, that'll just invite
West Ham to come onto them looking to nick an away goal and that
could prove dangerous because we've seen this Alan Pardew side
at its best and when it's playing well there are definitely
players who can hurt the Italians."
Certainly, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano fit into that
category. But following the arrival of Pards's Argentinian
amigos, Bonzo clearly empathises with the selection dilemma that
one of his successors to the Upton Park hot-seat now faces.
"Those two aren't the finished article yet," he
observes. "Right now, everyone's saying that they're
world class players but they've also got to remember that
they're still only 22-years-old.
"Mascherano keeps it simple, wins his tackles and, yes, he
looks a good player. He sits in front of the back four and does
what Hayden Mullins was doing for the team last year. I'd say
that Mascherano's a Steady Eddie who's done well so far.
"Tevez, on the other hand, is going to need time to settle in
because it's always difficult for a flair player. I can
remember when Thierry Henry first arrived at Arsenal and was shoved
out on the left wing. We all thought: 'He's alright, not
bad, but he does miss a lot of chances doesn't he?' It
takes time to bed in but just look at Henry now!
"So far, Tevez hasn't had the impact that you'd
perhaps expect but I think it's asking a lot of him to come
into the Premiership and grab a game by the scruff of the neck.
Overall, they're two good additions to the squad and their
arrival shouldn't affect the team spirit because all clubs are
looking to bring in new players all the time.
"Now Saturday's result at City has got to be parked to one
side," concludes Bonzo. "We've just got to hope that
the defeat wakes this West Ham side up and that the creative
players, who can carve out the goals, perform on Thursday night.
"Alan Pardew knows that he's got a job on his hands but
it's certainly not an insurmountable task because West Ham have
definitely got enough talent to turn things around out there."