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Iron Duke 10:23 Sat Jun 27
Pablo Zabaleta
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I know morale is low, but this seems to have got forgotten about in the last couple of days. He may have been well past his best when he joined us, slow and immobile, but he still gave us great service. And of course, he stayed classy to the end, while some other cunty upstart fucks us over and gets a whole thread about him.
I think he’ll make a good coach in the future. Also a top bloke.
Goodbye Pablo and good luck.
(C & P’d from OS):
Hello West Ham United fans,
As you may have seen, we have agreed with the Club that I’m leaving at the end of the month.
I’m not going to extend my contract until the end of the season because I picked up an injury a few weeks ago and I’m still working on my rehabilitation. I’m a long way off being match fit, so it was a tough decision for everyone.
For me, as a player, when you feel that you’re not a hundred per cent, and you don’t know how you’re going to respond, I think the best thing is to say ‘enough is enough.’ I’m not going to extend my contract if I think that I’m not ready to play again.
The Board, the manager, and myself, we spoke about this – and we were all happy with the decision.
I’ve been here for three years and great people work at the Club.
The Club gave me the chance to stay here until the end of the season. If I’m listening to Pablo Zabaleta the player, he was telling me to stay until the last day, but if I’m listening to Pablo Zabaleta the man, he’s saying that if you can’t give a hundred per cent, if you’re not ready to play a game, that hurts me as a player.
If everything continued in the right way, I’d probably be able to make the bench for the last two games, but in the situation we’re in, we need players to be a hundred per cent fit and to perform on the pitch.
As a player, it’s not the way I wanted to finish my time in England; I’ve been here 12 years and I wanted to finish by playing in front of fans and with my family here. But the situation is what it is. In those moments you have to make the right decision.
I came to West Ham in the later part of my career. I was 32, nearly 33, and I knew inside of me I was ready to come and perform on the pitch.
Pablo ZabaletaIf I look back on my time here, I played 37 games in my first season, missing just one due to suspension. In my second, I played 26 games. I was so happy because that is what I wanted: to go somewhere, keep enjoying my football, and stay in the Premier League and England, because I knew this country was a lovely place to be with a family and play football.
This season, I knew from the first day of pre-season I was not going to play most of the games because I was nearly 35 and we have younger players, but it was great to stay around with the team and keep enjoying it.
My last game was against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in February. I came on after 60 minutes and got great appreciation from the fans. My last game being against Man City, playing for West Ham – the two clubs I played for during my time in England – is a positive. I will remember it forever.
I’ve spent three great years at West Ham. This is a great Football Club with a huge tradition, and I see after three years the potential of this Club.
We play in front of 60,000 fans every home game – that’s incredible. When you go around east London you see so many West Ham shirts, you can see how massive the Club is. I believe that this is a team with huge potential to become a top club in the Premier League.
I feel like I have given my all for the Club – there’s nothing I can regret as a player. It’s a tough decision, of course, but I think I’m pleased in terms of I know that if I cannot give everything, I have no reason to stay here.
This gives me a chance to go back to Spain and stay with my family again, because I’ve been away from my kids and my missus for two months. I’m missing my family, so obviously it will be good to see them again.
It’s hard at the moment to make a decision about the future because all I want to do is just go back to Spain, see my family again, and wait for the season to finish. I will be a massive West Ham supporter because I will be at home, just watching the lads hopefully win their games!
I think the right thing for me now is just to relax a little bit, and see what the situation will be in two months’ time. If I want to carry on playing and I have to move my family again, obviously everyone has to be happy. If I don’t find anything, retirement is a possibility.
The last three months have been really difficult for many people, especially I think for the real heroes in this moment: the care workers who have been on the front line, doing an absolutely incredible job trying to save people’s lives.
Of course, football is now back. It’s not the same because we need to follow the protocol which is quite strict, but of course we need to because the safety of everyone who works in the building and the players and their families is the most important thing at the minute. Hopefully, in a few months’ time, we can go back to some normality.
All I can say to the West Ham fans is just thank you for the great support over the last three years. They have always been great to me, and they are proper fans. You can see they follow us everywhere, and as I said before, there are 60,000 fans every home game.
Thank you for all the support. We’ve enjoyed our time as a family in London – it’s a great city, a great place to live – and I wish all the fans, the Club, all the people who work behind the scenes all the best.
In the future I will be desperate to come back to England and to see friends, but also to watch Premier League games, because of the intensity, because of the action, because of the drama, because of the fans, because of the atmosphere at stadiums.
This is the best league in the world for sure, and I’m sure we’ll have the chance to come back.
Thank you, and I wish you all the best for the future.
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
kylay
6:59 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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He done okay in the attack, but couldn't recover and left us exposed frequently as a result. Certainly a good professional but another case of the owners trying to go cheap and paying a player for past rather than current form.
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Mex Martillo
3:50 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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On the whole Zabaleta has played well as an individual, very professional. As we are close to relegation I think, as said, it is clear that most if not all our team are not value for money.
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Mex Martillo
3:43 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Aaa ha, thanks, I didn’t know that Sven.
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Manuel
12:38 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Have to agree with Pagey and Alex. Zab has done ok but value for money? No, he was finished when he got here.
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Pagey
12:28 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Mean
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Pagey
12:28 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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It means exactly that Miike. Has Zabaleta been value for that money? No way. Has Snodgrass? No way. Have most of them? No way. That’s why we’re a shambles of a football club. Don’t even get me started on Anderson. They all see an easy life with no expectations when they join us. Turn up for training have a laugh, go home. Again, please don’t twist it to Mayan Zabaleta was the main culprit. As a person, he’s top notch.
Maybe we need to start looking at a different outlook and try to sell players at the right time? The likes of Cresswell, Lanzini etc could have all fetched good money at one stage. It’s a really difficult one to manage but could reap rewards and bring in the money to build further, while still progressing.
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Takashi Miike
12:15 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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what does "contribute £11m worth" mean? most of our players have stolen a living for the last two decades, so why highlight a bloke who has been available for most of the time at the club, kept himself fit the whole time when not injured and been a good influence throughout the club. he got a decent ways when joining because he'd been the best right back in the league for the previous ten years. alex v is a strange contrary wanker who will argue that a player who's contributed far less (masuaku) is a decent player
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Nagel
12:15 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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You would think that there's a value in a player's effect on the training ground and dressing room as well as the football pitch. Obviously the attitude and professionalism of Zabaleta hasn't rubbed off on most of the players, but is that because of him or the lack of others like him in the squad? Do we actually need more like him? When he's gone and with Noble to follow soon after might not things actually be worse?
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geoffpikey
12:10 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Yes, and I would agree with that also. A season too far. Won't be the first or last.
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geoffpikey
12:09 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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I get that Pagey, but the scrutiny rarely stands up for ANY player.
Estimate of what Snodgrass has cost over same (ISH) 3 seasons?
£19m.
I've picked him because of joining in 2017 also he "makes an effort".
We paid a fee for Snodgrass as well and, at 33 in few months he'll have very little sell-on value. In short, given our position, EVERY OTHER PLAYER has been a waste of money! Our recruitment IS shit. Picking out Zabaleta seems rather random, that's all.
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Rossal
12:01 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Good pro, lovely bloke, stuck in some decent performances and always gave 100%
However we should of got rid last summer, been awful this season
Wish him all the best
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Pagey
11:53 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Alex V does have a perfectly valid point that’s just being dismissed, seemingly because Zabaleta is a decent bloke and a good professional. I disagree with a lot of what Alex V usually says by the way.
Has Zabaleta contributed £11m worth to West Ham? The answer is an obvious no. There are loads of others too who aren’t paying their way of course, including most of the squad we have now - and that’s the massive problem we’ve always had. We haemorrhage money with no real plan in place, ever.
Is that Zabaleta’s fault? Of course not. Is he going to turn down a lucrative move to us in the twilight of his career? Of course not. But that’s what we are. A breeding ground for former greats to ease into their retirement. Look at Patrice Evra for instance! We literally handed that bloke god knows how much money for doing fuck all! I not comparing Zabaleta to Evra before anyone freaks out as they are chalk and cheese, but still both very costly signings with no end result.
Even when Fredericks, a youngster, was brought in as he was available on a free, we still screwed up. He’s been a huge disappointment but instead of scouting a great right back and paying a fee, it seems like we just saw that he was available for nothing (other than a signing on fee) and steamed in. Regardless of whether he was the right fit or not.
If we are to achieve anything as a football club, we need to start getting the Zabaleta’s of this world at their peak age.
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Sven Roeder
7:54 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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He is injured and a long way off being match fit so an obvious decision
No point giving him a months wages to sit and watch.
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Mex Martillo
7:39 Wed Jul 1
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Yes, good lick Zabaleta and thanks for your hard work and professionality.
I’m not sure if this is a good idea, right back is not a strong position for us and letting Zabaleta go just before the last few games may backfire.
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62Hammer
10:37 Tue Jun 30
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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We've had enough past-their-best players come to this club and take the money without putting in the effort. Zabaleta, right from the start, was clearly not one of them. I don't really care how much he cost - it's not my money, and as others have said, so much money has been wasted on poor signings over the years that what we paid for Zabaleta is hardly noticeable. He tried and he cared, and there are too few of those about these days.
And Geoffpikey, I feel the same way - among my most admired West Ham players is Pat Holland (and your namesake, come to that).
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Lato
6:37 Tue Jun 30
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Quality player, yet another with his best days gone by the time he got to West Ham. Good luck to you and your family in the future Pablo
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geoffpikey
2:23 Mon Jun 29
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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"There are two separate points on this thread.
They aren’t mutually exclusive."
That's true, Hermit. HOWEVER, certain people here just regard player acquisition as value in terms of "paying over the odds" or "a wise investment" due to potential resale. Thus reducing a football club to simply a factory acquiring "components" that provide a return on the bottom line. That's important these days, yes, but I - as be many - don't want the club reduced SOLELY to that.
Sometimes it's about emotion, and signing good players who respect their position and give their all. Zabaleta is in that category, no matter how brief his stay. It's why I'll always defend Mark Noble. He's not just a player: he's someone who has brought some soul to his job. Carlton, likewise. Not the best - West Ham never are! - but he wore that shirt with pride and he fucking tried.
We could sell Anderson tomorrow for £60m, and I still think he'd have been a poor buy. Profit, maybe, but we've fucked around putting faith in a bloke who won't fight.
(Which is saddening, because I liked him at first.)
I'm getting off topic. But my West Ham heroes are NOT the silkiest players nor the ones who provided "wise investment". They're grafters, mostly. (My username gives a big clue to my mindset.)
We're in the shit AGAIN. But the crapness of other teams has given us a chance. Players such as Zabaleta are priceless at such times. Him having to stop doesn't help our chances of beating the drop.
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Takashi Miike
12:39 Mon Jun 29
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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finite resources? we wasted £40m on a brazilian showpony that's coasted for the last two years, and £10m on a lower league carthorse who before he played for qpr, couldn't score in a brothel. zaba deserved every penny
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Lee Trundle
12:14 Mon Jun 29
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Ignore everyone, V.
Good to see you're back xGing it up on TWITTER.
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zico
12:11 Mon Jun 29
Re: Pablo Zabaleta
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Full Claret Jacket 3:38 Sun Jun 28
Couldn't have put it better myself. For sure the legs had gone a bit but if some of the others put in 100% every game and showed the same attitude that he did we wouldn't be in the position we are now,. Great servant to football.
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