The Journalist

Not much to be intrigued by - I literally have offered to help. Twice. I think you're picking at the wrong person there. And it's not necessarily too late. Too late to get the kits changed, obviously, but not too late to make life a bit more uncomfortable for the club over it (again, though, I can't stress enough that's only my personal view - I'm not trying to speak on behalf of anyone else).

Appreciate the replies @Bristol Rob @shahanshahan and @ExiledAjax - believe it or not, it wasn't really my intention to turn this into a SC&T-bashing exercise before I started typing so apologies for that. I completely understand the club aren't necessarily as easy to deal with as they once were. That's pretty common place as clubs become more corporate and distant from the fans, so I have some sympathy. It must feel like you're shouting at the rain for it to stop sometimes. All that said, there are ways of communicating with the club that don't involve directly communicating, of course. Over a topic as emotive and sensitive as a club badge it's important to know there are ways of getting messages across that can make life much more uncomfortable for them. You shouldn't be afraid to take that route - it's really important to us. You should be capable of doing that, in my opinion. There's always a way, however aloof they are. And, like I say, I'm always happy to help with that sort of thing (and even chuck my £12 in!). I'm a DM away! Anyway - sorry for absolutely derailing this thread. My fault. Let's get back to the kit... it's shit innit? ?

Well done you for contacting all of the above off your own back - it's admirable that you went to those lengths and I personally appreciate the effort you went to. I would push back on one point, though, and I guess goes back to the initial concern raised by @Sir Geoff - if your contact was just as a concerned fan and not an "official" SC&T communication - where was that communication? Where's the leadership of the SC&T? Why aren't they driving an agenda on this? And why would I join for £12 a month (where does that go, by the way?) if those representing me aren't doing that? We're obviously a smaller club than Leeds, with a much smaller fan base, but when you look at the absolute stink they kicked up over their proposed change of badge (it became a pretty big national sports news story - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43157773) it shows what can be done. I refuse to believe that our current ownership is less engaged than the Leeds board at that time, who were notoriously out of the tune with the supporters! A huge number of fans are pretty angry that the club have - without notice - taken a stock image off Getty and turned it into a new club crest that sits on one of our shirts, all over our training wear and on the wall of the training ground. And the absolute least the SC&T should be doing, in my opinion, is driving that feeling into the local press to apply wider pressure on the club. Am I going over the top with this view? That's not a rhetorical question - completely happy if people want to tell me I'm misreading the room. The above is how I feel, but not necessarily everyone. And, to add, while I'm saying this in reply to you, @ExiledAjax, these are by no means questions I'm expecting you to answer. You've done a lot more than the rest of us to hold the club to account as a lone fan. Instinctively, I just feel like if the SC&T aren't going to represent the fanbase on a topic like this what's the actual point in them? And, for what it's worth, without wishing to sound all Alastair Campbell, if anyone at the SC&T wants to come to me for help in getting this type of messaging a) across the club and b) into the media I'd love to help. I'm sure there'll be plenty like me who are the same. (Sorry for turning all ranty!).

Completely respect your feeling on it, everyone is different and lots of fans will share your view, particularly those of a certain age and demographic. But even if it’s not for you, football kits are a huge deal to supporters - new shirt releases generate some of the most engaged content we produce, believe it or not. It does huge numbers and sparks massive interaction/discussion. It really matters to people.

In the position he plays, playing in a team that'll get out-passed - and lose - most games, standing out will be difficult. Don't think that point of view is too difficult to understand, personally, but all opinions innit.

Bournemouth would feel a bit of an anti-climax, mainly because I genuinely think Alex has a real shot at playing for England within the next 24 months if he continues his current rate of progress. And he's not going to do that while he's at Bournemouth.

Really powerful interview - he spoke with amazing courage and Neville, for an ex-footballer rather than a trained journalist, was excellent, asking all the right questions but with empathy and understanding. Clearly there's more to life than football and he should be incredibly proud of himself whatever the future holds, but I really do hope he can get back playing to a standard he feels content with. I'm sure lots of us will really be rooting for him now, genuinely.

I think you're being a bit overly simplistic about it. "You'd think he'd be able to adapt" - on what basis?! He's human! "To not even try to teach him that role" - how do you know that hasn't been the case? Maybe he's just not been able to? It's also worth remembering that he's leaped from League Two up to the Championship. It's a huge jump. Maybe he's mentally struggled with it? Maybe he's been overwhelmed by it? Maybe he's had confidence issues after the injury? Maybe the injury means he won't be quite the same player? My point is... maybe a hundred different scenarios. It's not Championship Manager. Apologies, also worth adding rather than just putting it all on the player... maybe we just feel like we got it wrong/made a misjudgement and rather than doubling down we're moving him down a level so he can get on with his career and we can get on with building for a new season without someone, having seen them at close quarters, we don't think is for us.

In fairness, I'm not convinced the India team were being particularly malicious or pre-planned about it. The fielder on the boundary genuinely thought it had gone for four, I think, and after that, even they seemed uncertain... "is he out here? Can we get away with this?" type thing. So, like with Carey, I don't really blame the player(s). You try things in the heat of the battle and sometimes you maybe push it a bit far. But the beauty of cricket is that you have that time as a captain to reflect on whether it's the right thing to do and make your own decision. Dhoni got it right and Cummins badly misread the room - it's such a poor misjudgement.

Fair play for being honest! Like @Fordy62 said, it's worse than a Mankad in that it literally penalises a misunderstanding. It's a pathetic way to dismiss a batsman IMO. Apologies if someone's already mentioned it, but it's more like this run-out of Ian Bell against India in 2011 (which, again, was basically a misunderstanding and correctly led to him being recalled). To use Shane Warne's quote on commentary, "in the spirit of the game that's not on". That's the most like-for-like comparison I can come up with.

Exactly this @Lrrr - he left the crease after playing his shot, not during playing the shot. Do you honestly not see it that way?... https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cricket/66080677 ... I've even rewatched it to make sure I'm not going mad.

I'm genuinely shocked by those who think the Bairstow dismissal was in any way sportsmanlike. Bairstow ducked the bouncer, regained his balance, marked back inside the crease with his foot and then left the crease because he understandably perceived the ball to be dead. It's a misunderstanding at best. Now, in a way I'm actually not against Carey throwing the stumps down as a slightly cheeky way of unsettling Bairstow a bit and a reminder he needs to be switched on, but can you really be serious that you're happy dismissing a batsman in those circumstances? That you're happy to capitalise on a misunderstanding - at best - rather than getting him out with a piece of skill? I can't fathom it and I think Pat Cummins completely misread the room by upholding the appeal. And then to compare it to the Starc catch? Absolute nonsense, because one was an umpire's decision and the other was a player's decision. His decision. The thing is, while he didn't wait for Bairstow to leave the crease he knew he would do so in that manner because it was a fair assumption, on Bairstow's part, that the ball was dead. Like I say, I'm actually not against Carey's action as a bit of psychology, but to uphold the appeal I just can't get on board with. Undoubtedly there'll always be a mark against that win because of it and there didn't really need to be because Australia are slightly the better team regardless. As an aside... worth a tenner on Bairstow to end the series as top run scorer now. People tend to make him angry at their peril.

The only thing I would say with Alex Scott is... he's different, isn't he? He's a generational talent for a club like ours. Brownhill's never looked close to being international quality. Kelly had huge potential but still had flaws with us, there were still parts to his game that were lacking. Webster was truly exceptional but was 24 when he left us and, really, had only had one mega year at Championship level. Scott's 19 and is ready right now. I keep reading that West Ham/Tottenham/Wolves fans are saying it's a lot of money for potential. I don't think they're buying potential - they're buying a player who'll be a regular for them by Christmas. All opinions, obviously, but with Scott more than any other player we've sold the sell-on clause will be a huge money maker.

Or be called into his office and lie about his identity.

Certainly content. But, and I'm aware I've said this before on this very thread, it's utterly ludicrous that we've had four completely different badges on our shirts in four years. It's a marketing and brand identity disaster, it defies logic let alone common sense and I refuse to believe any reputable, half-decent marketing executive would support it.

I definitely think there’ll be an element of that - but I also don’t think it can be a defence of the club. That’s how society is and if you’re going to move away from bigger brands there’s more pressure to get the product spot on. All that said, it’s worth adding Hummel aren’t exactly the height of fashion and some of the in-house kits were pretty popular - particularly the promotion one, as was the pinstripes kit we wore during the cup run.

If I win, do I have to keep that god-awful shirt?

It'll be interesting when he does step up to the next level what position he actually ends up in, won't it? He could almost end up playing anywhere. I like him playing deeper in our team/division because - for as basic as this sounds - I always just think you want your best players on the ball as much as possible. And he obviously sees more of it there. I know he's played deeper for the England age groups too, but again he's a standout player at that level, as much for his physicality as his ability. But then he'll lose those points of difference when he goes to the Premier League. As an aside, it's interesting the amount of people who consider him a dribbler/a player in the same mould as Grealish. While he's got great feet, like Grealish, I've always thought his vision/passing range for someone so young is his best asset. He releases the ball more quickly than Grealish IMO.

I think whether the Conference League should exist or not is a different matter. I don't really disagree with what you've said - I think you're arguing a different point. To finish in the top seven two seasons running, to get to the semi-finals of the Europa League against some very good teams and then win the Conference League against some average teams, but some decent ones too, is a really good achievement over a sustained period of three seasons. Outside of the elite clubs, I think any set of fans in England would take the adventure they've been on during that period. I firmly stand by that comment.

When you consider how hard it is to finish in the Premier League's top six/seven - as demonstrated by the celebrations at Aston Villa and Brighton in recent weeks - for West Ham to be in European competition for a third season in a row having got to the Europa League semi-finals and then won the Conference League... I think that's a pretty huge achievement and up there with any English team outside the absolute elite clubs in terms of sustained success over three seasons. I don't see how anyone could argue otherwise. Just to add, too, that as a supporter football is all about moments. And my god they've had some special moments as a fanbase recently.

Former Bristol City loanee Simon Cox next to Kalas?

There’s lots about football I’d like to change but the play-offs isn’t one of them. Some of my favourite football memories are in play-off matches - and that’s even though I’ve never seen us get promoted through them. It’s probably also our only realistic route to the Premier League - as it is to any team without parachute payments.

The gambling addiction element is really interesting and, I strongly suspect, is what informed Gareth Southgate's excellent answer on the case the other day. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/65699477 Reading between the lines he certainly wouldn't have agreed with the FA's stance on it, particularly taking into account this element of the report... The FA submitted that the final sanction in this case should be a minimum of 12 months suspension. That in part was based upon a contended higher starting point because of the alleged concealment by deletion of texts and concealing an additional phone, an allowance of only 20% for the guilty pleas because some were not made at the first opportunity, and the assertion that there was inadequate evidence of gambling addiction to warrant any reduction. Those submissions were not accepted by the Commission for the reasons set out above. On one hand, this is clearly very serious and a ban was merited. On the other hand, gambling addiction is a serious mental illness and should be treated as such in my opinion. It seems, to me, that the FA weren't buying that part of it and just wanted to go in as hard as possible.

Surely just needs some more hobbies. Imagine being miserable all season because we were mid-table in the Championship.

Imagine a scenario where Joe Bryan slots into left-back and Cameron Pring moves into midfield.