Tc: One Year Only?

EastEnders actor Perry Fenwick and Upton Park legend Tony Cottee - both ardent Hammers fans since an early age - get together to talk about matters West Ham...

Q: What about the 'R' word?

PF: "It is in your blood, isn't it? It is just a shame that we had to go into that last game relying on another team's performance and I think we all knew in our heart of hearts that Middlesbrough weren't going to really turn it on at Bolton, and it was just sad to watch it because once they got those two goals it goes to the players on the pitch."

TC: "There was a little spell, wasn't there, when Middlesbrough got back to 2-1 and there was a little bit of hope where we all got a bit excited, but it only lasted for about 10 minutes unfortunately, and then Birmingham scored.

"I agree with what Perry said, it was always difficult because you knew Middlesbrough weren't really going to raise their game too much.

"If you go into the last game and there are three or four clubs involved in the relegation scrap you have always got a chance, but it was a straight 'us or Bolton', and looking at the fixtures it was always going to be difficult - and the damage had already been done earlier in the season.

"It was the first 27 or 28 games and whenever the West Brom game was, we picked up after that."

PF: "For me, and I think for a lot of the supporters as well, there was a turning point for us during the Arsenal game when we were coasting it at 2-0 up. I was with a mate who was a Gooner, and for 60 minutes or whatever, he was saying 'we are so not in this'.

"But we let them back into it, and that was the start of the run of 'we are not winning at home', there was Fredi's penalty miss, and psychologically that run went on until the Blackburn game.

"That was the start of it, and it was so sad to finish the season losing one game out of 11. There weren't too many teams in the Premiership playing with that sort of form and the team ended up believing in themselves.

"We have such a good nucleus of a team now and if we stick together we will walk it in the first division by Christmas."

TC: "I think it was good to see what Glen Johnson said on this site a couple of weeks ago; it was good reading for all West Ham fans after Jermain Defoe put in the request.

"I personally think Jermain was badly advised and the timing was a bit poor, the day after relegation, though I never have a problem with anyone wanting to leave the club.

"But it was nice to see Glen committing himself to the club and hoping that Jermain is going to stay - whether that means Glen will be gone next week I don't know!

Q: Can we keep the youngsters?

TC: "We want to keep the kids. I am back to being a fan and Perry has always been a fan and you want to see the kids kept. We have the four superstar kids if you like and then Anton Ferdinand coming through, perhaps Stephen Bywater will come into the fray next season, and if we can build around them that would be good.

"It is a fantastic stadium and we have got to get back straight away. I think one season in the Nationwide the fans will put up with, but anything beyond that will be a disaster in terms of the quality of the players at the club."

Q: What about this tag of the best team to go down - it is unfortunate, but is it true?

TC: "I think it is true in terms of the total of 42 points, and if you look at some of the rubbish teams that have been relegated over the years, certainly since the Premiership started, I would say that the only other team was the Forest team that went down in 1993 that had people like Des Walker and Roy Keane.

"There were good players and that is the only team I can compare with, and there are some good players here. It shouldn't have happened but you have got to face facts and that is that West Ham are playing in the Nationwide next year."

PF: "There was one game I think where we had, current and past, seven England internationals playing in a Premiership team, not including the other internationals - and you get relegated.

"We has the group huddles and then what happened to Glenn made everyone closer together but that has to be there from the word go.

"The boys of '86 are still the best of mates and that sort of thing is dying these days. It is all a lot quicker, and one minute you are at one club then you are down the road.

TC: "I think the key to it is that you have a good team spirit and you play as a team. Watching the early part of the season there were 11 good individual players out there and some real quality, but not playing as a team.

"We played as a team and that is why we finished third. If the lads, whoever is here, can get together, get the team spirit going, the quality is there and they will come straight back up.

"But you have got to do it from day one, you can't do it from Christmas onwards no matter what league you are playing in.

"You can't have the start to the season that West Ham had, you can't do it in pub football, let alone the Premiership."

Q: Is there a worry about over-confidence? I know you are saying we could walk it but you have to sweat for it.

PF: "What I meant there is if they can keep the nucleus of the team, Joe, Michael, Jermain, it will be important.

"And it is lovely to see Glen Johnson say what he did. I think he has been fantastic this season, and, in fairness, I don't think he would otherwise have got a chance this early in his career.

"There is no side to him or anything, he just gets on and is a really cultured young player. And for him to say 'come on, I'm staying, let's all stay, I'm West Ham' was lovely.

"A lot of players kiss the badge and do all that sort of stuff, but the thing is to put the shirt on 38 times a season, not just kiss it when you score."

Q: Will you miss Paolo?

PF: "I have seen him do some amazing things; there is a bit of magic with him."

TC: "We have had four years of quality with him and on his day there is no better - there are a lot of supporters who will be sad to see him go, let's be honest about it, but I think the club has got to rebuild and unfortunately you can't have players who are earning phenomenal amounts of money in the Nationwide and I think that is what it was all about from the club's point of view.

"That is how, unfortunately, it has worked out and you can't have players earning whatever it might be.

"I really wish him well. He has been a great servant to the club over the last four years or so and we really will miss him.

"Some of the goals, like the Wimbledon scissor kick and that, have been quality - and we wish him well in his future career, probably at Portsmouth!

"We shall see..."

PF: "I will have a tenner on that!"

Q: Can I ask you about transfer fees - there haven't been any yet obviously as the season has just ended but someone like, say, Fredi, would he be worth £3m, £12m, or somewhere in between?

PF: "It is kind of a weird one because you get all this speculation from the moment that the season has finished about who might go.

"In the current market I think that Joe Cole is worth much more than, say, £5m, but the big clubs are hovering like vultures over Upton Park because we got relegated. Maybe if we had stayed up it would be different.

"I hope it doesn't work against us that the possible England players, with the European Championship coming up, don't say 'I want to be noticed by Sven and I won't be down there' - that may have a bearing on it."

TC: "Hopefully from their point of view they can speak to Sven and to the club and be told 'your ambitions won't be diminished playing in the Nationwide'.

"It has happened, we have got to face it, but we are only here for one year, we are going to be straight back up in the Premiership, a bigger and better club hopefully, and if that is the case it is okay.

"You ask the question about fees and there is no question that this time last year you would have got £10m for Fredi but you won't this year.

"That is not just Fredi, that is all players; I think you are looking at a 50% cut in the valuation of all players across the board.

"That also applies to Michael Owen - perhaps David Beckham is the exception - but all the top players' prices have come down in football because there has been a rain check in football - and quite rightly so.

"Nine players have left who are out of contract and there are probably three or four sold to balance the books, so you are looking at 12 players leaving.

"Whoever is in charge for the first team next season has got to get five or six players in, basement bargains, but not bad players just because they are free transfers.

"But that is where you have got to bolster the squad."

Q: At least you won't have to pay so much for your season ticket, Perry.

PF: "I always gets a freebie off TC."

TC: "Not always, you don't..."