Norwich City preview

Finally, the international break is over. Seems like months ago we humiliated Fulham in front of the Sky cameras so tomorrow has been a long time coming. If we can pick up where we left off against the Cottagers, we could be in for a treat.

Bad news - Andy Carroll is still injured and looks like he'll miss at least another game after tomorrow's match. Good news - Yossi is in place to make his debut, Jarvis looks to be available again following his recent injury and Noble's contract should be sorted sooner rather than later.

All things considered, I don't think we could have asked for a better start from our first 3 games. 6 points in 3 games is a great start for more or less any top flight team so considering our main goal would've been staying up this season, I personally wasn't expecting any more than what we've got.

I think Yossi will be handed his first start since returning, it looks like Cole making his 150th start for the club is a no brainer and if he's 100% fit Jarvis will slot straight back into the team.

Where it was arguable the main position we needed to strengthen, it seems Sam has a bit of a selection headache on the wings all of a sudden, which as the cliche goes; every manager wants. We've got Jarvis, Taylor, Vaz Te and Maiga all fighting for 2 positions and that may not sound like a lot but I don't think any of them would be happy as a squad player. Unless Taylor is moved back into the left-back position he played so well while Linda was injured, which in my opinion is a better option than our usual left back in the first place.

Also, you have to wonder exactly where Benayoun will fit in? This is my prediction for tomorrow's game:




















Now, unless he shoves him out wide, he'll have to go with a flat 5 in midfield and replace Noble, Diame or Nolan with him who would each be missed. Noble for his tireless effort, Diame for his sheer power and fearless tackling and Nolan because 1. Sam Allardyce is in love with him and 2. he does score a lot of goals (mostly tap ins, but they all count).

I suppose we'll have to wait and see!

Up the hammers!

Not a bad start

So, that was quite a transfer window for us. BFS bagged his two main transfer targets (in the end) and even managed to reel in Yossi which went down very well with the fans!

There are a few people who are concerned about the possible financial consequences of these signings. Yossi was a snip - we're paying £20k of his reported £92k wages until Christmas when we will start paying £45k which for a player of his quality, is a bargain these days.

BUT, is Matt Jarvis really worth the reported £10.75m? I'm not so sure, personally I would have preferred Adam Johnson and Sunderland didn't pay much more for him than we did for Jarvis.

Then there's the (not so) small issue of Andy Carroll's wages. When it looked like we wouldn't sign him, Sullivan came out and said they were willing to risk our finances on him. So does that mean that they have taken a huge risk in bringing him in? Well, the obvious answer is yes but how big is the risk?

I think it'll pay off, that he'll join us next summer (providing the 'pool don't get desperate and recall him) and that with both the best crosser of the ball in Jarvis and the best aerial player in the league, we'll have the foundations in place to achieve something in the coming years.

I couldn't have dreamed of a better start with 2 wins and 2 clean sheets from 2 home league games - against decent teams as well I might add - and who can honestly say they'd be happy with finishing 17th now? In my opinion, if we do our season will be considered a failure with the players we have now. I'm not getting carried away and immediately predicting a top half finish but we definitely shouldn't be among the bottom 5 teams.

My prediction is that we'll finish 12th, far safe from the struggling teams but also far from the European places. Hopefully if we're in a stable league position by January BFS will at least attempt a cup run because we all know he didn't want the distraction last year as we aimed for promotion as we were dumped out by lower league opposition in both domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle.

Onwards and upwards, as they say!

Who is Luc Constaignos?

We've been linked with Internazionale striker Luc Constaignos in recent weeks and a lot of people are thinking the same thing. Who is he!?


The young Dutchman is the all-time top scorer for the Netherlands' u17's and is very highly rated throughout Europe. He's currently 19 and is regarded as a prospect for the future but with the likes of Diego Forlan and Wesley Sneijder currently occupying the starting places in attack for the Italians, the teenager may move on in search of first team football.


The striker - who has been compared to Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry despite his tender age - has been linked with English clubs in the past following a fine season for Feyenoord in 2009. Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked with him in the past as well as Spanish Champions Real Madrid and Champions League runners-up Bayern Munich. Chances are very few of us - if any - would have seen him play but no player attracts attention from that many top quality clubs without having real talent. 


Is he a realistic target, then? It seems as though some sort of contact has been made as Allardyce is reported to have been in Italy meeting with representatives from Juventus regarding seperate deals and it is thought that he has inquired about this lad while he was in Italy, too.


A price tag of £7m seems to be the rumour going around at the moment and while that sounds like a lot of money for a player without a proven record at senior level, if he can live up to the hype that had him linked with moves to some of Europe's top clubs then who knows, he could just about be the best signing we make in years.


It seems any deal is far from completion yet but this does sound like an exciting rumour and if he's as good as some of his critics have suggested, he'll be worth every penny.


WHUT&T 

Decisions for Roy!

What a match. England are on the verge of qualifying for the quarter finals of the European Championships after a thrilling 3-2 win over Sweden, beating the Swedes in a competitive match for the first time.

Andy Carroll put England ahead with a powerful header midway through the first half meaning we went in ahead at the break with everything going to plan.

The plan then went out the window and Glen Johnson will not want to see a replay of what happened next. The ball was cleared yet he was the only defender who failed to follow the ball out, playing a handful of Swedish players onside. Joe Hart then parried the ball onto the inside of the post and despite his best efforts to make up for his earlier mistake, the Liverpool defender could only put the ball into his own net.

Things got worse 5 minutes later as England were caught sleeping at the back post allowing former Villa defender Olof Mellberg to head home and put Sweden ahead for the first time on the night.

Roy Hodgson then decided to make a change withdrawing the disappointing James Milner for Theo Walcott and Roy's faith in the Arsenal winger was rewarded shortly after when Theo fired home from all of 25 yards after a corner was cleared.

Theo then turned provider as his cross was flicked home in a very cheeky fashion by Danny Welbeck restoring England's lead, a lead they weren't going to surrender again!

With Rooney available for selection for the first time in the finals after serving a 2 match ban, Roy now has a decision to make with who will partner Rooney up front or if he starts him at all.

I feel that most people will vote in favour of Danny Welbeck and I would have to agree. I think his runs, pace and unpredictability will complement Rooney's presence, not to mention the fact that they play together at Man United and will know all about each other.

Dare we dream? Expectations were low coming into the tournament and we may have even exceeded them already. Could this be our year?

Let me know what you're feeling after that rollercoaster of a game!

WHUT&T

Shall we do a Spurs?

Spurs and Daniel Levy have a nack for swooping in at the last minute and stealing signings from under the nose of West Ham, and I think we should play them at their own game by swooping in for Adebayor.

He's currently one of many strikers that City want to get rid of along with Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Roque Santa Cruz, reports suggest.

He won't be cheap, obviously but he'll want first team football and we could surely offer him that as I think he's the best striker we could realistically sign this summer.

I'm not sure what he's on a week, though it wouldn't be surprising if it was nearing 6 digits but he's not getting any younger and I think the fact that he played for Spurs given his history with Arsenal suggests he's not too bothered about crossing enemy lines!

Is it ambitious? Yes. Will it be the Davids' most ambitious move this summer? I doubt it! I can't see any harm in enquiring because if we do get lucky and grab him, our strike force with him, Yakubu's signature looking imminent, Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te will surely be capable of scoring the goals to keep us in the premier league and we can sufficiently strengthen at the back!

Let me know what you think!

WHUT&T

Welcome aboard Jussi!

So you may have heard that West Ham United have confirmed the signing of Jussi Jaaskelainen on a free transfer which will go through when his contract expires at the end of the month.

Well, what do we think then? I'm not sure. He's struggled to hold his place between the sticks in a team that was relegated on the final day of the season and many are suggesting that Henderson should be given a chance.

If these two stoppers are to be our first and second choice next season you feel that either one will get their chance. If you cast your mind back to the season of 2004-05, Stephen Bywater was our first choice keeper but some fine performances in cup competitions from Jimmy Walker - most notably his performance and penalty save from Lampard at Stamford Bridge - gave Alan Pardew a bit of a selection headache and Walker finished the season as his first choice as he started in our play-off final defeat of Preston in Cardiff before his horrendous injury in the same game.

Personally I'd start with Jussi in our first couple league games and give Hendo the nod in our first League Cup game then assess them from there. Obviously we don't see them in training and there will be pre-season friendlies which would surely see them both get a start each at least, too.

Let me know what you think, leave a comment or tweet me @WHUThruAndThru

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Shall we try to get this youngster on loan?

Following his big money move from the South Coast to North London last summer, Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlaine hasn't seen as much first team football as maybe be anticipated and although he's already got a competitive England start under his belt, I wonder if he'll play week in week out for the gunners next season.

The lad is still in his teens and a loan move to a newly promoted side may just be a good way of him establishing himself in the Premier League before he bids to become a regular in Arsene's side.

I know many will laugh this suggestion off and brand it as over ambitious but considering we've been linked with Beckham, Henry, Tevez and Torres under the Davids' ownership, this would be far from their most ambitious move yet!

I do believe that he will be a first team player for Arsenal next season as he didn't look out of his depth against a strong French team but on the off chance Wenger feels he needs more time to develop, I think we should be lurking in the background prepared to make a bid!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Time to splash the cash?

It was announced yesterday that Burnley's Jay Rodriguez has signed for Southampton for a club record fee in the region of £7m which suggests they mean serious business both in the transfer market and the Premier League!

Is it time Big Sam started flashing the £25m that's reportedly available to him? I'm on the fence. We all want to grab a few bargains with a cheap, underrated player but sometimes big names are worth the big price tag. We got very lucky in January with Vaz Te as he only had 6 months left on his contract and Barnsley decided the smart option would be to gain £500k than to have him leave on a free in the summer. On the other hand, when we signed Dean Ashton he soon lived up to his price tag with some vital goals in our debut season back in the Premiership along with a goal in the FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool. So, while occasionally you'll get lucky with a bargain as we did with our play-off final match winner, you usually get what you paid for and I have faith in Sam this summer.

We look set to sign Yakubu from the relegated Blackburn any day now in a deal worth no more than £2m and we've also been linked with a few players who could seriously dent the transfer fund with Zaha's valuation from his current chairman exceeding £10m.

It's very early days and rumour has it that our first summer signing - aside from the permanent signing of Stephen Henderson that is - is to be announced in the next 48 hours so it would appear that Big Sam, the Davids and all involved are busy as ever as we bid to stay in the Premier League!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Are you watching, Sam?

So the Euro has started in Poland and Ukraine and I hope Sam is watching because already there have been some exciting talent on show.

Young Dzagoev turned a few heads with his brace against Czech Republic, Oliveira was impressive in Portugal's defeat to Germany and Varela weren't bad as well.

Okay the examples I've used may not be realistic targets but you see what I mean, there is a lot of previously unseen talent in Europe and major tournaments like this are a great opportunity for these players to showcase their talent and impress Europe's elite clubs. 

We managed to pick up a few players who impressed during the world cup 2 years ago with Winston Reid impressing as the Kiwis went unbeaten in South Africa and Barrera catching the eye for Mexico. Although Barrera has been a forgotten man, Reid has proved to be a good signing. His debut season in English football wasn't exactly one to remember, aside from his goal in the FA Cup against Burnley but I think it's fair to say given his contribution this season he's been a very good signing and lets not forget he's still young. 

Now I'm not saying we should instantly snap up anyone who has a good game but it has to be worth keeping an eye out for young talent because you never know who might step up to the plate in a tournament like this.

It also appears that a deal for Yakubu is close to being finalised subject to the forward passing a medical and it appears that the signing of Jaaskelainen is imminent and it's just a case of when it's announced officially!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Baldock linked with Town

With Sam Baldock falling further and further down the pecking order behind Carlton Cole, Nicky Maynard and Ricardo Vaz Te toward the end of the season and over half of Big Sam's targets being strikers, little Sam is being linked with a move away from Upton Park this summer.

He's been linked with a loan switch to Ipswich in recent weeks which could be a very good move to aid his development. When I first heard about this I was disappointed as you may have figured out by now, I'm a massive fan of Baldock. When he first started scoring with two braces against Blackpool then Leicester he was being compared to Michael Owen and even the legend that is Tony Cottee. And to be quite honest, considering his level of performance against Blackpool when he scored his first, and subsequently second goal for us I don't think them comparisons were too exaggerated. His first against Blackpool showed composure that can't be coached or learned, but comes naturally to those lucky enough to possess such a skill. His second had Michael Owen written all over it; he seemed to sneak in out of nowhere in the six yard box and poke it over the line. But when it occurred to me that he is still in his early 20's and he was high Big Sam's transfer wish list last summer, he must be one for the future and so I think, as long as he gets into the Blues' squad often enough, another season in the Championship will do him good.

Despite this, a winning brace against Leicester and a pivotal goal against Hull at the KC Stadium, Big Sam often opted for Carlton Cole as a lone striker and so he was resigned to the odd substitute appearance. Maybe if he could have grabbed one or two goals from the bench he would have staked a claim but it wasn't to be. Then came the January transfer window and as a result of the arrivals of Vaz Te and Nicky Maynard he was almost a forgotten man.

It's obvious he's not going to play often - if at all - in the Premiership next year with the likes of Anelka, Yakubu and even Michael Owen being linked with moves to East London and with no disrespect to them, he's just as good as Ipswich's best forwards in my opinion.

As long as this is purely a loan deal to further his development and not another promising player that's fallen by the wayside I would be happy for this to happen. As much as I'd like to see him get his chance in the big boys' league, I'd much prefer him to be shipped out on loan and gain some first team experience than have him wasted in the reserves league!

Let me know what you think by following me on Twitter: @WHUThruAndThru or leaving a comment!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Au revoir Faubert!

So this week has seen the departure of a number of players, one of which was Julien Faubert.

In all honesty it's no surprise that he's left because the first half of the season aside, he's hardly been a key player or even a first team player during his time at Upton Park.

Will it be a move we come to regret though? Earlier this season when we were short on centre halves, the decision to sell Day Costa was looking to be a regrettable one and I hope we don't look back on this in the same way.

I think it's probably the best move for all involved as he's seeking first team football and to be blunt, he wouldn't be my first choice right back or winger. Or even second for that matter. He would provide good cover and his versatility in that he can play anywhere down the right is a useful asset to use but if he wants first team football and he's not regarded a starting player at the club then it does appear to be a good move for all involved, especially as he was a big earner!

I do think we need another right back though as both Joey O'Brien and Demel have their weaknesses but maybe Jordan Spence will get his chance in the first team, at long last it has to be said!

Let me know what you think about Julien's departure by leaving a comment or follow me on twitter @WHUThruAndThru

COME ON YOU IRONS!

The drama of the summer transfer window is under way!

It's been 9 happy days since we saw off Blackpool to take our place in the Premier League and there's already talk of transfers to bolster our squad for the challenge ahead, exciting times!

We've already been linked with a couple strikers with Baldock - said to be on his way to Ipswich on loan - and Maynard already branded failures by the tabloids which is unfair to say the least but that's a whole other story on its own!

On the plus side, the strikers we're being linked with are fresh, exciting young players rather than another John Carew. We've been linked with Nigerian international Akpala, currently playing for Brugge, who has already stated how flattered he is by interest from the Premier League.  Also on Big Sam's radar is young Herenveen forward Bas Dost who boasts an incredible goalscoring record in Holland with a £7m bid reportedly already on the table.

Michael Owen is also available on a free after Sir Alex Ferguson revealed he would not be renewing the veteran's contract and former hammer Tony Cottee has already endorsed a possible move to East London. Would he be a decent signing? There's talk of him signing on a pay-as-you-play contract wherever he may be playing next season and on that basis I think he could be a very handy player to have at our disposal. If we were only to pay him for every game he plays, it's a no win situation. It's hardly risking the bank - depending on how much how much we pay him per game - so even if he flops and/or spends the entire season in the treatment room, we'd have nothing to lose!

I love the summer transfer window and I remember how excited I was this time 7 years ago as we attempted to build a team fit for the Premiership as it all added towards the build up to the season!

If Big Sam could build a team capable of achieving anything close to what Pardew's men did in our debut season back in the top tier of English football that year, we're in for a cracking season!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Season review

What a season. We've experienced so many different emotions this season and what a rollercoaster it's been.

I think it's a season that will live long in the memory and thanks to that famous Wembley win on Saturday, for all the right reasons. We were 4 points clear at the top off the table and yet following a run of draws - five in a row at home - we ended the season 2 points outside the automatic promotion places and 3 off top spot. Despite this we managed to rally the troops and finish the season on a high winning 5 in a row, most importantly all 3 of our play off games culminating in a 2-1 victory over Blackpool at the national stadium.

But what have we learned? Here's a few things I think we can take away from this incredible season:

It seems we've had the perfect mix between youth and experience this season with hammer of the year Mark Noble playing alongside the exoerienced Kevin Nolan proving an impressive central midfield partnership. Faye has also been a good partner at the back with either Reid or Tomkins playing a vital role and despite him leaving I'm thankful for his efforts this season.

Players who have been forgotten recently have been unlikely heroes in the latter stages in the season, particularly Gary O'Neil and Jack Collison in my opinion. I've never hidden the fact that Gary O'Neil is not exactly my favourite player but he's definitely proved me wrong! He's scored vital goals against Blackpool and Peterborough and really asserted himself in the starting 11. It's a completely different story with Collison though, he was just about proving himself in the first team when he suffered a horrific injury that kept him on the sidelines all last season. He's come back strong this season but hadn't really cemented his place on Big Sam's team sheet until late in the season by scoring a venomous volley, proving to be the winner against Leicester and at the time, keeping our automatic promotion hopes alive. He then followed that up with a brace in the first quarter of our play off semi-final in Cardiff.

We've seen James Tomkins establish himself in the first team, being one of the first names on the team sheet every week and I couldn't be more confident of his ability to ply his trade in the Premiership. I think he'll go on to be a club legend if he carries on the way he is because he's already a fan favourite and he's only in his early twenties.

Kevin Nolan has really taken the club to his heart too. I wasn't entirely convinced of his commitment at the start of the season but he's shown real passion since and really wears his heart on his sleeve and I think he's a brilliant character for Mark Noble to be working alongside.

Carlton Cole is Mr West Ham. He really loves the club and I'm so happy for him to have got a goal at Wembley because if anyone deserves to prove their critics wrong, it's him.

They are just a few of the main lessons we can take away from this season, if you can think of any more leave a comment or tweet me!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

What did we learn against Blackpool?

So, we did it! We're back in the big time and Allardyce must take a huge amount of the credit. But what can we take from this as we prepare for life back in the big boys league?

After a slow start, we gradually came into the game as it was clear Allardyce wanted to keep the game to a slow tempo to try to counter the way Blackpool play. Which, to be completely honest, didn't really work too well! They missed at least 3 clear cut opportunities that were probably, in truth, better than the chance that Tom Ince did take shortly after half time.

We were under the cosh for the majority of the second half yet we hung in there and eventually got our reward when our newest talisman, RVT smashed the ball into the roof of the net after a little touch from Carlton Cole. Here are a few things I think we learned from the experience.

1. Our support showed we belong in the Premier League
Blackpool's turnout was, to be blunt, a disgrace. They returned thousands upon thousands of unsold tickets yet only 500 more were allocated to West Ham. If every single unsold ticket went to our fans they would sell in no time. We could've taken 50,000 to Wembley and still had fans who were disappointed not to get hold of a ticket! Our support was incredible yesterday and I feel so lucky to have been a part of it!

2. The players never give up
Our win yesterday was our first and only late winner of the season which is a strange statistic! We've salvaged draws late on against Leeds, Birmingham and Watford but Vaz Te's strike was our only late winner and it's good to see that fighting spirit that seemed to be lacking earlier in the season.

3. We have some of the most loyal players in English football
The spine of our team in Green, Tomkins, Noble and Cole have been vital in returning to the Premiership and I don't think we would have done it without them. Green has been the most consistent he's ever been, Noble and Tomkins have shown why they belong in the top tier of English football and Cole has been outstanding, showing the sort of form towards the end of the season that had clubs as high profile as Liverpool interested in him not so long ago.

4. Vaz Te has been a revelation
I said as soon as I saw him play for Barnsley at Upton Park in December that we should try to sign him in January and I love being right! He's scored so many important goals since he arrived in east London and his work rate is admirable. He seems to be really happy at West Ham which probably has a lot to do with the fact that he's worked under Big Sam before and I hope we keep hold of him for a very long time.

5. Allardyce was the right man for the job
In all honesty, those of you who have complained about him all season - and I'll admit I did at times! - do you really think anyone else could have done a much better job? 3 more points would have won us the league and even with the disappointment of not going up automatically, he managed to galvanize the team and succeed in the play-offs and although we were favorites to win the league as we had the best team in the league, the club was in a right state last summer and had a losing mentality. He's turned that around and did it so quickly and I'll always be thankful for the job he's done, even if he does leave when his contract expires next summer.

COME IN YOU IRONS!

Ming games or fuss over nothing?

A picture has recently been released on the internet of a new West Ham kit for next season featuring Barclay's Premier League badges on the sleeves. This has kicked up quite a fuss among the Blackpool fans and staff with the latter acusing the club of being disrespectful. Are the staff at WHU playing mind games or is everyone overreacting to a fan made shirt?

Even Ian Evatt of Blackpool has responded, calling the club disrespectful and accusing them of jumping the gun. Any West Ham fan would know however, that unless there's a huge buildup, countdown and release date, the 'new' shirt is a fake. It's quite a big deal in English football, a new kit, and it's something I know I look forward to when it comes around.

Of course I understand their frustration, we're not promoted yet and the last thing we want is to get complacent as Blackpool are a very dangerous attacking outfit. However, you'd think that people closely linked to the club such as Evatt would have the common sense to know that it's just not true. Unless he had seen it on the official site there is no reason to assume that it was an official picture, in my opinion.

It just seems like a big fuss over nothing to be honest and it's tainting the build up to the most prestigious match in English football. I'm sure the game will be played in the right spirits between 2 teams who want to play decent football and have no fierce rivalry between them and I hope that is the case rather than causing tension and hostility through petty rumours like this one!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Are the play-offs really a lottery?

Because of the unpredictability of the play-offs, they're usually referred to as a lottery. Are they really, though?

Obviously they are unpredictable and it's an unusual season if there isn't an upset somewhere in the football league play-offs, but I think it's down to the pressure more than anything.

Dagenham and Redbridge surprised everyone when they finished 7th on the final day of the 2009/10 season and were promoted as play-off winners beating Rotherham 3-2 at the national stadium. But was that lucky? I don't think so, I think it was mostly down to their fine end of season form and confidence having reached the play-offs - something no one expected them to do!

The same could be said about our opponents next Saturday. They were favourites to go down 2 years ago yet they were promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs, only to be relegated by the Champions at Old Trafford on the final day last year. They pulled off a mighty shock by beating Nottingham Forest emphatically in the semi-finals and came from behind twice to beat Cardiff 3-2 in the final.

I don't think the play-offs really are a 'lottery', they're different from anything else in English football - especially in the Championship given how much is at stake. To win a play-off campaign, no matter what level you're playing at requires consistency, confidence and experience. Something we have plenty of at the moment!

We only have one player left from our last play-off success in our very own Mark Noble, but Sam Allardyce has a good record in the play-offs and we have players who have not only played at the highest level but have been promoted from the Championship at some point in their career.

So we have some good omens and we all know we have what it takes (touch wood!) to win at Wembley next Saturday, but will they be able to hold their nerve and deliver one last time? Even though we missed out on automatic promotion I have really enjoyed this season and I think overall it's been a very good season, which will obviously be better of we're celebrating next weekend!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Collison 50/50 for a Wembley appearance

You may have read/heard that Jack Collison is currently 50/50 to be fit for Wembley. This will be a massive boost going into what is surely most of the players' biggest game of their career and maybe even the biggest some of the will ever play in.

Jack has been one of our best players towards the end of the season scoring 3 in his last 4 games - most notable his brace in the first leg of our 5-0 aggregate semi-final play-off win against Cardiff. And that says a lot considering the fine form we've shown in those last 4 games, winning all four and scoring 9 while conceding just 2.

I'll be gutted for him if he doesn't get to play as he deserves a lot of credit in us getting to the final in the first place. Although his absence would me a blow, it has come at a good time really because apart from his injury and McCartney not starting the last few games having come back from injury, we aren't missing any other key players which will be vital going into such a big game.

I think the biggest challenge in the final will be to fend off complacency. We beat Blackpool 8-1 in the 2 games during the regular season which will give the players huge confidence. I just hope not too much. When Blackpool beat Cardiff in the final 2 years ago, they did so having had a poor record against them during the regulation season and as we all know, form counts for nothing in a game of this magnitude, a team's ability to rise to the occasion does!

I think we will have too much for Blackpool and will be celebrating a return to the top flight on 19th May as they've conceded the most goals in all of the top 10 teams this season due to the risky, attacking nature of their play. Our defence seem to be rock solid now that Demel is finding some form and fitness at right back and once George McCartney starts making the first 11 again that will give Matty Taylor a chance to move forward more and terrify their full backs!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Lessons learned from the Cardiff game

After a more than convincing performance and scoreline - that could have easily been double what it was - what can the players take away from their performance in the second leg?

Gary O'Neil is coming good at the right time
I'll admit, I've not really been too impressed with he midfielder until very recently. When he was signed we had the likes of Scott Parker and Mark Noble in central midfield as well as Tomas Hitzlsperger just about to return from a lengthy injury and so, in my opinion, he was a somewhat unnecessary signing. He seems determined to prove me wrong! His performance was first class yesterday - man of the match in my opinion - and all that was missing was a goal! His improvised volley that crashed against the crossbar was a stroke of genius and his curling effort that would have flew into the top corner but for Marshall was brilliantly executed. I don't often admit that I'm wrong but in this case I am quite happy to!

Rob Green might well be staying after all
There has been a lot of speculation recently regarding Green's future, many implying that a move to Spurs is on the cards. However, his celebrations when we scored were not that of a player who's about to depart for our bitter rivals! If we fail to go up and he subsequently moves on to a bigger team, fair play to him because he's much better than the second tier of English football and many in his position would've been seeking an immediate exit route following relegation. I really hope he does stay as he's been a constant key player for us over the years and has shown tremendous commitment following relegation.

Carlton Cole doesn't get the credit he deserves
Everyone was full of praise for the big man after the 2-0 victory in Wales in the first leg as he terrified the Cardiff defence all evening and held up the ball brilliantly despite seeming to play on with a slight knock. He was just as good yesterday and his work rate and commitment to the hammers has been there for all to see this season. I really do think he's underrated among West Ham fans, when he has an off game or two, he gets nothing but abuse but then when he plays well - as he has done in the last quarter of the season - everyone loves him again and I think it's fair to say that more often than not he puts a good shift in and is a valuable asset to the team.

The home 'hoodoo' is definitely broken!
Following our run of 5 consecutive home draws - including 1-1 scorelines against relegated Doncaster - there was a lot of pressure on the players and staff to break the 'hoodoo' and get that illusive first win at home since February. We did that in some style with a 6-0 hammering of Bright & Hove Albion with Ricardo Vaz Te scoring a memorable hat-trick - including his athletic overhead kick that was later voted goal of the season by West Ham fans - and followed that up with a 2-1 victory over Hull City on the final day of the regular season meaning we went into the play-offs in fine form. Having seen the performance from the players and the ever-present backing from the Upton Park faithful in the 3-0 win against Cardiff and our third consecutive home win, I think it's safe to say the home 'hoodoo' has been put to bed, for now at least!

Sam Allardyce deserves a lot of credit
That's right I said it! Yes, with the team we've got we should have probably won the league - or at least gone up automatically but you have to give credit where it's due. We finished the season with a points tally that would see you promoted automatically in 4/5 seasons and despite this disappointment we have progressed to the play-off final at Wembley with a record 5-0 aggregate score against Cardiff, who are by the way a decent team on their day! We've also been playing a very attractive style of football in our current good run of form and as a result the fans couldn't be happier. It looked like our season might just be falling apart when we drew 5 games on the trot at home and started to lose ground on the top 2 but we've definitely revived our season in some style! A win at Wembley would cap an outstanding first season for Allardyce and considering the mess we were in when he came in last summer!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Just one more hurdle!

What a season this is turning out to be! I said before the end of the season that even though we looked like missing out on the top 2 I was full of confidence for the play-offs because we were playing extremely well as the season drew to close, and the mighty hammers aren't disappointing are they!?

I thought we'd either sit back for most of the game and not take too many chances having done more than half the job in Wales or that we'd be a bit nervy at the start of the game. How wrong was I? We were brilliant from start to finish and got off to a flier when Kevin Nolan popped up with possibly the most important tap in he'll ever score shortly after Cardiff had a half hearted penalty appeal turned down.

Just minutes later Gary O'Neil nearly added a brilliant second when his improvised volley hit the crossbar and went behind. Ricardo Vaz Te did make it 2 shortly before half time though when he hammered past Marshall in the Cardiff goal following an incisive through ball from Guy Demel.

The atmosphere was rocking from start to finish with 'Que sera sera' ringing around Upton Park as early as Kevin Nolan's opener in the 15th minute. In the second half it looked like the aim was to coast to the final whistle and not risk injury to key players for what was an almost guaranteed trip to Wembley. Obviously no one told Nicky Maynard, who replaced the brilliant Carlton Cole, as he fired into the top corner from 18 yards after Lansbury brilliantly sent him through on goal on the stroke of the 90 minute mark.

Wembley will be rocking on 19th May when we will face either Blackpool or Birmingham, who play their second leg at St. Andrews on Wednesday with the Seasiders leading 1-0 from the first leg thanks to a deflected effort from Matt Ince. I would much rather play Blackpool in the final because we turned them over both home and away - with the 4-1 victory at Bloomfield Road being voted our performance of the season.

However, if we are to face Birmingham the atmosphere will be a strange one and may even be a bit fiery given that David Gold and David Sullivan have a lot of history with the second city club.

We're now just 90 minutes away from a return to the Premier League and with 6 wins and 2 draws in our last 8 games we will surely be favourites regardless of who we face at the national stadium.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Julien Faubert; stick or twist?

In just a few weeks Julien Faubert's contract expires with West Ham and there's already talk of him leaving with a return to France looking very likely.

Should Gold and Sullivan offer him a new contract though? Well in my opinion that will depend on whether or not we are promoted come 19th May. If we don't go up, I think he'll be a useful squad player for our Championship campaign next season as there are a lot more games - 8 extra league games as well as entering the Carling Cup at an earlier stage.

But if we do win the play-offs and achieve promotion, unfortunately I don't think he's good enough to be in a West Ham first team that could stay there.

His West Ham career did look as though it was over at the end of last season as he hardly played under Avram Grant. This season has been a slight improvement, though as far as his involvement in the first team goes as he's played a lot more games and put in a few impressive displays, scoring one goal.

My gut feeling is that he will leave regardless when his contract expires and return to France in search of consistent first team football. He has already stated that he not only wants just that but also how he wants to play at a higher level than the second tier of English football.

As I said before I do think that he would be a really important squad player next season should we fail in the play-offs because he's very versatile and will offer a but more strength in depth but it's looking more and more likely that he will leave, no matter what happens in that respect.

Do you think we should at least offer him a new contract in the summer?

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Que Sera Sera...

The first leg of our play-off semi final is edging closer and closer and I don't think I've ever known Hammers fans to be so expectant and optimistic having suffered disappointment so recently (and I mean that in a good way, I'm not saying we're all normally pessimistic defeatists!).

The demand for tickets for the home leg this coming bank holiday Monday has been incredible and you'll probably be lucky to get any - in the lower price bands anyway - when they go on general sale 9am tomorrow morning.

We go into the play-offs having taken 14 points from a possible 18 in our last 6 games so we are most certainly hitting form at the right time and with an almost fully fit squad, we couldn't be any better prepared for what lies ahead than we are now. The players will be buzzing with confidence - while most teams would have been deflated in our situation, having missed out on automatic promotion - having overcome the 'home hoodoo' with excellent wins at the Boleyn against Brighton & Hove Albion and more recently, Hull City on the final day of the season.

The away leg will be an extremely tough challenge because Cardiff are among the play-off quartet for the third time running and will surely want to give their fans something to cheer about having failed at the previous two attempts. However, I believe that if we can get a draw in Cardiff, we will be huge favourites going into the second leg with the home advantage in front of what promises to be a buzzing and electrifying atmosphere in East London on Monday afternoon.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

The Academy of Football continues to produce

It's something we pride ourselves on at West Ham; our incredible production line that is The Academy of Football - which continues to produce quality young talent year in year out.

Mark Noble - our longest serving player and the only one remaining from our previous play-off winning team - was named Hammer of The Year last night and deservedly so, followed closely by fellow academy graduate James Tomkins.

The pair have been ever present in the squad this season and it's no surprise that the two were also named in the PFA Championship team of the year. Mark Noble has racked up a tally of 9 goals during this campaign - the most he's ever scored in a season - largely thanks to his impressive 100% success rate from the spot scoring all 8 penalties presented to him, many of which proved decisive in earning us all three points in tough games.

Despite being a centre back, James Tomkins has also scored his fair share of goals, mostly from set pieces as his towering presence at the back post is first class and when he doesn't find the back of the net himself, he very often helps one of his team-mates do so with his knock-downs and pull backs from such set pieces.

The pair have been reliable and consistent to say the least this season and being voted the top 2 players by the fans will surely boost their already sky high confidence. Mark Noble has been something of a fan favourite since making his debut at Chelsea in a cup tie during the 2004/05 season and James Tomkins is certainly following his team-mate's example. I have absolutely no doubt that Tomkins has the ability to be a top quality player at the highest level so the fact that he recently signed a 5 year contract is fantastic news and he has also stated his desire to play in the Barclay's Premier League with West Ham.

I, and I imagine every other West Ham fan, hope that they both stay with us for a long, long time as both have already shown incredible commitment to the hammers in their short but bright careers so far.

They haven't been the only academy graduates to have made a name for themselves this season though, as Danny Potts made his debut at the tender age of just 17 in the 1-0 home victory over Barnsley in December having only signed a professional contract the night before. The young full-back was called into action when Abdoulaye Faye was injured in the warm up forcing the players' player of the year George McCartney to move into the middle of defence allowing young Potts to slot in at left-back. The American had an outstanding game in front of the Upton Park faithful under the lights and caused uproar among a 30,000+ crowd when Kevin Nolan was named man of the match as many thought the youngster deserved the acclaim more having kept his cool when under pressure where many young players would have crumbled.

Overall, although Big Sam is often criticised for overlooking youth, I think it has been a very good season for the development of our young players - who are potentially the future of our great football club - as Rob Hall has also looked sharp when he's featured this season. Let's hope our seemingly endless production of young, exiting talents carries on because if we can keep hold of most of them, the future most certainly looks bright!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

West Ham 2-1 Hull City match report

West Ham continued their good end of season form with a 2-1 victory over Nick Barmby's tigers at Upton Park this afternoon.

The hammers got off to a flyer and should have been ahead inside the opening few minutes when Ricardo Vaz Te dragged his header wide when it looked easier to score.

They continued to press, however, and should have scored again shortly after when Lansbury - back in the starting line up after a brief sub appearance on Monday - fired over from 12 yards following Nolan's deft flicked through ball.

The East Londoners got their just rewards shortly before half time though when Carlton Cole headed home from one of Mark Noble's many corners (36).

Henri Lansbury fed Carlton Cole to make it 2 shortly after the break after an expertly controlled touch and finish in front of the Bobby Moore end following an executed deep cross from the Arsenal loanee (49).

Hull weren't going down without a fight, though, and pulled one back through Evans in the 81st minute after a breakdown in communication between right back Guy Demel and Rob Green allowed the midfielder to sneak his header in. They thought they had equalised within minutes with an emphatic far post header only to see the offside flag raised - a marginal but correct decision.

The result wasn't enough to see the hammers promoted in the end as a marvellous 4-0 victory for Southampton saw them catapulted into the Premier League - something they ultimately deserve with the form and consistency they've shown this season, so credit and congratulations to them.

The hammers meanwhile will face Cardiff away on Thursday 3rd May for their play off semi final first leg then return to East London for the home leg the following Monday in what promises to be an incredible atmosphere and occasion.

Defensive boost for Saturday

Having missed our previous 3 games with a head injury sustained in the 3-3 draw against Birmingam, George McCartney is set to return on Saturday for our season finale with Hull City.

It goes without saying that this is a massive boost as George has been a very important first team player for us this season. Not only is it a boost that McCartney himself is back but it gives Matty Taylor, who has filled in for him at left back, the chance to fulfil his natural role on the left wing giving us that added option of a deadly crosser on the flank.

His return could also be vital in our potential play-off campaign as he will offer us more options on the team sheet a well as strength in depth. if we were to go into the play-offs with a fully fit team and show the sort of form we have of late, there is no doubt in my mind we'll go on to win at Wembley, despite the old cliché '3rd place never win the play offs' - something Swansea managed just last summer.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Positive thinking

Although it looks like we're going to miss out on automatic promotion this season, I can't help but feel excited and optimistic as the season draws to a close. We need a minor miracle to achieve automatic promotion come the end of play on Saturday but we are really going out with a bang! It wouldn't be the West Ham way if it wasn't interesting, would it?

I think my sudden optimism has come from our style of play over the last couple of months. The game against Ipswich at the end of January was the worst performance I've ever seen from my beloved hammers in person, we simply had no creativity and every time we got the ball we inevitably ended up going back to the defence only for the ball to go straight to our opponents' centre back's head! More recently, however, we've tried to keep the ball a lot more and build from the back and it is really refreshing cosidering the football has been poor at times this season. Since we've started playing a more attractive brand of football, while it is what we all want to see, It hasn't always worked. We've conceded silly goals by giving the ball away, most notably against Reading and Birmingham in recent games.

While I am disappointed that we've fallen so far behind in the race for second, I'm full of confidence for our looming play-off campaign should we finish third on Saturday. We've been showing real fighting spirit in our last few games and the players seem to be playing with real confidence which gives the fans more faith in them.

And to quote James Tomkins, "Of course we can go into the play-offs and win them. It's not the end of the world." It's nice to know he's confident!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Match report: Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United

West Ham United kept alive their extremely slim chances of achieving automatic promotion this evening with a hard fought 2-1 victory at Leicester. The result also extends a newly set club record of 13 away wins in a season beating the old record of 11 stretching back to the early 1900's.

Jermain Beckford had given the home side the lead 11 minutes before the break before Winston Reid stabbed home 5 minutes later to send the hammers in level at the break.

Beckford headed home after some good work out wide from Ben Marshall along with poor marking from the otherwise terrific homegrown hammer James Tomkins.

The hammers came flying out of the traps early in the second half pegging back the foxes for most of the opening exchanges and it paid off when a blocked shot fell kindly for Jack Collison who rifled the ball expertly into the bottom corner, despite Kasper Schmeichel getting a touch.

With 10 minutes remaining it seemed obvious that Big Sam was holding out for the win when he replaced Carlton Cole - who had worked his socks off for the hammers' cause - with centre back Danny Collins.

Nolan could've secured the points and made West Ham's life a bit easier in terms of goal difference late on had he found Lansbury who would've had the easiest of tap ins but instead opted to go it alone only to be thwarted by the Leicester stopper.

All in all it was a very good night for the hammers who could yet go up in second spot along with Reading should Southampton slip up against the already doomed Coventry City.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

One last chance

Well let's be honest, who'd have thought that we'd have the chance to take the race for 2nd to the last day after the 2 points dropped at Bristol City? Anyone? Me neither!

With Boro coming from a goal down to see off Saints 2-1 last night, there is ONE last glimmer of hope as far as our automatic promotion aspirations are concerned. If we can defeat Leicester on Monday live on Sky TV and take all three points when we face Hull City in our final game of the season at Upton Park, we could still finish the season second if Saints fail to beat the already relegated Coventry.

Obviously it's unlikely as Coventry have nothing to play for but pride and Southampton have an exceptional home record but upsets do happen in football and we have to be ready to pounce on the off chance that the Sky Blues get a result. In my opinion, we need to really go out and attack the Foxes tomorrow night because if Coventry do manage a draw at St. Mary's and we win our remaining games it will go down to goal difference and we're currently 4 behind in that respect. Could you imagine the atmosphere at Upton Park next Saturday lunchtime if news filters through of an early goal for Coventry? It would be electric! Moments and games like that really are what football is all about - for us fans especially.

On the other hand, if we do fail to go up and are eventually forced to settle for the play-offs, I'd much rather it be because Southampton win their final game than if we fail to beat Leicester as such a result would confirm their promotion. In all honesty it would be typical of our season because excluding our brief few weeks at the summit we've buckled under pressure time and time again knowing that a win would take us top.

There is a part of me that is thinking 'stop teasing yourself, of course Southampton will beat Coventry and confirm promotion!' however, it's very difficult to just give up hope even when there's so little left. After we drew at home to Boro that was when I really thought it was over so it is nice to still be in the run-in and if we can finish the season well and have some momentum to take into the play-offs, we might yet go up.

I'm very confident about our potential play-off campaign because the atmosphere at the Boleyn will be second to none in our home leg of the semi-final and our away form this season if there for all to see. We're unbeaten away against all of our possible semi-final opponents in Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Blackpool and Cardiff winning all but one so we have a lot of positives to take into the play-offs with us!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Dark horse for Hammer of The Year?

Since arriving in the January transfer window, Ricardo Vaz Te has racked up an impressive tally of 10 goals in 13 appearances with 8 coming in his last 6. The Portuguese winger was signed from Barnsley for an initial fee of £500k on January transfer deadline day and has been a revelation since moving to East London.

Not only is he averaging 0.77 goals per game, he has scored some very important goals at important times - namely two early goals against Brighton in a 6-0 thrashing of the Seagulls to earn the Hammers their first home success in over 2 months - a well as the first in a 2-0 victory at London Road last month.

Vaz Te has been respectably modest about his performances, outlining the importance of team performances and the result itself above his own individually. The no. 12 has put his amazing start to his Hammers career down to his happiness at the club, explaining how welcome the squad and staff have made him feel and how focused he is on doing what needs to be done.

So, although he has only been a West Ham player for ten weeks, the 25 year old is most certainly a candidate for the highly coveted award of Hammer of The Year. I for one hope that we can keep hold of him and that he has a bright future ahead of him, more importantly in a claret and blue shirt!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

10 things that could happen if we fail to achieve promotion

With Reading confirming their promotion to the Premier League last night and Southampton moving further clear of ourselves following our stumble at Bristol City, the prospect of another season in the Championship is very much a possibility.

Even the most pessimistic of West Ham fans will surely bus hoping for us to step up and achieve promotion via the play offs but as we know from our home form this season the players don't always perform well under pressure. I just hope that the players can deal with the pressure and use it in a positive way.

Here are 10 things that could happen if we fail to achieve promotion:-

1. Sam Allardyce leaves.
From the very beginning of his tenure, Big Sam was always aware that failure to bounce back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking may very well cost him his job. Despite joint chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan backing him whether we get promoted or not, you feel that if we do fail to go up his job would most certainly be under threat, not to mention the the incredible pressure and expectation next season.

2. Vaz Te moves on to a Premier League club.
Undortunately it's something we're used to at West Ham, signing a quality player but failing to keep hold of him when a bigger club comes along shortly after. At £500k he was an absolute bargain and in my opinion, the second best January signing in England behind the prolific Newcastle no. 9 Papisse Demba Cisse. To lose Ricardo would definitely be a blow as he's been exceptional since arriving at Upton Park and he would be a massive player for us next season in our hunt for promotion.

3. Kevin Nolan leaves.
If Allardyce was to leave in the summer, depending on where he goes I would imagine that Kevin Nolan going with him wouldn't be an impossibility. Having worked under him at 3 different clubs including our own, the two definitely have a good relationship and you have to assume that Allardyce coming here was one of the deciding factors in the midfielder moving down to East London.

4. Paulo Di Canio comes in as manager.
After such an incredible start to his managerial career being on the verge of the League Two title, the Italian is attracting a lot of attention in the Swindon dugout. The only problems may be that it could be a step too far too early in his career as far as his development as a coach is concerned and he may well want to build on his promotion team and see how far he can take them.

5. Julien Dicks is brought in as a coach.
Julien Dicks was a fan favourite to say the least in his time at Upton Park and many, if not all hammers fans would surely welcome him with open arms. He has recently begun his UEFA A coaching course so we would know that he's well qualified and one thing that's for sure is that he would be at a club he truly cares about.

6. There is a mass overhaul.
If a new manager is brought in, whoever it is, they may well do what Allardyce did when he first joined us and begin a mass overhaul of players to build his own team. We signed a lot of 'Allardyce players' (players built like a brick s**t house!) when he took over and as a result many players who were not suited to his style left - 19 in total. If a new manager was to come in I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar sort of re-building process to suit the new manager's style.

7. We go on a spending spree.
Of course we could always go in the opposite direction and spend money on players who we believe could take us to the promised land and whom would be interested in building towards the Premiership with a new team. If this happens, as well as keeping the best of our current squad I believe that we would be certain to gain promotion.

8. Pablo Barrera returns.
The Mexican has been somewhat forgotten this season and despite his failure to cement his position in our squad under recent managers, I think he is a very decent player. Under the right management and with the right role and team mates around him he could very much become a key player for us, given the chance. He's a proven player at international level, most notably scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win against USA in the CONCACAF cup final.

9. Jordan Spence gets his chance.
The young defender has spent all of this season on loan in the west country at our midweek opponents Bristol City where he spent most of his time last season minus a brief recall and spell in the first team. The youngster is highly rated at West Ham and his versatility - he can play anywhere in defence - could be a vital asset with George McCartney's future and the left back position very much undecided.

10. We simply carry on where we left off.
Obviously it is likely there will be change in the summer, but the question is, how much? We could simply stick with Big Sam, sign a couple new players, let a couple go and try to keep the spine of our current team. If we were to show the same away form as we have this season and improve our home form we would most certainly be favourites to gain promotion, especially if we started well and gained some momentum early on in the campaign. In my opinion, this is the most likely scenario for next season as Big Sam appears to have the backing of the board.

It goes without saying that I hope we do go on to win the play offs and these situations are irrelevant, however, these are some changes that I believe will all very much be a possibility if we are still a Championship club next season.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

5 players we could sign if we are promoted

Although automatic promotion looks to be beyond the Hammers this season, promotion through the always exciting play offs is still a possibility. We are mathematically guaranteed a play off place now so come May it will be down to the players in claret and blue to rise to the occasion and achieve what every single championship club dreams of every season; promotion to the Barclay's Premier League.

The following five players, in my opinion, should be considered in the summer transfer market as I believe any one of them will be worthwhile acquisitions to our squad in our quest to remain a Premier League outfit.

1. Yossi Benayoun
The Israeli was hugely popular during his time at Upton Park and although he got his big break in the form of a move to Liverpool followed by a transfer to Chelsea, he's been something of a fringe player at his most recent clubs. He's been on loan to Arsenal this season and has enjoyed a bit more first team football, however, he still isn't guaranteed first team football with Wales international Aaron Ramsey returning from injury and his opportunities will most certainly be limited when highly rated teenager Jack Wilshire returns. Whether we could get him on loan or if Chelsea would be willing to sell remains to be seen, but I believe Yossi Benayoun still has something to offer and would be a very usefull signing.

2. Hugo Rodallega
I know there's a bit of a stigma attached to signing relegated players as some see them as 'damaged' by the experience, but Hugo Rodallega has been outstanding for Wigan in previous seasons and is available on a free this summer after confirming that he will not be signing a new deal at the DW Stadium earlier in the season.

3. Matt Jarvis
Although he is another player who may be relegated come the end of the season - and I would imagine that he would only be available on a transfer if Wolves were relegated - he reminds me a lot of Matty Etherington. He's quick, he's agile, he's strong and he can finish extremely well. I think Matt Jarvis would be a decent signing for almost any team in the Premier League.

4. Matt Phillips
The young Blackpool striker is having an incredible season in the championship and has already been turning the heads of Premiership managers. The youngster joined Blackpool in August 2010 from Wycombe Wanderers where he had played since the age of just 8 years old. Since returning from a loan spell with Sheffield United he has begun to cement his place in the Blackpool team showing exceptional form this season finding the net 10 times in 23 appearances in all competitions this term.

5. Solomon Kalou
There was a lot of speculation in and even after January regarding a potential loan move that would see Solomon Kalou move across London to the east end. Should we go up I think the move would be beneficial for all parties as he will play much more first team football for West Ham than he is currently at Chelsea. Big Sam hinted at a loan bid for Solomon if we are a Premier League next season which would be a brilliant signing as he would provide plenty of creativity out wide.

So they're 5 players whom I would welcome to Upton Park if we were to sign them in the summer but I do think that in order to lure any of them we would need to be playing Premier League football next season.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Electric atmosphere required

Last weekend the fans at Upton Park were absolutely brilliant and that's something we must replicate this evening when Birmingham come to the East End.

In recent weeks the players have put bad results at home down to tension among the Upton Park faithful, however, up until our defence went to sleep and threw away a 1-0 lead right at the end of the first period as we went in at half time 2-1 down against Reading, the fans were faultless. They were right behind the team from the first whistle and were rewarded when Carlton Cole turned in a rebound after Kevin Nolan's header was saved at the front post just 7 minutes in.

If we can start half as well this evening as we did that afternoon then the fans getting behind the players won't be a problem and if we can get to half time with a lead - something we didn't manage against the Royals - I think we'll be in an extremely strong position.

As I write this Lambert has just netted for the second time to give Southampton a 2-0 lead at Selhurst park so there's no joy for us there, however, with Reading not playing until tomorrow in a difficult away game at The Amex, we could make up some points and put a bit of pressure on them should we win this evening.

There is still a long way to go and 15 points to play for so let's act as the 12th man this evening and cheer the mighty hammers on to a much needed home victory!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

The tease continues

I apologise for the huge gap in the blog as I've been extremely busy with a new job!

Southampton dropped 2 points at home to south coast rivals Pompey yesterday and despite Reading going top with their victory over Leeds on good Friday, Saints regained top spot on goal difference with the point taking them level with the Royals.

So, even the most pessimistic of Hammers fans will now be thinking 'hang on, we could do this!'. The main reason being that the top two still have to play each other so if either team wins we'll have the opportunity to gain 3 points on the losing team and if the match ends as a draw we will gain 2 points on both of them (providing we win, of course).

Another positive from an excellent evening on Friday was Guy Demel coming through about 60 minutes of football unscathered and he did look pretty decent in my opinion.

So the tease continues, automatic promotion remains a high possibility and I have to say I agree with Big Sam in that if we win all of our remaining fixtures we will finish in the top 2, the question is can we do that. Well a 4-0 thrashing of Barnsley and breaking a club record stretching back to the early 20th century will surely help the confidence! Now we just need to take it one game at a time and focus solely on that so we don't get too carried away and we absolutely must break the home hoodoo by beating Birmingham tomorrow because if we fail to win that, I genuinely can't see any way back for us.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

The old cliché, a game of two halves

The first 40 minutes yesterday were as good as I've seen us play for a long time, it was actually very similar to the second half in the 3-1 victory against Derby in November in the way that we passed it around nicely and had them pegged back into their own half and piled on the pressure.

So what went wrong? Well a free header from a corner and a poor clearance from Julien Faubert may well have cost us promotion, simple as that! Having seen the replay of the penalty decision a few times since and I'm very disappointed in it as Faye does line and he does miss the ball but he doesn't touch the Reading man, and the contact was absolutely minimal if so, but that's obviously just me being biased!

Big Sam has indicated that we need to win all six of our remaining fixtures to stand any chance of automatic promotion and who can argue with that? Even that might not be enough with Reading seeming unstoppable, though. What REALLY rubbed salt in the wounds was Blackpool's surprise 3-0 defeat of Southampton which would have reduced the gap between ourselves and Saints to just 3 points had we beaten Reading and with the top 2 yet to play each other we know that one of them will still drop points so it is far from over - although it's not looking good.

A lot of talk in the build up was about how much harder Reading's run in between now and the end of the season is but in a strange way that might have just turned on its head. We still have to go to Leicester and we still have to play Hull and Brighton at the Boleyn with confidence extremely low whereas the Royals go into their final 6 - including trips to Southampton and Birmingham - on a high.

So to say that our beloved hammers are teasing us as we approach the finale of the 2011/12 season is an understatement. We should not still be in the race for automatic promotion and it still baffles me that we are. Let's assume Southampton beat Reading at St. Mary's and Reading take a point from their trip to Birmingham, if we can pick up wins in our respective matches in the same round of fixtures and match their results in the other 4, we will go up and although that's a lot easier said than done, it does mean we're still in with a shout. I will believe we can do it and support the mighty hammers until its mathematically impossible and I hope that you will all do the same.

I don't like Sam Allardyce and never wanted him at Upton Park but as we're stuck with him for the time being we have to support him as best we can as anything else will just have a negative affect.

One last thing I would like to say is that I hope the Upton Park faithful don't get on the players' backs in our next home game and support them as they were truly terrific for most of the first half when we were right behind them, let's emulate that from now until the end of the season!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Reading preview

Well, it's here, the biggest test of our season so far. It's not just a test of ability but a test of character and a chance for the players to show they have what it takes when it matters
most.

I'm excited purely at the prospect of the team sheets coming out at 2:15 because Guy Demel, Papa Bouba Diop and Winston Reid have all been back in full training this week and with Faubert and Vaz Te coming back into the side at London Road during the week we are pretty much full strength for the first time in a very long time.

Oddly enough the main issue with today's game is out of the players' hands, it's in ours. Booing affects the players, of course it does and although fans who pay a lot of money to go to games are entitled to vent their frustration it doesn't help anyone. I remember the boo boys making an appearance at half time against Boro when it was 0-0 which was ridiculous. Yeah the players were a bit tense and there wasn't enough urgency in their play but we were by far the better team in the first half and it's times like that where we all need to be right behind them and play our part in picking up the three points.

It's a strange run we're on at the moment because before the win on Tuesday we hadn't won in 5 but at the same time having not lost in 10 and we haven't won at home since the 2-1 victory over our bitter rivals Millwall in February, albeit without losing since then either.

I hope Sam goes with 2 up top. He always claims he plays 3 up top in what most people see as a 4-5-1 formation but let's be honest there is a fine line between the two formations. We need pace up front which can be provided by Maynard and Baldock and we all know Vaz Te has the ability to come in from out wide and act as a third centre forward when we are attacking and he will have even more freedom to do that if he's got Faubert behind him as an attacking full-back.

This would be my formation:

Green
Faubert Faye/Collins Tonks McCartney
Vaz Te Noble Nolan(c) Taylor
Maynard Baldock

Subs: Henderson, Faye/Collins, Collison, Diop, Cole.

Let's get behind the lads and play our part in this promotion challenge!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

To move or not to move?

That is the question! I have to admit I'm on the fence in this debate. It was first hinted at a few years ago before the Davids even took over and honestly, my first reaction was positive. When you hear a rumour that we're moving to a 60,000 seater Olympic Stadium only a couple of miles away, it sounds good.

Then when it was finished and Sky Sports News posted pictures of the completed stadium online, you could see how awful the view was. It's an amazing stadium, it really is but I get the feeling that Barry Hearn is right; it just isn't fit for football (even if he's only saying it out of bitterness).

Then, earlier in the season I watched an episode of Late Kick Off on a Monday night and David Gold promised that we would only move there if retractable seating over the running track was an option during the football season. While this doesn't move the furthest seats any closer to the pitch it does ensure that, when sold out, the atmosphere would be electric on matchday. Could you imagine around 56,000 passionate hammers fans singing bubbles before and even throughout the game? That is an atmosphere I would love to be a part of.

Would season ticket sales be a problem? Many current season ticket holders are against the move but would they renew in 2014 if we moved to the Olympic Stadium? Would it attract more season ticket holders? I hope so, because although I would much rather redevelop the chicken run and turn The Boleyn into a 50,000 capacity stadium, I will always support West Ham no matter what as we all will, Olympic Stadium or not.

Let me know where you stand on the proposed OS move!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Diop set to return

According to David Gold, Papa Bouba Diop is 50/50 to make his comeback for the 'promotion showdown' on Saturday.

This, along with the returns of Ricardo Vaz Te and Julien Faubert on Tuesday are crucial at this stage of the season with every game a must win game if we are to return to the Premier League.

It wasn't all good news, though, as we still don't know the full extent of the head injury sustained by Abdy Faye on Tuesday or the knock Joey O'Brien took so we can only hope both will be fine.

My concern is still our strikers. Einstein defined insanity as trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Doesn't that define Big Sam? And I'm not talking about whether or not the same tactics earn us the win or not, I'm referring to our forwards. All season he has slammed our strikers claiming that they don't score enough. So what has he done? We got little Sammy Baldock late in the summer transfer window, John Carew on a free and we snapped up Ricardo Vaz Te and Nicky Maynard on January transfer deadline day. And since then not one of all those strikers have been given a real chance. He's rotated the squad so many times that we literally don't have one single striker who is guaranteed a place in the team. That is our problem! If he had started every game he's been available for this season, Baldock would be our top scorer and the 20 goals a season striker we need (in my opinion) but it's hard to be prolific if you aren't playing regularly do how does he expect them all to score left right and centre!? On that front, he really is an idiot.

Okay rant over. Moving on to Saturdays game, we need to play with 2 up top, preferably 2 quick forwards like Maynard and Baldock to run at the Reading defence and cause them problems from the off. I know I've been going on about how amazing Baldock is even though he missed vital chances against Burnley and Palace a few weeks ago, we have to be patient as we know what he can do, we saw that against Blackpool and Leicester earlier in the season and let's not forget he's only young.

It's a hard one to predict because I think it'll be one extreme or the other; we'll either play terribly and the fans will get nervous, edgy and frankly pissed off or we'll burst out of the traps, start well and the fans will be fully behind the team for the first time in months.

Let me know your predictions!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

A change of tactics required?

I would have thought so. Peterborough score goals. They concede a lot, but you can always count on them to score plenty of goals so we can't just turn up and park the bus, we need to attack them early on and take the game to them.

I'd like to see 2 forwards playing from the start but knowing Sam's away tactics I won't hold my breath. Given our recent run and performances we're all hoping that he gives in and changes his tactics but he has a very different view on recent performances. He believes that having won 3 and drawn 7 of our last 10, it should be the other way around. Who has he been watching for the last couple of months? We deserved to beat Boro and if our strikers could score we would've beaten Burnley but there's no way we deserve to be 8 points better off than we are, if anything we've overachieved during this 10 game unbeaten run as some of the performances have been dire.

Like I said I'd like to see a 4-4-2 with 2 up top - Either Cole and Baldock or Maynard and Baldock. It will be interesting to see who plays on the right with Faubert and Vaz Te both set to make a comeback from injury. My first choice would be Vaz Te - providing he's fit enough to start - but maybe Big Sam will play it safe and start them both on the bench and stick Lansbury or Collison out wide.

This would be my team:

Green
J O'B Tomkins Faye Linda
Vaz Te Noble Nolan(c) Taylor
Maynard Baldock

Subs: Henderson, Collins, Lansbury, Collison/Carew, Cole

I'm gonna say 2-1 to the hammers, but it all depends how we start because sitting back against a team like Peterborough is a risk!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Burnley preview

We go into today's game having drawn our last 4 consecutive games, however our away form is somewhat RIDICULOUS. In the last 2 seasons combined we won 3 away games, this season we've won 10 so far (albeit in the championship). Now I know it's a lower league but that's no small feat, away games must have been tough for us psychologically last season but this season it's something the players cope with extremely well.

The reason is quite ironic really; we're drawing at home because teams come to Upton Park and set up to frustrate us (obviously we are under performing too) and that's our game plan in pretty much every away game! So as frustrating as it is, if we hadn't used the same tactic that's frustrating us at home in our away games then we probably wouldn't have won the amount of away games that we have and our home form would really be costing us right about now.

It is strange that our best unbeaten run all season is actually one of our worst runs at the same time. We've won 2 and drawn 6 of our last 8 games but that doesn't tell the whole story, as we all know too well. In some games we have played awful and deserved nothing, in others we've played reasonably well and not taken our chances.

A lot of people will disagree, but I actually echoed a lot of what BFS said after the game on the night; the booing at half time was ridiculous as we were the better team in the first half and deserved to be in front. The second half was no different, with their wonder goal and one or two chances at the end apart we should have won by a distance so I guess it's just unfortunate that the match was during this current streak of draws because had we drawn that game having played that well on the back of a couple wins, the players wouldn't have been booed off.

The problem on Tuesday was playing Tomkins in midfield for me. He is an outstanding young player, of that there's not doubt but he's not a midfielder. Why put our best centre back in the middle of the park where we could have a more creative player like Lansbury? I know his role was to hold but he was forward quite a lot on Tuesday and he's just not an attacking player (minus his aerial ability).

Here's the team I would put out today:

Green
J O'B Tomkins Faye Linda
Lansbury Noble Nolan(c) Taylor
Baldock Maynard

Subs: Henderson, Collins, Morrison, Maynard, Carew

Earlier in the week I predicted a 0-0 draw today having won our last 2 games, so hopefully this one's wrong too! I'm gonna go with an edgy 1-0 win for the hammers.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Déjà Vu?

You may remember 2 seasons ago when we just about retained our Premier League status finishing on 35 points, a points total that would almost certainly see you relegated any other year.

Our saving grace that season was that there were simply 3 worse teams than us in Hull, Burnley and the unfortunate Pompey. And it has to be said, if we go up automatically this year it will simply be because there hasn't been enough of a challenge at the top of the table. Southampton are doing well, yes, but even they aren't averaging 2 points a game and we're 7 points clear of 4th, 10 if we win at Peterborough next week so if Reading hadn't been on a storming run we'd be 2nd by a distance.

I'll be optimistic and say we'll still go up automatically, because although we are in a bit of a slump in form, we shouldn't overlook the fact that we're unbeaten in 9 which includes 2 last minute equalisers so the fighting spirit is there. Reading slipped up on Tuesday and allowed us to gain a point on them that gives us the ability to leapfrog them if we win our game in hand. Obviously their winning run wasn't going to last forever and if they start to falter now it would be perfectly timed as we play them at the Boleyn at the end of the month.

We can still do it, we just need to get behind the team and be the 12th man!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

One word; typical.

Well, where to begin. I still stand by what I said at half time about the boo boys because we were by far the better team but what I want to know is, with all the strikers we've got, WHY THE FCUK CAN'T WE SCORE!?

Maynard has had a good goalscoring record for pretty much his whole career but as soon as he puts a West Ham shirt on it disappears. Baldock is our best goalscoring forward but hardly gets his chance and I won't even go there with Cole.

To be fair, not only did they have a fair shout for handball against Tomkins, Ogbeche's goal was a cracker. He could have and should have been closed down quicker but it was a beaut. It all could have been so different, though, if the Boro keeper hadn't saved Tomkins' header but that just goes to show, our forwards aren't doing enough and we're relying on our aerial players - mostly defenders - to score goals.

What annoyed me the most tonight was the amount of greedy, ambitious shots from outside the box. Even McCartney had a go with his right foot and Tomkins tried his luck as well! We're struggling at home and can't score more than a solitary goal - which has been scored by a defender in our last 2 games - so why are the players going for goal at any given opportunity when there's usually a better option in front of them?

We were so lucky tonight. How? Because Reading lost and we should have. Even in the last 2/3 minutes when we were going forward there just wasn't enough urgency in our play and they didn't look like they wanted to win!

Fortunately, my prediction (fail to win tonight and we won't finish in the top 2) is far from confirmed as Reading lost and a victory in our game in hand would lift us up to 2nd but for the time being we're seven points away from Southampton and that's a lot of ground to make up. I worked out before tonight's game that we needed to win 5 in a row to match Big Sam's magical 2 points a game benchmark, something he seems to be basing our season on and we're now 6 points behind that target.

And now we'll travel to Burnley on Saturday, which will be a very difficult game, having drawn our last 4 games, all 1-1. And to think it looked like the sky was the limit after the Blackpool result! It's a funny old game!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

The boo boys are back!

Well there are positives to take from that first half performance. There was much more passing football than hoofball, Nolan's actually done something and we look fairly solid at the back!

We've been the better team by a distance and have created some good chances but we're just lacking that quality finishing that I think Baldock could provide. I think that booing the players off at half time is ridiculous as like I said we've been the better side and I just hope that doesn't affect the players in the second half.

I'm sticking with my prediction of 2-0, with Cole and Baldock scoring from the bench.

Let's get behind the team!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Tomkins in squad

Despite limping off at half time on Saturday at Leeds, James Tomkins makes it into the squad to face Boro tonight.

This is brilliant news as many fans, including myself, feared the worst when he remained on the pitch after the half time whistle to receive treatment.

I think we would have had a much better chance of going on to win the game had he not gone off, or even if Morrison was introduced then as appose to bringing on Gary O'Neill.

This is very encouraging and relieving news though as Tonks has been a consistently high performer this season and quite frankly we might not be where we are today without him!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Middlesbrough preview

Lose and we could be as many as six points off second place and NINE points off Southampton at the summit. So it goes without saying, we simply must win. Should Reading lose on the other hand, a win would lift us back up into the top 2 with that game in hand at Peterborough next Tuesday yet to play.

We aren't without our injury problems, though, with Diop, Demel, Vaz Te and Faubert unavailable and Tomkins a major doubt after limping off at half time at Elland Road on Saturday. We have really struggled without Diop holding and even though he plays the role well, Tomkins just isn't as solid and much more suited to his natural centre back role and although he has his critics, we've missed a natural winger on the right since Faubert has been unavailable.

Boro's form has been indifferent lately with 3 wins and 3 defeats in their last 6, 2 of those defeats being at home to Leeds and Reading.

Our current form somewhat flatters us as we are currently unbeaten in 8 but we've drawn our last 3 games in a row and our last 4 home games. I think in the end a point at Elland Road wasn't a bad result as it's arguably the hardest place to go in the league but the draws at home to Watford, Doncaster and Palace were disappointing to say the least. And I hate to sound like a broken record but if we don't win tonight and both Saints and Reading do, I think we're all but out of the race for automatic promotion unless either one of them start to stumble majorly, as we have.

Possible starting 11? Well we can expect a cautious 4-5-1 line up which would surely have a negative affect as we all want to see free flowing attacking football but 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 would obviously please the fans. With Maynard failing to get his name on the score sheet recently I'd love to see Baldock start alongside Cole, but I've been saying that all season and it rarely happens. My first choice formation would be:

Green
J O'B Faye Collins Linda
Collison Noble Nolan(c) Taylor
Cole Baldock
Subs: Henderson, Potts, Lansbury Morrison, Maynard.

Let's get behind the team and do our part in taking the three points!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Lucky escape!

I realise that it's a bit late but I didn't get back from Leeds until very late last night so better late than never!

Firstly, it has to be said that the game as a whole was awful. The first half an hour was as scrappy ad you'll see in this division and there were very few chances with the most notable being Adam Clayton's snapshot and Nicky Maynard's run through on goal, but his first touch let him down.

The way the game was starting to look around the hour mark there only seemed to be two possible outcomes; a late winner from one side or a boring 0-0 draw, how wrong was I!

When Leeds took the lead on 83 minutes, a lead which they just about deserved on the run on play, it looked to have woken our players up as they started playing with a bit more urgency, mostly to no effect, though.

Then, in the last minute of normal time George McCartney's mis kick somehow went out for a corner and there was Danny Collins, completely unmarked standing between two defenders to head superbly into the far post.

In my opinion, if Gary O'Neill hadn't come on at half time for the injured James Tomkins then we would have been much more likely to take the three points. He had an awful game and in the last minute we might have even won it when he was running down the right flank with Nolan and Cole rushing in alongside him only to fire his cross behind and over the goal. A move that pretty much summed up his, and our performance.

Player ratings: Green (7) O'Brien (5), Collins (7) Faye (7) McCartney (6) Tomkins (6) Nolan (3) Noble (6) Collison (5) Taylor (5) Maynard (4)
Subs: O'Neill (1) Morrison (4) Cole (7)

We'll take the point as any point on the board has to be taken positively in a fixture as tough as that and now look forward to the crucial game at Middlesbrough which could see us slip 6 points behind the automatic promotion places and end up finishing in the play off places as per my prediction.

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Season defining week?

Quite possibly! We have 2 extremely difficult away games at Leeds and Burnley either side of a vital home game against 4th place Middlesbrough.

I think the best we can hope for is 7 points from 9 which would be a very good return and given our recent form would probably consist of 2 away wins and a home draw!

Tomorrow's game at Leeds will be a huge test after 2 poor home results and the absence of Ricardo Vaz Te will definitely be a major blow. However, every cloud has a silver lining and as a result of Vaz Te's injury we could see Ravel Morrison in claret and blue for the first time - possibly from the start - which, if he lives up to his hype, is very exciting.

Then we face Middlesbrough under the lights on Tuesday which is to be broadcast on Sky TV in what I think is our most important home game of the season purely because we haven't won at home in the last 4 attempts. It is vital that we start well on Tuesday to ensure that the fans get behind the team and create an intimidating atmosphere for our opponents because when the Boleyn is full and buzzing, the atmosphere is second to none.

If we then go into next Saturday's fixture at Burnley with 6 points from the previous 2 fixtures then we may just be able to pick up the three points but like I said, 7/9 points from these fixtures would be a very satisfying return, providing one of the wins is against Boro at home.

On the other hand, as little as 3 points from these fixtures and we may be all but out of the race for automatic promotion, unless both Southampton and Reading also slip up.

I'm predicting a 2-1 win tomorrow, a 2-0 win against Boro and a 0-0 draw at Burnley, which I think we'd all be happy with. Let me know your predictions! Follow me on twitter @WHUThruAndThru

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Everything must go!

I remember reading something in the West Ham United annual 2012 at the start of the season where Sam Allardyce was stressing how important youth players are to any football club, even more so at The Academy of Football, West Ham United. So why is it that we're shipping all of our promising youngsters out on loan?

Rob Hall has joined League One promotion hopefuls MK Dons while Christian Montano has dropped down a league to League Two by joining Oxford. It has to be said these are two of our most promising young players at the moment with Hall really impressing me when he's made very brief sub appearances and everyone at the club is going on about how good Tano is yet he hasn't even been given a chance! They aren't the only 'promising' young players to be ignored this season, though, as Brian Montenegro has spent all season with the reserves bar one short period in which he sat on the bench. I can only assume we signed him on loan with a view of a permanent deal should he impress with the U18's/reserves because otherwise his loan spell has been borderline pointless!

Also, I really hope that we see Jordan Spence next season whether we go up or not because he was being labelled as the next Bobby Moore last season which isn't something you hear too often about a young player! We recalled him slightly early from his season long loan for the Wigan game which saw us relegated and despite most fans thinking he'd get his chance in the Championship - the league in which he was playing first team football for most of last season - we sent him back to Bristol City on loan which really disappointed me.

There may be one exception, though. Reports are suggesting that Ravel Morrison will start against Leeds tomorrow in the absence of Ricardo Vaz Te which could be interesting after he impressed for the Development Squad scoring a brace in a 2-0 win. I suppose we will have to wait until tomorrow!

COME ON YOU IRONS!

Most improved player 2012

In my opinion it has to be between 2 players; Julien Faubert and Winston Reid. It's fair to say that both of them had terrible seasons last term.

Winston Reid, despite being billed as representing his country to distinction at the world cup, barely played under Avram Grant. The £4m man from Midjylland hardly got a looking and despite his goal against Burnely in the FA Cup, he had a very disappointing season.

Julien Faubert on the other hand was a promising player when we first signed him but seemed to lose his way when Zola converted him to a full back and that may just have been the main factor in him falling further and further down the pecking order under Avram Grant.

This season both players have had a massive part to play in our current position with Julien Faubert among the regulars - largely thanks to his versatility - and Winston Reid finally starting to show his potential under Allardyce and establishing himself in the first team.

Are there more candidates, though? James Tomkins has really established himself in the first team as a key player and he's arguable been our best player this season. Mark Noble is continuing to improve season after season and Rob Green has been absolutely outstanding this season and although we know he's capable of the sort of performances he's put in this campaign, it's nice to see his confidence growing after the horrific mistake at the 2010 World Cup.

Who do you think is our most improved player this season?

COME ON YOU IRONS!