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.
Saturday 28 April 2012
Thursday 26 April 2012
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!
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!
Tuesday 24 April 2012
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!
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!
Monday 23 April 2012
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!
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!
Sunday 22 April 2012
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!
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!
Thursday 19 April 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday 18 April 2012
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!
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!
Wednesday 11 April 2012
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!
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!
Monday 9 April 2012
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!
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!
Sunday 8 April 2012
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!
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!
Sunday 1 April 2012
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!
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!
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