Faubert!

Phew, though I don’t fancy his chances against Petrov much either. Should mean fewer long throws! Really attacking line-up also. COYI

Game On

Sounds ridiculous to say, but I already feel that todays game is something of a make or break fixture. We’ve got a horrific run in after this game and so a loss today is inconceivable. Having said that the pre-match stats make for uncomfortable reading.

 West Ham have lost their last six league and cup meetings with Bolton.

 Kevin Davies has scored eight goals in his last 10 appearances against West Ham in all competitions.

 Bolton have scored in 15 consecutive Premier League games against West Ham dating back to October 1997.

 West Ham conceded 16 corners in their match against Aston Villa – more than any other side in the top flight.

We can expect a real fight from Bolton.  Despite Owen Coyle’s desire for his team to play fluid, more stylish football, you can bet they’ll bring their physical game and certainly use the long ball in an attempt to expose our defensive frailties and Rob Green’s indecision. Their scoring record against us is impressive and we’re going to have to be really disciplined at the back. I’m particularly concerned about Winston Reid. If he plays at right back I fear Martin Petrov will make him look as foolish as Young and Albrighton did last week.

We need to dominate from the start. Lets not see another statistic like ‘West Ham attempted more long throw-ins (15) than any other side in the opening round of games.’ Instead lets see a high tempo passing game akin to the home games against Birmingham and Hull last season, and plenty of support for Cole too. COYI.

FIVE things we learned from our defeat to Villa

In the wake of Martin O’Neill’s departure, Avram Grant may have thought there was no better time for his side to be playing Aston Villa. The reality was starkly different as West Ham slumped to lacklustre 3-0 defeat. The Hammers were out-paced, out-manoeuvred and out-thought by their claret and blue rivals. Are there any positives to discern from Saturday’s encounter or is it likely to be another long season for the Irons?

1) Green’s World Cup hangover continues

Robert Green found himself in excellent company this weekend as fellow goalkeepers, Chris Kirkland, Pepe Reina, Tim Howard and Scott Carson all made high profile gaffs. After his howler at the World Cup the fear for Hammers fans is that Green’s shaky form may be set to continue. Booed by the Villa fans, Green came under immense pressure from the off. Bombarded by crosses and corners the keeper was anything but commanding as he missed an attempted punch clearance, handing a gilt-edged chance to John Carew. Shortly after, Green parried Ashley Young’s cross to Marc Albrighton whose volleyed shot he could only divert to the grateful Stuart Downing who slotted home. Green should have caught the cross but recovered well to tip over Young’s goal-bound lob. It may take time before the England goalkeeper’s confidence is restored but he and others will be wondering if it is too soon to blame the new Nike Tracer ball.

2) Right-back remains a problem position

The well remunerated Lucas Neill had his critics at Upton Park but since his departure the right-back position has been the club’s Achilles heel. Having played in that role last season Grant had decided to push Julien Faubert forward and put new recruit Winston Reid in his place on Saturday. Having inexplicably refused to buy a right-back it will now be incumbent on Reid, James Tomkins or Tal Ben Haim, all centre-backs, to fulfil that role. Reid was exposed on his PL debut by Young whose pace and skill on the ball confused the Kiwi defender. He was additionally unable to augment the attack on the right flank. With strong but lumbering centre-backs likely to fill that position many managers will be telling their left-wingers to unsettle the Hammers’ right-back.

3) Tomkins needs help and guidance

In a move eerily reminiscent of his failed back pass at home to Wolves last season, Tomkins narrowly avoided a defensive disaster against Villa. Under no pressure Tomkins decided to play a back pass with his weaker foot, making a feeble connection and allowing John Carew a free run at goal. As the striker tried to round Green, the keeper got a touch which bounced off Tomkins and hit the post. Despite the defensive strengths of the Basildon born youngster, this bore all the hallmarks of an unease and nervousness at the back. The player will require reassurance and training from the coaching staff but has scant support from experienced colleagues like Green and Matthew Upson. A dearth of communication in West Ham’s defence has not been rectified.

4) Cole remains isolated

Carlton Cole is occasionally accused of laziness but patently does not receive adequate service from his team-mates. This was abundantly clear in the first-half where he played the lone striker role to no avail. The midfield sat especially deep, meaning when Cole received the ball there was no one to bring into possession and build an attack. Clearly frustrated Cole created one of West Ham’s only chances in the first period by beating Richard Dunne for pace on the left before cutting into the box and firing a low cross across the face of goal. Unsurprisingly after all that work there was not a team-mate in sight. This was partially remedied by the introduction of Frederic Piquionne and Pablo Barrera for the second half. Few chances were created though and the ability of West Ham to use the width of the pitch and employ some more creative passing from the centre will be integral to Cole’s goal-scoring form this year. Fans will be hoping Thomas Hitzlsperger can make a swift recovery from a thigh injury sustained on international duty.

5) Pre-season counts for nothing

The Hammers were unbeaten in pre-season and recorded impressive victories over Borussia Monchengladbach and Panathinaikos. It was a broadly successful pre-season but their preparations did not resemble the weak performance against Villa. West Ham were sluggish, laboured and failed to find any passing rhythm. Neat one touch passing in their own half descended into directionless long balls forward. Much work will be required at Chadwell Heath if they are to give the home fans something to cheer when they face bogey side Bolton Wanderers next Saturday.

Stoked!

http://kumb.com/story.php?id=124850

Adorable, isn’t he?

Quite excited about the ’potential’ signing. WHUFC has him as

‘a young international, who represented his country with distinction at the 2010 Fifa World Cup’.

Ozil? Kevin Prince? Gyan? Elia?!

Probably best he’s a defender, whoever he is. Exciting times.

And so it begins

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/8870401.stm

Lets hope we’re not looking at a Lescott style situation. We cannot lose Parker.

Going NOWHERE!

Strong, dare I say passionate words from Mr Sullivan today, but was it really necessary? Did an out of the blue  and rather mute offer from Spurs warrant an official statment from the board?

Well no, but it is pleasant to read things such as ‘This is a new era. We are building a bigger, better West Ham’ and, despite the lack of news on the offer, it is refreshing to see any advance for Parker firmly rejected without the situation being allowed to escalate.  In the statement Sullivan’s ‘promise’ to the fans is mentioned 5 times! I especially like the line ‘when we make a promise, we honour it’. The problem with this promise however, is that is hasn’t been backed up by Mr West Ham himself. Hopefully we’ll see the story die out or, even better, Parker will publicly commit his future to the club/improve his terms. Otherwise we’re going to see a lot of this kind of article.

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/189840/Scott-Parker-won-t-rule-out-Spurs/

Before the transfer window started I was worried about a media circus surrounding the potential West Ham fire sale, the managerial appointment and new acquisitions. This pre-season has been memorable for the complete lack of all these things. Good looking signings, Gollivan not undermining Grant and solid results (another good performance last night by all accounts) have made me more optimistic than ever about the season to come. Lets not have this ruin the end of a positive summer.

West Ham Announce Double Capture of Barrera and Piquionne

The official club website yesterday announced the signings of Mexican international Pablo Barrera and Frederic Piquionne on four and three year deals respectively. These signings together with promises of further new additions show that Grant’s attempt to restructure the squad ahead of the new campaign is gathering momentum.

Barrera, 23 was signed from Mexican side Pumas for a fee in the region of £4 million. The winger was used as an impact substitute for Mexico in South Africa and has subsequently attracted the interest of many clubs across Europe. Barrera is a pacy winger who happily takes on players and is comfortable with both feet. If his delivery into the box is reliable we could have a real player on our hands and the introduction of a genuine winger into the squad is very welcome as Matty Ethrington’s departure was never properly  compensated for.

Piquionne, 31 signed from Lyon for a fee thought to be £1 million will team up with Avram Grant for a second time after his impressive loan spell at Pompey last season. Whilst his arrival is unlikely to get you jumping out of your seat with excitement I am confident he can do a job for the club. His stats and age suggest that he will not be prolific but he provides us with a strength in depth which has sadly been lacking in recent seasons. He may not be an automatic starter as new forward signings may be imminent and Grant may not opt for a big man/big man front pairing. Nevertheless during his loan spell last season he showed power, strength and a surprisingly delicate touch for a big striker. A pertinent point to raise though is whether his recruitment would have been necessary had we opted to retain the services of Franco and/or Ilan who both displayed their talents during their short time at the club.

Pre-Season Friendly Result: Peterborough United 1 – 2 West Ham United

West Ham came through a tough fought pre-season test against the Posh on thursday evening thanks to goals from Carlton Cole and Anthony Edgar. West Ham took the lead early in the first half after some good work from new summer signing, Thomas Hitzlsperger who made a forward run from midfield and made a perfectly waited pass for Cole who calmly finished with a neat dink over the Peterborough keeper. Soon into the second half the League One side levelled the score line  after Boyd’s free-kick was diverted cleverly into the net by Dave Hibbert. After many changes at half-time the new look West Ham side managed to restore the advantage with a fine solo goal from Edgar (cousin of Jermain Defoe). A strong run into the box was followed by a powerful low shot into the corner of the net.

Sears and McCarthy both tested Posh’s keeper in the second half but the game finished 1-2, giving us a positive start to our pre-season schedule. Avram Grant started with an attacking 4-3-3 formation which many fans would love to see adopted for the new season. Gianfranco Zola flirted with this formation on a few occasions during his tenure but never to much success. If the players do react to this system it would fit with the club’s tradition of attractive and attacking football.

The Trouble With Flair Players: Alessandro Diamanti’s First Season at West Ham

Signed from Livorno last summer Alessandro Diamanti arrived at Upton Park to much fanfare. Having heard of his creative play, goal scoring ability and set piece prowess many fans hoped for a new idol in the mould of Di Canio. A quick glance at his statistics points to a promising start in English football, netting seven Premier League goals and one in the FA Cup. Gianfranco Zola spoke of a player who, “could make a mistake but could create something unexpected.” Whilst his intelligent play did open up defences and get the fans on the edge of their seats the inconsistent nature of his game which Zola hinted at began to divide West Ham supporters. He was conspicuously absent from the relegation run in by which stage some argued that he was too unreliable, too flash and too conscious of his own ability.

Upon arrival in east London, the Italian sporting a shock of dreadlocked hair wasted no time in making his presence felt. He assumed command of all set pieces and penalty kicks with complete confidence. His delivery from set pieces was excellent and his passing was adventurous and varied. Many expected he would be deployed as a central director, distributing incisive passes but not expected to do much in the way of tracking back. However he was largely deployed on the left wing arguably because a more central attacking role is difficult to fulfil in a faster league where there is scant room in which to operate. Despite not playing in his preferred role he still managed to score on a regular basis and won over the fans with some genuinely imaginative play. A look back at his best bits so far would include his superbly executed free kick which broke the deadlock in a tense home match against Birmingham. In addition he played a starring role in the comfortable home win against Hull City, testing Myhill on numerous occasions, once from inside his own half and setting up innumerable chances. But as this difficult season wore on his fancy touches, ambitious through balls and speculative shots would start to wield less fruitful results.

He soon began to divide opinion at the Boleyn Ground like no other player. This was illustrated by the home game against Bolton which ended in defeat for the Hammers. On that day he scored with a sumptuous curling shot from the edge of the box but was at fault for Bolton’s opener after shirking a challenge on the edge of the box. For one poster in a West Fan forum he ‘lacked courage.’ He was also particularly wasteful that afternoon making 37 passes of which only 17 were successful. In the infamous home defeat to Wolves he was again attacked by fans for not being able to run with the ball and wastefully shooting from distance. For many he was simply not up for the fight and Zola indicated his agreement by installing four central midfielders to the starting line up for the remaining games. Diamanti was invariably guilty of providing insufficient cover for his full back and was laborious in defence. By this stage it seemed his artistry was not enough, a higher work rate was needed. His class was not in doubt but his grit and determination was added to the view that he wasn’t capable of operating in a system which would now have to pride toughness, application and tactical discipline over beauty and technique.

Restored to the starting line up for the last game of the season he reminded the home crowd what he offers. His back heel pass to set up Boa Morte for a neat finish was exceptional. This unorthodox, unexpected pass cut right through the heart of a lavishly assembled Man City back line. His brief hiatus from the team during those crucial final games may well have been vindicated as the team sought to win the midfield battle and snatch victories using direct tactics. However here’s hoping that Avram Grant shows faith in this unpredictable individualist whose flair and vision can change matches. You just may have to deploy an extra holding midfielder to compensate for his defensive work rate though.