West Ham United Blog

Hammers confident on Dean Ashton talks

West Ham Chief Exec Scott Duxbury has made positive noises regarding Dean Ashton signing an extension to his current contract.  Duxbury said "The talks so far have been very positive.  We are meeting with Dean and his representatives in the early part of next week with the aim of concluding a new long-term contract".  Despite a return of only 11 goals last season, a fit Deano is seen as a key player by the club and signing him up for another couple of years will signal a position of strength from the club rather than the traditional flogging of our players to a big club like Man United or one that just thinks its big like Spurs. 

Ashton is on the bench for England tonight (mind you, who isn't?) and has a little more to prove next season, which I am sure he will do if he remains injury free.  He certainly has the capability to be a top striker for club and country, he just needs to build a little more on the foundation he has set.  But overall, I'll be pleased to see him stay, what the club need to concentrate on is some class cover when he is not around...

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Chelsea fun....

I actually almost felt a bit sorry for Chelsea last night, on the night I think they deserved but for their season, it's hard to begrudge United the honours.  Still, you've gotta laugh, havent you...

Chelsea fans, don't bother with the abusive comments, we've heard them all before and it's so boring...

Dunne Deal?

Of course it's silly season in the speculation stakes but I am liking the story linking us to Richard Dunne that appeared in the Times today.  Dunne had a very impressive season with City and with Eriksson on the move, it is likely he will move on as well.  A partnership of Dunne and Upson at the back would be pretty impressive although the back up might be light with the news that Anton Ferdinand could be on his way out.  Having come out of his November trial un-scathed, the club could have simply been biding their time to ensure they get some value out of the young central defender, who did impress in his few appearances last season but perhaps needs a change as well.

Should they stay or should they go....?

With the news that Dean Ashton is set to enter into contract talks at the end of the week, it’s time to assess who should stay and who should from the class of 2008…

Stay at all costs:  Green, Ferdinand, Upson, McCartney, Noble, Parker, Ashton

These guys represent the nucleus of the team that we should build.  An all-English spine should be the basis for us to employ some flair and creativity in other areas.  Nolbe didn’t have the best of seasons but did spend a lot of it playing out of position or when he was clearly injured, but he is West Ham through and through.  I also think Anton Ferdinand will grow in maturity next season and could be key for us, especially in partnership with the excellent Upson.

Exit Upton Park:  Quashie, Mullins, Boa Morte, Spector, Pantsil, Neill, Bowyer

Guess the most controversial here is Mullins who is the marmite of West Ham United, splitting opinion between supporters.  I just find him too negative and although his short passing is accurate, there are better tacklers out there to play that holding role.  I don’t think Spector should be part of the team if we expect to be taken seriously, he is a decent Championship player at best.  And I don’t subscribe to the Pantsil fan club, he seems like a lovely fella but I just don’t see him commanding a regular spot.

Quite like you to hang around, but don’t expect me to beg: Solano, Faubert, Zamora, Cole, Dyer, Etherington, Ljungberg

The two lads up front have worked hard but not produced anywhere near enough goals between them.  With Bellamy back they will be bit-part players at best and I think that is all they should expect if they decide to hang around.

There are others who I just don’t know what to do with, Gabbidon and Collins have been injured for an eternity.  It will be interesting to see if they still have something to offer next season, it’s not as if they will command big fees having seen so little of them for so long.  And obviously the kids like Sears and Tomkins will still be around and we can look forward to watching them develop next season.

The Apprentice West Ham style...

A board room in Brentwood.  Sitting down are Margaret and Nick, between them an elevated seat for their noble leader, Sir Alan of Sugar.  Opposite him is Alan Curbishley, flanked by Kieron Dyer and Lucas Neill.

Sugar:  Margaret, how did Team Spurs get on?
Margaret: Well, despite telling how they were definitely going to come 4th, Team Spurs disappointed everyone by coming only 11th and scoring 46 points
Sugar:  Not the best of starts…and Nick, Team West Ham?
Nick:  Team West Ham did slightly better and delivered what they said they would, with 10th place and 49 points
Sugar: Okay, well done Team West Ham, but unfortunately for you the sulky Bulgarian Kid out of Team Spurs has already wandered off to Milan or something, so I am going to have fire one of you as well
Curbs:  But have you seen our injury…
Sugar:  Shut it, I’m not ready for you yet.  Now, Kieron and Lucas, tell me about Alan, good team leader?
Neill and Dyer exchange nervous glances and then look down quietly

Sugar:  Hmmm, not the best of references for you is it?  So Alan, why have you brought Kieron to the board room?
Curbs:  I just felt Kieron did not really contribute to the team this season Sir Alan.  He got inured and we never saw from him again
Sugar:  And who was responsible for bringing him on the team?
Curbs:  It was me
Sugar: A right pile of rubbish you got there you schmuck.  I don’t need doctors and nurses or so called medical experts to tell me when someone is a medical bloody liability, any idiot can see from his record he will spend most of the season injured, what were you thinking?
Curbs:  But the nice man Mr Allardyce said he was really good
Sugar And where is this Mr Allardyce now exactly?
Curbs:  ermmmm
Sugar:  And why is Mr Neill in the boardroom with you?
Curbs: I just felt Lucas didn’t pull his weight this season
Sugar:  He’s got enough bloomin weight to pull round (Margaret and Nick Smirk) Isn’t he just a patsy?  Don’t you think your occasional bizarre team selections and negative tactics mean you didn’t push on even further than you could have?
Curbs:  But we beat Man United 2-1
Nick: Oh well done
Margaret:  And what about 3 4-0 defeats in a row?
Curbs:  But have you seen our injury….
Sugar:  Enough of this injury list, all I bloomin hear is injury list, right, I’m gonna tell you what’s what….Dyer….I’m not sure why you are in the board room, in fact, I’m not sure what you are doing here full stop, I’m not going to fire you, instead I have arranged a 6 month placement for you as a Club 18-30 rep in Ayia Napa for the Summer season, now get out of my sight.  Neill, I’m not quite sure what you bring to this team every week, I seem to be writing a book on you each week, cheque books that is and I’m not sure what I’m getting (dramatic pause, camera pans to Curbs, he doesn’t smile)  But Curbs, if I wanted to see under achievement married to over expectation, I would have stayed at Spurs, instead all I’m getting with you is all this bloomin negativity and you keep telling me how grateful I should and on that basis, Curbs, you’re fired…

Curbs walks out of the room, the next time we see him is in a taxi going under the Blackwall tunnel…

Curbs:  At the end of the day, what with our injury list…

Suddenly, the taxi pulls over and the driver turns round to reveal it is in fact Slaven Billic.  He pulls out a gun and as the camera pulls away from the taxi, we hear a gunshot.
Voiceover:  28 years….6 managers…..West Ham’s wait for a trophy continues…..

Ljungberg to leave West Ham?

West Ham have reportedly offered midfielder Freddie Ljungberg £3 million to cancel the remaining 3 years of his contract with the Hammers.  The package represents than his £3m+ a year he is said to earn from it, but the Hammers are probably banking on him taking the cash and then finding a lucrative contract elsewhere to see out the remainder of his career, as they seek to cut the wage bill at the club.

For me, it’s a slightly strange move by the club, Freddie has not exactly set us alight this season but he is far from being our worse performer.  Although injury prone, he could still have had a part to play next season, though presumably the club just thought we were paying him too much to be a squad player. 

There is also some speculation that Lucas Neill and Luis Boa-Morte could be subject to similar offers from the club.  If true, this would represent a dis-mantling of the team Alan Curbishley sought to build in the his first full season at the club.  I can only guess we are not paying Nigel Quashie enough to justify giving him such an offer….either way, strange days at Upton Park lie ahead for sure.

West Ham v Aston Villa Match Preview

Wow, the end of the season already, happens quick doesn’t it?  Seems like just yesterday our pre-season optimism was being burst by a resurgent City and then re-born with a battle against Man United before the 4-0 x 3 debacles popped the final bubbles of expectancy from our season.

If it wasn’t for the presence of Nigel Reo-Coker, I’d really like Villa.  Correction, I like any club that Martin O’Neill is managing and that happens to be Villa at the moment.  He is building a young, strong English squad that I think are a real one to watch in the next couple of seasons.  Even Ashley Young is starting to look worth 8 million, what could have been if we got him instead of Boa-Morte eh? 

Villa could qualify for Europe if they win this game, but that also relies on Everton not getting anything at home to Newcastle, which I am not entirely sure will happen, although the Toffees have looked a bit knackered of late.  But it is some pride that we are fighting for and I for one will be a happy man if we get our win and finish above the Spurs on Sunday.  Being a North London Hammer, many of my friends are Spurs fans and it would definitely be a bonus to finish above them.  Although the Pool will give them a game, there is every chance they will get 3 points so we must ensure we do the same.

As for the line-up, it’s a more case of who is available than who we want to play.  We should certainly go 442 and take the game to Villa, and it would be nice if we stuck to it this time rather than reverting to 451 and playing one of the strikers out of position.  So, line up would be

Green
Macca – Neil – Tomkins - Pants (assuming Upson/Spec/Ferdy are out)
LBM – Parker – Noble – Solano
Ashton – Zamora

Bench: Walker, Sears, Cole, Mullins, Collison

I’ve got the feeling for another 2-2 here which Coral will give you 14/1 for.  So have a flutter for the last game of the season, trust me, it usually make things more interesting….come on you Irons…

Hammers fail the Old Trafford test

I once read a review of a New Order Album that described the band as ‘predictably unpredictable’, I guess a review of West Ham United would cite them as ‘consistently inconsistent’.  Having found a bit of bite and fight against Newcastle United the previous week, we barely turned up at Old Trafford, albeit with a somewhat makeshift squad.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not expecting us to go there with United needing a win and coming back with 3 points or even 1 point.  What I do expect is for us to show some fight and when we are faced with 10 men to show some bottle, but we failed on both counts.

I’ll save my Curbs post until the season has ended but there is clearly something rotten in the state of Upton Park.  The injuries, the defensive press conferences, the hunched shoulders of various players, it’s just not gelling together.  Yet somehow, we have managed to cobble together a decent season position wise, but that has mostly been at the expense of some very poor teams below us.  If they step up next season, we’ll have top start watching our backs. 

In fact, let’s look at the stats - from the teams above us this season we have taken 15 points, from the teams below us we have taken 35 points.  That’s only natural I’d agree, but like I say, if other teams do some more re-building over the Summer and we stay as we are, it’s going to spell danger for us.  The 35 points cover up for the 6 draws and 5 losses that we have experienced at the hands of lower placed teams.  We can’t rely on playing teams like Derby every week and you can bet that like the likes of Birmingham and Wigan are going to be tougher nuts to crack next season.  If we don’t discover our grit, bottle and flair, even in the face of adversity like Saturday, then we can expect next season to be very tough indeed.  The cure?  Ah, you’ll have to wait till after the Villa game…