I quite look forward to this post as it gives me time to think about players and their contributions of the season so far. It’s certainly been a tricky season with a decent start followed by the loss of a manager and the diminutive Italian settling into his role. Performances have been predictably inconsistent, with maulings of Blackburn and Newcastle and strong displays against Chelsea and Liverpool, followed inevitably by lacklustre displays against Bolton and Man City.
Player wise, we’ve not exactly had a consistent starting 11 playing, although only 3 players who started in our first game were absent from the 11 who played against Villa. Anyway, without any further delay, here are my 3 Hammers of the half year, remember it’s based on performances since the start of the season…
In third place…..Valon Behrami…..We didn’t know much about this Kosovan born Swiss International playing in Italy, but after a slightly shaky start, Behrami has impressed me with his fitness, willingness and skill. His adaptability in terms of playing on either wing has also been crucial for us, especially with Faubert’s loss of form. Anyway, keep it up Valon, you’re a very important part of the team.
In second place….Robert Green…..For me, this lad is simply the best English keeper in the league, certainly better than Robinson and Carson and can give James a run for his money. A great shot stopper and decision maker, only a couple of errors against Bolton stick in the mind in an otherwise flawless season so far….
And in first place, West Ham Blog’s Hammer of the Half Year is…..Matthew Upson. I was worried that a couple of England appearances would go to this lad’s head, but instead he has shown incredible maturity and has been a pivotal player for us this season. He’s not the biggest but his jumping is excellent as is his man-marking. A great start to the season and I hope it continues, more importantly, I hope that Upson is still a Hammer in February!
Commendations – players who came close were Illunga and Parker…..Welsh wizards Bellamy and Collins would have probably been in there ahd they got a few more games under their belts. Be interesting to see who is given the commendation at the end of the year…Happy Christmas!
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