West Ham United Blog

Captain Parker leads the revival

As strangely deflated as I felt after this victory, I realised that my thoughts before the game were for 3 points no matter what the result, and in that sense, the Hammers achived the result.  But boy, do we like to make things difficult for ourselves!

Firstly the positives and there are a number.  5 goals scored by 5 different players in a good stat, showing that everyone is up for the fight and willing to put their bit into the battle.  After a shaky 5 minutes, we cruised into that lead and deserved it.  We were brilliantly led by Scott Parker who was simply outstanding.  It was a captain's performance that should see the title with him for full time, rather than reverting to Upson when he returns.  This isn't an emotive response based on one performance, Scott has been one of our best players all season and consistently gets stuck in.

Mr Franco continues to impress, he must have been some player when he was a yard or two quicker but even so, he is an intelligent footballer in the mould of Teddy Sheringham, and he is making a good contribution to the comeback.  I also thought Jack Collison had a good game for us.

On the downside, the lack of discipline and concentration in the defence was very disappointing.  We gifted Burnley three goals they should never have scored, and all because the boys were mentally half way down the tunnel.  It's something I hope Zola addressed.  I also have to say I'm not fully convinced by Junior Stanislas at the moment, he is quick and has popped up with a couple of goals, I just want to see someone so quick beat the defender a bit more.  He also tends to go down quite easily.

Anyway, on to the rankings;

Green - 6 - let down by the defence for the goals, pretty average day for Rob

Illunga - 6 - at times looked like the Illunga of last season, but not quite there yet.  Still coming back from his injury though.

Gabbidon - 6 - a rock in the first half but let down by the 2nd half performance

Da Costa - 6 - see above!

Spector - 6 - a dependable type but the moments where he does get caught out always seem to cost us

Collison - 7 - a good shift by Jack, I think that's a lift off for some more top performances from him to come

Parker - 9 - man of the match by a long shot, passing, tackling, he did everything but referee the game

Kovac - 5 - I had to check the teamsheet to confirm he played

Stanislas - 6 - still a raw talent, hope we can mould him into a more disciplned player

Cole - 6 - got the goal then had to go

Franco - 7 - intelligent play and didn't shirk any challenges

Zola/Clarke - 7 - got the crucial 3 points but didn't shore things up to ease us in towards the end.

Overall though, a crucial three points, but we have to make sure we tighten things up at the back, especially considering the next visitors to Upton Park!

West Ham v Burnley Preview

Sorry guys, it's a real quick one this week, work are being very selfish and make me do stuff.  Upson appears to be definitely be out, which is not great news but in terms of timing it's not so bad with the ever dependable Mr Gabbidon returning.  The official site is saying Dyer is back, but sadly it's something we've heard a few times only to be left disappointed.  Diamanti is touch and go so I imagine a palce for him on the bench at best.

So, my line up:

Green

Illunga - Gabbidon - Da Costa - Spector

Collison - Parker - Behrami - Faubert

Cole - Franco

Bench: Kurucz, Noble, Hines, Dyer, Stanislas, Tomkins and Diamanti

Big game this, we need to win it, but it;s going to be tough as Bunrely are no mugs.  I'm going for 2-1 to the Hammers, come on you Irons!!!

15% off everything at Kitbag.com now!

Hi

As you know, I don't do commercial stuff very often, but this one certainly caught my eye.  Kitbag.com have 15% off everything on their site today and tomorrow, which means you can grab things like West Ham retro tops, scarves and even a Bobby Moore canvas at a reduced rate. 

Head down there now before it all disappears, to go straight to the West Ham section, click here

Diamanti out for Hull match, Illunga still a doubt...

Bad news for Sunday is that our Italian stallion Alessandro Diamanti appears to have a 'hip' problem and so will not be on the pitch at any point.  It is expected he will be back for the Burnley game next weekend however.  I suppose that means Noble comes back in and Behrami moves to the right.  Or Hines goes in his place, but I don't like to see him shoved out on the wings, quick though he is.  Looks like Illunga will be out too, Jonathan Spector does not disgrace himself when coming in to do a job and am sure he will cover there sufficiently.  But sounds like Carlton Cole is definitely back, a big plus...comer on you Irons, let's have three crucial points this weekend!

Thierry Henry - how the mighty can fall

This is certainly a West Ham blog but the events of last night have been playing on my mind all day, so what better place to discuss the matter.  Regular readers will know, that I hate Spurs but have a respect for Arsenal.  This respect was seeded in their wonder years of Bergkap, Pires, Viera, Ljungberg and...Thierry Henry.

I’ve always cited Henry as one of those players that I would happily pay good money to watch, maybe not so much now, but back then when he glided past defenders and scored with both feet, with his head or any part of the body he could improvise with.  Henry was majestic to watch, even when tearing the Hammers apart.  But last night, my view of him completely changed.
I’m sure everyone knows what I am referring to, as Henry handballed twice to prevent the ball from falling over the touchline and allowed William Gallas to send France into the World Cup and leave Ireland devastated and out.

Just like Maradonna in 1986, for all the work and beauty Henry had produced on the field, the memory I will now always have of him is of a cheat.  Because he cheated last night and that’s not what one expects from player who had the natural skill and guile to turn any situation into an advantage.  The only people who cheat are those in a dis-advantage, those that don’t have what is in Henry’s locker.  A lower league player knocking the ball with his hand in a cup tie against Man United, he needs to cheat because he might not have any other means to call on.  But Henry?  He does not need to, so the fact that he did makes it alot worse.

And what of FIFA?  They have shied away from their responsibilities completely here.  I don’t think re=playing every game because of a dodgy decision is a great idea, but neither is allowing relegated clubs to sue other clubs who stay up, but there we go, them’s the breaks.  But here, there is a clear need to do.  The alternative is millions watching France run out in South Africa to kids holding up banner about ‘fair play’ whilst the world knows that nothing of the sort got them there in the first place.  It’s wrong and it should not happen.  A replay is the best outcome by far.  We have the time, it can be organised, only the danger of losing one of their big clubs frightens them.  Crikey, I never thought I’d find myself in agreement with Robbie Keane, but I do.

So, the outcome?  France go to the World Cup Finals.  It’s 1-1 late into the final and England are playing France, England have a corner.  Matthew Upson rises above Gallas to head towards goal, it’s going wide but a hand of Henry accidentally touches it.  We get the penalty, Henry does the walk of shame and Carlton Cole slots home from the spot for English glory.  Justice or a fairy tale?  Stranger things have happened, Henry cheating for a start...

Hull City v West Ham preview

Thankfully the Premier League is back this weekend and the Hammers can get back to business with a trip to Hull City. 

The Tigers were something of a crisis club but a fortnight ago, however a 2-1 win against Stoke on the day we fell to Everton gave them and their under pressure manager Phil Brown some much needed breathing space.  They remain a vulnerable team who we must have a real go at.

The two week break allows those with knocks to come back into shape and I expect a pretty full squad for Zola to pick from, although Stanislas and Tomkins may struggle and Illunga is touch and go.   We’ve definitely got to go strong and put Hull under pressure, an early goal could really knock the stuffing out of them, therefore I want to see an attacking line up.  Although we lost against Everton, it was still a decent performance and unfortunately I think Mr Noble has to remain on the bench.  My other wish is to see Mr Diamanti start, he is the kind of player Hull will hate to play against and will draw them away from their game plan.  So, my line up...

Green

Illunga – Upson – Da Costa – Spector

Collison – Parker – Behrami – Diamanti

Cole – Franco

Bench: Kurucz, Noble, Kovac, Tomkins, Stanislas, Hines and Faubert

This is the strongest starting eleven we have right now and we can cause Hull some real problems if we are on form.

Key man – The return of Carlton Cole is massive for us, he’ll be aching to get back into action and I can see him scoring this weekend

Key opponent – Jimmy Bullard is set to return for Hull and could be looking to get one over his old club

Prediction – I’m feeling confident about this one and I think a 3-1 win to the Hammers is on the cards, with Cole and Diamanti running the show.  Come on you Irons!!!

PS Don't forget to buy your West Ham Christmas Gifts

West Ham Christmas Gifts

It's getting to that time of year where I get asked by a number of people of what the best gift to get a west Ham fan is.  To which I would currently reply, three points at home should suffice.  But should your spouse, sibling or whomever not be able or willing to produce three points out of thin air, as ever here are my top places for West ham Christmas Gifts...

Menkind.co.uk have a small but cool selection of gifts including a smart Hammers wallet, click here

West Ham Toaster - what better way to start the day with some Hammers toast, follow the link and just select the Hammers toaster from the images, click here

West Ham retro kits, scarves, footballs and more from Kitbag.com

If you're still stuck, I've put all the cool Hammers gifts from Amazon into one place, you can take at look at the West Ham Blog Gift Shop

Of course, feel free to send a link to this site to someone for a subtle hint!  The link would be;

http://www.westhamblog.co.uk/2009/11/west-ham-christmas-gifts.html 

Cheers, hope you get what you want this Xmas!

Hammers to lose striker

Reports in the press today suggest that what some of us have guessed for a long time is actually going to be confirmed, and that is that Dean Ashton will be retiring from football.  Deano, who is only 25 and was once a real prospect, never fully recovered from an ankle injury caused by Shaun Wright Phillips in an England training match.  Ironically this was in the year when the presence of Carlos Tevez was 'proven' to be worth 3 points.  Well, if that's the case, we can certainly prove that Dean Ashton was worth a lot more, and the club are set to pursue the FA for insurance compensation.  Deano may also choose to pursue action for loss of earnings through other channels.

It's not a major blow to our current squad and plans, but it is sad to see such a talented footballer being forced to retire in his prime.  Deano was a natural finisher, a good headerer of the ball, had strength to hold it up and pace when he needed it.  I hope he finds a good purpose outside of playing the game and wish him all the best for the future.

West Ham 1 Everton 2

I can't say that I've often felt upbeat after watching a defeat at Upton Park, but to be honest, that's how I felt after today's match.  There was little wrong with how we played today and the sense of shock at Saha's opener was felt around the stadium.  Everton literally scored with their only chances of the game, whereas we pepperred their goal with chances that were either denied by some lacklustre finishing or last gasp defending.  If we play like that every week and improve on a couple of areas, we will be a hard team to beat.

The team selection was interesting, with Noble dropped to the bench for the first time this season.  I have to say, there was more coherence to the attacking side of our game without him, but it wouldn.t be Jiminez I'd have out there, but more on that in a second.  What I will say in Noble's defence was he was warming up very near where I was sat, and he was figuratively kicking every ball and going in for every tackle.  The guy is pure West Ham and we need players like him around.

But another player we definitely need around is Alessandro Diamanti.  I rated this guy from his first appearance and he keeps coming on changing games for us.  Why then is he not starting for us?  Even if he is not fully fit, I'd rather see him starting for 60 than just coming on for the last 20.  He is our most creative outlet and such a goal threat.  He is well up for the fight whenever he comes on and I just think we will be spending less time chasing games if he was on from the start.   Placing him on the right and putting Behrami in the middle with Parker is the strongest option we have, so why aren't we doing it?

Okay, ratings time;

Green - 5 - not much to do and unfortunately the two chances Everton had were let in, so disappointing in that sense

Spector - 7 - was excellent in the first half, but out of position for their second goal, but he was good cover for Illunga

Upson - 6 - kept things organised at the back

Da Costa - 7 - thought he had a really good game, let down by his distribution but he is a strong defender

Faubert  - 6 - also had problems with his distribution today but is still an improved player

Collison - 6 - off after 45 mins, possibly carrying an injury as didn't really get into it

Parker - 8 - immense performance from Scotty P, my man of the match

Jiminez - 6 - still can't quite make my mind up about him, does some good things but not sure how much more there is to come

Behrami - 7 - full of running, not his greatest game but I just think the guy is quality

Franco - 6- faded after getting a kick in the ankle but came back into the game, not bad, not great...

Hines - 6 - struggled against a strong Everton backline, had chances that he should have got on target, but he is raw and will learn from the game

Subs - Stanislas - 6 - got a bit lucky for the goal in all honesty and didn't take on the full backs like he should

Diamanti - 7 - awesome cameo from the boy from Livorno, just want to see more of him

Zola/Clarke - 6 - had to juggle with the team but did not always make the right move for me today

Overall, it really was a game we should have got at least a point from and we now find ourselves back in the bottom 3.  But if we can keep playing like that and find a way for Diamanti, Cole and Franco to find a rhythm, things will certainly get better....

Hammers see light at end of the tunnel

It was always likely to be the case.  In years past, West Ham playing under the floodlights were an impenetrable team.  Buoyed by a raging East End atmosphere, the team went almost two years without losing a home midweek game, and although that run may not quite repeat itself, there were certainly sings of a bygone era last night, with fans driving the team and a homegrown hero securing the points.

We’ve shown some fight in recent games, as well as persistence.  Despite taunts from know-nothing Spurs fans, we’ve not looked like a team heading for the relegation scrap.  There is too much pride and determination, coupled with some great players, for that to happen.  Provided the January transfer window does not tear that spirit apart, we’ll be fine.  There are the games this month that mean we can push up and onwards, not worry about the results of Portsmouth and Hull.

Whilst I was delighted with the result, there were a couple of worrying elements.  Villa did have a period of total control, and other teams would have capitalised on that.  I’m also confused as to why Zola brought on Jiminez when you just felt the spark of Diamanti could have replaced a much improved but clearly tired Noble.  I felt it was the wrong decision by Zola but I guess he will feel vindicated by the result.

Anyway, onto the ratings:

Green – 7 – some great saves, including the penalty, might have done better on their goal?

Illunga -6 – not on long enough to have an effect

Upson – 7 – strong performance from Matty

Da Costa – 7 – distribution was poor but defensively he looked very capable against some tough Premier League strikers

Faubert – 6 – some poor crossing, saved only by a couple of well timed tackles

Collison – 7 – quietly getting back to some top form, never stopped running

Parker – 8 – talking of never stopped running, my man of the match, cracking performance

Noble – 7 – his best game for some time, good penalty and got involved throughout

Behrami – 6.5 – decent shift from Valon without being highly influential

Cole – 6 – hope his injury is not too serious

Franco – 7 – you can see some real quality from this guy and seems to be developing an understanding with Carlton

Subs;
Spector – 6 – did okay considering he was on his wrong side

Hines – 7 – lovely performance from Zavon, gave Villa the run around from the moment he was on

Zola/Clarke – 7 – despite some questionable personnel decisions, they kept the lads going till the end.

In order to fully turn the corner, another 3 points against Everton on Sunday would be a real boost.  But damn, it’s good to remember what a win feels like again, well done lads!