Geoff Hopkins

A Newport State Of Mind: The Fans Expect, Can Pellegrini Deliver?

A whole bunch of banana skins with potential have been seen heading for South Wales tonight. A strong West Ham side with the right attitude will be needed to keep them away.

West Ham enter the Carabao Cup fray this evening with a second round tie against League 2 Newport County at their Rodney Parade stadium. Arguably, the League Cup is the most winnable competition for teams outside of the rich six, but it remains a feat that has been beyond the Hammers during its 50-odd year history.

Many supporters would happily trade a few Premier League positions for a decent cup run but owners and coaches have tended to take a different view – unless you go all the way the financial reward is not high. Nevertheless, apart from those with a realistic shout at a top four finish (or those concurrently committed to European competition) it is difficult to understand why the competition would not be taken with utmost seriousness.

With a long history of embarrassing cup exits to lower league team under their belts, including the recent memory of an FA Cup exit to AFC Wimbledon last season, West Ham would be foolish to take tonight’s game lightly. In truth, the team fielded at Wimbledon should have easily been good enough to win the match and so attitude and proper preparation is equally important.

The most recent meeting with Newport County was one of those cup shocks when the Welsh side beat a John Lyall West Ham team that included Trevor Brooking, Billy Bonds, Alan Devonshire and Alvin Martin, That was a 1979 FA Cup third round tie at Newport’s old Somerton Park ground which Lyall regarded as one of his worst nights of his managerial career. The Hammers famously won the FA Cup in the following season while Newport went on to win the Welsh Cup in the same year. Both teams made it through to the Quarter Finals of the 1980/ 81 European Cup Winner’s Cup where they were each eliminated by the eventual finalists.

Things took a turn for the worse after that for Newport and they were forced to go out of business in 1989. The club was reformed and embarked on a nomadic existence around the lower leagues before regaining league status in 2010. Under current manager, Mike Flynn, they have recorded some notable cup upsets including wins over Leeds, Leicester and Middlesbrough and earning a creditable draw at Wembley against Tottenham, before losing in a replay. They are unbeaten in this season’s League 2 campaign and will go into tonight’s game with little to fear and nothing to lose.

This will be no easy ride for Manuel Pellegrini’s side. He may well want to rest a few who might be carrying knocks or try out a number of fringe or youth players but there is no room for complacency. Maybe it will be an opportunity for recent signings Albian Ajeti and Gonçalo Cardoso to play a part; or perhaps some of Ben Johnson, Conor Coventry and Nathan Holland will be included in the squad. Pellegrini cannot afford to make too many changes or take anything for granted. A committed, disciplined and professional performance is required if further embarrassment is to be avoided.

It will be a tough test. The TV executives obviously sensed the chance of an upset by selecting the tie for live broadcast. I can’t see there being many goals but am hoping that, in the end, West Ham’s extra class will ultimately prevail over Newport’s determination.

Last Among Equals: Haller Brace Earns West Ham First Win – Takeaways And Player Ratings

The embryonic league table has an unusually condensed look to it. What can we learn from the Hammers first win of the season that sees them joining a host of ten clubs sitting on four points?

The Will Of The People

Looking back at the game from the final whistle, West Ham looked to be worthy winners. Despite Watford’s greater shot count, the Hammers were the more creative and carried the greater goal threat throughout 90 minutes. It was a remarkably open game from the start with neither side concerning themselves too much about the art of defending. Great to watch in many ways and would fit many observer’s definition of the West Ham way. As usual, West Ham surrendered possession easily and allowed Gerard Deulofeu far too much space and time. Fortunately, on this occasion, he was unable to deliver much in the way of end product to round off his trickery. The pivotal moment in the match was the glaring miss by Will Hughes just before the second half drinks break. I have seen worse misses (when players have the ball under control) but had he converted, as he should, the rest of the game would have played out differently. West Ham grew and Watford faded from that point on.

The Return Of The Skipper

Mark Noble made a welcome return to the West Ham midfield for his first appearance of the season. On the 15^th anniversary of his West Ham debut, it was fitting that he was able to get on the scoresheet early when converting a 3^rd minute penalty – following a definite foul on Manuel Lanzini but which didn’t warrant the Argentinian’s theatrical interpretation. The goal takes Noble up to 43 Premier League goals (25 from the spot), now only 4 behind West Ham’s leading PL scorer, Paolo Di Canio. Otherwise, he had a steady rather than a spectacular game; perhaps not surprising after a longish lay-off and curtailed pre-season. Despite his shortcomings, he remains the best option available to play alongside Declan Rice. The captain was seen lambasting his forward colleagues for making no attempt to track back in the lead up to Watford equaliser but his remonstrations did little to change behaviour for the rest of the game. As I have mentioned previously, the defensive responsibilities of forward players must be enforced on the training ground, not by the captain on the pitch.

Haller Off The Mark

It was great to see Sebastien Haller grab two goals to open his West Ham account. Have we finally got ourselves a real striker; one who is also prepared to work hard for the team? His second goal was particularly pleasing, and hopefully the first of many to celebrate throughout the season. Interesting to read that he didn’t feel that he had the greatest of games himself. Maybe he would liked to have contributed more in open play but that will come once greater understanding is developed with those around him. There was a lovely piece of improvisation in the first half when Andriy Yarmolenko headed back across goal, but his backheel flick didn’t have sufficient power to worry the Watford keeper. Apparently, when Haller scored he caused West Ham to become the first club to reach the milestone of 150 different goalscorers in the Premier League. Seems we are great at sharing the goals around – just not that many from any individual player.

Masterful Substitution?

Depending which way you look at it, the decision to start with Yarmolenko rather than Michail Antonio was either a shocking selection or a tactical masterstroke. Yarmolenko is clearly a talented footballer, with a great touch, but a long injury absence has meant he has yet to prove himself in the rigours of the English game. Having both Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson playing on the wing of their weaker foot is an odd tactic; preventing full use of the pitch as they invariably cut back inside rather than attempting to get behind the defence. The one time that Anderson got to the bye-line (following excellent work from Arthur Masuaku) ended up with the cross for the first Haller goal. Once Antonio was introduced, his power and direct approach added a whole host of problems for the Watford defence – he made a real match-winning difference. The debate will no-doubt continue as to whether the poor defensive shape is down to personnel or the way that Manuel Pellegrini sets up the team. Could Masuaku or Angelo Ogbonna have done better to prevent the Andre Gray goal, or was the damage done when the 4 forward players made no attempt to win back possession?

An Unusual League Table

League tables this early in the season are fairly meaningless but it is interesting to see so many clubs with identical 1-1-1 won, drawn and lost records, sitting on 4 points. The heavy opening day defeat to Manchester City means that West Ham are last of the clutch of the 10 teams in that position (technically tied last with Chelsea with whom we also have an identical goals for and against). A little different this season is that after 3 games, only Liverpool have a 100% win record and that only 4 teams remain unbeaten, including Wolves in 15^th place. No surprise that Liverpool and Manchester City occupy the top two positions and there is nothing to suggest that the league will be anything other than a predictable two horse race. Defeats for Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham (very ordinary when the want-away Eriksen is not in their side and no doubt Pochettino is already dusting off his CV) must give encouragement to any teams who is organised and talented enough to chase a top six place come the end of the season. If West Ham are to be one of them they cannot afford to be so open in the middle of the park.

Player Ratings

Fabianski (7), Fredericks (6), Ogbonna (6), Diop (7), Masuaku (7), Rice (8), Noble (7), Anderson (6), Lanzini (7), Yarmolenko (5), Haller (8) Subs: Antonio (8), Fornals (6), Sanchez (6)

Saturday Night’s Alright: West Ham Must Come Out Fighting To Secure Elusive August Win

Another slow start to the season for West Ham. Manuel Pellegrini asks for patience but where are the signs of improvement?

With an unlikely August Bank Holiday heatwave on the cards, authorities have issued an Amber Alert warning with a forecast of high pressure, soaring temperatures and raging thirsts. If anything, it sounds like a typical August match day afternoon for hot-under-the-collar West Ham supporters, as the Hammers seek to register a first league win from ten attempts in the opening month of the season – the last August success being the first ever game at the London Stadium in 2016. To make matters worse, the Met Office are advising those at risk to avoid self-medication with copious quantities of alcohol.

Today’s encounter against Watford at Vicarage Road brings together two of the Premier League’s eight winless clubs. Both will have pencilled in the fixture as another opportunity to kick-start their seasons.

Manuel Pellegrini has urged supporters to be patient as he searches for to find the right blend from a squad that appears very talented on paper but has failed to deliver yet on the pitch. It is difficult to know, though, what level of tweaking in formation and personnel the manager has in mind. After all, he has only effectively brought in two new players – one a direct replacement for the departed Arnautovic and an additional attacking midfielder. Given that he is firmly rooted in his 4-1-1-3-1 formation, and there was no new recruitment in defensive areas, his options look somewhat limited.

The elephant in the room remains central midfield where, despite 80% of supporters (made up statistic) regarding further defence minded resources as a priority, the manager and coaches did not agree. Unless there is an ideal free agent out there somewhere, we are stuck with what we have got for the time being – which is a choice of Mark Noble, Jack Wilshere or Robert Snodgrass to fill the gap. Not a great deal of pace between them, but at least all are meant to be fit and available to play today.

I am sure we all love the skipper for the commitment he has given the club during his long career – he made his first West Ham appearance 15 years ago today. However, his contribution to the team reaches mythical proportions whenever he has a period of absence. Many will cite his leadership abilities but there have been just as many feeble performances when he is in the team as when he isn’t. Having said that, I would still have him as pick of the available bunch for that role.

As to the more advanced positions, the challenge is to select three from Manuel Lanzini, Felipe Anderson, Pablo Fornals, Michail Antonio, Jack Wilshere and Robert Snodgrass to form an effective unit behind (the hopefully fit again) Sebastien Haller. Of the Three Amigos (Lanzini, Anderson and Fornals), Manuel Lanzini has to be a definite starter and one of the others has to give way as collectively they are too similar and do not offer enough physically. I think Pellegrini will stick with Anderson if he is considered fully fit. Antonio has been one or our better players so far this season and would feel himself very unlucky to be on the bench again. If I were picking the team I would be looking at Wilshere as a candidate for a more advanced role. He is at his most dangerous there either picking out a killer pass or pulling off a quick one-two. Whether his body is up to the challenge is another matter. I don’t see Pellegrini going with that though and would guess at the following starting eleven:

At the back, all fingers and toes have been kept cross since last weekend that Fabian Balbuena will be back in place of Angelo Ogbonna. I don’t foresee any change to Ryan Fredericks and Arthur Masuaku at full-back who are also needed to provide width in attacking situations.

As important as who is selected to play will be evidence of a better overall tactical effort and level of commitment. This is my biggest gripe with Pellegrini right now. It is quite clear that we offer opponents wide open spaces to attack either through the middle of midfield and down the flanks; while the supposed creativity to fashion goalscoring opportunities at the other end has been poor. What are they doing on the training ground to address these deficiencies? Yes, it is early season but I have yet to see any other team in the league that is slower, less compact or as careless in possession. It shouldn’t be a case of looking for a leader on the pitch to stick to a plan, it should be something that is drilled into the players at Rush Green.

Having read reports online from the U23’s winning start to the season they have been playing a high intensity, pressing game and have even arranged additional matches to sharpen fitness. This is all very admirable but at the same time rather odd in that it is so different from how the first team plays. Modern football is fast, athletic and physical; all are ranking below average for the Hammers from current available evidence.

Watford, like the town itself, are pointless and goalless. Manager, Javi Gracia, might have to give up any thoughts of collecting his Watford long service award unless he can remedy the long barren run that goes back to their FA Cup semi-final win. What better opportunity, however, for a team down on its luck and looking for a boost in confidence than to come up against West Ham. And remember, Watford have won more Premier League matches against West Ham than they have against any other team.

Today, the Hornets will be missing talisman striker (and their own leader) Troy Deeney but have several very exciting players in their ranks including Roberto Pereyra, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Gerard Deulofeu (a frequent thorn in West Ham’s side). Great things are also expected from the pacey Ismaila Sarr, who could well make his debut this afternoon.

Today’s on-pitch referee is Chris Kavanagh from Manchester while his video counterpart is Jarred Gillett who is apparently from Australian where he has been VAR-ing since 2017. What are the chances of a match free from VAR controversy?

Our favourite TV pundits are united this week with both Lawro and Charlie Nicholas predicting a 2-1 Watford win. I did dream in the week that West Ham won the game 2-1 but before you dash off to the bookies to cash in on my premonition I should tell you that the goalscorers were Jack Wilshere and Paul Kitson – perhaps it was a West Ham Invalids XI. I am struggling to find any optimism for a positive outcome from the game. Having predicted two wins so far this season, it is time for caution. We always find Watford to be tough opponents and even without Deeney they may prove too physical for our rather lightweight and fragile outfit. In the circumstances, coming away with a point would be a decent outcome: 2-2!

West Ham Are All At Sea But Escape With A Stolen Point: Takeaways And Player Ratings

Another colourless and uninspired performance that was saved by a very lucky point. Can we expect any lessons to be learned or will it be rinse and repeat?

A Bounce-back-ability Failure

Any hope that the disappointing opening day defeat to Manchester City would be consigned to history by a storming performance at Brighton was firmly laid to rest on Saturday afternoon. This was another dismal showing by West Ham, even though they managed to both salvage (steal) a point and prevent Glen Murray from scoring. Following a similar pattern from the previous week, the Hammer’s started brightly but could only keep it up for less than 20 minutes; by which time they either ran out of puff, ideas or interest. Despite bossing possession during that period they didn’t get anywhere close to threatening the Brighton goal. West Ham have no divine right to beat teams such as Brighton but we should at least expect a better effort. It was fortunate that the hosts were not as clinical as their win at Watford the previous weekend had suggested, otherwise another heavy defeat would have been on the cards.

Wot No Tactics!

Attempting to describe the West Ham tactics for this game would challenge the most creative spin doctor. Admittedly, the absence of the clubs two most expensive acquisitions, Sebastien Haller and Felipe Anderson, were a major blow but five changes to the starting eleven came as a huge surprise. It was revealed after the game that Haller and Anderson were never in contention for selection – but that this fact had been kept a secret to prevent Brighton planning accordingly. The idea that opponents might understand the West Ham tactics when our own players seem to have no idea is an interesting one. It is likley repetitive to labour the point about lack of options/ weaknesses in central midfield, but these are fundamental to the problems of poor organisation, defensive frailty and maintaining possession. Whereas most teams endeavour to create space and switch play across the park, the Hammers appear set on heading into congested cul-de-sacs. Apart from the occasional foray down the left wing there was little success in getting beyond and behind the Brighton defence. For reasons unknown, Ryan Fredericks looks to be scared to leave his own half. All in all, a very lucky point from a below par performance.

Oggy, Oggy, Oggy, Out, Out, Out

My heart sank when I heard the lineup an hour before kick-off. It is bad enough when Angelo Ogbonna has to play as an emergency stand-in but for him to be selected as a conscious decision when there are other options available is an abomination. It’s a shame because he always comes across as a really nice guy – just not a very good footballer. Granted, The General has not looked at his best since the summer and his participation in the Copa America but he doesn’t need to be firing on cylinders to better Ogbonna. The goal that was eventually disallowed thanks to the intervention of VAR was a typical Ogbonna moment. Having been beaten in the air, his attempt at retrieving the situation involved ambling in the general direction of the Brighton player chasing the ball and allowing him all the time in the world to cross. He was also implicated, if not solely responsible, for the Brighton equaliser. Issa Diop looked to have won the initial tussle with Murray but failed to put the ball away to safety. One again, Ogbonna made only a token attempt to close down the scorer, Trossard as the ball ran free. It’s enough to make one nostalgic for those James Collins last ditch, body on the line, blocks of old.

You’ve Been VARred.

We have long believed that West Ham were champions of the bad refereeing decision and the early days of VAR have gone some way to vindicating this view. Two games and two goals against disallowed. Perhaps teams with the shakiest defences are certain to be major beneficiaries, simply as a consequence of the volume of opposition attacks involved. The goal checking process is having a weird effect on games as goal celebrations and preparation to re-start have all taken place before decision comes through – particularly confusing for those inside the ground. The disallowed added-time Manchester City goal against Tottenham was perhaps the perfect example of VAR’s detrimental impact on the spontaneity of the game. However, rather than have VAR take all the blame, it is the decision to introduce a new rule that disallows any goal that might have involved ball to hand contact, regardless of intention, that needs to be looked at. If a corner hit a defender’s arm, then an attackers, before a third person slotted home, what would the decision be – goal, no-goal or penalty? Back to our own game and there were some claims of a possible penalty for a foul on Antonio but apparently this was not deemed worthy of review – even though such incidents were originally the driver for VAR introduction.

Old Dogs And New Tricks

If someone had taken a survey, I would have ticked the Mostly Satisfied box when assessing Manuel Pellegrini’s first season at West Ham – as I had been with Slaven Bilic’s first season a few years prior. There was a breath of fresh air on the pitch after the dour fare offered by David Moyes, and it felt like a new, more professional and considered approach to player recruitment might be on the horizon. There was still work to be done of course: weaknesses to be addressed; errors to be eradicated; and missing pieces of the jigsaw to be discovered. From what we have seen to date, however, there are serious question-marks as to the actual direction of travel and the likely extent of any progress. It is very early in the season for drastic changes but it is disturbing that fitness, shape and organisation continue to look well below average for a team who believe they are on the up. There is a new breed of manager in the Premier League now where the emphasis is on high energy levels, compact shape and fluidity of formation. What worked in the olden days for Pellegrini (and Hodgson maybe) may no longer be appropriate or relevant? It is not a problem of age but an apparent reluctance to adapt to changing circumstances. Failure to address his side’s poor all-round defensive performance will prove pivotal to the way the season unfolds.

The Ratings

Supporters often like to cherry-pick stats from sources such Whoscored to support whatever particular point they are attempting to prove. It is interesting that, according to that website’s rating algorithm, our top performers on Saturday were (in order): Lanzini, Snodgrass, Masuaku, Diop, Ogbonna and Hernandez. Would you agree? Probably not!

I was struck though by one statistic on Whoscored and that was a Lukasz Fabianski’s pass success rate of 18% (compare this to Alissons 80% for Liverpool over the course of last season). I don’t see this as the fault of Fabianski who continues to perform miracles between the sticks. It is rather a reflection of the collective failure of the team to take individual responsibility and to provide the movement which creates opportunities to pass into . Too many hurried back passes and too few options to build from the back remain an ongoing feature of our game.

Aside from Fabianski, Manuel Lanzini and Declan Rice both had encouraging games but there were few others who earned their corn this week. These are my ratings:

Fabianski (7), Fredericks (5), Diop (5), Ogbonna (4), Masuaku (6), Rice (7), Wilshere (4), Snodgrass (6), Lanzini (7), Fornals (5), Hernandez (5) Subs: Antonio (6), Yarmolenko (5), Sanchez (5)

Time For West Ham’s Three Amigos To Step Up And Make Brighton Rock?

Once again West Ham’s plans are once again hampered by injury concerns but now is time for key players to live up to their reputations and kick-off the Hammer’s season for real.

It is safe to assume that the average football supporter experiences a far greater roller coaster of emotional volatility than do the players and coaching staff. While we have had a week of festering after the early season optimism was so mercilessly crushed last weekend, we must hope that on the training ground there has been a more measured reaction to resolving problems. After all, very few people would have expected there to be any points on the board from our opener although most would have expected fewer entries in the goals against column.

To a certain extent the scale of last week’s defeat was overshadowed by debate of the tactical fouling employed by Manchester City. With Manuel Pellegrini voicing his displeasure at the City tactics it brought to mind shades of Ron Greenwood, whose gentlemanly approach had him avoid the tough tackling enforcers favoured by many of his management contemporaries. In truth, successful teams always have their tougher, darker side and even if the game has moved on from the outright thuggery of Revie’s dirty Leeds, a hard, uncompromising edge is still required to consistently bring home the trophies. Like Greenwood, perhaps Pellegrini is just too nice.

West Ham’s woes aside, the Premier League season kicked off with a great deal of enthusiasm. Word is that a new breed of managers with new sets of ideas are going to be breath of fresh air, at least in the lower reaches of table. Farewell, the dour, attritional tactics of Allardyce, Pulis, Hughes and Hughton; welcome, the daring and enterprise of Farke, Wilder, Hasenhüttl, Smith and Potter. The latter, of course, is now at the helm of today’s opponents, Brighton and Hove Albion. Only time will tell whether the brave new spirit of adventure survives beyond the barren depths of winter – or whatever the modern day equivalent of a cold, wet Tuesday night in Stoke is.

The Seagulls were the surprise package of the opening weekend with an emphatic 3-0 away win against a muddled Watford side. Brighton’s expansive style was a far cry from what had been served up under Chris Hughton – but which did ensure Premier League safety for two consecutive seasons. By all accounts Graham Potter prefers a fluid and flexible formation that switches between 3, 4 or 5 at the back; something which will provide an interesting contrast to Pellegrini’s more predictable (tried but not fully tested) set-up.

Just a week into the season and the perennial injury jinx may have already have raised its ugly head. Depending on what you read, there may or may not be concerns with the fitness of Felipe Anderson, Sebastien Haller, Jack Wilshere and Andriy Yarmolenko for today’s game. Old-timers Mark Noble and Winston Reid are definitely unavailable.

The prospect of the Three Amigos (Anderson along with Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals) forming a mesmerizing attacking midfield alliance seemed to promise so much just a week or so ago. These are players with big reputations, hefty price tags and fat wallets who need to step up to be more than mere supporting parts. With good fortune it can start today but maybe injuries will force us to wait a little longer to see if it can work in practice. Will it reinvent West Ham as a team of rapid movement, quick passing and smart interplay or will it once more be all icing and no cake? I have a lingering concern that exciting as the trio could be it lacks anyone with a cool head and range of passing to take the game by the scruff of the neck and pull the necessary strings. It is Wilshere that is probably best suited to such a role but not if his freedom is curtailed by having to fill the problem area in central midfield alongside Declan Rice. The sad thing is that with Noble injured there is no credible alternative to replace him if it was decided to deploy Wilshere further forward.

For a team that has just conceded five goals in a home match we are only likely to see one change in defence where Arthur Masuaku is likely to step in for the hapless Aaron Cresswell. Since Cresswell’s England call-up a few years ago his form has dropped off significantly, apart from a brief spell as part of a back three under David Moyes. Perhaps he only looked good at left back when he had Payet to set up perfect overlapping and crossing opportunities.

Injuries permitting here is how I think Pellegrini will line up:

If Haller is really not available, I hope we don’t have to put up with another 60 minutes or so of Javier Hernandez wandering about forlornly to no effect. Best option in my opinion would be for Michail Antonio to come in to lead the line. I thought he was very unfortunate to be hauled off at half-time last week. You know what you are going to get with Antonio – someone with pace, power and muscle who will unsettle defenders. His lack of finesse doesn’t make him a good fit for a the softly, softly, tippy-tappy style. Alternatives are Yarmolenko or Albian Ajeti although I don’t see Pellegrini opting for either of these two as a starter.

On the subject of Ajeti, I think if I was a twin and my parents called by brother Adonis it might leave me with an inferiority complex. A little like “Hi, I’m Brian and this is my twin brother, Thor!” Maybe Albian also has a significant meaning in Albanian that I am missing. I am certainly looking forward to seeing him play.

Today’s Physical Assistant Referee is Anthony Taylor from Manchester while the person making all the important decisions will be his Virtual counterpart tucked away underneath the stands. My blogging partner made some excellent points yesterday in his article about how VAR looks to be exceeding its original brief of righting the wrongs of clear and obvious mistakes. TV pundits were unanimous in hailing VAR as an overwhelming success although to me this is from the perspective of football as business rather than as an entertainment. While it cannot be said that VAR got anything wrong last week the danger is that it will spoil the matchday experience for the paying customers in the ground. Fans will be unable to fully celebrate any goal until it receives official confirmation several minutes later.

For the record, today’s Virtual Assistant Referee’s name is Bond, Darren Bond – Dr No Goal, You Only Score Twice, Dive Another Day and so on.

On this week’s pundit watch we have Lawro back on his favourite fence with a 1-1 draw while Charlie Nicholas fancies West Ham to sneak a 1-0 away win. As we all know, the Hammers will need to score at least twice to win making allowance for the customary Glen Murray goal. I have a feeling there could well plenty of goals this afternoon, especially if the promised West Ham attacking creativity gets itself into gear and the defence remains as characteristically charitable. My optimistic prediction is for a 4-2 away win, although this can only come about through a significant upgrade in resilience and commitment; ensuring that we are not out-fought, out-thought and out-maneuvered by what will be an enthusiastic opponent. COYI!

West Ham’s Sorry City Surrender: Takeaways And Player Ratings

Another new season gets off on the wrong foot as West Ham’s early endeavour gives way to a familiar thrashing by Champions, Manchester City. Where did it all go wrong?

Nothing But Shattered Dreams

As opening days of the season go this couldn’t have been much worse. The last three openers have now seen 13 goals conceded without reply. This year hopes had been built a little but the dreams have faded and died just as rapidly. Sure this was against a Manchester City side, the league’s finest, who have now extended their London Stadium record to played 5, won 5, goals for 22 and goals against 1, but that is not a reason to not compete. There is undoubtedly a huge gulf in class but why such a large difference in fitness, spirit and organisation? I doubt many really expected West Ham could win the game but we didn’t expect capitulation. To go down fighting is one thing; to meekly wave the white flag of surrender is unforgivable. The Hammers staked their runaway claim for the most incompetent performance of the weekend despite honourable mentions from Watford and Chelsea. The only positive I can come up with is that at least we have got this fixture out of the way early doors (© Big Ron).

From The Beginning

West Ham actually started the game quite brightly and for 20 minutes or so seemed to unsettle their opponents by their enterprise, although without really threatening. The physical presence of Sebastien Haller and Michail Antonio created an uncertainty in the visitor’s defence leading to an uncharacteristic sloppiness on the ball. The danger, though, was that the approach left too many claret and blue shirts forward as spectators when possession was lost. The Hammer’s daring appeared not only to surprise supporters but also Manchester City. However, once they got into their stride and started to exploit the space left in front of our defence the warning signs were too apparent. It may have been an admirable gamble by Manuel Pellegrini but trying to out-play City was always going to be extremely long odds. The Sky Blues rare defeats are usually as a result of packed defence and snatched goals from breakaways or set pieces – not be playing them off the park. Once the first goal went in the result was not in doubt – only the margin of defeat.

The Dark Side of The (Blue) Moon

As I had highlighted in my match preview, Manchester City are masters of the cynical tug and shove in preventing opponents the opportunity of rapid counter attacks – something that has featured widely in post match analysis. That the fouls are largely innocuous and committed in safe areas of the pitch means they rarely garner any serious attention from the referee. On Saturday, Mike Dean allowed Rodri to get away with several such challenges and Fernandinho has been doing it for years. It is as much a City tactic as their sweet passing and movement. Pellegrini mentioned after the game that his own midfielders needed to be a little nastier in that respect. Maybe this is part of our manager’s laissez-faire approach to defending allowing players to act they see fit rather than under instruction. I am fairly certain that cynical fouls and the art of diving in the area, are part of the training regime at the majority of top professional clubs. The line between fair play and naivety is a fine one.

Style Over Substance

Reading through our list of midfield players and it is easy to believe that it is mightily impressive. One can imagine it full of the type of silky Latin skills that personify the beautiful game. If only that were the reality of what we saw this Saturday. The promised passing, interplay and movement didn’t show up. Decision making was poor and there was no width or penetration. On those rare occasions where an opportunity to cross was engineered, delivery was shockingly bad. The first decent cross didn’t arrive until the introduction of Robert Snodgrass in the second half. Manuel Lanzini buzzed around to no effect, Felipe Anderson was anonymous apart from an early foray down the right wing and Jack Wilshere is not athletic enough for a deeper lying role and it removes him from areas where he can do the most damage. Collectively the team were unable to create space and our play became condensed in pointless triangles well away from the danger areas. Declan Rice and the central defenders were left exposed time and again as City were given the freedom of the park. Ryan Fredericks defending has improved but the there was little evidence of the electric pace going forward that is meant to be his strength. Aaron Cresswell was run ragged all afternoon. Bags of flair without hard work and organisation is not going to win many games and even though Pellegrini must have known how City would play he could do nothing to resist it.

New Kids On The Block

It is impossible to judge any player on one game but Haller showed that he could have the right physical attributes and a good enough touch to thrive in the Premier League. Of course, he is there primarily to score goals and there was limited opportunity to see what he has to offer from that perspective. Pablo Fornals, on as a second half substitute, made little impression and I don’t recall any significant contribution. Apparently, he had 23 touches with a 85% pass completion rate but there was nothing noteworthy out of those statistics. Not a dream debut but obviously needs to be given time to adjust and show what he can do.

Don’t Mention The VAR

The jury is out for me on VAR and the impact it will have on flow of the game. Some interesting decisions at the weekend with Sterling’s armpit being caught offside and the Wolves goal ruled out at Leicester for accidental handball in a penalty box melee from the preceding corner. At least the disallowed City goal gave the London Stadium faithful one thing to cheer on Saturday.

Player Ratings

Fabianski (6), Fredericks (5), Diop (5), Balbuena (5), Cresswell (3), Rice (6), Wilshere (5), Anderson (4), Lanzini (4), Antonio (5), Haller (6). Subs: Fornals (5), Snodgrass (6), Hernandez (5)

West Ham Star Men On Mission To Eclipse Blue Moon

We’re gonna score one more than you! Have new look West Ham got the pizazz to cause an opening day upset against the reigning Premier League champions?

The big day has arrived. It’s time to fish out the lucky underwear, try to retrace those superstitious morning routines and then head out for your preferred match-day refreshment. Peak pre-season optimism will continue up until the team sheets are revealed, at which point pre-match tension (PMT) will kick-in with the realisation of just how strong today’s opponents are.

I was trying to remember back as a young supporter, looking forward to a new season following Ron Greenwood’s West Ham, whether I ever believed the Hammers were in with a chance of winning the league. Even then my expectations probably weren’t that high, but now a title challenge is well beyond the realms of possibility. So what am I looking for – why bother?

For me a successful season is one where we look committed and are competing in every game – both league and cup. We would be trading blows with the monied elite and making sure they know they have been in a game. We should look to entertain but not be intimidated by the more physical opponents, whose priority to is contain and spoil. We should be in with a shout (or be part of the conversation in modern footballing parlance) of European qualification right until the final weekend and be prepared to embark on barnstorming cup runs. Not a lot to ask is it?

The pundits are always talking up the Premier League as an excitingly competitive pursuit but really it is most predictable, at least for the present moment. There may be a big six when it comes to counting the money and overseas following but only two teams have any real hope of lifting the trophy. Manchester City will resume their long running weekend leapfrogging contest with Liverpool before finally recording their third title on the trot in the closing weeks. Then there will be a gap to Tottenham in third place followed by a bigger gap to Arsenal in fourth. After that the placings might get a little more interesting this time around, with clubs including ourselves, Everton, Wolves and Leicester fancying their chances of muscling in ahead of potentially distressed Chelsea and Manchester United sides. Not that there is much hope of ever breaking into the top six longer term (not without significant outside investment) but it would nevertheless be amazing as a one-off event.

I was relatively pleased with the transfer window recruitment although only time will tell how well the new players adapt to life in the Premier League. It was good to see signings in the right age profile rather than more of the traditional practice of boosting retirement funds for fading superstars. Like many supporters I would have liked to have seen more but appreciate there are constraints. It is strange how so many fans saw reinforcements in defensive midfield and at full-back as close season priorities and yet these have been left untouched by Manuel Pellegrini and his team. A clear indication of where his football philosophy lies. We have no option but to trust the manager but pre-season did nothing to allay the fears concerning wide open spaces left for opponents to exploit in midfield and on the flanks.

Today will be Manchester City’s 5^th visit to the London Stadium with a record that reads played 4, won 4, goals scored 17, and goals conceded 1. Guardiola has created a formidable team that pose a threat all across the pitch. They weren’t so bad when Pellegrini was at the helm but are now fitter, more compact and more together. They are also highly professional and even their most gifted of their players is prepared to do his bit defensively even if this involves a niggly, cynical foul to thwart an opposition breakaway. A slight tug of the shirt or minor body check in the opposition half rarely receives more than a finger wagging censure from referees.

The Sky Blues were relatively restrained (for them) in the transfer window spending a mere £130m for Rodri (a Fernandinho replacement) and Cancelo (another expensive full-back). It is without doubt the strongest squad in the league although today they will be without Sane and Mendy.

For the Hammers, the pre-season friendlies have offered a good indication of how they might line-up with the attack minded quartet of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini, Pablo Fornals and Sebastien Haller looking to cause City problems. The anticipation of some excellent movement, passing and interplay between the forward players is quite mouthwatering.

Declan Rice will adopt his usual defensive midfield role leaving Jack Wilshere (in the absence of Mark Noble) as the remaining midfield option. If he stays fit, Wilshere can be a magnificent asset this season but playing in a more withdrawn position may not be conducive for his best work to be on view.

At the back, I am hoping to see the Fabian Balbuena/ Issa Diop partnership return to its optimum level of cohesion following an uncertain pre-season. The full-back pairing is most likely to be Ryan Fredericks and Aaron Cresswell. I doubt that we will see so much of Pablo Zabaleta’s weary legs this season and although I believed Pellegrini preferred Arthur Masuaku on the left, he didn’t feature a great deal in pre-season. Incidentally, it was Cresswell who netted the Hammers only London Stadium goal against City and he will probably skipper the side today.

It goes without saying that ‘thoughts and prayers’ are with Lukas Fabianski being passed fit to start in goal.

Is this a team that can cause an upset? I don’t think we can rely on complacency or rustiness from the opposition and so it must be down to a cunning and perfectly executed game plan. Strangely, the weakness in central midfield might not be as important in a game like this where we will be forced to defend deep with most players behind the ball for long periods anyway. We do now have players able to cause problems on the break provided that focus, shape and discipline can be maintained throughout. It is not a game where we will boss the possession stats!

Mike Dean is today’s referee and there is a huge likelihood that we will get to witness a controversial VAR incident or two at first hand. But will it be to rule out Aguero’s last minute equaliser for offside or to confirm that Diop’s boot lace was sufficient to send Sterling tumbling in the box? In theory, I welcome VAR but am worried about its execution. I can envisage multiple incidents every game with players surrounding referees and making TV shaped gestures with their hands.

Lawro returns to the BBC with a 2-1 away win for Manchester City while punditry duties at Sky seem to have transferred to Charlie Nicholas who opts for a 3-0 away win. At least both predicted outcomes would keep us off the bottom of the table after Norwich’s defeat at Liverpool last night. Personally, I am going for broke, keeping everything crossed and predicting a 2-1 West Ham home win. COYI!

How High Can They Fly: What Would Represent A Season Of Success For Gung-Ho Hammers?

As the new Premier League season approaches can Manuel Pellegrini get the best from his array of talented attacking players, or will defensive lapses continue to plague the Hammers?

All of a sudden a new Premier League season is almost upon us. Just one more week to reach peak optimism before the reality of an opening weekend clash with Champions Manchester City kicks in.

Although you can never be certain how well new players will adapt to the English league, the signings of Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals look to be exciting acquisitions; and with the return from injury of Jack Wilshere and Andriy Yarmalenko there are many good reasons to expect an above average season for the Hammers. Not that ‘average’ sets a particularly high bar at West Ham where, in 21 years of competing in a 20 team Premier League, the average finishing position lies between 11^th and 12^th.

Only the most pessimistic supporter will be contemplating involvement in a relegation battle, but just how much higher can those bubbles fly? In those same 21 seasons, a top ten finish has only been achieved on 7 occasions, with a high-water mark of 5^th in 1998/99.

It is difficult to see beyond a third consecutive Manchester City title with Liverpool and Tottenham in their wake. Perhaps a high-spending Arsenal will be reinvigorated, if they can sort out their defence, but Manchester United and Chelsea are likely to be well off the pace under their rookie, panic measure, ex-player managers. There is certainly an opportunity for other clubs to take advantage and having a tilt at the lower reaches of the top six – and a gaggle of clubs including Everton, Wolves, Leicester and West Ham might all think that they are in with a shout of a break-out season.

It goes without saying that to win football games you need to outscore the opposition. Yet there are different approaches in trying to achieve this. There are too many recent bad memories of bus parking managers preferring to strangle the life out of the game in the hope of snatching a goal in a breakaway or from a set piece. Manuel Pellegrini’s approach, on the other hand, is looking more and more to be the polar opposite – all out cavalier attacking and fingers crossed that it works out at the back. It promises to be exciting, but can it be successful given that free-flowing football is the more difficult style to sustain over a long season?

In the past few years, West Ham have saved their best performances for matches against the better sides, while struggling against those set on attrition, spoiling and denying space. A perfect example was the recent Asia Trophy game in Shanghai where Newcastle put an extra man in midfield and the Hammers created few meaningful chances as a result. Admittedly, it was only a friendly and there were several key players missing from the Hammer’s lineup, but it is a lingering concern – as is the amount of space that is left vacant in front of the defence. While it is great to see West Ham give the top teams a run for their money, the season will ultimately be defined by how well they perform against the remainder – that is where the majority of points lie.

Although there is still a week of the transfer week to go, the noises coming out of the club is that there is little cash left to splash. Maybe there will be last minute surprises if the owners can be persuaded that they have yet to do enough to push beyond their survival comfort zone. If there is any true ambition, or dreams of nights of European football, then spending just enough to stand still is a misplaced strategy. Apart from attacking midfielders, the squad remains very vulnerable to injuries in several key areas – notably the fitness of Lukas Fabianski, Fabian Balbuena/ Issa Diop, Declan Rice and Haller. It is not as if West Ham are strangers to long term injuries.

I prefer to think that West Ham are suspect at defending rather than in defence. The weaknesses are as much about team shape and cohesion as it is about individual players. When possession is lost we are slow to reform into a compact shape and thus allow opponents far too much time and space to mount counter-attacks both in central areas and on the flanks – a feature of all three goals conceded to Hertha Berlin during the week . The defence plays very narrow, relies on a tricky offside trap and with only one defensive midfielder it is no surprise that Fabianski is the busiest keeper in the league. I wonder if his agent has considered negotiating a productivity bonus – as he won’t be picking up many clean sheet payments?

On paper, the attacking midfield resources available to Pellegrini are awesome. Individually, it is packed with talent and we can only hope that he has the instruction sheet on how to assemble them together into an effective unit. I would like to see a lot more width from the midfield and a greater willingness to get behind defences than we have seen in recent years. Apart from Robert Snodgrass (who is unlikely to be first choice) decent delivery into the box has been in short supply. Relying mainly on the full-backs for width, as a number of other sides do, would only make us more susceptible to the counter attack.

I am expecting great things from Haller leading the line. He looks to have all of the attributes to do so effectively. Can he be the player to finally beat Paolo Di Canio’s record of 16 West Ham goals in a Premier League season – or even become the first to reach 20? I would like to think so, but then again I tipped Arnautovic to do the same last season! Backup striker remains a big problem and with Javier Hernandez looking to be even more of a spent force (a Mexican has-bean) it may well fall to a rejuvenated Michail Antonio to provide support.

If striker and defensive midfield reinforcements arrive during the next week then I would be delighted. Although the squad lacks depth it does now include a number of very talented players. Sadly, the better ones will not stick around for very long if the team doesn’t progress beyond its average mid-table position. It might be all well and good to pocket £200m in player sales next summer but not if their replacements are the modern day equivalents of Rigobert Song and Titi Camara.

I can see it being a very interesting season. Lots of entertainment but with the usual frustrations where we fail to compete against the more resolute and uncompromising (physical) opponents. Somewhere between 5^th and 7^th would exceed expectations; whereas below 9^th would constitute a failure to progress. Or perhaps this will be the season to put an end to 40 years of hurt; to finally lift another piece of cup silverware.

I am probably, once again, expecting too much!

El Hokey Cokey! All the “Ins” and “Outs” will be good moves by Pellegrini?

With a new season appearing on the horizon, do West Ham have a clear 2020 vision; or will it just continue to muddle along?

Between the finale of the last Premier League season and the start of the new one was a total of 90 days. We have now spent 40 of those days in the wilderness and there are just 50 more before it all kicks off again. In two weeks’ time West Ham return to training and the pre-season preparations build on from there.

The 2019/20 season the Premier League sees the introduction of a mid-season break in the middle of February (although it is staggered over two weekends) and along with 4 international breaks (3 before Christmas) plus those annoying getting knocked out of the cup early breaks, it promises to be another disjointed campaign.

The fixture list was, course, published last week and controversially West Ham yet again have to play each of the other 19 teams home and away. With its sense of the absurd, though, the fixtures computer has come up with a sixth consecutive opening day encounter with a top six side for West Ham – on this occasion completing the full set against reigning champions Manchester City. For a welcome change, however, the Hammers find themselves at home on both the opening and closing weekends – an end of season clash against Aston Villa coming just one week before a long awaited return visit to Wembley for the FA Cup Final, perhaps! Still no sign of a home Boxing Day match though; clashing as it would with the start of the post Christmas sales at Westfield.

With less than 50 shopping days until the slamming of the transfer window, the speculation industry is at full throttle. To date there have been more outs than ins as the Hammers embark on one of their periodic dead-wood clearance sales – the hope this time around is that we don’t then start collecting more! Moore than just a club for one last payday!

I have tried to avoid wasting too much time following transfer news on the basis that the majority is made up nonsense. Rumours have become more of a device for generating internet traffic than sharing credible news. Instead, my time-wasting has been focused on watching old Youtube videos of West Ham greatest goals – an enjoyable claret and blue tinted way of viewing the past. One thing that struck me was the contribution from either Eyal Berkovic or Yossi Benayoun to many of the sweeter attacking moments. Both had only fleeting Hammer’s careers but were the type of player that has been sadly missing for much of the interim period. Now I can build up my hopes that Pablo Fornals will be the player to fill that gap.

The recruitment of Fornals came as something of a surprise as I believed another attacking midfielder would not be top of the club’s priorities. I can only assume that there is a fair bit of business still to be done as we remain very light in attack, short of numbers in holding midfield and lacking a defensively competent left full-back.

Not surprisingly the performances of Declan Rice and Issa Diop have caught the attention of the circling richer clubs – both are young players who put creditable Premier League mileage under their belts last season. As long as West Ham remain a mid-tier club, the best players will always be at risk of big money bids from sides offering European competition. Ultimately, every player has a price but I would like to think that both players will realise that another season (at least) in the Hammers first team is beneficial to their long term development. Even worse than losing either player would be taking any washed up Old Trafford cast-offs in part-exchange. Beyond that, any hope of holding on to players such as Rice and Diop (and potentially Fornals) requires significant progress on the pitch and why further recruitment is so vital – players who will be challenging for a starting position, not as back up.

The pursuit of Maxi Gomez is becoming the summer’s long running blockbuster transfer saga. Past performance suggests that it will eventually fizzle out to nothing – but something needs to be done urgently to supplement the club’s meagre striking options – which otherwise will be down to one gloomy pot-hunting Austrian who may still prefer to take his sulking elsewhere. Talk that Gomez was looking for assurances that he would be first choice would seem to be an odd deal breaker – would any manager give such as assurance? Only performance on the pitch can guarantee selection!

Overall, I feel quietly optimistic over what is happening this close season. Much of the deadwood has been shifted and I would expect/ prefer several more to follow (Obiang, Ogbonna, Sanchez, Hernandez), the Sullivan’s have maintained commendable radio silence and player recruitment looks to be focusing on younger (mainly Hispanic) players. Plenty of opportunity for it to all go horribly wrong but so far so good!

Everything Is Average Nowadays: A Typically Inconsistent West Ham Season

The 2018/19 Premier League season was close to average for West Ham. Slightly below where we might have expected to finish but slightly better than we have typically done in the past.

The 2018/19 season finally ended on a positive note with West Ham recording a third successive win that allowed them to sneak into the top half of the table at the expense of Watford. Better than anticipated a few weeks ago but no open topped bus parade! A first run of back to back victories since December allows us to go into the summer break with an unexpected sense of optimism.

The general consensus in the media was that it was a good first season in charge for Manuel Pellegrini and but for a disastrous start (and the usual collection of dubious refereeing decisions) it could have been even better. In truth, pundits don’t pay detailed attention to clubs outside of the ‘big six’ and their views are often superficial and patronising. Which players from the likes of West Ham, Leicester, Wolves or Everton could attract interest from the elite is the usual extent of their insight.

The exciting last day finish together with the dominance of English clubs in the European finals has reignited claims that the Premier League is both the best in the world and the most competitive. It certainly has the best players money can buy but, in reality, it is largely predictable. If you rank and compare finishing positions with the revenues of each club you will find a very high level of correlation. In any year there will be over-achievers (Wolves, Watford) and under-achievers (Manchester United, Southampton) but the majority of clubs finished the 2018/19 season within two places of what their revenue ranking would suggest. My research suggests that West Ham are 8^th highest revenue earners suggesting that a 10th place finish is just below average. Of course, it is not just about having money – you need to use it and use it wisely!

Looking at West Ham’s performance against their Premier League history you might conclude that it was a slightly above average season. The following table shows how this season compares with the average for the 21 seasons in which the Hammers have competed since the Premier League was reduced to 38 matches (eagle eyed observers will note that points does not tally with the results for the average season – this is due to rounding) :

	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Average	38	8	5	6	28	24	4	5	10	19	31	47
2018/19	38	9	4	6	32	27	6	3	10	20	28	52

The 9 home wins was the best return since the move to the London Stadium. The last time West Ham won more than 9 games at home during a season, however, was back in 2001/02 (12) while the most successful season was 13 home wins in 1997/98. That same season also saw the fewest home defeats (2) with the worst being 9 in both 2006/07 and 2010/11.

Away from home, 6 victories is towards the top end of West Ham’s on-the-road achievements and has only been bettered in 2005/06 and 2015/16. However, the move away from the cautious ‘respect the point’ philosophy saw a below average number of away draws.

Aside from the record points haul of 62 in 2015/16, this year’s total was the highest since 2005/06 and the 7^th highest out of the 21 seasons reviewed. The 2015/16 season is famously the only Premier League one where West Ham have finished with a positive goal difference and this season’s total (-3) was in the top six outcomes and bettered the 21 season average of -9.

If goals are what you like then the best teams to follow in 2018/19 season would have been Bournemouth (126), Arsenal (124) and Manchester United (119). West Ham matches saw 107 goals awarded – ranking in 10^th position.

Most would agree that the style of football has improved significantly this season, even though a shocking inconsistency has frequently overshadowed this. Excellent performances in matches against top sides were balanced out by some shockers with struggling sides.

In summary, there are enough positive signs to believe that Pellegrini is moving the club in the right direction but recognising there is plenty of work to do and plenty of additional investment necessary if the club is to consistently achieve its expected position of 7^th or 8^th. Unfortunately, any progress beyond that (unless there is another collective top six blip as happened in 2015/16) would require massive external investment – the idea of a next level without that happening is really wishful thinking.

That leaves us with looking forward with interest at how the summer player recruitment and sales pan out. How much money can be made available, can we hold on to our better players and will the club be able to make further astute signings that suit Pellegrini’s style of play and ensure that relegation battles are a thing of the past?