Geoff Hopkins

This Week in Hammer’s History

Festive spirit, the season of goodwill and games on Christmas Day in the week 19 – 25 December in Hammer’s History.

This Week Hammers History In the mid 1960’s West Ham had featured in two successive cup finals by winning the FA European Cup Winners Cups. On 21 December 1965 they were set firmly on course for a third consecutive final appearance thanks to a 5-2 League Cup semi-final first leg victory against Cardiff at Upton Park. Goals from Bovington, Brabrook, Byrne, Hurst and Sissons effectively wrapped up the tie which was sealed just over a month later with a 5-1 second leg win at Ninian Park.

In the deep mid-winter of 1979 West Ham had scheduled their pre-Christmas fixture against Cambridge United for a Friday night to avoid clashing with the last Saturday, last minute shopping frenzy (it was not possible to buy West Ham underwear for your wife in the club shop at the time). This is often cited as one of the most memorable Boleyn experiences by many of the 11,000 or so hardy souls (of which I was one) who battled along on that bitterly cold December evening. The match started in light snow and after 45 minutes West Ham were a goal down and it was time for a hot, half-time cup of Bovril. During the interval Bill Remfry played Mike Oldfield’s ‘In Dulchi Jubilo’ and encouraged the crowd to dance just to keep warm; an invitation taken to extreme by one supporter who streaked onto the pitch. In the second half the snow turned into a full-on blizzard but goals from Stewart, Pearson and Neighbour turned the game around to give the Hammers a 3-1 victory.

Parkes, Stewart, Lampard, Bonds, Martin, Devonshire, Allen, Pearson, Cross (Pike), Brooking, Neighbour

The season of goodwill has frequently paired West Ham with close neighbours Tottenham Hotspur in the run up to Christmas and they were also the opponents on West Ham’s last ever Christmas Day fixture.

Defeat at White Hart Lane on Christmas Eve 1960 was offset by victories both home and away in the following years. In 1967 West Ham won 2-1 at Upton Park on 23 December (Bonds, Dear) and on 20 December 1969 they were also victorious by a 2-0 scoreline at White Hart Lane (Peters, Hurst). The points were shared in a thrilling topsy-turvy 4-4 away draw on 22 December 1962. West Ham were behind 2-0 and 3-2 before leading 4-3 and conceding an injury time leveller. West Ham’s goals were shared between Peters, Kirkup, Boyce and Scott and the match was also notable for an unexpected hat-trick by Dave Mackay for Spurs.

The Christmas Day fixture was in 1958 at the Boleyn Ground in front of 26,178 spectators. After a goalless first half West Ham, inspired by Phil Woosnam, raced into a 2 – 0 lead with goals from John Dick and Vic Keeble; both of whom worked like Trojans according to the news report at the time. Woosnam was then badly crocked by Spurs defender Maurice Norman and with no substitutes at the time spent the remainder of the game limping along the left wing. This allowed Tottenham to pull one back but the Hammers held on to win 2-1. In the return fixture at White Hart Lane on the following day (Boxing Day) West Ham completed the double with a resounding 4-1 victory with goals from Bond, Keeble, Dick and Own Goal.

Gregory, Bond, Cantwell, Malcolm, Brown, Smith, Grice, Woosnam, Keeble, Dick, Musgrove

Andy Smillie replaced the injured Woosnam for the Boxing Day fixture otherwise it was the same team.

Notable Birthdays

21 December          Paul Heffer                         69
21 December          Cheikhou Kouyate           27
22 December          Phil Woosnam                   d. 2013
22 December          Bill Green                            66
24 December          Diafro Sakho                      27

5 Observations from West Ham robbing Hull

Police want to question a gang dressed in claret and blue seen making off with 3 points at the London Stadium.

More Points But………

There are no circumstances when I am not happy with a win. I want West Ham to win every game that they plan in; even if that meant that Spurs won the league or Millwall avoided relegation. Likewise I would never want my team to lose in order to oust an unpopular or under-performing manager. The six points earned gained against Burnley and Hull are a relief but the nature of the victories suggest that this might simply be a temporary respite; the underlying problems that afflict the team continue to exist. We cannot just rely on ‘Ask the Referee’ lifelines to keep us in the Premier League millionaires club. The penalties aside we hardly created any worthwhile scoring opportunities; at least not at our own end although we did our best to tee a couple up for Hull. It wasn’t so much a case of Hull being better than us, rather that we were worse than them. These two victories only serve to paper over the cracks in the wall as it is apparent that the wall is in a structure without a roof and with unsafe foundations. Some might say that wins will breed confidence but what I see is not a team short of confidence but of ideas. We may well scrape through courtesy of there being three poorer sides but our own team is definitely not heading in the right direction under the current regime.

Defining the Team Shape

a·mor·phous

adjective

without a clearly defined shape or form.
vague; ill-organised; unclassifiable.
(of a group of people or an organisation) lacking a clear structure or focus.

Groundhog Day Report

There is a great deal of repetition in these weekly match observations much like that recurring nightmare where you are unable to perform even the most simple task. Compared to nearly every other team in the Premier League we look less organised, less fit and our abilities for passing and movement is decidedly second best. The favoured 3 at the back formation (at least the way that it is implemented) does not suit our players. It stifles the attacking threat of Antonio and Cresswell and creates congested central areas. There is not enough movement throughout the team; no-one is creating space and the man with the ball has few options but to go sideways and backwards. Players are waiting for the ball to arrive at their feet before deciding their next move rather than anticipating or making runs. The result is ponderous build-up that gives plenty of time for the opposition to re-group. How many positions can Antonio be expected to play in one game? Why was Carroll alternating between left wing and centre midfield? Why when we changed to 4 at the back didn’t Ayew play behind Carroll with Antonio out wide? Why have we abandoned the Antonio long throw as an occasional tactic; at least to mix things up? Why was Obiang withdrawn when he had been our most likely midfield player?

Last season saw some remarkable successes against top clubs, who we were able to hit on the break, while we often struggled against teams who were more defensive minded. Our better performances continue to be against the better sides but without the same level of success. Our struggles and lack of creativity in breaking down those teams that we are meant to dominate remains a huge problem.

We’ve Got/ Had Payet

It is possible to rely too much on one player. The same happened for large parts of Trevor Brooking’s career at West Ham (until Dev came along to share the load) when opponents always knew what West Ham would attempt to do and were able to counter it. Almost inevitably when our players now have the ball they will look to eventually feed it to Payet, which he will invariably receive in a static position wide on the left. Bilic believes (he said so during the Euros), and maybe Dimitri does too, that wide left is his best position as it provides him with the angles necessary to maximise his effectiveness. I can see some sense in that when your team carries threats right across the park but not when it is your only weapon; in those circumstances the opposition can easily crowd him out. Payet himself, for whatever reason, is not the same player as last year. One can only speculate whether his head has been turned by the attention of other clubs, whether the intensity of the Premier League has got too much for him or whether opposing defenders are secretly wearing red kryptonite shorts. It is unrealistic to expect him to carry the team and unnecessary to burden him with too much defensive duty. It will surprise me if he is still at the club come February.

Post Match Analysis

I became so disillusioned by our performance this weekend that I took to Twitter during the game (something I rarely do as I am usually 100% focused on the game). After about 70 minutes I tweeted that the Goalpost had been our man of the match so it was satisfying to see that others felt the same way at the end of the game.

For a change I thought I would give my own player ratings as I believe that usually these are far too generous. My criteria is that a ‘6’ means that a player was average and did the job expected.

Randolph 6, Kouyate 7, Reid 6, Ogbonna 5, Antonio 6, Lanzini 5 (Ayew 4), Obiang 6 (Fernandes 6), Payet 5, Noble 4, Cresswell 3, Carroll 5

Matchday: West Ham host Hull Tigers

Sexy football, six on the bounce and the ghost of Pottsy.

West Ham Hull If a restaurant told you that they weren’t too bothered about the food that they served up as all they were interested in was getting their hygiene licence renewed would you still be tempted to go along? I don’t think I would and so was surprised to hear so many at the club extolling the win ugly approach after the Burnley game and telling us that there would be no ‘sexy’ football for the time being. Possibly the comments were taken out of context as we seem to be a favourite target in the press for negative stories right now, but even so as a message to give it is an injudicious one. I am not even sure that is ‘sexy’ that we are looking for but neither is it grandma’s bloomers; most fans would, I believe, happily settle for organisation, passion, commitment, effort and decisiveness. Press home the advantage don’t retreat and attempt to defend it.

A former corpulent, ear-cupping manager once stated that league position was directly related to the amount of money that was available to a football club. For once, there was probably a lot of truth in what he said and, as such, should see us in a regular battle for 7^th or 8^th place with Everton. Anything less then the club and management are relatively under-performing. Floundering outside the top 10 must certainly be regarded as failure.

That would be brilliant of course. We spoke about this couple of games in the period when we played against Spurs, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. It was an extremely difficult schedule. That period came and we started with three points and we have a really good chance (on Saturday). Nothing can give you confidence better than victories.

– Slaven Bilic on the chance of back to back victories

Still onwards and upwards and today we have an opportunity to create a little daylight between the basement sides by seeing off the visit of Hull City Tigers. Hull’s owners seem to be doing everything in their power to get the club relegated and hopefully we can contribute to the cause. Six points from their first two games followed by six from the next fourteen is less than impressive. They have lost six away games on the bounce and have failed to score in any of the last four. What could possibly go wrong today?

Head to Head

West Ham have a 100% record in the last 6 home matches against Hull scoring 19 goals in the process and conceding just 3. The first game in that sequence was, of course, the 7-1 thrashing in October 1990 which included Steve Potts solitary Hammer’s goal in 463 appearances. Maybe even Simone Zaza could tuck one away today!

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Sequence
Home	21	11	8	2	44	18	WWWWWW
Away	21	4	10	7	22	30	DLWDLD
	42	15	19	9	66	48

Team News

One major disappointment this season is that we don’t appear to have a definite style of play; the approach to any game gives the impression of being unplanned and arbitrary.

The website whoscored.com sums up our style as follows:

Very Strong: Attacking set pieces
Strong: Shooting from direct free kicks
Strong: Defending set pieces
Very Weak: Defending against through ball attacks
Very Weak: Defending against attacks down the wings
Very Weak: Protecting the lead
Weak: Avoiding individual errors
Weak: Defending against long shots

Add to this that a greater percentage of our goals have come from set pieces than any other team in the Premier League and it does not paint a rosy picture of sexy football at any time during the season.

We go there full of life. We’re on the front foot. Yes we’ve lost games but my players are putting everything into their chance in the Premier League. We just need to get a bit lucky if we can.

– Mike Phelan

With no changes in the injury situation it is probable that we will see the same starting XI that featured in midweek meaning perseverance with the flaky 3 at the back and seeking out Andy’s head up front. Despite my misgivings I expect that we will finally record consecutive wins at the London Stadium.

There was good news about Reece Oxford signing a new contract and let’s hope that he gets some game time once he has recovered from injury.

The Man in the Middle

Lee Mason from Lancashire makes his first acquaintance with the Hammers this year but was in charge of two previous Hull defeats (including the 6-1 loss at Bournemouth). Last term he was in charge of our away draw to Swansea and the win at West Brom. In 9 games this season Mason has issued 33 Yellow and 1 Red card.

5 Observations from West Ham v Burnley

Welcome points from a largely forgettable encounter against Burnley.

A Win is Just a Win

At the end of the day it is 3 points earned. When we look back on the ‘lost’ 2016/17 season in years to come it will be recorded as a match won during a period where we rose from relegation possibles to mid-table obscurity. Just as the Noble strike will be recorded as a goal scored rather than a penalty missed, the manner of the victory in a forgettable game will be erased from the memory of even those who attended. There was no mass booing and ear-cupping this time around to trigger future memories and indifferent refereeing and an aggrieved losing manager are far too common to resonate past the next few matches. Four points in the last two games has given Slaven Bilic a welcome boost in the quest for 20 points by the end of the year and a chance of continued employment.

Closing Out Matches in a Game of Two Halves

Apparently West Ham have lost 12 points from winning positions this season which, had we not, would have had us riding high in 6th place in the Premier League table. In the post-match interviews Bilic was bemoaning the ability of the team to close out games and, for me, this raises the question of what his own role and influence in these circumstances? One wonders what his instructions were at half time and to what degree the players failed to execute them. There were a few home games last season where we looked on fire in the first half but turned into a damp squib in the second. When you have been comfortably on top (but only have a slender lead to show for it) it is rarely a good plan to surrender the initiative and invite the opposition to attack. There is far too much caution shown in these types of home fixtures for my liking.

Keeping Possession

West Ham are very bad at keeping possession of the ball. This is not the same topic as whether there is any relationship between amount of possession and winning a game. It is well known that when Leicester won the Premier League last season they recorded less overall possession than the opposition in many games. But when they got the ball they moved it quickly and incisively. When they didn’t have the ball they defended as a team and were prepared to let their opponents play around in harmless areas. West Ham’s problem is that once in possession they so frequently give the ball away cheaply. There are two key elements that result in effective passing; good pass execution (speed and accuracy) and range of options available for the player with the ball. As a rule we are slow to exploit and create space and when there are no options the ball goes backwards to keeper or defender who lumps it forward in desperation. In almost all the games I have seen this season we have been second best at passing and moving over the course of a game.

You’re Shaking My Confidence Daily

Much is made of confidence in football so I guess it must be a big deal. A run of defeats or playing in a new stadium can dent a team’s confidence; a point at Liverpool can boost it but failure to hold on to a lead can damage it again. We hear that such a player is a confidence player and just needs a goal to fire him in to action. I have to disclose a touch of scepticism here although I will be delighted if an ‘ugly’ win over Burnley can help to ‘kick-start’ the season, as they say. These are highly paid players who are meant to represent the very top of their profession; are they really so collectively fragile? Could you explain away your own lack of performance at work as a lack of confidence? To admit to lower motivation and fitness levels, compared to most opponents, would be more honest and believable. If confidence really is an issue then it is something for the coaching staff to address; not some an unmanageable external factor in the hands of the footballing gods.

Big Man Andy Carroll

I am pleased to see Andy Carroll back to fitness (crosses fingers, buys lucky heather, finds rabbits foot, avoids ladders and path crossing black cats). When Zaza has set the bar so low then anything is an improvement as far as our striking problem is concerned but Carroll is a massive upgrade. Bilic says he is a big fan of Carroll and considers that he is great in the air and on the ground. Difficult to argue with the first part of the assessment but the second is something of a stretch or, at least, unproven. He does provide a physical presence and will always be a danger at crosses and set pieces but he is unlikely to contribute much in slick passing breakaways or intricate penalty box interplay. The danger is that his strength in the air becomes our one and only tactic (other than trying to win a free kick) and although he can be effective in the right setup I don’t believe that is as a lone striker. To be effective he needs someone alongside to feed off the knock-downs. Unfortunately our midfield is too weak to release someone to play as a second striker.

Matchday: West Ham host Burnley

With Dimitri Payet having spent the week on the massage table are we due a happy ending tonight?

West Ham Burnley Although Burnley have been only occasional visitors to the Premier League their years spent in the top division of English football (they were a founder member of the Football League in 1888) is roughly similar to our own. In the days of the leveller playing field they actually managed to win the First Division title on two occasions; initially in 1921 and then again, under manager Harry Potts, when they become the first of 8 different sides to be crowned champions during the 1960’s. The interesting feature of that campaign was that all other games had already been completed while Burnley had an outstanding fixture at Manchester City to fulfil. The Clarets needed to win to become champions which they duly did to step into top spot for the first time that season. As an aside only 9 of the 22 teams that competed in that 1959/60 season are in the Premier League today.

Current manager Sean Dyche is adhering to the more parochial standards of bygone days by employing a largely British and Irish group of players in his squad. Of the starting XI in their match against Bournemouth at the weekend only Steven Defour was born overseas – although Ashley Barnes and Scott Arfield have played their international football for Austria and Canada respectively. No disruption by the African Cup of Nations for them.

We need to beat Burnley and we need the points. It has been a difficult schedule and we have been waiting for these home games.

– Slaven Bilic

Dyche’s well organised side have made a respectable start to the season based on impressive home form. On their travels they have taken just a single point from 6 games and scored just the one goal.

Having negotiated the run of ‘difficult’ games West Ham now embark on a series of supposed ‘winnable’ fixtures between now and the New Year. A hard earned point at Liverpool will hopefully provide the impetus to collect several more over the next two weeks.

Head to Head

A generally even head to head record where history has favoured the home team but can that run be extended to the new home venue? Of the last 12 encounters, West Ham have won 7 times with 2 defeats and 3 draws.

	P	W	D	L	F	A
Home	39	23	8	8	76	49	WLWWWD
Away	39	6	10	23	55	88	WWDLWD
	78	29	18	31	131	137

Team News

Cheikhou Kouyate may return for the Hammers and if this is the case I expect Bilic will, despite everything, retain the 3 at the back formation with Kouyate teaming up with Reid and Ogbonna. The remainder of the lineup will then depend on who starts as lone striker. After two appearances off the bench it may well be time to start with Andy Carroll. Failing that it is likely to be Michail Antonio which would be preferable to playing your leading scorer at right back.

We know we have to go down there and give an even better performance because we haven’t got a win away from home yet. We know we’ve got to correct it.

– Sean Dyche

I would much prefer a back four even if we have no proper right back solution. I don’t know what happened to Arbeloa at the weekend (he is not shown as injured) but I would plump for Fernandes at right back who looks much more of a footballer than hapless Havard does – I wonder what Adrian is like at right back! All a little academic a I believe Slav is smitten with his Back 3 plus two wing backs tactic.

The remainder of the midfield will likely be Obiang, Payet, Noble and one of Lanzini/ Ayew. I have read that Dimi has been having special personal service treatment on the massage table this week and so if all goes well we can expect for a happy ending to the evening.

Slav’s Team

My Team

Randolph

Kouyate Reid Ogbonna

Antonio Obiang Noble Creswell

Ayew Payet

Carroll

Randolph

Fernandes Reid Ogbonna Cresswell

Antonio Kouyate Obiang Payet

Lanzini

Carroll

Man in the Middle

The whistle blower tonight is Robert “Bobby” Madely from West Yorkshire. This is his second visit to the London Stadium this season having previously officiated in the win against Sunderland. We have yet to lose in a game where Madely has been the ref including a Capital One cup win at Burnley in 2013. In Madely’s 13 games this season he has brandished 64 Yellow and 2 Red cards.

The Lawro Challenge – Week 16

Midweek madness takes hold as we continue to battle Lawro for the prediction crown.

Lawro Crystal Ball Fifteen rounds of games in the Premier League have now been completed. That means we have now predicted the results of 150 matches. In Week 15, Rich again came out on top scoring 8 points while Geoff and Lawro could only scrape together 4 points each. In this challenge we award one point for a correct result, and a further two points (making three in total) if the score prediction is spot on.

The predictions for the pre-Christmas midweek games are below anticipating a continuation of the recent Premier League goal-rush. Even the ultra cautious Lawro, who rarely expects any team to score more than two, has pushed the boat out in the spirit of seasonal exuberance. Whether his new found daring can make any inroads on Rich’s lead in the predictions table remains to be seen.


	Rich	Geoff	Lawro
Total after 14 weeks	122	77	110
Score in week 15	8	4	4
Total after 15 weeks	130	81	114

Predictions – Week 16
	Rich	Geoff	Lawro
TUESDAY
Bournemouth v Leicester	2-1	1-2	0-2
Everton v Arsenal	1-1	1-3	1-1
WEDNESDAY
Middlesbrough v Liverpool	1-2	0-2	0-2
Sunderland v Chelsea	0-2	0-1	0-2
West Ham v Burnley	4-0	2-1	2-0
Palace v Man Utd	1-1	1-2	1-2
Man City v Watford	4-0	4-1	3-1
Stoke v Southampton	1-1	1-0	2-1
Tottenham v Hull	4-0	3-0	3-0
WBA v Swansea	2-1	2-0	1-1

This Week in Hammer’s History

A thrilling drawn London derby and League Cup incident in the week 12 – 18 December in Hammer’s History.

This Week Hammers History It was sad to read yesterday of the death of Peter Brabrook who featured as a flying winger for the Hammers between October 1962 and January 1968. Peter made 215 appearances for West Ham scoring 43 times and was part of the victorious 1964 FA Cup winning side.

On 17 December 1966 Brabrook was in the West Ham side that visited Stamford Bridge to play his old team, Chelsea in a First Division fixture. The Hammers made an uncharacteristic strong start to the game and were 2-0 to the good after 30 minutes with Brabrook himself scoring the first and Martin Peters the second. Tommy Baldwin pulled one back for Chelsea just before the break prompting a change in the direction of the match and ten minutes into the second half the hosts were leading 3-2 (Tony Hately, Charlie Cooke). Undeterred, West Ham regrouped to score 3 goals in an 8 minute spell (John Sissons (2) and a Johnny Byrne penalty) and with 10 minutes to go continued to hold a 5-3 advantage. Bobby Tambling then scored from the penalty spot and then completed the scoring in the dying minutes with one that came off his shin to make the final score 5-5. These goals elevated Tambling to Chelsea’s all-time record goal-scorer; a position that he held until overtaken in by Lampard Junior in 2013.

Standen, Bovington, Charles J (Burnett), Peters, Brown, Moore, Brabrook, Boyce, Byrne, Hurst, Sissons

On the 15 December 1971 it was the second leg of the Football League Cup semi-final against Stoke City. Confidence was high with West Ham having won the first leg in the previous week by 2 goals to 1. This was a full-bloodied affair under the Upton Park floodlights but with Stoke the better side on the night it remained goalless until the 73^rd minute when a mix-up in the West Ham defence between Tommy Taylor and John McDowell allowed John Ritchie to convert a hopeful cross. No away goals rule in this competition at the time and the game went into 30 minutes of extra time. With the clock slowly ticking away Harry Redknapp was put through on goal only to be hauled down by a flying Gordon Bank’s rugby tackle. Not considered a sending off offence at the time it was then Banks against Geoff Hurst for the resulting penalty. Hurst had scored from the spot in the first leg and had a tremendous penalty record and so most in the 38,000 crowd considered it a formality and were already making plans for their trip back to Wembley. Hurst adopted his usual pile-driver approach to penalty kicks but somehow Banks managed to deflect the thundering shot over the bar. There was just enough time to take the resulting corner before the final whistle signaled that a replay was going to be required.

Ferguson, McDowell, Lampard, Bonds, Taylor, Moore, Redknapp, Best, Hurst, Brooking, Robson

More League Cup action (then known as the Worthington Cup) exactly 28 years later with a 5^th round home tie against Aston Villa. Ian Taylor put Villa ahead in the first half only for Lampard Junior to steer home a pass from Paolo Di Canio for a second half equaliser. Dion Dublin appeared to win the game for the visitors with an added time volley but there was still time for Paul Kitson to win a penalty which then Di Canio then converted. Extra time was goalless and so the game went to penalties which ended in West Ham’s favour when Gareth Southgate missed his sudden death kick. Of course the game is best remembered for the Mannygate affair where West Ham fielded an ineligible player when Emmanuel Omoyinmi came on as an extra time substitute for Paulo Wanchope. Omoyinmi had previously played both legs in an earlier round of the competition while on loan at Gillingham and was thus ineligible. The match against Villa was replayed which the Hammers eventually lost 1-3.

Hislop, R Ferdinand, Margas, Lomas, Ruddock, Cole (Kitson), Sinclair, Wanchope (Omoyinmi), Di Canio, Lampard, Keller

Notable Birthdays

12 December     Nobby Solano                    42
15 December     Aaron Cresswell 27
16 December     Reece Oxford                    18
17 December     Andre Ayew                       27
17 December     John Bond                           d. 2012
17 December     Joe Kirkup                           77

5 Observations from West Ham @ Liverpool

Happy with the point but are West Ham in good shape for the winnable games?

The Fixture List of Death

The point at Anfield was an unexpected, welcome and hard earned one that brought with it some relief. If the match commentator was correct West Ham are one of only two teams to avoid defeat at Liverpool so far this season. The run of games of death is now behind us and a two point return is maybe more than many expected; but for the last few minutes at White Hart Lane it could have been even healthier. With the exception of last weekend’s rout by Arsenal the performances against Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool have been generally acceptable and, in many ways, were similar (but with less successful outcomes) to games against the ‘top’ sides last year. At Anfield the team worked hard, provided some degree of collective organisation, and were able to frustrate Liverpool and limit the number of clear cut goal-scoring opportunities. The Achilles heel last term, however, was not winning the ‘winnable’ games and so the next three matches are going to be a serious test of that characteristic and will go a very long way in defining the remainder of the season.

Fitness, Passing and Movement

Although very happy with the point there are some common basic shortcomings with our play and it was highlighted in the differences between the two teams yesterday. A number of our players do not look to be at acceptable fitness levels and some visually look to be carrying too much weight (notably Ayew and Payet). Liverpool played most of the game on their toes, were constantly on the move and there were always several passing options available to the man on the ball. Passing was quick and slick and it was fortunate for West Ham that, on the day, the leagues freest scoring side lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. In contrast we are routinely flat footed with players waiting for the ball to arrive before deciding the next move; there are often few passing options available through lack of movement which, in my view, is more of an issue for conceding possession than poor pass execution itself. Exceptions yesterday (and for the majority of the season) were Obiang, Reid and Antonio who all had excellent games.

Changing Formations

Once again West Ham have been front runners in the injury table at The Physio Room. Whether this is simply bad luck or a consequence of deeper seated problems is a mystery. The situation is not helped by a lopsided squad which resulted in a recall for Havard Nordtveit to defensive duties on Sunday. I was surprised that he was at right back as, when I saw the team sheet, I expected he was going to be part of the dreaded back three formation that does not suit our players and leaves us wide open down the flanks. The other surprise was that Antonio was the main striker but once he had demonstrated that he is one player who knows where the goal is he was quickly switched around; first to right wing back (when Carroll replaced Ayew and Nordtveit did become one of three centre backs) and then subsequently to a more advanced right midfield position (when Fernandes replaced Lanzini). Possibly Slaven Bilic has a yearning for a retro 1970’s totaalvoetbal style of play but it just seems to confuse the hell out of our tactically limited players.

Dead Wood United

Over the years the West Ham squad has been littered with its fair share of dead wood. With the departure of Fat Sam much of what was left over from the sojourn in the Championship was steadily cleared away leaving ample room to assemble a new pile. Fortunately we have only borrowed some of this excess baggage and hopefully they will be on their way back to their parent clubs straight after the Xmas party. Unfortunately the club are stuck paying the wages of Havard Nordtveit and Sofiane Feghouli for the time being though. Feghouli was nowhere near the squad this week but Nordtveit made his 7^th Premier League appearance. Accepting that he has been played in a few different positions it is still difficult to put your finger on exactly what his qualities are that allowed him to establish a career in the Bundesliga and at international level. He may not be a right back but you would think he’d understand what one is supposed to do. Is it naive to assume that he would have prepared for it most of the week; but that didn’t stop his going walkabout and he fully deserved his rollicking by Reid? Another player I have become disillusioned with is Angelo Ogbonna. A steady defender at times but tends to switch off too often and appears to shirk the most basic defensive responsibilities. Once again slack play by Ogbonna was the precursor to the first Liverpool goal which could so easily have scuppered the whole game plan. It make me nostalgic for the Reid – Tomkins partnership.

Where Have All The Young-stars Gone?

In the build up to the game I read some interesting comments by Jurgen Klopp to the effect that he prefers to keep promising young players at the club rather than sending them out on loan. This enables them to train with the first team squad and assimilate better into the team’s style of play. West Ham have half a dozen or so youngsters out on loan, the majority of whom rarely get game time. The exception is Reece Burke who, injuries apart, has been a regular starter at both centre back and emergency full-back at struggling Wigan. Given our own travails at right back why is he not back with the squad and plugging that gap. Come to that, although he is injured now, why have we not seen anything of Reece Oxford this season despite the defensive frailties experienced? It was good to see a few youngsters on the bench at Anfield but I am concerned about how reluctant Bilic has become to blood youngsters. The Academy of Football is currently far behind the likes of Liverpool, Southampton and Tottenham in giving young talent an opportunity.

Matchday: Hammers @ Anfield

Try as I might I can only see an oncoming train wreck emerging from the Anfield tunnel.

Liverpool West Ham I am of the firm opinion that if Slaven Bilic cannot secure at least 8 points from the next 5 games he should start to pack his bags since sticking with him would represent a massive gamble. After yesterday’s results West Ham have slipped back into the bottom 3 and a heavy defeat today could see the situation deteriorate further. Of the next 5 games today’s fixture is undoubtedly the toughest on paper with a point likely to be the optimistic target. Unfortunately Liverpool’s weakness at the defensive end of the pitch is not something we are equipped to exploit with the firepower available. Are we able to score as many as we concede as I see little prospect of keeping a clean sheet today.

“I feel the support and have said that so many times and I felt that support in our conversation this week. I believe in myself and my staff and look at what we achieved last year and I believe there is time to turn it around.”

– Slaven Bilic

It is standard practice for many West Ham fans to despise anything Scouse related and certainly the media love-in with Liverpool, despite their having won the last of their league titles some 26 seasons ago, can be immensely irritating. However, I do believe that Jurgen Klopp, for all his idiosyncrasies, has done an impressive job since arriving at Anfield in October last year. He looks to be on the way to the holy grail of football management of getting a team to perform in a manner that is greater than the sum of its parts. His side is a team largely devoid of individual stars that plays to a well-defined system that is both effective and allows them to compensate for absent players much easier. It is an interesting contrast to our own disjointed and disorganised efforts so far this season.

Head to Head

West Ham’s abysmal record at Anfield is there for all to see. Last season’s first win in 50 odd years brought the total of away victories to an unimpressive 3 in a series where we have only scored 36 goals in 60 matches. In a historic sense we will over achieve if we manage to score today.

	P	W	D	L	F	A	Sequence
Home	60	22	17	21	83	83	WWWLLW
Away	60	3	19	38	36	113	DWLLDL
	120	25	36	59	119	196

Team News

It appears that both Antonio and Cresswell have recovered from the injuries incurred in the EFL Cup game at Old Trafford and are available to start. As far as I know Kouyate remains injured and Collins is also out. I am hoping this means an enforced change to the 3 at the back experiment. It must be a toss-up who plays in goal (Adrian or Randolph) and who will be the main striker (Carroll or Fletcher). There must be a tendency to take a risk averse, danger limitation approach (at least as far as player fitness is concerned) to this match with home games coming up against Burnley and Hull in the next week. It will be nice if the players have re-discovered that intensity that they lost in training and can at least put in a shift this week.

“If there’s any reaction from the team, I don’t know, maybe we will be angry against West Ham.”

– Jurgen Klopp

My anticipated line-up for a side that will be primarily concerned with protecting the point is:

Randolph
Arbeloa Reid Ogbonna Cresswell
Noble Obiang
Antonio Lanzini Payet
Carroll

Liverpool are without Coutinho and Sturridge but unfortunately Mane is fit enough to return to the side that will be smarting from defeat at Bournemouth last week. If I felt optimistic I might think that throwing away a two goal lead last week could have dented their confidence but the greater likelihood is that they will be raring to put it all behind them.

Man in The Middle

It is self-important celebrity referee Mark Clattenburg of County Durham in the middle today. Clattenburg’s only West Ham fixture so far this season was the away defeat at West Bromwich. He has taken charge of 15 games in all competitions this season totaling 59 Yellow and 2 Red cards.

The Lawro Challenge – Week 15

We continue to give Lawro a run for his money in the Prediction Stakes.

Lawro Crystal Ball During the US Election the majority of the press were firmly rooting for and forecasting a runaway Hilary Clinton victory. When the results finally revealed a Trump victory the same media had to report on them and they did so through gritted teeth while pointing an accusing finger at anyone they could instead of accepting that they got it wrong.

I fee much the same as the onus falls to me to provide an update on the status of the Lawro Challenge. Here then is this weeks official release and below that this week’s predictions. The run of bad luck and freak results cannot continue and I can only see a steady closing of the gap.

Fourteen rounds of games in the Premier League have now been completed. That means we have now predicted the results of 140 matches. In Week 14, Rich scored 12 points, Geoff 4 points, and Lawro 11 points. In this challenge we award one point for a correct result, and a further two points (making three in total) if the score prediction is spot on.


	Rich	Geoff	Lawro
Total after 13 weeks	110	73	99
Score in week 14	12	4	11
Total after 14 weeks	122	77	110

Predictions – Week 15
	Rich	Geoff	Lawro
SATURDAY
Watford v Everton	1-1	2-1	0-2
Arsenal v Stoke	2-0	3-0	2-0
Burnley v Bournemouth	1-1	1-2	2-0
Hull v Palace	1-1	0-0	0-2
Swansea v Sunderland	2-1	0-1	1-1
Leicester v Man City	1-2	1-3	2-1
SUNDAY
Chelsea v WBA	3-1	3-0	2-0
Man Utd v Tottenham	1-1	0-1	1-1
Southampton v Middlesbrough	2-1	1-1	1-1
Liverpool v West Ham	2-2	3-1	2-0