Category: Match

Having Sunk Below Par Eagles West Ham Look To Cherry Pick EFL Cup Success

After an unexpected three points last Saturday, the Hammers set off on the path to Carabao Cup glory with the visit of AFC Bournemouth to the London Stadium

Picking up the first points of the new Premier League season last Saturday came as a huge relief. With only the annual slaughter at the hands of Manchester City standing between zero points and the first of the interminable international breaks, it was a perfect time to put them on the board. With West Ham facing a ninth consecutive league defeat at the Etihad, it could be time to add a charge of bullying to the 115 others faced by City.

The build up at Selhurst Park was again dominated by a sense of disbelief that Julen Lopetegui had named the same starting eleven which struggled to impress the previous weekend. It was largely the same side who had been soundly humiliated at the same venue just four months previously. At this rate it is shaping up to be the slowest transformation of football style in recorded history with the majority of summer signings continuing to kick their heels on the bench. And with wonderkid Luis Guilherme nowhere to be seen.

If the personnel looked familiar, then the display was similarly reminiscent of the Scottish manager’s early period. By that I mean the more enterprising days of swift counter attacking rather than the dour cautious fare that typified its long, painful death. This season’s performances are  not yet the high press, possession based football promised on the tin – but neither has it been the dreadful low block and ten man defensive shield. And a precious away win will invariably forgive many sins.

The hosts had ended last season on a roll and might have expected to find themselves among the early pace setters when the opening fixtures were announced. As it is, they are one of five clubs yet to open their 2024/25 accounts. The departure of Olise has been a big loss and while Eze was the standout creative force of the first half, he is now operating as a one-man band.

The two West Ham summer signings that did make it into Lopetegui’s starting eleven both put in top class performances. Some felt the club had overpaid for Max Kilman but on the evidence of Saturday’s contribution it looks like money well spent. The carry out of defence to set up the second goal for Jarrod Bowen was a thing of beauty and simplicity. His defensive dominance rubbing off on centre-back partner Dinos Mavropanos who put in another sound shift and delay the introduction of Jean-Clair Todibo. The Greek could turn out to be a valuable squad member if he continues to keep the unforced errors to a minimum.

After seeming to be well off the pace in his debut against Aston Villa, Guido Rodriguez put in a far more settled performance to demonstrate his experience and competence in anchoring the midfield. The return from injury of Edson Alvarez as a second half substitute highlighting Lopetegui’s growing selection dilemmas – especially in the midfield areas. Even allowing for injuries, suspensions and option for squad rotation according to opposition it will be a challenge to find the right balance and keep everyone happy.

While Rodriguez and Alvarez would provide a formidable defensive midfield partnership who will take responsibility for directing midfield operations? Or will they not be played as a pair or double pivot? Will Lucas Paqueta be deployed in a deeper lying role and can he add better decision making to the undoubted crowd pleasing flicks and tricks? And what of Tomas Soucek? The Czech’s contribution is a perfect enigma. Useful for his defensive height and his late runs into the attacking third he offers virtually nothing in the areas inbetween. His goal attempts count is almost as high as his number of successful passes.

Attacking options are similarly confused – in both a good and bad way. Surely the pain of watching Michail Antonio flounder upfront has to put to a humane end sooner rather than later. His attributes of pace, strength and power have been useful in their day but are no longer relevant or as effective as they once were. The alternatives are more game time for Niclas Fullkrug, the signing of A N Other before the transfer window closes (not Tammy Abraham please) or playing without a recognised front man. A False 9 in modern parlance.

It is perhaps the ultimate dilemma that two of the squad’s best players – Bowen and Mohammed Kudus – are at their most effective from the same position wide on the right. I can’t believe the coach has reached the conclusion that Kudus is best deployed hugging the left touchline. It both reduces his effectiveness and keeps a natural alternative in “Jimmy” Summerville out of the mix. Kudus has to play, but where? A central role could be ideal but would require Paqueta to played much deeper.

On top of all this we have the closing days of the transfer window where – if the internet is to be believed – the Hammers continue to chase further signings, as well as shiftingout a number of players considered to  be surplus to requirements.

Before all that happens West Ham face the ignominy of having to compete in the second round of the Carabao cup for the first time since 2020. Theoretically, the less glamourous League Cup offers West Ham their smoothest route to domestic glory but is a trophy that has so far eluded their grasp. With no European competition to muddy the waters, could this be an opportunity for a first EFL final since 1981?

Being drawn against Premier League opposition is not ideal at this stage of the competition. And we must wait to see how seriously the respective managers approach the game. It has become custom and practice – for unaccountable reasons in my opinion – to field weakened teams and it will be interesting to see if that happens tonight. At least Lopetegui has a stronger squad to pick from and it is an opportunity for several summer signings to get a full ninety minute run-out. It would be no surprise to see Todibo, Guileherme, Summerville, Fullkrug and mabe Lewis Orford and Oliver Scarles from the academy getting an outing.

The EFL Cup Final will be played on 16 March 2025. Put it in your diaries. COYI!  

Will more of the summer signings make the starting eleven when West Ham travel to Selhurst Park this weekend?

Collins English Dictionary – “Inevitable” (adjective) – unavoidable, sure to happen, so regular as to be predictable, inescapable, certain, sure, fated, destined.

Take your pick. There were three things that many thought were inevitable in our first game of the season at home to Aston Villa last Saturday. Firstly, we would lose. I was optimistic prior to the game and hoped for a win as always, but past performances of the first game of a Premier League season already had us well clear at the top of the table for having zero points from the opener. It has happened so regularly as to be predictable.

Secondly, Duran might score the winning goal. As I wrote last week prior to the Villa game – “We’ve already had one Duran score against us this season (for Celta Vigo), let’s hope that Villa’s Colombian Duran doesn’t do the same on Saturday after all the early transfer window shenanigans”. When he came on (like many others) I just had the feeling … His cameo certainly showed the type of player we missed out on by not meeting Villa’s demands early in the transfer window.

Thirdly, that Paqueta would be booked. You could have bet on it – I wonder how many did? He was on the very edge of receiving a second yellow card too.

I was disappointed (I suspect not the only one) when the starting line-up was revealed. I hoped for Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Fullkrug and Summerville to be in the starting eleven in place of Coufal, Mavropanos, Antonio and Soucek but the manager thought otherwise (that’s his prerogative – he knows how ready the players are; he stands or falls by his decisions). To be fair I thought Mavropanos had a decent game but I wasn’t impressed with the other three that I had hoped would be on the bench.

So be it. Whilst not a massive fan of figures, the statistics of the game showed that we were virtually on a par with our (Champions League qualified) visitors in shots (14-15), shots on target (3-3), possession (51%-49%), passes (400-395), and pass accuracy (84%-84%). Considering Villa’s dominance in the first 25 minutes where they could have scored more than one it does show how we did improve as the game went on. I could certainly see why the manager wanted to buy Kilman who I thought was very impressive. Of West Ham players he had the most touches (82), passes completed (58), carries (55), clearances (7), interceptions (2), and blocks (2) whilst also being second with progressive passes (5), ball recoveries (5) and tackles won (2).

Despite the statistics Villa deserved to win, possibly because of superior tactics. They recognised that Coufal was perhaps the weak link, pushed their midfield attackers forward centrally to force our full backs narrow, and then used Digne and latterly Maatsen to exploit the width on their left (our right). Their winning goal was an excellent team move that Duran finished with a low shot straight through Areola. Their first goal was partly Antonio losing his man and Areola not commanding the goal area as perhaps he should.

Kudus stood out as our best player but to me he is not ideally suited to playing on the left. He’s so talented he could play in any forward position I reckon but I’d like to see him in the middle of the 3 behind the main striker (number 10 role). Summerville is perfect for the left side role to complement Bowen on the right. 

Onwards and upwards (hopefully) we visit Palace this weekend who share an equal position in the inaugural league table with us, having lost their opener 2-1 at Brentford. I watched that game and thought that they were unlucky to lose. Eze’s superb free kick was disallowed (wrongly the referee bravely admitted afterwards) and Brentford went down the other end almost immediately went ahead with a free flowing move which was finished well by Mbuemo.

Palace equalised early in the second half and began to dominate coming close to going ahead. Wharton was impressive, (surprisingly to me he was an unused member of the England squad in the Euros) and was running the game but (surprisingly to me again) was withdrawn with 15 minutes to go. Co-incidentally (or not?) Brentford notched the winner a couple of minutes later. Palace should have capitalised when they were dominating and came close to an equaliser but Brentford held on for what I thought was an unexpected and unlikely victory.

Guehi, widely regarded as one of the best centre backs around, played well at the heart of the Palace defence throughout but is the subject of transfer speculation. I wonder if he will still be there by the time of our visit. They do have some outstanding players. In addition to Guehi, Eze always looks impressive to me, Wharton likes to control the midfield and I think will develop into an excellent player, and Mateta is a dangerous striker. Olise left for Bayern Munich in the summer so he won’t trouble us any more.

Palace are one of those teams against whom we have a superior record in head-to- head encounters in history but in recent times we have not been dominant – in fact we have only beaten them twice in the last eleven meetings. Our last four visits to Selhurst Park have been goal feasts with 24 goals scored in those games. In January 2021 we beat them 3-2, repeating the score the following January. Then in April 2023 we lost the game 4-3 and then just a few months ago last April (2024) we were comprehensively beaten (slaughtered really!) 5-2.

One of my favourite memories of visiting Selhurst Park was a 3-0 victory there in October 1971 when Ade Coker, making his debut scored one of the goals with Clyde Best and Billy Bonds netting the others. Conversely, one of my least favourite memories of playing Palace was the trip to Cardiff for the Play-Off final in 2004 when a goal from Neil Shipperley beat us. The journey back was slow and painful.

Two great goals to remember in games against Palace – Payet’s magnificent free kick in our final season at Upton Park in a game that ended 2-2. Definitely one of the great free kicks. Also Andy Carroll’s stunning overhead kick the following season (our first at the London Stadium) in a 3-0 victory.

Like ourselves Palace will want to bounce back quickly from the opening day defeat. They ended last season winning five of their last six games including victories over Newcastle, Manchester United and Aston Villa scoring 20 goals in that run-in. They will be disappointed that they didn’t hit the ground running this time. 

My hope is that with another week for the new players to become accustomed to their new surroundings and their new colleagues more of them will be in the starting eleven this weekend, especially Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Summerville and Fullkrug.

Lopetegui’s New Look West Ham Fall At First Hurdle In Invincible Stakes

A surprisingly tentative approach to blooding new signings and a competent Aston Villa opponent take the wind from the sails of optimism that had been blowing around the London Stadium

It was not the result we had wanted to kick-off an exciting new era at the London Stadium, although it was not too far away from what many had expected. The phrase ‘there’s still work to be done’ is likely to become a well-worn one over the next few weeks as new players are introduced, and the intricacies of a new style of play ironed out.

There were few clues on the extent of the work outstanding following Saturday’s outing in the season opener as Julen Lopetegui’s team selection baffled supporters and observers alike. Excluding so many of the new signings from the starting eleven was a huge surprise. Had Edson Alvarez not been injured it is quite feasible that Maxi40milian Kilman would have been the sole debutant on show. The coach may have felt he needed to show loyalty to the squad members he inherited, but is it not counter-productive when the aim is to have your best players performing as a cohesive unit in as short a time as possible?

It was disheartening to discover that the likes of Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek, and Michail Antonio would be starting on Saturday. Each have had respectable West Ham careers, but it is impossible to imagine them as part of the bright new future, except in a backup capacity. The omission of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jean-Clair Todibo was equally baffling. Both had completed a full pre-season and were presumably raring to get their first taste of football with the Hammers.

With a reliance on the old guard, not much was revealed on the evidence of Satrurday’s game as to how Lopetegui expects his team structure, formation and tactics to evolve. The low block had disappeared, a higher defensive line was apparent and there was some attempt to move the ball forward by passing rather than quick transitions and long balls. However, there was little in the way of pressing, the front players rarely intercated with each other, too much space was conceded through the centre and the role of the full backs was ambiguous.

Some of those deficiencies may have be down to the personnel involved but others suggest the system is far from fully understood. If the intention was to prevent opponents attacking through the middle it did not work. Villa’s runners repeatedly sliced through what passed as the midfield defensive shield. And was the narrow back four a carry over from last season’s set-up or is it an intentional Lopetegui tactic? Either way it presented far too much space for Villa to exploit down the flanks. Although it was positive that Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed weren’t expected to operate as auxiliary defenders, the resulting space was an obvious weakness.   

Saturday’s game was not completely one sided, but Aston Villa were easily the better side and deserved winners. They made better use of their possession, were more incisive and ramped up the majority of the presentable goalscoring opportunities. The opening goal was fully down to Alphonse Areola in my opinion – if a keeper is not going to take responsibility for that part of his six yard box then who is?

For a while it appeared that the visitors might run away with the game, such was their dominance. A disjointed Hammers attack had got little change from the Villa defence until Matty Cashed a West Ham Czech to concede a borderline penalty. I’m not a fan of the stuttering penalty technique but Lucas Paqueta despatched the spot kick with aplomb.

All square at the break, the equaliser had the effect of boosting the Hammer’s confidence and postponing what would surely have been a couple of half-time substitutions. Ultimately, it was surprising how late the substitutions were delayed in the context of an evenly balanced scoreline and a game that available to win.

In fact, it was Unai Emery who made the first moves to introduce fresh legs and when Jhon Duran replaced Ollie Watkins you just knew that the immutable laws of football consequences would contrive to ensure that he scored the winner.  And a very well worked goal it was with three substitutes combining in a quick passing move that once again exploited the space conceded down the Hammer’s right flank.

West Ham had a few opportunities to snatch a draw in the closing exchanges despite an apparent lack of urgency as the minutes ticked away. The closest efforts were a Danny Ings header and a near range Soucek miss – which may have attracted the attention of VAR for a foul had he completed the simple task of putting the ball in the net rather than ballooning it over the bar.

Kudus was the standout man for the Hammers. What a player he is! From an end product perspective, he is wasted wide on the left where the option to cut inside and shoot for goal is restricted. ‘Jimmy’ Summerville is a ready made replacement for that position and looked very bright when he was introduced late on. Kilman had a steady game as did Dinos Mavropanos although the latter will surely make way for Todibo by next Saturday. Bowen was very quiet by his own standards (and is a strange choice for skipper in my opinion) while Coufal and Antonio were the weakest links. Have to say I didn’t really notice the work of Guido Rodriquez other than his speed of movement was towards the sluggish end of the spectrum. A penny for his thoughts on his Premier League debut.

Lopetegui had little to offer in his post-match interview comments. To say that the team must ‘keep doing the good things and improve on the bad things’ is an obvious everyday mantra for each and every coach. Still, it is only one game, and we weren’t expecting miracles anyway. The major disappointment was the decision to stick with the old guard instead of introduing new recruits or youth players. With more tough games on the horizon, the direction of travel needs to be more obvious even if the points tally remains modest during the opening weeks.

Player Ratings: Areola (5), Coufal (4), Kilman (7), Mavropanos (6), Emerson (5), Rodriguez (5), Soucek (5), Bowen (5), Paqueta (5), Kudus (8), Antonio (4). Subs: Fullkrug (5), Summerville (6), Ward-Prowse (5), Ings & Todibo (N/A)

With the transfer window still open, speculation is unlikley to dry up over its remaining days. Further ins and outs are highly possible. It is clear an additional striker option is badly needed (as long as its isn’t Tammy Abraham). Although I was not convinced a player like Duran could be relied upon as the sole striker in the squad he would be a great acquisition now that Fullkrug has also signed. The other significant gap for me is someone capable of carrying the ball forward at pace in midfield. It is a skillset currently missing anywhere in the squad.

Onward and upward then. It’s no time to panic but we must see the new signings bedded into the team starting from the very next game. COYI!

Here We Go Again – Season 67 as a West Ham Fan begins with a 5.30 kick off on Saturday for the visit of Aston Villa

It all began for me on Saturday 23rd August 1958. 1958-59 was the first football season I remember. West Ham had just been promoted from the second division and I believe this was the first time back in the top-flight since the 1930s. After 6 games we were on top with a win and a draw against the champions from the previous season Wolves and a win against runners up Manchester United. It was a successful campaign finishing sixth, a feat we have only bettered twice since.

This season will be my 67th as a fan and I’m looking forward just as much as ever to see what it will bring. We were warned to be careful what we wished for but I am hoping for a more enterprising brand of football than that we have witnessed in the last couple of years. The appointment of a head coach who had been in charge at Seville, Real Madrid and the Spanish national team was not especially welcomed by many but I am happy to wait and see. I hope that he can deliver a more progressive style of football than his predecessor. I read some statistics (which I have not verified) which suggested that Moyes has a better goals scored per game record than Lopetegui, but concedes more goals per game on average than our new Spanish boss. Whatever, it was time for something different.

The recruitment in the close season after a sluggish start has picked up in the past couple of weeks (with eight new recruits at the time of writing and perhaps one or two more to come if some existing players can be moved on) and on paper it would appear we have a much better, bigger, (younger? I’m not sure) and more balanced squad than the previous manager had left. Tim Steidten would seem to have done a superb job bringing in the likes of the Championship player of last season, an Argentinian World Cup winner, a current German international centre forward, a highly rated French international centre back, and the head coach’s number 1 pick from Wolves into the squad. Guilherme has also arrived from Brazil with a big reputation (and price tag considering his experience) but he would appear to be one for the future, we shall see.

All the new recruits have joined us without the prospect of European competition this season. The lack of the Thursday / Sunday fixtures should however be an advantage in one respect though given the reduced number of games to play – our record in Sunday games (partly due I suspect due to the small size of the squad) was poor last time. Ten Thursday games in Europe were followed by just two wins on the following Sunday. Perhaps with a fresher and bigger squad we can have a better tilt at the domestic cup competitions than of late.  

Of course, this is on paper (and as Brian Clough and others have said the game is not played on paper). It remains to be seen how quickly the new boss can integrate the players into a cohesive unit. Many fans writing on social media are perhaps going a little overboard expecting a challenge for Champions League places but I believe that this may be a little premature. It would be great of course but it is likely to take time for the team to produce consistent results with so many new faces at once.

I am especially excited by Summerville who looked superb when I watched Leeds games on TV last season. He should hopefully provide the balance on the left that has been missing. With Bowen on the right and Kudus perhaps in a central ‘number 10’ role behind a goalscoring centre forward then our attacking threat should be potent and balanced. We have a number of alternatives in midfield – let’s hope that Paqueta can show his skills and best form alongside whoever plays there, probably Rodriguez to begin with while Alvarez is out. Unlike many fans (it would appear) I am a fan of JWP but he is likely to struggle to make the starting eleven such is the depth of the squad in the middle. For the times he does get onto the pitch I hope he rediscovers his free kick shots on goal speciality.

The central defence looks more solid than before with Kilman and the highly rated Todibo, and Wan-Bissaka should hopefully be an upgrade on Coufal, certainly in a defensive sense where he is highly regarded especially in one-on-one situations facing attacking wingers. Hopefully as a result we can improve considerably on our poor goals conceded record – the worst in the Premier League after the three relegated clubs. 74 was the biggest number we have ever conceded in the Premier League and the most ever since 1966-67! I’ve seen last season’s defence described as Swiss cheese – very apt.

The club were hoping that Zouma, last season’s strange choice as captain, could be offloaded to Saudi Arabia saving around £7million in wages. His legs seemed to have gone some time ago and it was no surprise when he ironically failed the CAT scan!  

The squad as a whole should give us a much stronger bench than Moyes’ thin numbers could ever achieve, and I wondered if any of the promising youngsters would find their way into it. There were high hopes for three or four of them to do so, but with the strength in depth that we are likely to have it seems that there may be loans to lower league clubs to ensure that they gain experience that they would not have if they stayed this season.

In his relatively short time at the club the new head coach has completely managed to revamp the team from front to back with just days to spare before the new campaign gets underway. A big improvement on previous campaigns where late arrivals in the transfer window after the season had already begun was the order of the day. Nevertheless not a lot of time for the players to gel as a team and it may take a while before we see the best of the new recruits.

Where will we finish? Last season we were ninth so with the changes and investment we’ve got to hope for an improvement. Seventh or eighth perhaps or even better pushing for a place in Europe the following season. And wouldn’t it be great to have long runs in both the League and FA Cups with perhaps a trip to Wembley in one or the other (or both!)?

The season may well turn out to be a transitional one but I’m hoping for visible progress, a desire to retain the ball and not give it away so cheaply, and football that is better to watch than it has been for the past couple of years. I fear that if it takes too long for the team to adapt to Lopetegui’s methods then the fans will get restless. We’ve got to be patient and allow some time for it all to come together.

Aston Villa, newly qualified for the Champions League, will be a stiff test for the first game. We’ve already had one Duran score against us this season (for Celta Vigo), let’s hope that Villa’s Colombian Duran doesn’t do the same on Saturday after all the early transfer window shenanigans! Some fans have complained about our pre-season performances and results but I seem to recall that we had a poor lead into the 1985-86 season where we achieved our best ever finish. Conversely in the Avram Grant year the pre-season went quite well. It’s not always a good indicator of what is to follow, especially this year with the late returners from international football and also the late transfer incomings. Aston Villa have also lost a number of games pre-season too by the way.

So here we go again. My prediction for the starting line-up: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Emerson; Rodriguez, Paqueta: Bowen, Kudus, Summerville: Fullkrug. That would mean just five of last year’s regulars added to six newcomers.

That leaves a bench to be chosen from the following: Fabianski, Coufal, Aguerd, Mavropanos, Cresswell, Irving, Soucek, JWP, Guilherme, Ings, Antonio, Cornet plus any of our promising youngsters who haven’t been loaned out. Hopefully I haven’t forgotten anyone. I’m not used to a full squad!

The new head coach may have other ideas, but whatever team is selected I’m excited and looking forward to season 67 as much as my first back in 1958. Who knows what we have in store? I’ll start this year’s score forecasts with a 2-1 win.

West Ham visit the Etihad Stadium this weekend, but it will take a miraculous turnaround in form and recent history of the fixture to deprive Manchester City of their fourth title in a row.  

It was back in early March as the season approached the three-quarter mark when I tried to assess our chances of finishing in the top seven which would probably give us the opportunity to qualify for Europe next season via our finishing league position. At that time I looked at the teams who were in 6th to 11th, and they were as follows (all had eleven games remaining apart from Chelsea with twelve)

6. Manchester United 44 points (27 games)
7. West Ham 42 points (27)
8. Newcastle 40 points (27)
9. Brighton 39 points (27)
10. Wolves 38 points (27)
11. Chelsea 36 points (26)

I looked at the degree of difficulty in the remaining fixtures for each side based upon the position in the league table of their remaining opponents at that time. The degree of difficulty factor suggested that Newcastle had the easiest run-in with the average positions of opponents as follows: Newcastle 12.2, Manchester United 11.7, Chelsea 10.6, Wolves 10.0, West Ham 9.5, Brighton 9.0.

I then predicted the results of each teams remaining games with a formula based upon fixtures remaining, whether or not the remaining games were home or away, and the results when the sides met earlier in the season. Additional factors included games against the top 5 teams, and games against each other. This gave me a prediction of the final standings:

6. Manchester United – 61 points
7. Newcastle – 57 points
8. West Ham – 57 points
9. Wolves – 55 points
10. Chelsea – 54 points
11. Brighton 51 points

Bookmakers at that time had Manchester United and Newcastle finishing sixth and seventh, Brighton and Chelsea above us in eighth and ninth with West Ham just scraping into the top half in tenth. It was just a bit of fun, and my gut feeling was that we’d be fortunate to do as well as this, I wrote that perhaps tenth was just about right. Football matches are notoriously unpredictable to forecast which stems from various factors like team dynamics, player and overall team form, European and FA Cup games to play, the Thursday / Sunday mix which is often an issue, injuries, and even unpredictable events during a game, as well as all sorts of other miscellaneous factors.

With the final games to play on Sunday, 6th downwards reads as follows:

6. Chelsea – 60 points (H v Bournemouth)
7. Newcastle – 57 points (A v Brentford)
8. Manchester United – 57 points (A v Brighton)
9. West Ham – 52 points (A v Manchester City)
10. Brighton – 48 points (H v Manchester United)
11. Bournemouth – 48 points (A v Chelsea)
12. Crystal Palace – 46 points (H v Aston Villa)
13. Wolves – 46 points (A v Liverpool)

My original thought that 57 points might just be enough for 7th was just a little short of the mark. Chelsea have finished the season strongly, and Newcastle have done well since the turnaround in their game against us, but other contenders such as Manchester United, Wolves, Brighton and ourselves have been inconsistent. After a poor start to the season Bournemouth have improved considerably, and Crystal Palace are second only to Manchester City on recent form with 16 points from their last six games, but their improvement was much too late.

We have 52 points and I will be very happy but massively surprised if we add to that in the final game. We are five points shy of my prediction; those five points were lost in two home games that I was hoping we would win, against Burnley where we drew 2-2 and Fulham where we went down 2-0. Other than that I would have been spot on. We might have even exceeded the 57 point mark had we held on to our 3-1 lead in Newcastle.

But it was not to be and our poor record in the latter half of the season has let us down after entering 2024 in sixth place. We are guaranteed to finish in ninth place (exactly halfway between my forecast and my gut feeling) whatever the outcome this weekend. We are eighth when it comes to scoring goals, but in the bottom four when it comes to conceding them, and therein lies the main problem.

In our articles throughout the season, particularly in the last few months, we have discussed what we believed were the shortcomings of the manager, but this will be his last game and we must now await was lies ahead in the summer and beyond.

Social media articles have already started the Lopetegui in / out debate before he has already been officially announced as the new ‘head coach’! The two sides have been debating whether or not he will lift us off our seats with enterprising, entertaining, attacking football? Will he be far removed from what we have witnessed in the past four years? How good is his record? To me on paper it looks very sound, but he has had some good teams / players to work with (Porto, Spain, Real Madrid, Sevilla). His overall record as a manager shows a 57% win rate from over 400 games.

Statistically, David Moyes record (in a West Ham context) is very sound too, but results in the last season and a half have been less than convincing apart from the European adventure and trophy. The football played in so many games has not been good enough, tactically he has been left wanting frequently, and we have suffered a number of heavy (embarrassing) defeats.

I won’t enter the debate on the new head coach until he is here and will wait to see what happens in the next few months. He certainly has a big job to do in overhauling the squad with many out of contract and ageing players. David Moyes apparently likes working with small squads and it certainly caught up with him in the end.

I have been thinking about some of the players that we’ve sold or sent out on loan in the last year. Pablo Fornals was a Spanish international when he came to us, did a reasonable if unspectacular job here, and now at Real Betis is creating more chances than virtually everyone in the Spanish league. Thilo Kehrer, a German international, never seemed to be at his best here, yet just take a look at his spectacular statistics at Monaco. Said Benrahma, superb for Brentford, comes to us, clearly not fancied by the manager, confidence disappears, is now turning it on at Lyons. Flynn Downes, always looked a decent player to me when given an opportunity here, but allowed out on loan to Southampton, where Russell Martin described him as their key player in the push for promotion. Freddie Potts, on loan at Wycombe, their player of the year. Perhaps one or more of these could have been more than useful in the squad in the disappointing second half of the season where a European place beckoned at the turn of the year but faded in 2024. But no we turned to Kalvin Phillips, a seasoned England international but way off the pace sitting on the Manchester City bench who has cost us millions. That turned out well, didn’t it?

Several positions need strengthening but for me a key priority is at the back, in particular central defence where for so long we have lacked pace to deal with the speed of Premier League attackers. Will Paqueta stay? Personally, I’m not bothered either way. He has undoubted talents but application can be lacking at times, and I’d hope that the £85million could be spent as wisely as it was when Declan Rice left a year ago with Kudus, Alvarez and JWP, all of whom I believe can offer much in the future if used in the right way, in the right positions, alongside Hammer of the Year Jarrod Bowen.

For some time now our Academy and youth teams have produced outstanding results, but this has not been reflected in players coming through into the First Team squad. There are high hopes for George Earthy and I would hope others too can get opportunities in the squad. Hopefully the new head coach will be able to bring on the youngsters more than has happened in recent times.

We’ve been known to spoil a Manchester party in the past but it is hard to imagine us halting the City celebrations this time around. At the end of the game at Tottenham they were celebrating as if the title was already theirs with just little old West Ham with the fragile defence to come in the final game. They were preparing their abacuses to take to the game.

Unlike a number of social media posts I’ve read where supposed West Ham fans want us to lose to deprive Arsenal of the title, because of their dislike or hatred of Arsenal and the Rice factor, I am in the opposite camp. You are entitled to your opinion but I hold an entirely different view. I may dislike some teams, but hate? No.

I would never ever want us to lose a game to influence what happens elsewhere. To any of you who want us to lose why not consider the bigger picture? If we did manage to hold or even (very unlikely) beat Manchester City then just think how brassed off Tottenham fans will be that Arsenal have won the title and West Ham were largely responsible for that happening. Surely you dislike Tottenham even more than Arsenal?

I always want us to win every game we play. I have no problems with Declan Rice and wish him well – he did a great job in a West Ham shirt. Personally I’d be more than happy if the Manchester City domination of the Premier League title was broken.

But realistically it would take a miracle. But miracles do happen very occasionally. Bookmakers have City at 1/12 to win the game (and the title) with West Ham at 20/1 and the draw at 11/1.

An interesting summer lies ahead.

West Ham Play Cameo Role In End Of The Piers Show

The curtain comes down on another Premier League season with the Hammers involved in final day drama at The Etihad. Is there any chance of derailing a fourth successive title for Manchester City?

So here we are again. The final Premier League weekend of the season and the now traditional shifting of the weekend’s fixtures so that supporters must make their way home on Sunday rail replacement bus services once the action is over.

With almost all of the league’s placings now settled, TV executives at least have a theoretical title-decider to ramp up the afternoon’s excitement. The helicopter will be parked up in Birmingham awaiting final instructions on whether the mad, last-minute dash with the trophy is to The Emirates or The Etihad. I say, theoretical, because all that sits between Manchester City and a fourth successive title are the serial roll-over merchants from West Ham.

The Super Sunday crew would have been furious with Son Heung-min for missing that late chance to equalise on Tuesday night. The prospect of the two protagonists going into the final day equal on points would have been mouthwatering (© Peter Drury.) Then it would have come down to a first past the post who can outscore who contest. Now Manchester City have the luxury of only needing to win by any score, in a fixture they have been triumphant in on the last seven occasions.

Among the straws being clutched at by Piers Morgan and his pals down the Hornsey Road is that David Moyes has a surprisingly good record in games against Manchester City, ignoring the fact that most of that happened while the Citizens were just another football club. When Moyes has faced Pep Guardiola, the playing field has been about as level as lion versus wildebeest.

The game will, of course, be Moyes final farewell and he may well be chuffed with a third top ten finish in four years. Looking back at my pre-season predictions I had West Ham down as finishing 13th. So, in some ways, he has exceeded my expectations. I just wouldn’t want to have to sit through it all again. At least he was able to sign off with a last home win last weekend once his side had woken up in the second half to ease past relegated Luton. No sooner had I been cursing the manager’s decision to opt for the terrible midfield double pivot of James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek than both popped up to score. Yet, I shudder to think what might happen if he starts with the same pairing again on Sunday.

The decision to make Edson Alvarez the scapegoat for defeat to Chelsea was baffling. Alvarez has been one of the top performers all season and has sometimes acted alone in not treating the game passively. Maybe a ball-winner is surplus to requirements in a side set up not to have it.

It is hard to imagine Moyes making any radical changes for his last game. It will be the usual favourites playing their usual roles in the usual low block. My prediction is that it will hold out until the 17th minute – and will be downhill from there. City just have too much quality to resist the charge just by putting as many bodies as possible in the way. They will eventually find a way through, past, or around.

The best hope is that a Premier League lawyer will run onto the pitch in added time to announce that City’s punishment for 115 breaches of the rules is to award the game to West Ham. I wonder if City will be stripped of their titles if found guilty of cheating?

In conclusion, my 2023/24 awards go to:

Player of the Year: Jarrod Bowen
Best Goal: Mohammed Kudus versus Freiburg
Best Goal (Premier League): Mohammed Kudus versus Brentford (away)
Bench Warmer of the Year: Divin Mubama
Annual Roberto Shocking Signing Award: Kalvin Phillips

Wouldn’t it be nice to believe the Hammers could be worthy opponents today. Not for anyone else’s sake but our own. It doesn’t make much difference to me who wins the league. I see no lesser between the two evils. How about countering the earlier cynicism with dreams of a last-minute Vladimir Coufal winner? COYI!

Meet The New Boss, Not The Same As The Old Boss

It’s all change at West Ham in what promises to be a busy summer of rebuilding at the London Stadium. The fun starts with David Moyes farewell in a Hammers versus Hatters showdown.

At last, the moment that many have been waiting for as Moyesball faces the final curtain at the London Stadium. We’ve loved, we’ve laughed and cried. We’ve had our fill (and in the last two seasons) our share of losing. And through it all, we lost the ball, while he stubbornly did it – Moyes way.

When the news of David Moyes departure broke in the week, it was met with the inevitable social media storm of outrage from the usual quarters. Reported as if everyone had found out at the same time, it prompted a volley of charges that the club had treated the manager disgustingly after all that he had achieved during his four and a half years in charge. These claims are predicated on the assumption that those involved were unaware that a search for a new manager was underway. Oblivious to the fact that it had been under discussion months beforehand. If the club were insistent on heading down a ‘head coach’ rather than ‘manager’ route, there was no way Moyes would agree to those terms. A scenario where Tim Steidten was sneaking around in the shadows and doodling “I ♡ J Lo” on the dressing room tactics board is the type of juvenile nonsense that only someone as gullible as Richard Keys could fall for

As I have written on several occasions previously, the history books will show David Moyes time at West Ham in a positive light. That is all the majority of causal observers who take only a passing interest in the club look at when they warn us with great monotony that little old West Ham should be careful what they wish for. Rather than being derided, Hammer’s fans deserve great credit for their insistence that style and eentertainment is more important than grinding out results on a weekly basis.

The whole David Moyes tenure at West Ham has been a time of ambiguity. He didn’t really save us from relegation, did he? He only managed one more point in 19 games than Pellegrini had achieved in the first half of the season. But then the 2020/21 season was arguably the Hammers best ever in the Premier League with a record number of wins and points – and a return to European football. Perhaps nostalgia is getting the better of me but I remember the second half of that campaign as a period of exciting, fast-paced counterattacking football at its best. The following season then started in the same vein but fell away sharply in the new year – after failing to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window – despite a couple of excellent performances in the Europa League against Lyon and Sevilla.

It was January 2022 when the rot had started to set in. Moyesball had been rumbled by other Premier League managers, there was no plan B, and the manager double down on his retreat to caution. The league record since then has shown the return of a lower to mid table side – a lowly average of 1.2 points per game. Despite this gradual decline in league form, the event that will forever represent Moyes time at West Ham is the Europa Conference win. It was a fantastic moment for supporters who had been starved of success for so long. The slow motion memory of Jarrod Bowen runningon to Lucas Paqueta’s pass can never be taken away. It may not have been the most prestigious competition, but it is still silverware. The celebrations in Prague and in east London the following day showed what it meant. For many fans, it was the first ever experience of success.

Progress is a complicated concept at a football club. There have been the highs of two top seven finishes and a trophy in the past four years, but can we honestly see a club that is progressing rather than one that had a few good seasons? Would progress have left us with such a small and ageing squad? Have we seen players arrive at the club and be changed beyond all recognition by progressive coaching methods? Have we witnessed any youngsters from a successful youth setup make it further than bench warming duties?  I think we know the answers.   

Although he will not be officially unveiled until after the end of the current season, the strong assumption is that Julen Lopetegui will start work as West Ham head coach on 1 June. Whether or not he was anybody’s first choice – other than the Boards – he is now the man we need to get behind. He has a huge rebuilding job on his hands if he intends to bring his preferred playing style to the London Stadium. A fair few of the current squad are ill-equipped, either through age, pace or technical ability, to play in a possession based, high press, high backline formation. The close season will be even more interesting to watch than usual as the rebuilding begins and the rumour mills go wild.

Before that, there is a small matter of a Premier League game against relegation threatened Luton. There is much more at stake for the visitors than the few million gained or lost from each league position. I rarely have strong views on who goes down and who stays up but would love to see Luton hang on for a second season. Against all the odds it has been a valiant effort by Rob Edwards’ side. It will be a tough ask tfor them hough. Perhaps they can bring one of their Luton vans with them to help move all the low blocks out of the stadium.

It is difficult to know what level of opposition the Hammes will offer today. The season is effectively over but will they want to put on a show for the departing manager? Will Moyes spring any selection surprises or stick with the tried and tested under-achievers? My one wish is that Jarrod Bowen grabs the goal that finally beats Paolo Di Canio’s record of most West Ham goals in a Premier League season. Good luck, Jarrod!

As for David Moyes? He deserves a respectful farewell but there’s too much negativity for him to be ever considered a West Ham legend. COYI!

The penultimate game of the season for West Ham – the last chance to pick up any points?

As we go into the penultimate game of the season at home to Luton let’s have a look back to see how we have done against all our opponents (so far):

  • Luton and Manchester City have a ‘game in hand’.
  • Wolves are the only team that we have done the double over, although Luton could join them.
  • Fulham have been our most ‘formidable’ opponent, although Manchester City could ‘overtake’ them if they beat us 6-0 in the final game of the season.
  • Fulham have been the only team that we have failed to score against.
  • We have not kept a clean sheet against any of our 19 opponents.
  • Teams against whom we have the upper hand (points + goal difference) – Wolves, Sheffield United, Brighton, Burnley, Tottenham, Brentford, Everton, Luton (so far)
  • Teams who have had the upper hand over us (points + goal difference) – Fulham, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Nottingham Forest.
  • We are ‘all square’ with Bournemouth.
  • With 2 games to go we are averaging 1.56 goals per game scored, 1.94 goals against.
  • We are currently 9th in the table (points), and 8th in terms of goals scored (56).
  • Only the bottom 3 teams have conceded more goals than us; 70 goals against is equal to the most goals that we have conceded in a season in the Premier League ever (in 28 seasons). We let in 70 in 2010/11 (the Avram Grant relegation season) so just one more goal conceded in the final two games would make this the worst season ever in this respect.
  • Our best season for fewest goals conceded in the Premier League was in 2008/9 when Gianfranco Zola was the manager.
  • With 2 games to go we have scored 56 goals – that is currently our 4th highest in a Premier League season – the most came in 2015/16 (Bilic) 65, 2020/21 (Moyes) 62, 2021/22 (Moyes) 60, 1997/98 (Redknapp) 56.
  • In the first half of this season we played 19 games, won 10, drew 3, lost 6, goals for 33, goals against 30, points 33.
  • Since then – played 17 games, won 3, drew 7, lost 7, goals for 23, goals against 40, points 16.

Three games to go as West Ham travel to Stamford Bridge, hoping for an unlikely win.

But (clutching at straws) playing them on a Sunday and on May 5th may not be the worst time to go there!

Last season was a great one in Europe and a poor one on the domestic front. A first trophy for 43 years whilst at the same time battling amongst the teams at the foot of the table. We certainly weren’t going to get into Europe via a league position. We were in the bottom three with 15 games of the season remaining but pulled away relatively comfortably with six wins and three draws (21 points) to finish in 14th place on 40 points.

This season has been almost the reverse. At the halfway stage which coincided with the end of 2023 we had won ten, drawn three, and lost just six games. We had 33 points from the 19 games, just seven short of last season’s total. We had scored 33 and conceded 30. Despite our football being less than convincing on a number of occasions the results were good and we sat in sixth place in the table and well placed for another tilt at Europe next season. In my first article of 2024 I speculated (hoped) that similar results in the second half of the season would see us finish on 66 points which would be a record total in the Premier League era with 66 goals scored (another record). 60 goals conceded wouldn’t be a record but would rank in the top half dozen of goals conceded in our 28 years of Premier League football.

So with just three games of the season to go where are we? Certainly not close to emulating the first half of the season. Incredibly we are still in the top half of the table (9th) despite in the last 16 games (as Geoff pointed out in his article this week) moving on to just 49 points, that is 16 points from 16 games. If we’d achieved a point a game over the whole season we’d now have 35, which, not quite relegation form would see us languishing in 16th, even worse than in the last campaign. So it’s just as well we collected as many points as we did up to the end of 2023.

Even now with three games left, three wins would see us bump our points total up to 58 which would be our third best ever in the Premier League. But with away games at Chelsea and Manchester City and a home game against Luton that’s not going to happen is it? Chelsea have been rejuvenated recently despite a thrashing at Arsenal, and it is hard to see us getting anything there. Luton will be fighting for their lives and Manchester City on the last day will be quite a challenge. Nevertheless as professional footballers three wins to end the season has got to be the aim. Stranger things have happened? Perhaps not.

Let me give you some hope for the Chelsea game by looking back at our record of games played on May 5th in my lifetime. None of our three FA Cup final wins came on this date. Our 3-2 win over Preston in 1964 was on May 2nd, it was May 3rd when we beat Fulham 2-0 in 1975, and May 10th when we beat Arsenal 1-0 in 1980. On May 5th 1976 we lost 4-2 in the Cup Winners Cup Final to Anderlecht, on May 5th 1979 we lost 1-0 to Blackburn, on this date in 1984 we lost 1-0 to Aston Villa and in our record breaking season on May 5th 1986 we lost 3-1 at Everton to drop from 2nd to 3rd as the final position that season.

I haven’t convinced you yet have I? Well in the eight other games played on May 5th in history we haven’t lost any of them, in fact the 1986 defeat at Everton was the last time we went down on this date. In 1980 in a Division 2 game we beat Charlton 4-1, and in 1990 Wolves were put to the sword 4-0 – remember this for Liam Brady’s final game including the magnificent goal he scored.

Julian Dicks scored in our 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday in 1996, and in 1998 we drew 3-3 with Palace, a game where Manny Omoyinmi (remember him?) scored two goals, the only two goals he ever scored for us. He is best remembered for coming on as a substitute in our quarter final League Cup win over Aston Villa in 2000, although he had already played in the competition when out at Gillingham on loan. The Villa game had to be replayed as we had used an ineligible player, Harry was fuming, and sent Omoyinmi out on loan to Scunthorpe and Barnet – he never played for us again.

Four games in the twenty-first century on 5th May have all resulted in victories. In 2001 Cole, Di Canio and Kanoute were the scorers in a 3-0 win over Southampton and in 2007 (the Great Escape year) we won 3-1 against Bolton in the penultimate game of the season with Tevez scoring twice and Noble with the goals. In 2017 a Lanzini goal was enough for a win over Tottenham at the London Stadium and the following year Joao Mario and Noble were the scorers in a 2-0 win at Leicester.

And did you know that Chelsea are as bad at playing on Sundays as we are? They’ve only won once in their last 13 attempts in Sunday games.

How many famous recent wins at Stamford Bridge can you remember? With David Martin in goal we held on for a 1-0 win in November 2019 with a goal from Cresswell (the only West Ham win in the last 17 games at Chelsea), a 3-2 victory in 2002 with two goals from Di Canio and one from Defoe, a Paul Kitson goal in a 1-0 win in 1999, Dicks and (Danny) Williamson goals in a 2-1 win in 1996, Martin Allen and Moncur in a 2-1 win in 1994, and for the best one of all are you old enough to remember the great win there in the famous 1985/86 season when we thrashed them 4-0 (McAvennie, Devonshire and Cottee 2)? Just six victories at Stamford Bridge in the last 40 plus years.

It would be great to record another win but can it happen? As you would expect the bookmakers have Chelsea odds on to win the game – we are at 15/4, which is exactly the odds they gave us to draw at home to Liverpool last week!   

I won’t enter the Moyes debate today – Geoff covered that in this week’s article. My choice would be McKenna from Ipswich. It won’t happen of course. Lopetegui heads the betting with bookmakers, closely followed by Potter, Fonseca and Carrick. Three unlikely wins to end the season, qualification for Europe, and Moyes could stay! Surely not!

David Moyes Farewell Tour Heads To Stamford Bridge

Laughing like children, giving to scammers, rolling like thunder, under the hammers. I guess that’s why they call them the Blues …..

The fat lady has charged up her calculator and has estimated the chances of West Ham qualifying for Europe as slimmer than the bumper book of German humour. The singing is about to start very shortly.

In truth, most of us – those who are not pundits – have known for some time that the European dream is over for the time being. A record of just three wins and 16 points from 16 games in 2024 tells you everything you need to know if you are looking at it objectively. It’s relegation form rather than a storming end to the season. With Chelsea finally waking up and Bournemouth on a roll, even a top half finish is by no means certain.

No-one seems to care much about how events might unfold on the football pitch anyway. The managerial shenanigans are far more entertaining. It is ludicrous to swallow the official line that no final decision has been taken by the Board. They are not going to be sitting around a table on May 19 – following a ritual thrashing by Manchester City – for a performance review and to talk things over: “Under weaknesses, David, you’ve put down chips and deep fried cornetto?” David Moyes is history, and anyone with any sense knows that to be the case. There is no way back for him from here. The only outstanding matter is for the official announcement to be made. Like a killer caught on CCTV, holding a smoking gun, blood on his clothes, and DNA all over the corpse, who just hasn’t heard the jury’s verdict yet.

The news that Tim Steidten has been electronically tagged to prevent him stalking the player;s dressing room is a classic West Ham gaffe. No, it wasn’t a good idea for Tim to turn up at the end of season party dressed as the Grim Reaper but that’s German humour for you.

I find it really puzzling why the Board have decided to stretch uncertainty until the final curtain. It might have made sense while the Europa League campaign was still ongoing, but not now. I don’t see who it benefits, and it must create the most awkward of situations for both Moyes and Steidten. Trying to avoid each other like a divorcing couple still sharing the same house.

The list of potential Moyes replacements gets a little longer by the day. As with transfer speculation we can assume that all but one or two of the links are pure media invention. A few weeks back, I threw in the name of Sebastian Hoenes who I had not seen linked previously. Should that happen, I will claim the credit for breaking the news.

Of all the names so far put forward as serious contenders, Julen Lopetegui is my least favourite – but unfortunately, I have no say in the matter. So, who is it going to be? According to Under The Hammers inside sources, Hansi Flick has been spotted eating jellied eels in Whitechapel, Ruben Amorim has enrolled for an online course in Cockney Rhyming Slang, and Paulo Fonseca has been learning the words to Chim Chim Cher-ee. A lot of positive interest there, then. For what it’s worth, my money is on Fonseca.

As for the weekend’s game at Stamford Bridge it has the makings of another comprehensive battering as our old-timers are given the runaround by a rejuvenated Chelsea youth. There is nothing to suggest the Hammers have the mettle to bounce back from their recent four month atrophy.

It would be nice to think that even at this late stage Moyes would try something different – throw in a youngster or two – but it’s likely to be the usual suspects, ta rademark low block, and Mohammed Kudus marooned on the left wing. The gameplan will be to setup for a draw, which the manager would regard as an exceptional result.

The most positive outcome from the match (other than it being one less match before the end of the season) is the chance for Jarrod Bowen to break Paolo Di Canio’s Premier League scoring record. It would be well deserved.

The Hammer’s recent foray into playing short goal-kicks from the back have been nothing short of comical. In the past, the keeper would just hoof a goal kick long in the hope that Tomas Soucek would head it an opponent. Now it goes from the keeper to Zouma, to Oggy, to Zouma and finally back to the keeper to hoof it long. Excellent progress with a few extra passes to add to the possession stats. I’ve called it comical but the inability to pass, move and make space emphasises how the squad has been assembled to play one way only – Moyesball. Whoever comes in has a job and a half on their hands.

The Hammers hopes of clinging on to a top half finish is likely to come down to results the following weekend when the Hammes host Luton and Bournemouth face Brentford. The other games look like formalities. COYI!