Tag: #carabaocup

Can West Ham improve upon four points from five games when we visit Brentford this weekend?

The sixth Premier league game of the 2024-25 season is also our sixth league game in London when we visit the GTech Community Stadium this Saturday. Even our second round league cup tie was at home when we beat Bournemouth 1-0. It must have been quite a shock to our players having to travel all the way to Liverpool on Wednesday night in the third round of the League Cup.

And what can you say about another five goals against, albeit to another of the top teams? Both sides started the game having made several changes so in many ways it was almost like two reserve sides in opposition. Was 5-1 a true reflection of the game? I thought not personally. We were fortunate with the own goal that gave us a lead, but the build up to the Liverpool equaliser was clearly offside. Where was VAR when we needed it? We could have had one, two or possibly three penalties but all were marginal decisions and not surprisingly weren’t awarded – we were playing at Anfield after all. How many opposing sides get given penalties there?

We were still well in it at 2-1 down but they were much more clinical in their finishing, especially Salah and Gakpo, whereas we spurned the chances we had. For me, I can’t excuse Alvarez – his tackling decision making leaves a lot to be desired as his bookings record shows. Although I was surprised when the commentator said that it was the first time that he’d been sent off in his career. The same is true of Paqueta – you can safely bet on him getting a yellow card and he came close to getting a red too!

Effectively Alvarez cost us and had he stayed on it would certainly have been closer. Taking everything into account Liverpool were the better team but they certainly had the rub of the green. I was amazed to see some criticism of some individual players online, especially Bowen and Summerville who I thought were our best players, and even Antonio looked much better when he came on than he had in recent games this season.

So now we move on to Brentford on Saturday. Fixtures against Brentford began well over 100 years ago in 1898, and we beat them the first six times that we played them. The early games were in the Southern League First Division where we met them 26 times up to 1913. We didn’t meet again until 1927 when they knocked us out of the FA Cup after a replay following a draw at Upton Park. From then until 1993 we met them from time to time when our paths crossed in the second tier of English football. It wasn’t until they were promoted to the Premier League in 2021 that we faced each other in the top flight.

We did knock them out of the FA Cup on their ground in 2023 when Said Benrahma ironically scored the only goal of the game, but that was the only time we have beaten them away from home since 1953 over 70 years ago.

This is now their fourth season in the Premier League, and in the six league meetings we have beaten them only once (losing the other five) – Our sole victory came the last time we met in February this year when Jarrod Bowen scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory at the London Stadium. The three away games were all defeats 2-0, 2-0, and last season 3-2 (when we led 2-1 at half-time). So very much a bogey team until our last meeting.

They have started the season well at home with two wins in their two games, 2-1 against Palace and 3-1 versus Southampton. They have lost all three games on the road, with difficult fixtures at Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham.

The feature of the City and Tottenham games is one that we need to be aware of especially as at times we are slow starters in games. Against City they took the lead in just 22 seconds, and against Tottenham almost the same in 23 seconds. Both games were lost 2-1 and 3-1 but nevertheless we could do without conceding an early goal.

Geoff’s excellent article published on Wednesday sums up very well what happened in the Chelsea game and where we are now. Although we were comfortable losers in the game the one decision that astonished me was the pullback on Summerville. Had the penalty been given (as it almost certainly should have been) then successful conversion would have reduced the deficit and perhaps it might have been a different game had we just been trailing 2-1 at the interval. Nevertheless, still a lot for the head coach and players to work on.

Brentford won’t be an easy fixture but it’s the kind of game we would hope to be winning (and definitely not losing) if we are truly going to improve on last season’s ninth place finish and push on towards European qualification. If we don’t then we will fall further behind the teams above us. The next international break comes up after this game and the one at home to Ipswich. It would be good to have ten points by then. The two games that follow the break are at Tottenham and then at home to Manchester United.

A winning run is needed and then we might begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel (a phrase coined by the new Prime Minister this week). What did he say? It needs to get worse before it gets better. Was he referring to economic prospects or West Ham?

In Summerville, Kudus and Bowen we have an attacking trio that will cause problems for most defences. I still worry about lack of pace behind them though. Perhaps Paqueta will start to play like the Brazilian international that he is? Perhaps Soler will turn out to be as good as he was touted to be? Perhaps Irvine will turn out to be the biggest surprise of all? It’s hard to work out the direction in which we are going but we definitely need to get it right soon.

West Ham face the stiffest Premier League test of all when Manchester City are the visitors on Saturday

Last Weekend at Palace

Before last Saturdays game at Selhurst Park I asked the question as to whether more of our summer signings would make the starting eleven. The answer was no. That was disappointing but I guess the head coach either believes they are not ready or he wants to give every chance to existing players to stake a claim. I was unable to see the game so had to make do with highlights. From those I would deduce that both Soucek and especially Bowen took their goals well in the second half, Kilman had yet another excellent game and looks to be a superb acquisition, and Wan-Bissaka too looked very good in the limited time he was on the pitch.

Kilman’s drive forward with the ball and well timed pass showed what a good ball-playing defender can add to a team. And Wan-Bissaka (ironically described as a world class one on one defender but limited going forward – not good enough for Manchester United anyway!) proved doubters wrong with some fine work down the right flank which led to Soucek’s goal.

There seemed to be chances at both ends in the first half with Eze (unluckily hitting the bar with Areola well beaten), Edouard missing a relatively easy chance, and both Antonio and Kudus missing chances where they could have done better.

I would also assume that Health and Safety people will be visiting the ground in view of the barrier that gave way when West Ham fans were celebrating Soucek’s goal. Well done to both Soucek and Bowen for rescuing what could have been a very serious situation.

That was my interpretation of the highlights. What did I miss?

Carabao Cup v Bournemouth

 I was disappointed (I suspect not the only one) when the starting line-up was revealed for the Palace game. I had hoped for Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Fullkrug and Summerville to be in the starting eleven in place of Coufal, Mavropanos, Antonio and Soucek. But I am told that Mavropanos had a decent game (benefitting from playing alongside Kilman perhaps), and of course Soucek scored the opening goal so the right result was achieved. An important three points.

The summer signings who have yet to be involved from the start (or had minimal minutes on the pitch) will have been chomping at the bit to show what they can do in the all-Premier League cup tie against Bournemouth. The four I referred to all started in the game. The whole team looked rusty in the first half and it showed that they are not really up to speed yet in many cases. It didn’t improve much (if at all) in the second half until the substitutes appeared.

Wan-Bissaka was the pick of the four for me, I thought that he looked an absolute bargain for £15 million, once again showing attacking qualities as well as well-known defensive ones despite having to fill in at left back. For me he will provide so much more than Coufal. Once again Kilman looked very impressive. Alvarez was right on the ball from the off. For everyone else I’ll reserve judgement for the time being, although I thought that Coufal, Soucek and Mavropanos had very poor games.

Incredibly this is a competition that we have never won (although we have come close) yet in theory it is possibly the easiest trophy to lift with just a few wins needed to reach a Wembley final. Traditionally clubs field weakened teams in the earlier rounds to keep squad players happy and with the stronger squad that we appear to have assembled this time around you would hope that we would not be too disadvantaged, but at times in this game our team played like strangers who hadn’t played together (which I guess was the case!).

Bournemouth were rightly aggrieved to go out of the competition in the way that they did. After being robbed of a win last Sunday against Newcastle when VAR controversially disallowed a winner which went in off a shoulder, they would almost certainly have been saved by VAR this time, except it wasn’t in operation. Bowen was probably offside when the ball went in (it seemed) off his elbow, but neither of the two reasons that VAR would have found to disallow the goal were spotted by the officials and hence we went into the next round after a game that gave us little to get excited about.

The controversy doesn’t end there though. Winning the tie meant that we were ‘rewarded’ with a trip to Anfield in the next round, after a ‘rigged’ draw kept all the sides playing in the Champions League and Europa League apart. I remember the days when draws for domestic cup competitions were purely random! And don’t get me started about the draw for the Champions League and the other European competitions. To accommodate 36 teams in the Champions League which means more games (189 up from 125) and added revenue (£4.1 billion up from £3.1 billion) the draw for the new format (where ‘every game counts’) with a league phase replacing the traditional group games, was done using Artificial Intelligence. Apparently if the draw had been done in the traditional manual way with people unscrewing plastic balls taken from a bowl, it would have taken four hours with 1000 different balls in 36 bowls!

Historical memories of games v Manchester City

We have faced Manchester City 17 times in the Premier League since we last beat them in September 2015. Moses and Sakho put us 2-0 up in the first half that day before De Bruyne pulled one back just before half time. But we held on for a 2-1 win. Cresswell, Antonio and De Bruyne are the only survivors from that day that remain in the squads today. We did beat them 5-3 on Penalties in a League Cup tie in 2021 after drawing 0-0, and we have managed draws at Upton Park in 2016 and at the London Stadium in 2020 and 2022.

Back in March 1996 Niall Quinn deprived me of £400 in the fixture at Upton Park. City were a softer touch around that time and I had placed a £5 bet at 80-1 on us beating them 4-1 in the game. Unfortunately, Quinn scored with the last kick of the game and it ended 4-2! I should have repeated the bet four years later when, despite being 1-0 down at half time at Upton Park, we ran out 4-1 winners with goals from Lomas, Sinclair, Pearce, and a 90th minute penalty converted by Di Canio. But I didn’t.

In December 1994 Tony Cottee scored a hat trick in a 3-0 win at Upton Park. A year earlier in November 1993 we beat them 3-1 with goals from Burrows, Chapman and Matty Holmes. I remember that game as one of the first I can recall on Monday Night Football on Sky – it came shortly after Julian Dicks joined Liverpool in a swap deal which involved full back David Burrows and Mike Marsh coming to West Ham. To add some power to the forward line Lee Chapman was bought from Portsmouth.

A memory from the 1980s from September 1982 – at Upton Park we beat City 4-1 (that score has featured a few times hasn’t it in history) – Sandy Clark notched a brace (do you remember him?), Paul Goddard and our skilful Belgian Francois Van der Elst scored the goals.

In March 1970 we were struggling in the league and were 17th in the table. A new goalscorer was needed and one arrived when a swap deal was arranged with Tottenham as Martin Peters joined Spurs and the legendary Jimmy Greaves arrived at Upton Park. Greaves first game was at Maine Road in pouring rain on a mudbath of a pitch and was covered by Match of the Day in the days when only one game was shown on the programme. Greaves scored twice, Geoff Hurst scored twice and Ronnie Boyce scored from 50 yards volleying back City keeper Joe Corrigan’s kick from his penalty area straight into the net. An unforgettable game.

My memory stretches back even further to the 1962-63 season. We met fellow strugglers (we were 19th at the time) Manchester City early in the season (September) and beat them 6-1 at Maine Road. We faced them again on the final day of the season and again beat them 6-1 to relegate them from the top-flight. We had improved as the season progressed and finished twelfth.

Although City were co-founders of the initial Premier League when it was created in 1992 (they finished ninth in the first season) they then struggled and were relegated in 1996 – the season I referred to earlier writing about the late Niall Quinn goal – I won’t forgive him! After two seasons they then fell to the lowest point in their history when they were relegated to the third tier. Younger fans will find it hard to believe that City were that low at the end of the twentieth century, just a quarter of a century ago.

This Saturday’s Game v Manchester City 

Of course facing the modern Manchester City is an entirely different proposition to the fixtures against them in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s that I highlighted above. The revival began at the turn of the century and following purchase by the Abu Dhabi Group in 2008 they have gone from strength to strength with massive investment.

Following the appointment of Pep Guardiola in 2016 they have achieved unprecedented success. In the seven seasons from 2017 to 2024 they have won six league titles and finished second once. In 2022-23 they achieved the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. In short, they are almost unbeatable and, as I wrote earlier we haven’t beaten them in our last 17 attempts in the Premier League going back nine years.

They already top the Premier League after just two games this season following a comfortable 2-0 win at Chelsea and then beating newcomers Ipswich 4-1 last Saturday. Six points and six goals already – Haaland has four of them. He has also scored four times in four league games against us and is an obvious danger once again, although they are so strong throughout the team, we will have to be at the very top of our game and hope they are below par to stand any chance.

Once our newcomers have bedded in I have no doubt that we will be a stronger team (and have a stronger squad) than we have been in under the previous manager. However, these are still early days and perhaps it would have been better for us to face the stiffest test of all in the Premier League after more time together. Undoubtedly we have some excellent attacking players – let’s hope for an early season surprise on Saturday. Bookmakers don’t think there will be. We are quoted at about 6/1 to win the game with City at 1/3 and the draw at 4/1. Can we defy the odds? We’ll need to improve considerably on our performances in the past week to do so.

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!  

Another Chance To Break The Anfield Curse: West Ham Battle Liverpool For A Place In The EFL Cup Semi-Final

With a touch of verve, swagger and style returning to the Hammer’s play can they pull of a classic smash and grab at Liverpool tonight? Or will it be yet another case of Merseycide?

It will be a buoyant West Ham who head to Anfield tonight to take on Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. The prize, a place in the semi-final draw alongside Chelsea, Fulham, and Middlesbrough. The winner of tonight’s tie becoming the highest ranked team remaining in the competition.

There have been a host of unlikely winners in 63 seasons of the Milk, Littlewoods, Rumbelows, Coca-Cola, Worthington, Carling, Capital One, Carabao Cup – but the Hammers have yet to get among them. In previous seasons, the names of Norwich, Birmingham, West Brom, Middlesbrough, QPR, Stoke, Luton, Swindon, and Oxford have all been engraved on the old trophy. But the best West Ham have to show for it is two losing final appearances. The first, a two-legged affair against West Bromwich Albion in 1966; the second, a replay defeat to tonight’s opponents in 1981.

In contrast to the Hammer’s duck, Liverpool have won the competition more times than any other club, running out victorious in nine of the 13 finals they have appeared in. Their most recent victory was in a 2022 penalty shootout against Chelsea in 2022, after the game finished scoreless after extra time.

One record that the two clubs share is the biggest win in EFL Cup history – by ten goals to nil. West Ham thumping Bury in 1983, Liverpool doing likewise to Fulham in 1986. There is no record of The Reds signing any of the Fulham defenders after the match as the Hammers did with Paul Hilton of Bury.

The curse of West Ham visits to Anfield is well documented. An emphatic 3-0 win in 2015, which indirectly led to the demise of Brendan Rodgers and the appointment of Jurgen Klopp, was the first away victory at Anfield for 52 years. But the hoodoo has not been lifted again since. The Hammers now on a run of seven consecutive defeats at Liverpool since a 2-2 draw in Dec 2016.

Tonight is the sixth time that West Ham have faced Liverpool in the EFL Cup. The first and last of those meetings saw the Hammers come out on top with Liverpool winning the three in between. Unsurprisingly, both West Ham wins were recorded at Upton Park – a 2-1 win (Hurst, Robson) in October 1971, and a shock 4-1 victory (Gale, Ince 2, Staunton OG) in November 1988. The Hammers line up that day: McKnight, Potts, Dicks, Gale, Martin, Devonshire, Brady, Kelly, Rosenoir, Dickens, Ince. It was an eventful year at West Ham as they were eventually beaten in semi-final of the EFL Cup by Luton, lost in a sixth round FA Cup replay to Norwich, and ended up being relegated.

It has become compulsory at this time of year to mention that the games are coming thick and fast, although Christmas schedules aren’t as hectic as they once were and European fixtures are taking a breather. Managers must still take a gamble with how they juggle resources. Even if the early rounds or the EFL cup are seen as nuisance it takes on greater significance as thoughts of the Wembley dome come to mind.

Klopp in particular will be in two minds on team selection with a top of the table clash with Arsenal on the weekend horizon, and at a time when the Anfield sickbay is bursting at the seams – Matip, Thiago, Bajcetic, Robertson, Mac Allister, and Jota are all probable absentees. Klopp has plenty of attacking talent to call upon, but they are clearly vulnerable in defence and midfield.

On the other hand, West Ham have only Michail Antonio on the long-term sick list – although a few are close to exhaustion if overnight reports are correct. It is either luck or testament to the club’s training methods that the Hammers have suffered few injury problems of late (makes note to touch wood). A far cry from the time when players only needed to pull their socks up to pull a hamstring.

The issue for Moyes is more about quality – or at least which players he feels he can trust. Playing the same group of players week in and week out doesn’t appear to be a sustainable policy, so he may well be pressured to make changes for tonight’s game. I would be quite happy to see two or three of Thilo Kehrer, Pablo Fornals, Said Benrahma, or Divin Mubama introduced but please no Aaron Cresswell or Danny Ings.

If the Hammers win it would make it a first EFL Cup semi-final for 10 years. Thankfully, Manchester City will not be waiting in the draw this time around. If they should advance, it is a eminently winnable competition. It’s just the record at Anfield that makes it a big ‘if’. But all winning and losing streaks must come to an end eventually so why not tonight when Liverpool’s have one eye fixed on the Premier League table? COYI!