Tag: #jarrodbowen

They Think It’s All Over; It is Now – And It’s A Massive Relief for All West Ham Fans!

It’s nose bleeds all round at West Ham as Graham Potter’s side climb to the dizzy heights of 14th place on the closing day of a dreadful season. Miracles are needed in the next 12 weeks if a repeat is to be avoided.

And so, there you have it. A dull, turgid, unimaginative season is finally over to the relief of the many. The very worst of seasons since the last one we had suffered; and further proof of the futility of raised expectations when it comes to supporting West Ham.

The record books will show the 2024/25 had actually outperformed 2022/23 on most of the metrics in the league campaign. But, of course, those painful memories had been swept away by the euphoria of a famous night in Prague. There was no such redemption this time round though, as woeful Premier League fortunes were equally matched by early, limp cup exits.

It would be nice to think the slate could be wiped clean during the summer; allowing next season – which begins in just 12 weeks time – to be approached with a renewed sense of optimism. Sadly, there is little evidence to suggest the Hammers are capable of metamorphosing into next year’s Nottingham Forest. It would take a transfer window of momentous brilliance and a road to Damascus style conversion for the coach if the side is to be transformed into credible top eight material.

It was already known that Graham Potter would finish the season with a worse record than the manager he replaced in January. The final day victory at Ipswich did make the points per game difference marginal in the end (1.11 vs 1.15). And the late strike by Mohammed Kudus edged Potter ahead of Lopetegui on goals scored per game (1.22 vs 1.20). This in addition to the more significant improvement on goals conceded per game (1.28 vs 1.95). The tiniest crumbs of comfort in the boardroom, perhaps.

The eventual 14th place finish was ultimately unexpected but was fitting given the amount of time West Ham had been marooned there earlier in the season. Lopetegui’s side had, in fact, spent only one week lower than 14th, while yesterday’s last gasp win earned Potter his loftiest position since defeat at Chelsea on February 3.

Long time West Ham fans have been raised with a wary eye on disappointment. Even if it sometimes appears to be hiding, in the back of your mind you know it’s never very far away. A couple of decent league finishes and three years of European adventures are now in the rearview mirror as a distant false dawn; an accidental temporary anomaly rather than the first steps of a new golden age. A glance at the club’s record across all prior 38-game Premier League seasons does not lie; there is an underlying equilibrium that centres on a mediocrity which underperforms the club’s financial standing. While the season just finished was undeniably awful, it is not an obvious outlier and sits as 14th out of 27 for goals scored, and 17th out of 27 for points won.

Adding to the current pain has been that any pretence of serving up entertaining and enterprising football that was once the West Ham trademark has long been lost and forgotten. For too long, the club has resorted to dull, pragmatist managers whose overriding philosophy has been to concede fewer than the opposition, not to outscore them. Although individual approaches may be different, Potter has done nothing to suggest he is an upgrade on Lopetegui, Moyes or Allardyce when it comes to enterprise. Potter’s media representation as a bright, young coach puzzles in the light of his reputation at Brighton and Chelsea for pointless possession and lack of shot creation. Can or will he prove us wrong over time?

The Ipswich game was a largely unremarkable affair punctuated by several well-taken goals. West Ham enjoyed plenty of early possession but (unsurprisingly) made few penalty area entries. Once again, the team selection left us scratching our heads, with the inclusion of just two attack minded players in front of the most workmanlike midfield imaginable. Fortunately, Ipswich contrived to lend a hand by gifting the Hammers the lead just before the break; Jarrod Bowen’s assist setting up James Ward-Prowse for his only goal of the season.

Parity was restored early in the second half when Jean-Clair Todibo (who played all afternoon as if under the influence) couldn’t be bothered to put in a challenge, allowing Broadhead free access to stroke past an exposed Lukasz Fabianski.

The Hammers finally put the match to bed courtesy of fine strikes from Bowen and Kudus. The first, the result of neat interplay between Bowen and Aaron Wan-Bissaka before the skipper blasted home from just outside the area. According to Tony Gale the ball continued to gather pace as it went, despite this being scientifically impossible. You cannae change the laws of physics, Galey! The second arrived when Kudus exchanged passes with a ‘rampaging’ Guido Rodriguez to curl home and put the result beyond doubt. A low key game with low key goal celebrations. No Ward-Prowse golf swing, and no Kudus advertising hoarding pose. I wonder how many of those featuring will still be with us come the end of the summer!

***

I’ve always been of the view that the only statistic than wins games is goal scored. Nevertheless, who doesn’t like a selection of improbable Premier League statistics (harvested from the FBRef site) which show how West Ham players compare in the statistical scheme of things. Here are the categories which feature Hammers in the top ten leader board positions for the season.

Assists: Jarrod Bowen (Joint 10th)
Goals + Assists: Jarrod Bowen (Joint 9th)
Shots on Target: Jarrod Bowen (Joint 8th)
Goals per Shot of Target: Tomas Soucek (Joint 9th)
Goals minus xG: Jarrod Bowen (4th)
Through Balls: Lucas Paqueta (10th)
% of Dribblers Tackled: Max Kilman (1st), Jean-Clair Todibo (7th), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Joint 9th)
Blocks: Max Kilman (8th)
Interceptions: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (1st)
Clearances: Max Kilman (5th)
Successful Take-Ons: Mohammed Kudus (2nd), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (7th)
Successful Take-On %: Max Kilman (3rd)
Minutes Played: Max Kilman (10th)
Yellow Cards: Lucas Paqueta (Joint 10th)
Aerials Won: Max Kilman (5th), Tomas Soucek (Joint 8th)
% of Aerials Won: Konstantinos Mavropanos (7th), Max Kilman (10th)
Fouls Drawn: Mohammed Kudus (Joint 5th), Lucas Paqueta (7th)
Save Percentage: Lukasz Fabianski (2nd)

With a week of the transfer window remaining, a trip down memory lane looking back at some of West Ham’s most successful incoming transfers

With the winter transfer window nearing its close it got me thinking about West Ham’s transfer successes and failures in the years that I have been following the team. In this article I will mainly concentrate on some of the successful ones and my favourites.

The first notable incoming transfer that I remember vaguely, mainly reinforced by my dad was that of Vic Keeble in 1957. We bought him from Newcastle for £10,000 which set up a partnership with one of my all time favourites Johnny Dick which yielded 40 goals as the Hammers became Second Division champions (Dick 21, Keeble 19). In the following season in Division One the pair scored 47 between them (Dick 27, Keeble 20), a key reason why we finished sixth in the table. In the next campaign he was forced to retire with back trouble and ended with 49 goals in 80 appearances, £10,000 well spent! What a partnership that was with Dick in the days when a twin spearhead produced such success.

The next one I remember was when West Ham smashed the British record transfer fee signing Johnny Byrne for £65,000 from fourth division Crystal Palace. He formed an exciting partnership with Geoff Hurst, with the bigger target man feeding off the skilful smaller partner and vice versa. He was an England international and when he was sold back to Crystal Palace in 1967 he had scored over 100 goals for us in just over 200 appearances. Perhaps his best ever game for us came in a League Cup tie in 1966 when we slaughtered ‘mighty’ Leeds 7-0. He didn’t get on the scoresheet that night but had a hand in virtually every goal and put in a performance close to perfection. Once again the twin partnership was a key factor.

In 1967 three signings were made to strengthen our defence. John Cushley arrived from Celtic and also from Scotland came goalkeeper Bobby Ferguson at £65,000 a record fee for a British goalkeeper. Both of the Scottish signings were not complete successes, finding it difficult to adapt to the English game. Ferguson was an excellent shot stopper but not the best when it came to dominating his penalty area. It was reported at the time that we could have bought Gordon Banks at the time as Leicester wanted to promote a teenage Peter Shilton, but for some reason we went for Ferguson. Most significantly at the time right back Billy Bonds was signed from Charlton for £50,000, arguably the best transfer ever made by the club in my lifetime.

Billy Bonds is a true legend at West Ham United, having made an indelible mark on the club both as a player and a manager. He quickly established himself as a key player, initially as a right-back before transitioning to midfield and then centre back. He was known for his hardworking, uncompromising, swashbuckling style, which perfectly complemented the skills of his teammates. He played a crucial role in West Ham’s successes, including their FA Cup victories in 1975 and 1980. Bonds was the only West Ham captain to lift the FA Cup twice. He also won the Hammer of the Year award four times, showcasing his consistent excellence.

His legacy at West Ham is immense. He made 799 first-team appearances for the club, scoring 61 goals over his 27-year association. His commitment to the club and his ability to inspire both as a player and a manager have cemented his status as an all-time great, and perhaps our best ever signing. The East Stand at the London Stadium is named in his honour, recognizing his contributions to the club.

In 1970 we signed Tommy Taylor for £78,000 from Leyton Orient. A very good centre half who had played in the first team at Orient at just 15 years old he played for nine seasons at Upton Park appearing in almost 400 games. He gained many under 23 caps for England but never quite made the full international team.

One of the great mysteries to me of international football was why Bryan ‘Pop’ Robson was never selected to play for the full England team. After a successful career at Newcastle where he won a Second Division Championship medal and a European Fairs Cup medal and scoring almost 100 goals West Ham paid a club record fee of £120,000 for his services. He went to Sunderland in 1975 and then we bought him back for £80,000 in 1976, staying with us for a further three seasons before again joining Sunderland. He scored over 100 goals for the Hammers and in 1972-73 was the First Division leading scorer with 28 goals. Ironically he left us twice just before we won the FA Cup, firstly in 1975 and then in 1980!

Alan Taylor became a household name in 1975 when his goals swept us to Wembley. He joined from Rochdale for £45,000 in 1974. He won an FA Cup winners medal in 1975 and a year later was in the side that lost to Anderlecht in the European Cup Winners Cup final. In five seasons at Upton Park he scored 36 goals in 121 appearances, but the statistic we all remember is that he scored two goals in the quarter final at Highbury against Arsenal, two goals in the semi-final replay versus Ipswich, and two goals in the final against Fulham.

There were two other relatively successful signings at the same time as Alan Taylor with Billy Jennings (£110,000 from Watford) and Keith Robson (from Newcastle) forming an entertaining front three.

Alan Devonshire is another West Ham United legend whose career is filled with remarkable achievements and memorable moments. He began his football journey at non-league Southall, where his exceptional skills caught the attention of West Ham scouts. Despite initial rejections from Crystal Palace, Devonshire’s talent shone through, and he signed for West Ham in 1976 for a fee of just £5,000. He quickly became a fan favourite, known for his mazy runs down the left flank and his ability to glide past defenders. His partnership with Trevor Brooking in midfield was telepathic, contributing to West Ham’s successes during the late 1970s and 1980s.

He played a crucial role in West Ham’s FA Cup victory in 1980. He also helped the team reach the League Cup final in 1981 and achieve their highest-ever finish in the top-flight with a third-place finish in 1986. Over his 14-year career at West Ham, Devonshire made 448 appearances and scored 32 goals. Despite his club success, his international career was limited to eight caps for England between 1980 and 1983. Many fans believe he deserved more recognition at the international level given his talent and contributions to West Ham.

Phil Parkes is widely regarded as one of West Ham United’s greatest goalkeepers. He began his professional career at Walsall before moving to Queens Park Rangers in 1970. During his time at QPR, he made over 400 appearances and earned his only England cap in 1974.

In 1979, West Ham broke the world record for a goalkeeper by signing Parkes from QPR for £565,000. Despite concerns about his knee problems, Parkes proved to be a fantastic acquisition for the club. He played a crucial role in West Ham’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final. In the 1980-81 season, he helped West Ham win promotion back to the First Division by keeping 22 clean sheets. He was voted Hammer of the Year for his outstanding performances in the 1980-81 season. He made over 400 appearances for the club and was known for his agility, shot-stopping ability, and leadership qualities. In 2003, a poll of West Ham fans voted him the club’s greatest ever goalkeeper.

Ray Stewart, affectionately known as “Tonka,” is another West Ham United legend whose career is filled with remarkable achievements and memorable moments. He began his professional career at Dundee United, where he quickly made a name for himself as a talented defender. His performances caught the attention of West Ham United, and he joined the club in 1979 for a then-record fee of £430,000 for a British teenager.

Known for his resolute defending and fantastic penalty-taking ability, Stewart became a fan favourite. He played a crucial role in West Ham’s 1980 FA Cup victory, scoring two goals in the fourth round against Leyton Orient and a last-minute penalty winner in the quarter-final against Aston Villa. His penalty-taking prowess was legendary, with him scoring 62 league goals for West Ham, 84 in total including all competitions, with 76 from penalties. He did miss 10 but his 88% success rate is one of the best. He played a crucial role in West Ham’s FA Cup victory, and was a key member of the team that won promotion back to the First Division, playing 41 games and scoring five goals. He made 432 appearances for the club.

Paul Goddard was signed from QPR for a club record fee of £800,000 in 1980. He scored 71 goals in just over 200 appearances and won an England cap whilst at the club before leaving for Newcastle in 1986, finding his first team chances restricted following the signing of Frank McAvennie.

Frank McAvennie was signed by John Lyall for £340,000 from St Mirren in 1985 and quickly set up a prolific scoring partnership with Tony Cottee. In their best season 1985-86 they scored 46 league goals between them and he won the first of his Scotland caps. He went to Celtic for £750,000 in 1987 and in 1989 he came back, although this time he was not so successful. In May 1992 he played his final game for us at home to Nottingham Forest and said goodbye in style with a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory, taking his tally to 60 goals.

Jarrod Bowen has been a standout player for West Ham United since joining the club in January 2020. After Hereford’s expulsion from the Football Conference in 2014, Bowen signed for Hull City on a free transfer. Bowen quickly made an impact scoring 15 goals in the 2017-18 season and winning the club’s Supporter’s Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards. His performances caught the attention of bigger clubs, and he eventually joined West Ham United.

Regarded as a quick, direct, mobile, energetic player with good technique and an eye for goal, Bowen is predominantly known for his speed, movement, clinical finishing, agility and ball control, as well as his ability to use both his pace and flair on the ball to create scoring opportunities for himself or his teammates. A versatile forward, he primarily plays as a winger on the right flank, a position which allows him to cut into the centre onto his stronger left foot, and either shoot on goal or play quick exchanges with other players and make runs in behind the defence towards goal. He can also play in the centre, behind the main striker as either an attacking midfielder or second striker or as the main striker. He has consistently performed at a high level, scoring goals and providing numerous assists in his time at the club. His contributions have been crucial in helping West Ham achieve notable finishes in the Premier League. Bowen scored the winning goal, in the 90th minute, against Fiorentina to give West Ham their first trophy in 43 years with a 2–1 victory. He has also represented England, earning 14 caps and scoring one goal. His performances at the international level have further solidified his reputation as one of the top players in English football. Despite a recent injury he has returned to training and we look forward to his return.

There have been many other excellent transfers including Ludek Miklosko, Scott Parker, Julian Dicks and Paolo Di Canio. And how good would Dean Ashton have been if injury had not cruelly forced him into early retirement from the game? There are others too that I may have temporarily forgotten when writing this article. But for all these there have been so many that turned out to be disasters, especially forwards such as Boogers, Hugill and too many others far too numerous to mention. In our current predicament lacking goalscorers I wonder if anyone of significance will arrive in this window? I won’t hold my breath.

West Ham Briefing: Unwelcome Christmas Cards, Bowen’s Milestone, and a Surge Up The Premier League Table

West Ham avoid a second instalment of new manager bounce as Jarrod Bowen’s instinctive goal is enough to see them past basement dwelling Southampton in an unconvincing encounter at St Mary’s Stadium

At the end of the day, it is a time of year when cliches, like football matches, come thick and fast. The Boxing Day clash at St Mary’s was the proverbial game of two halves. Following Carlos Soler’s point-blank miss-of-the-match, West Ham rode their good fortune and had Southampton’s poor finishing to thank for keeping the game scoreless at the end of a busy first period. Incontrast, the second 45 minutes was a largely drab and uneventful affair. The single moment of note allowing the Hammers to steal the points through Jarrod Bowen’s opportunism as he was first to react to Niclas Fullkrug’s knock on.

It was Bowen’s fifth Premier League goal of the season, his 100th career league goal in total, and his 48th in the top flight for West Ham. He has overtaken both Paolo Di Canio and Mark Noble and is now second only to Michail Antonio on 68 goals. A fine achievement but a comparatively modest return compared to the leading scorers at other established clubs – and well behind legendary West Ham poachers of yesteryear such as Watson, Hurst, Ruffell, Dick and Cottee.

The win saw West Ham temporarily vacate the cosy familiarity of 14th place when they climbed above Manchester United who lost a few hours later at Wolverhampton. An indication of the congestion in the league’s middle reaches is that the result puts the Hammers just six points shy of European qualification and only five behind the Champions. If there was any sense of momentum building on the pitch, then we could almost believe there was something to play for. In all likelihood, it will be back to 14th soon enough.

Southampton certainly offered a sterner test than they had under Russel Martin, even if the improvement wasn’t enough to constitute a new manager bounce for Ivan Juric. Surely, survival for the Saints is already a lost cause. Juric is the fourth new managerial appointment of the Premier League season. Strangely, no-one has yet seen fit to call on the services of the serial winning Scottish manager. So far, the only managerial bouncing on show has been at Wolves under Vitor Pereira. The one-time West Ham target Amorim continues to struggle at Old Trafford as does van Nistelrooy at Leicester.

Any thoughts of a new manager bounce at the London Stadium have been long consigned to history. The 2024/25 vintage West Ham have been seeing more of the ball, but it manifests itself as a defensive (rather than offensive) strategy. Keeping possession in safe areas as a means of limiting opposition attacks. Increased possession has made no impression on the number of touches enjoyed in the opposition box – or on the level of entertainment come to that. Although the number of shots may be higher, these are mainly speculative and from distance.  

Julen Lopetegui’s team selections have become routinely predictable. The only nod towards festive season squad rotation is whether to start with Guido Rodriguez or Edson Alvarez as the holding midfielder in Lopetegui’s increasingly preferred 4-1-4-1 formation. Suspensions being the other major contributing factor in determining starting lineups.

West Ham players were again receiving the wrong type of Christmas cards at St Mary’s Stadium where Rodriguez and Tomas Soucek both reached the five yellow card threshold – emulating Emerson, Soler and Lucas Paqueta – that leads to an automatic one-match ban. It could have been worse for Rodriguez had VAR not seen sense to reverse a red card decision that was as rash and unnecessary as the original challenge.

Personally, I don’t see either Rodriguez or Soucek as any great loss. Soucek, especially is an enigmatic character. Who can doubt his commitment to the cause. But as someone supposedly at the beating heart of midfield, his occasional goal threat does not compensate for the lack of pace, poor pass completion and scarcity of touches. Far too often the game passes him by as he meanders around the pitch like a robotic vacuum cleaner.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was again the Hammer’s man-of-the-match. Giving lie to the reputation that he offers little going forward, Wan-Bissaka is alone in being able to carry the ball forward and run at pace from deep. Surely, the nomination as Hammer of the Year is already sewn up. Alvarez made a difference when he was introduced and would always get my vote over Rodriguez or Soucek in a holding role. He is the only defensive midfielder prepared to go hunting for the ball.

Elsewhere, Mohammed Kudus had possibly his most ineffective game in a West Ham shirt. His normally reliable instant control deserting him, he was rarely able to escape the close attention of his marker. We saw a few more glimpses of what Fullkrug might offer as an old-style target man. It’s not what is needed though and there are no midfield runners to feed off him anyway. He did, at least, pick up an assist.   

The last 15 or 20 minutes of modern games are rapidly truning into a staccato version of musical substitutes. If Lopetegui has any carefully thought-out plan at the start of games, it is all thrown into the air oncehe has introduced a succession of full backs oblivious to where they are meant to be playing. By the end of yesterdays game, 4-1-4-1 had morphed into 7-0-3.

Soucek and Rodriguez will likely be joined on the sidelines for Sunday’s clash with Liverpool by Lukasz Fabianski (following his nasty concussion), Max Killman (injured shoulder) and Carlos Soler (unspecified knee injury). The game will represent the halfway point of the season. West Ham will have then played each of other sides one time. Faced six of the current top ten at home, and four of them away. Projecting the current points per game forward would see us end the season with 48 points, fewer than last year but better than the year before that.

It would take a brave man to bet on the Hammers four game unbeaten run continuing when the runaway leaders come to town for the final game of 2024. West Ham’s leaky defence against the rampant, free-scoring Reds threatens to be the greatest massacre since they started selling chainsaws in Texas. Probably not be a game for the faint hearted. COYI