Tag: #WHUNEW

Nuno Re-Discovers His Selection Mojo As West Ham Come Together For A Rare London Stadium Victory

Now you gotta believe us, we’re gonna finish seventeenth! A fresh outbreak of optimism resonates around the London Stadium as the Hammers see off the disappointing challenge of Newcastle United.

Well, that went better than expected, didn’t it?

When I first learned yesterday’s match was scheduled for a Sunday afternoon, I had hoped it was because Newcastle would be returning from a gruelling trek to the easternmost reaches of Kazakhstan for a midweek Champions League fixture. Sadly, that was not the case. All they had needed to contend with was an EFL cup-tie with Tottenham in their latest Spursy iteration.

With West Ham having recorded just three home wins in the previous 12 months – and having lost all four at the London Stadium this season – it promised to be a tough afternoon at the London Stadium.

The good news was that Nuno Espirito Santo had kept away from any mind-bending psychoactive substances before making this week’s team selection. Delusions of left-field tactical brilliance were abandoned, and sanity was restored to the tactics board. A few personnel changes were in place but it was largely back to the basics that had promised much at Everton.

Despite having the strongest possible eleven on the pitch, the early omens were not good. No sooner had Jarrod Bowen’s fine 4th minute shot cannoned off the upright than the Hammers once again found themselves a goal down. Max Kilman stranded up-field, the defence stretched and Malick Diouf allowing Murphy too much room to rifle home. It was not the start we were hoping for.

In his excellent match preview, Richard likened West Ham’s season to a clapped-out Vauxhall Astra, coughing and spluttering its way along the motorway (as a one-time Astra owner, I was rather perturbed by his choice of model – just don’t mention his Singer Chamois!) Would this early reverse become another hard shoulder to cry on? Was yet another collapse on the cards? How the Hammers reacted might prove a pivotal test of character.

To their credit, the team reacted magnificently. Heads didn’t drop and confidence slowly grew. Who could have predicted that picking pacier players and deploying them in their correct positions would produce much-improved performances? Intensity, energy and desire replacing hesitancy, confusion and negativity. To return to the car analogy: pistons had been realigned, timing corrected, handling improved and the windscreen wipers no longer came on when indicating to turn right.

There were fine performances all over the pitch. Alphonse Areola assertive in his penalty area. The defence compact and solid with the usual gaping midfield hole in front of it removed – we might also doff our caps to Nuno for having the idea of the centre-backs swapping sides. The midfield was energetic, organised and committed. Freddie Potts rightly received the plaudits for the effective simplicity of his game, and the maturity of his first Premier League start, but Mateus Fernandes was also excellent – from crunching tackles to astute passing. And Lucas Paqueta has never played a better ninety minutes for West Ham, despite the frequent falling over being increasingly ignored by referees.

The front three demonstrated a refreshing degree of movement rarely seen at the London Stadium. Bowen and Crysencio Summerville were hungry, available and prepared to carry the ball forward, while Callum Wilson operated as a centre forward should in such a system. Occupying defenders and creating space as the focal point for attacks.

With Wilson unlikely to last the whole game, it was disappointing not to have a backup striker on the bench. The implication is that Nuno doesn’t fancy Callum Marshall. But was it really necessary for Tomas Soucek, Soungoutou Magassa, Andy Irving and Guido Rodriguez to take up four of the allocated spaces?

While the ends may have justified the means, Nuno’s substitutions had introduced an overdose of anxiety into the closing stages. The Hammers finishing the game with three full backs and three central defenders and most of the pace and potential out-balls withdrawn. Hopefully, this was a ‘needs must’ strategy rather than a sign of things to come.

We must say a few words about Big Tom as his half-hour supporting role was Soucek in a condensed nutshell. Getting a boot in the chest at one end when diving in where others fear to head. Then popping up at the other to bundle home the goal that settled our nerves. And in between? About as effective as one of those inflatable tube men you see outside car dealerships.

At face value, it is difficult to reconcile how a team can apparently transform from being a lazy bunch of mercenaries who simply don’t care one week, to becoming a committed, hard-working, cohesive unit the next. My personal view is that it comes down to belief in what you are being asked or instructed to do. Belief underpins individual performance, team dynamic and tactical execution. If you don’t have it, and the margins are paper thin in elite level sport, then your opponent will exploit it. Without belief you will not recover from setbacks like yesterday’s early goal.

So, no more square pegs and round holes and we might start to see upward momentum. And that should lead to fewer taunts about laziness and not caring. The catch though is the lack of quality in depth to cope with injuries and suspensions. We have a mid-table first eleven but a bottom six squad.   

It wouldn’t be a Premier League math without a sizeable proportion of the afternoon being taken up by extended VAR reviews. It is difficult to argue with the toenail precision that is now applied as the letter of offside calls rather than to the law’s original spirit. The penalty review, however, was far more perplexing.

The rationale for reversing the decision was based solely on the defender touching the ball before Bowen got to it. That he crashed recklessly into Bowen’s side at the same time apparently having no bearing on events. In any other European league, it is a definite penalty. Even if we choose to interpret the laws differently in England (let’s take back control) then why was the same criteria not applied to an identical incident when Potts was penalised for a tackle a matter of minutes later?

One of the money-making developments that I truly dislike in the modern game is the prevalence of change strips. It’s not a proper Barcodes team if they’re not wearing traditional black and white stripes. Taking the field decked out in Al-Shearwah Saudi Arabian green just isn’t right. According to AI, very few football teams wear green because it clashes with the grass. Sounds improbable but perhaps explains why Newcastle were so poor?    

The visitors fearsome and expensively assembled attacking threat never materialised. After the opening goal went in they posed few problems. Woltemade has earned a big reputation but on the day looked as clueless as the succession of failed strikers who have turned out for the Hammers over the years. And as Prince Vultan once asked: “Gordon’s Alive?” Even the Hammer’s long-running nemesis Harvey Barnes failed to make even the slightest impression.

I sense Eddie Howe has plateaued at Newcastle and will soon be known as Eddie Who. My two shillings has already been staked on Andoni Iraola becoming the Magpie’s boss by the start of next season.

Watching Howe complain about West Ham adopting his patented time-wasting tactics was most amusing. The cynicism has the hallmarks of a Nuno innovation who employed it routinely at Forest last season. The mysterious case of a goalkeeper with cramp in both legs is a first and was comical in the extreme. I wish Alphonse a speedy recovery.

A great win. Time now to build on the momentum. COYI!

Will West Ham be hammered again? Are the Magpies ready to nail down the points in the London Stadium?

If West Ham’s season were a car, it would be a clapped-out Vauxhall Astra, coughing and spluttering its way up the Premier League motorway, hazard lights blinking, and the “check engine light” glowing brighter than the London Stadium floodlights. The Hammers’ start has been so poor, even their own shadows seem reluctant to follow them onto the pitch.

West Ham’s recent form is like a leaky umbrella in a monsoon—utterly useless. Six defeats in their last eight, and the only thing falling faster than our league position is the optimism of our supporters. The new manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, is trying to plug holes in a ship that’s not just sinking but actively inviting water in for a swim.

Meanwhile, Newcastle arrive with the confidence of a magpie in a budgie cage. Yes, they’ve had their own wobbles, defensive injuries, and a few patchy results, but compared to West Ham, they look like a well-oiled machine. Eddie Howe’s men have enough firepower to make the Hammers’ backline quake like a jelly on a washing machine.

The Hammers have conceded more goals than any other team in the Premier League so far (20 in just 9 games) and have the worst goal difference (-13). We’ve found the net just 7 times (only Forest have scored fewer goals), and we’ve picked up just one point in the last six games (even Wolves have two!). Our defence facing Newcastle’s attack will be like a sandcastle facing the incoming tide. And woe betide even giving away corners. With nine goals conceded from set pieces (no other team has let in more than three) the danger begins every time the ball is placed in the quadrant by our corner flag.

Newcastle haven’t been a free scoring side themselves, only averaging one goal a game in their nine games; only the bottom three (including ourselves) have scored fewer. But on the other hand they are mean defensively; only conceding eight (only four teams have conceded fewer goals).

Just wait until you see the team sheet! Some of Nuno’s team selections look like they were picked by spinning a wheel of fortune to pick the player and then throwing two dice to decide on the position. He never did manage to throw nine. Nuno is trying a new style of tactical innovation that is hard to comprehend. He tried it once and it didn’t work. So what was the solution? That’s right – try it again. So as we prepare to face Newcastle keep an eye on the line-up. We can probably expect a performance that’s less ‘101 Greatest Hits’ and more ‘Now That’s What I Call Confusing 101’!

Up front with Nuno the false nine is all the rage. This is a striker who doesn’t actually play as a striker but instead wanders around like a lost roadie looking for the stage door. The opposition centre backs get the cigars out while they are left marking empty space, while the false nine is busy dropping deep because that is where he really wants to play. Effectively it’s like playing without a striker at all. It’s like Phil Collins playing ‘In The Air Tonight’ without his drum kit.  

Who came up with the idea of inverted full backs? Is this a Nuno invention or do other teams do it? Why play Scarles at right back? I don’t think he’s played there before and if he has, it doesn’t look like he has. And at the same time why play Wan Bissaka or Walker-Peters at left back which is Scarles natural position. They can play there if necessary but surely they are both better suited to the right back role? And when this inversion doesn’t work why not try it again? Unbelievable Jeff. Ollie Scarles shoulder injury will probably ensure that Nuno doesn’t try this one for a third time.

If West Ham manage to win, and I’d love it just love it (insert Kevin Keegan voice) if we can beat them and pull off the shock of our season. But it would be as surprising as finding a twenty pound note in an old coat pocket. More likely, Newcastle will leave London with three points and we will be left searching for positives like a miner with a broken torch. Although football managers always do manage to find positives even after being defeated.

Come on you irons! Surprise me.

West Ham Stuck In Endless Potter’s Wheel Interlude Loop

Years ago the BBC would screen a film of a potter’s wheel as an interlude between regular programming or when something had gone wrong. It feels that’s where we are at West Ham at the moment.

There is a certain symmetry that a pointless game in a pointless season ended pointless for West Ham on Monday night. The visitors couldn’t have imagined a more leisurely, low-key warm up in advance of Sunday’s Carabao cup final – unless it had been a behind closed doors friendly. Indeed, for all the excitement generated at the London Stadium, it could well have been played behind closed doors.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the London Stadium is a very different venue in almost every way to the old Boleyn Ground. The most electric of atmospheres in E13 could never come close to being matched at the E15 bowl in its current configuration. But atmosphere and the London Stadium are not mutually exclusive when supporters are given something to shout about – whether that is moments of awesome individual flair, a demonstration of high intensity attacking football, or games which have some meaning or importance to them. As things stand though all are missing. And there is very little hope that anything can improve during the remainder of the season.

There is a concept used when developing the TV seasons and series churned out by the various streaming platforms known as ‘second screen’. It involves plots and dialogue being dumbed down to satisfy viewers who are only half-watching because they are otherwise distracted by their smartphones. With football becoming more TV content than sporting competition, the fear is that it may well be following a similar path. Increasingly, the drama and talking points of games are dominated by VAR reviews of each significant incident and whether the correct minutes of added time have been allocated.

For all the exaggerated best-league-in-the-world media hype, the growing levels of tactical rigidity, gamesmanship and over-complicated officiating have chipped away at Premier League entertainment with each passing year. A situation that has been brought into even sharper focus in a season where most of the major issues have effectively been settled with a quarter of the season still to play.

Manchester United have received a great deal of media scrutiny recently for an abysmal track record since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. At last, pundits have woken up to the idea that years of failure might rest with the club owners rather than the lengthy list of hapless managerial casualties. A club run as brand, lacking in footballing strategy who believe the key to renewed success is to sack the tea lady. Well as the great Neil Diamond once sang “well except for the names and a few other changes, if you talk about West Ham, the story is the same one.” And nothing says ‘absence of a strategy’ better than a club needing to be ‘in transition’ twice in a solitary season. As with the Mancs, West Ham have a club board which has consistently taken bad decisions – often for reasons of self aggrandisement – and failed to move the club forward in any significant way.   

The latest indications are that the club are not actively looking to fill the vacancy for Director of Football or Technical Director left by the departure of Tim Steidten. Club sources have denied any interest in Dan Ashworth citing a happy camp where Graham Potter is a mate of Karen Brady’s husband and (new head of recruitment) Kyle Macaulay is also a long-term pal of Potters. Now, this might all work very nicely if Potter is a success and stays in post as coach/ manager for the next five to ten years. But if it all goes horribly wrong and we are looking for a replacement in 18 months or 2 years then, with no footballing continuity, it will be back to square one with the need for rebuild, refresh and transition to suit the next appointment. The only detectable strategic intent shown by the Board is to repeat the same mistakes of the last 15 years and hope for a different outcome.

I do hope Potter turns out to be the right man for West Ham. The early goodwill earned from being a breath of fresh air after Julen Lopetegui has begun to fade as delivery in press conferences and interviews is not matched on the pitch. For reasons best known to himself, he has decided to concentrate on fixing the defensive frailties at the expense of everything else. A manager who was accused of presiding over shot shy teams during spells at Brighton and Chelsea has unfortunatley reinforced that tag at West Ham, with a return of just 17 shots on target in ten games played to date.

Quite what Potter’s objectives are for the rest of the season is uncertain. He has the reputation as a coach prepared to vary formation and yet he has been most conservative in setup and team selection. There is nothing of note left to play for and we must hope he has already realised that a huge squad overhaul is required in the summer. So, why the reluctance to try a few different options now?

Very few teams use a three-man defence as their preferred formation. Those that do tend to be basement dwellers organised to sit deep and grind out results on the break. And where wing backs are deployed, it typically requires a target in the middle for them to aim at. There seems no point or benefit for this setup at West Ham either in the immediate or longer term. It is the polar opposite of the attacking style of football promised to supporters when Potter joined.

Previously, I had expressed surprise when the coach would put out the same team at home Leicester that had won away at Arsenal. The mentality of not breaking up a winning side disappeared years ago. The two games – away to a title chasing side and home to a relegation threatened one – were about as different in ambition as you could get. At Arsenal the low defensive block to frustrate Arsenal made sense, and Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus were ideally suited to exploiting the space vacated as the hosts committed players forward. In fact, it was replacing Bowen with Evan Ferguson that handed the initiative back to the ten-man Gunners in the closing stages.

But a team with nine defensive minded players at home to Leicester was simply unnecessary. The result may have provided some vindication but was it not an opportunity to try something a little different? When you play at home there is a certain level of expectations from your supporters, especially against an opponent as woeful and unambitious as Leicester. A combined midfield of Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek – whatever their individual attributes – simply would not have the pace, guile, ball carrying ability or passing range to work effectively as a group. These collective shortcomings were abundantly clear in the display against Newcastle.

The Newcastle game might have been very different if Soucek had not spooned that early chance over bar. I wanted to get another look at his goal celebration as I never realised it was supposed to be a helicopter until he mentioned it after the Leicester game. I had it down as a small girl pretending to be a fairy.

The Hammers pay a farewell visit to Goodison on Saturday for the Moyesiah showdown and that will be it for games in March. Do they really need to drag the season out like this? COYI!

Can West Ham achieve their first double of the season when Newcastle visit the London Stadium on Monday night?

With just eleven games of the season to go we are fifteenth in the Premier League table prior to this round of matches. Apart from week two our whole season has been spent between 12th and 16th position. Graham Potter took over on 10th January so this game marks two months in charge. We were fourteenth when he assumed control and his seven league games have produced three wins, one draw and three defeats, hence ten points, including wins in the last two games. That was the first time this season that we had won back- to-back games. Six of the first seven winning games this season were followed by defeats. Can we make it three wins in a row?

Newcastle, in sixth place before this round of matches, and just three points off a Champions League place, haven’t been in the best of form in recent games, losing three of their last four league games, conceding eleven goals in the process. Surprisingly we beat them 2-0 in the reverse fixture in November with goals from Soucek and Wan Bissaka, but at home we haven’t beaten them for more than six years since a 2-0 win in March 2019 when Pellegrini was our manager and the goals were scored by Rice and Noble.

Historically the Geordies have had the better of us and especially so in recent times. We have beaten them just eleven times in forty-one league games in the twenty-first century, and just twice in the twelve games since that 2-0 win in 2019.

What do you think of this season so far? Two head coaches, the whole campaign in the bottom half of the table, and another poor defensive record conceding 47 goals so far – only four teams have conceded more. Just 32 goals scored, once again just four teams have scored fewer. Part of the reason for this seems to be our inability to shoot on target. Despite doing OK in respect of making chances, we are bottom of the league when it comes to shots on target, and only Southampton have a worse record for the shot conversion rate where our 30 goals have come from 333 shots.

Newcastle rely heavily on Alexander Isak, one of the best all round strikers in the Premier League. He has scored almost half of their league goals this season. He will certainly be a big danger but Anthony Gordon is suspended following his red card in their previous game. No doubt his place will be taken by Harvey Barnes who I can recall playing well and scoring goals against us.

It is now more than 18 months ago that Lucas Paqueta hit the headlines for being suspected of breaching betting rules. It seems that the case is about to be heard soon and he would appear to have the odds stacked against him. I read that the standard of proof for FA hearings, as in civil law cases, is based on a ‘balance of probabilities’. In criminal proceedings on the other hand there is a more rigorous threshold of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’. This means that the FA only need to prove it is more likely than not that he was involved in spot-fixing by being deliberately booked, thereby influencing betting markets.

He was officially charged in May 2024 and Paqueta strenuously denies the charges. It is alleged that the FA are seeking a lifetime ban so if the case goes against him, and the odds are stacked that way, it would be bad news for the club as well as the player himself. I just hope that his legal representation is on a par with that which appears to be delaying the multitude of charges facing Manchester City.

I would think that a majority of fans are behind Graham Potter and there certainly seems to be a more positive feeling around the club now that he has taken over. It’s still the honeymoon period and we need to see what can be achieved in the final games of this less than exciting season.

Can the Tynesiders become the first team that we achieve a double over this season?

We last did the double over them in the season I referred to earlier (2018-19). In addition to the 2-0 home win we won on their ground by an emphatic 3-0 with goals from Hernandez (2) and Anderson.

We have five opportunities left to achieve the double over Premier League teams in the remainder of the season. After Newcastle the other teams that we have already beaten in this campaign who we have yet to meet for a second time are Manchester United, Ipswich, Wolves and Southampton.

On paper our final eleven games do not present us with the most challenging of run-ins. Six of those games are against teams (like us) currently in the bottom eight. It would be good to extend our winning (or at least unbeaten) run, but as we know all too well, with West Ham you never know what you are going to get!

The Moyesiah’s Second Coming: Are West Ham Dancing To A Different Toon

A flash in the pan or one of the greatest managerial resurrections ever? New look West Ham test their mettle against rampant Newcastle United at the London Stadium

Who was it who once said that football’s a funny old game? When the season began, I was convinced that David Moyes would be scanning the situations vacant by now, searching out managerial jobs at Forfar or East Fife. His tenure as West Ham boss was on its last legs. A downwards spiral of poor league performances and results over an eighteen-month period which had only been kept on life support by Europa Conference success. Our best player had been sold, no-one wanted to join, and uninspiring pre-season defeats to Rennes and Bayer Leverkusen hung like a black cloud over the new campaign. It was a manager on borrowed time, out of ideas, and seemingly running on fumes.

Yet, here we are, a few short months later, and supporters can be heard claiming “what a great time to be a Hammer”. A promising start to the season, a record undefeated run in Europe, rabbits pulled out of the transfer window hat, summer signings looking inspired, written-off players rejuvenated, numbers getting forward quickly to support attacks, and the team back to scoring goals again. Naturally, it’s the West Ham way to expect for it all to go horribly wrong again. But let’s enjoy the sunshine while we can.

So what has changed? Had we become too reliant on Rice, just as we had with Brooking many years ago? For once, the transfer receipts have been well spent. Edson Alvarez operating as specialist cover in front of the back four has allowed others to push further forward and with greater freedom – allowing Thomas Soucek to concentrate on his strengths. Vladimir Coufal is back to the player he was two years ago, and Emerson has formed an excellent understanding with Lucas Paqueta. Paqueta, frustrating at times, offers a long-lost unpredictability and mercurial moments of magic to attacks. James Ward-Prowse has been a revelation, both on set-piece duty and in open play. And Jarrod Bowen has been able to take up (and execute) better goalscoring positions now that much of his onerous defensive duties are excused.

Critics might point to selected stats as cause for concern. Only behind Luton for possession, among the basement dwellers for Expected Goals Against, overachieving in Expected Goals scored plus the perennial lack of belief when coming up against top clubs. It’s fair enough to want to see even more improvement, but it would be churlish to dismiss the positive vibes currently surrounding the club.

West Ham followed up last Saturday’s businesslike victory over Sheffield United with a thoroughly professional performance at Freiburg on Thursday night. The routine of Thursday – Sunday football has now become a familiar one for Hammers fans in the last three seasons, and long may it continue. In general, Moyes has juggled resources well, but while his team have lost only four of the 29 Thursday games, they have been defeated 12 times in the 26 games played on the Sunday after.  Managing the squad can also have unintended matchday consequences for supporters as was evident in the second half against Sheffield United. Having sauntered into a two-goal half-time lead, the dreaded game-management kicked in and everyone might well have had a more entertaining time shopping in Westfield during the second half.

Today’s opponents, Newcastle United were also in midweek European action, albeit in the more glamourous surroundings of the Champions League. When the group draw was made, I had a feeling that the Magpies might end up joining us in the Europa League knockout stages in the new year. However, they have made a fine start to their campaign which was topped off by a sensational demolition of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. Leaving aside, the sour taste of ownership, Eddie Howe has performed remarkably in turning the club around. Astute signings and getting the best from existing players has put the club back where it belongs challenging for major honours. On song, they are one of best teams to watch in the Premier League right now, although Howe’s teams are never shy of practising the dark arts.

This weekend might be a good time to play Newcastle. Even if they experience no hangover from their midweek exploits, they will be without several regular starters today including Barnes, Willock, Botman, and Gordon. There are also doubts over the fitness of Hammers nemesis Wilson and Joelinton.

For West Ham the only significant doubt is Michail Antonio’s groin. My preference would be to give him extra time to recover by playing Bowen further forward and starting Mohammed Kudus wide right. Otherwise, the team would be the same eleven that started last weekend.

Although, Newcastle are one of the league’s top scorers we should remember that eight of those came in a single game against an incompetent Sheffield defence. West Ham are not too familiar with clean sheets these days, but it is difficult to imagine a Moyes side being quite so naïve – even if it did happen in the corresponding fixture last season.

The game has the makings of a tight and intriguing encounter. One which may well have its fair share of goals to entertain spectators. As long as the Hammers play with freedom as well as discipline then a home victory is possible – maybe by the odd goal in five.

And what are the odds on Paqueta Island for Alvarez picking up his fifth caution of the season? COYI!

Memories of a massive win in a great season (1985/86) – West Ham 8 Newcastle 1

I began last week’s article with “It has been a decent start to the season hasn’t it?” Since then it has got even better. Our very comfortable 2-0 win over Sheffield United made it 4 wins and 13 points from our first 7 games, and seventh place in the table. We’ve scored 13 goals in those games and conceded 10. Only 3 of the 7 games have been at home, a figure that will be balanced with the visit of Newcastle to the London Stadium.

In the Europa Cup we surpassed the record for any English side by beating Freiburg 2-1 in Germany to make it 17 consecutive European games unbeaten, surpassing the 16 of Leeds from 1968 and Tottenham in 1972 who were tied with us on 16. Even more remarkable is the fact that 16 of the 17 games have been victories, the sole draw coming against Gent (1-1) last season. The Germans finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season and are currently 8th this time. Their record this season after 6 games mirrored our Premier League one with 3 wins and a draw, 10 points. An impressive result with an outstanding performance from Paqueta, and Kudus is looking very good too. In fact most of the team had good games.

Our squad is looking impressive and we now have a range of options in a number (but not all) positions. And how good is James Ward-Prowse? Six assists and two goals so far – what a start to the season. Gareth Southgate, when picking his England squad, prefers 33 year old Henderson (playing in the Middle East in front of less than 1000 spectators), Kalvin Phillips (who can barely get a game for Manchester City) and Conor Gallagher (what are his statistics this season?) as midfielders. Amazing! At least the early season form of Jarrod Bowen hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Those of us of a certain age (my first game at Upton Park was in the late 1950s) will remember some seasons more fondly than others. It has been a roller coaster ride following the Hammers but some seasons have been particularly memorable. Newcastle’s eight goal mauling of Sheffield United recently took me back to 1985-86, one of the great seasons in our history, when we put eight past Newcastle on a Monday night in April when we were pushing towards the first division title which would have been the first in our history.

Ironically that season had started poorly with only one win in our first seven games. With six points we sat in seventeenth place in the league. Nowhere near our start this season. But from this point we went 18 successive league games without defeat before losing 1-0 at Tottenham on Boxing Day. But we then resumed winning ways and by the time we faced Newcastle in April we were still well placed to challenge for the title.

Our 8-1 win is remembered for an Alvin Martin hat-trick scored against three different Newcastle goalkeepers, goals from Goddard, McAvennie, Orr, a Stewart penalty, and a Glenn Roeder own goal. It was a fabulous season with the goalscoring partnership of McAvennie and Cottee (who scored 46 league goals between them), and a defence built upon the solid foundations of Parkes, Gale and Martin. We finished with 84 points in third place, just 4 points adrift of champions Liverpool.

Despite our improved start to this season compared to 38 years ago, we will not be challenging for the title, nor finish as high as third, but the opening has been promising, and I look forward to consolidation of a strong top half finishing position.

Our opponents this weekend had a massive resurgence last season and qualified for the Champions League. A fine draw in Italy was followed by the 4-1 demolition of PSG this week which suggests that this game will not be an easy one. But we must look to fixtures such as these to prove why we should be pressing towards the top eight this season.

How will we get on? Bookmakers have the Geordies as evens favourites, while we are priced at around 12/5, with the draw at 14/5. Thursday / Sunday psychologically seems to be a difficult challenge, especially as the late return from abroad reduces the time to recover for the next game. Newcastle, on the other hand, played at home on Wednesday, so have a distinct advantage in time between fixtures. Nevertheless I expect a close game to be settled by the odd goal. It won’t be a repeat of the 8-1 in 1986, but hopefully we can be the team to edge it. What are the chances?

Of Moyes and Men: Will We See Yet Another Cautious, Cowering, Timorous West Ham Display As They Face Newcastle at the London Stadium?

There was a boost to survival hopes at the weekend as relegation rivals jostle for position. What approach will West Ham take as they use up one of their games in hand?

Picking up three points in the weekend fixture at home to Southampton was a welcome relief. It lifted West Ham clear of the relegation places for now, with the battle for survival not showing any signs of becoming less congested. The fat lady hasn’t even had her hair done and there’s much to play for before we know whether she’ll be blasting out a rendition of ‘Bubbles’.

Last night’s results did little to provide further clarity on who is most at risk for the drop. The Hammers go into tonight’s home game with Newcastle in 15th spot but only outside the bottom three courtesy of goal difference. If West Ham should win (strange things can happen during a full moon) then it would rocket them up into 12th place above Crystal Palace.

Sunday’s victory was hardly an inspiring one, with the team once again serving up a lethargic opening 20 minutes – preserving the record of being the only Premier League not to have scored in the opening quarter hour. The tone was set several times in the opening exchanges when Said Benrahma chose to come back inside and play the ball sideways rather than try his luck down the line. Whether that was under orders, to avoid the manager’s wrath, or the sign of a player low on confidence is open to speculation. It was one of Benrahma’s more frustrating afternoons, despite what appears to be a growing understanding with the rapidly improving Emerson.

Although David Moyes has made a slight adjustment to tactics in recent weeks with a formation that is closer to 4-3-3, it is not without its faults in terms of deployment. Declan Rice may be the best candidate to sit and protect the back four, but the team collectively loses out from other important aspects of his game. He is the only player in the squad capable of running with the ball at speed. In this current role, those surging runs are largely curtailed. And Tomas Soucek as part of a midfield tasked with probing and keeping the ball moving is possibly the greatest miscasting since Elijah Wood played Matt Buckner in Green Street Hooligans.

Equally disappointing was the situation up front where the isolated figure of Danny Ings must be wondering what he has let himself in for. I was dumbfounded by Moyes post-match comment that: “we’re only just getting to know him. He’s someone who probably might need more people around him.” Really, David? Isn’t it your job to know these things? Had you never seen him play and recognised his strengths and weaknesses before he signed for West Ham? Mr Due Diligence? Even if Ings was a gift from the Chairman, surely you must have watched him at least once or twice on Match of the Day!

The Saints have an increasing look of doom about them and as things stand are my favourites for the drop along with Forest and Bournemouth. The huge Southampton weakness was the absence of any significant goal threat until they threw on the lanky lad at the end.   

For the Hammers, it should now be a case of three or four more wins to ensure survival in a season that most of us just want to forget. I am clinging to the hope that the manager will be shown the door at the end of the season. There’s nothing to suggest that Moyes has any other game plan than caution, low blocks, breakaways and set pieces. Pre-season talk of a more possession based game turns out to hove been pure fantasy. There is small consolation in the circumstances in that West Ham have one of the better goals conceded records in the Premier League (6th best) – built upon the unadventurous nature of his ultra-low block and massed defences. The elephant in the room for survival is the atrocious away form, and we will need to wait until the weekend to see if that pans out.

This evening’s visitors are having a tremendous season in the league and can now only miss out on Champion’s League qualification with a Kevin Keegan style blowout. Underpinning their success is a surprisingly miserly defence which has conceded just 19 goals all season, seven less than their nearest rival. They have not been an especially high scoring but usually enjoy the lion’s share of possession. I expect Moyes to be targeting a scoreless draw.

The Newcastle team sheet doesn’t look overly fearsome on paper, but Eddie Howe has them playing with a pace, energy and intensity that West Ham supporters can only dream of. Indeed it is a side blessed with pace that are sure to create chances even if they are not the best at converting them. With a bottomless chest of tainted Saudi blood money still to spend they will be a force in English football for years to come. Unless a reappraisal of the fit and proper ownership rules is entered into.

As ever, optimism for the game will probably last until the team-sheets are released an hour before kick-off. Surely, the time has come to give Soucek some bench time. I would prefer to see Flynn Downes as the holding midfielder, allowing Rice to get more involved further forward with Lucas Paqueta. I really don’t see Pablo Fornals as the answer in a deeper role as some have suggested – there is not enough to his game other than running.

Something must also change up front. Ings as a lone striker is nonsense. If Jarrod Bowen cannot be played further forward and closer to Ings, then I would prefer to see Michail Antonio, with all his faults and poor control, in that role. His physical presence and pace is still capable of unsettling defences. Perhaps it is also time to give Maxwell Cornet a run. We badly need a wider distribution of pace across the park.

The Hammers earned one of this season’s modest tally of six away points in the reverse fixture at St James Park in February. The Magpies were without the suspended Bruno Guimarães that day which was quite fortuitous. They are a more complete side when he plays. Another draw wouldn’t be the worst outcome, but ambitions should always be set higher – plan to win, prepare to draw. Unfortunately, we now that type of thinking is not in the manager nature. COYI!    

West Ham United face wealthy Newcastle United – the Hammers hoping to reverse recent form in this fixture

You don’t have to be too old to remember the days towards the end of the twentieth century when Manchester City were in the third tier of English football around 25 years ago. They climbed back into the top tier by early in this century but they weren’t exactly pulling up trees with mid-table finishes for four seasons from the time they moved into their new stadium in 2003.  

However in August 2008, the club was purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group. The takeover was immediately followed by many bids for high-profile players. There wasn’t a massive improvement in performance compared to the previous season despite the influx of money however, with the team finishing tenth, although they did reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup. During the summer of 2009, the club took transfer spending to an unprecedented level, with an outlay of over £100 million on players. Mark Hughes was replaced as manager by Roberto Mancini and City finished the season in fifth position in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on a place in the Champions League, and competed in the UEFA Europa League in season 2010–11.

Continued investment in players followed in successive seasons, and results began to match the improvement in player quality. City reached the 2011 FA Cup Final, their first major final in over 30 years, where they beat Stoke City 1–0, the club’s first major trophy since winning the 1976 League Cup. In the same week, the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. Strong performances continued to follow in the 2011–12 season with the club scoring two goals in injury time to complete a last-minute title victory to deny their city rivals, City’s first in 44 years.

And just look where City are now. After that title success they have since been Premier League champions four times, and runners-up on three occasions. A further win in the FA Cup, six League Cup titles, and runners-up in the Champions League last season. They are strong favourites to win the Champions League this time around, and their 5-0 win over the Portuguese champions away from home this week put them virtually into the last eight.

In October 2021, Newcastle United, precariously placed near the foot of the Premier League, was bought by a group led by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund. It is widely reported that the purchase made Newcastle the richest club in the world. So are Newcastle about to become the new Manchester City in the next decade or so?

Spending in the winter transfer window has been the spark that has lifted them out of the relegation zone. They are now four points clear of Norwich (who are 18th) as a result of 11 points from their last (unbeaten) five games, a record bettered in the top flight by only Manchester City (13), Liverpool (13) and Wolves (12). That’s impressive considering their opening 18 games this season yielded only 10 points. In comparison we have 7 points from our last 5 games.

They visit the London Stadium with an impressive record here too, where they have won 75% of their visits in the Premier League, and are aiming for their third consecutive away win at our ground. In fact Newcastle’s most wins in away games in the Premier League have come against us with 10, which is more than they have achieved against any other club.

Our season has been going in the opposite direction although we are still clinging on to fifth place with just 13 games to go (7 at home and 6 away). Arsenal, Wolves and Tottenham in 6th, 7th and 8th can all go past us with success in their games in hand so it is imperative that we start to pick up more wins to retain any chance of emulating last season’s sixth place finish or even better it.

We won 7 of the first 11 league games this season but have picked up the three points for a win in only 5 of the last 14. We have at least scored a goal in every one of the 12 league games we have played at the London Stadium this season, a feat we haven’t achieved before. And Newcastle on the other hand haven’t scored more than one goal in any of their away league games this season. So if this statistic were maintained we won’t lose!

We have scored 44 league goals so far giving us a ranking of 4th, but the 33 goals conceded puts us at 10th in that category – even bottom of the table Burnley have conceded fewer than we have, but on the other hand they are 19th when it comes to goals scored. The return of Zouma should help our defensive record, although Diop, so out of touch in some recent games, had perhaps his best performance of the season at Leicester, and both he and Dawson had sound performances. It would be harsh to leave either of them out. It was in the full back department (on both sides) where our weakness was found out in that game.

In Jarrod Bowen we have a player in superb form in both scoring and creating goals, but so many others appear to be out of form, or at least not at their best in recent games. Declan Rice has been his usual consistent impressive self but these two can’t win games on their own (as hard as they try!) and some of the others must step up to the plate.

David Moyes needs to turn the tide in home games against Newcastle where he has lost the last three. I think he will. It’s about time that Newcastle’s impressive recent run came to an end, and wearing my optimistic hat I forecast a 3-1 win that will lift us back into the top four. Hopefully we can stay there if Manchester United fail to win at Leeds on Sunday. It’s games like this one where three points will go a long way in us maintaining our challenge at the top. What are the chances?

Bring Back That Winning Feeling: Can Moyes Liven Up Listless Hammers For Geordie Challenge

A crucial period for West Ham’s season begins with the visit of rejuvenated Newcastle United to the London Stadium. Can they see off the big spending Magpies?

A large part of winning football matches is the belief that you are going to win when you step out onto the pitch. As West Ham prepare for Saturday’s early kick-off against Newcastle, the sense is that the Hammers have lost that winning feeling, just as the Magpie’s have suddenly found it.

Last week’s draw at Leicester was a perfect example of the current apprehension at the club. In itself, a point at Leicester is no disgrace, but after taking an early lead against a side seemingly bereft of any attacking ideas, the reluctance or inability to press home the advantage was a disappointment and would ultimately cost a couple of points.

Quite what Aaron Cresswell was thinking in conceding that blatant penalty just before the break is a mystery, but it proved the ideal half team talk for the host’s manager. It came as no surprise at all when Leicester bagged their second to edge in front. Barnes had been giving Vladimir Coufal a torrid time in the second period and, not for the first time in recent weeks, Cresswell lost his man as Pereira ran in to score. Thankfully, we managed to show some character in the closing moments as Craig Dawson shouldered home a late corner.

The next two home games against Newcastle and Wolves, followed by a tricky FA Cup trip to Southampton, will now set the tone for the remainder of the season. The threadbare squad has to rediscover its spark if they are to make anything of it. Otherwise the season might fizzle out with Europe the only lifeline.

At least, we were able to watch from the sidelines as the Europa League Knockout Round got underway. There were good wins for Rangers, Sherrif and Sevilla in the first legs but the other ties remain on a knife edge. Some way to go before West Ham know their Round of 16 opponents. The Spanish sides by far the greatest threat.

A run of three successive league wins has pulled the visitors clear of the relegation places, which increasingly look to be a foregone conclusion. The cash rich Geordies were able to throw money at the problem without the usual concerns that buying a few duds, or spending on short term fixes, will hamstring them in future windows. A stark contrast to West Ham, at the other extreme, who preferred to risk a huge opportunity rather than invest on much needed reinforcements because they might be less than perfect.

No doubt, we will see Newcastle competing for honours at some point in the future, but with a whole new squad of players and after two or three managerial changes.

As things stand, David Moyes may have the fewest realistic options for team selection than any other manager in the Premier League. Reportedly, Kurt Zouma is available again after his mystery illness to is tipped to replace Issa Diop, who to be fair, put in a very good performance at the King Power.

Personally, I would prefer to see Ben Johnson replace Coufal and have no idea why Ryan Fredericks is seen as the first choice replacement at right back. Fredericks sole attribute is his pace, yet is so reluctant to use it. With a team shape that relies on the full-backs for width, none of them get forward frequently enough or far enough to be consistently effective.

Other than that, it is down to the weekly permutation of any 2 from 4 to play alongside Jarrod Bowen in attacking midfield. The Hammers did look a livelier once Said Benrahma and Nikola Vlasic replaced Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals at Leicester, but all four have both positives and clear shortcomings. Benrahma potentially offers the greater creativity and goal threat but his decision making remains woefully erratic.

By default, the out of sorts Michail Antonio must continue up front. My preferred team would be: Fabianski, Johnson, Zouma, Dawson, Cresswell, Rice, Soucek, Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma, Antonio.

West Ham are becoming increasingly dependent of Declan Rice and Bowen, the only two candidates for Hammer of the Year. Despite their brilliance, we should not ignore how their changing roles have impacted other areas of the Moyes machine. Rice’s greater freedom showing up Tomas Soucek’s limitations once you take away his goals, despite the good defensive work he continues to offer. Bowen has been given/ taken up more central and forward positions in the most recent games. This is understandable from an attacking perspective but has reduced defensive cover on right hand side, exposing Coufal’s lack of pace to a wider audience. A couple of tweaks from the coaching side may well be necessary.

West Ham versus Newcastle games have a history of plenty of goals. Saturday’s game is likely to be no exception. In a fit of desperate optimism I take the Hammers to match their opening day success and run out 4-2 winners. COYI!

Whistling A Happy Toon: West Ham To Make Winning Start To Season

When a new football season is about to begin then I am normally full of excitement, looking forward to going along to the London Stadium for the first game. If the opening game is away from home it is still exciting to watch the progress of the matches being played on Sports Saturday on Sky. But this time around I can’t really get as interested as I normally do, which considering I’ve been following West Ham since season 1958-59 may be surprising, and perhaps disappointing. Am I losing my enthusiasm for football? Of course last season was probably the strangest one of all time for reasons that we are all aware of, and this one may well be the same. Following the lockdown we began slowly, but then ended the season on a high, securing our place in the top division for another season with some excellent performances. Perhaps once the games get underway again I’ll regain my enthusiasm, but at the moment it’s not there yet.

The interval before the new season would start was obviously much shorter than usual, but I guess we were looking forward to seeing some departures and new arrivals in readiness for the new campaign. The friendly games against lower league opposition went well enough, although by all accounts the Betway Cup performance against Bournemouth (also lower league!) highlighted our defensive deficiencies. Of course some of our players were away on international duty, but the return of Fabianski, Rice, Yarmolenko, and Soucek will undoubtedly strengthen the team. But apart from confirming the permanent transfer of Soucek there is a distinct lack of new faces. All other Premier League clubs seem to have been active in the transfer market, but the eighteenth richest club in the world has been pleading poverty, much to the annoyance of the fans, who were looking forward to some new faces, in particular to strengthen the defensive positions, especially at full back.

The departure of Diangana to West Brom, where he spent last season on loan has caused much consternation on social media, but once Mark Noble and others had joined in with their disappointment at seeing him leave it became an issue for the national broadcast and newspaper media. Although the furore has died down a little, there still seems to be a lot of anger around still, and this will increase if we fail to get off to a good start in this game.

I’m not really sure how many times we’ve faced the Geordies in our opening game of the season. It makes a change in recent times to not be facing top-six opposition, although games against top sides come thick and fast after the opener. I do remember one season in particular, and that was back in 1973-74. We had ended the previous season in sixth place, one of our best ever top division finishing positions, and hopes were high for the new campaign. But that first game at Upton Park was a massive disappointment, which was exacerbated by a friend from Newcastle joining me at the game. We went down 2-1 with ex-Newcastle player Pop Robson scoring our goal.

From that point it didn’t get any better and a succession of draws and defeats in the first eleven matches left us at the bottom of the table. Eventually we won a game (1-0 at Coventry thanks to a John McDowell goal), but we remained at the foot of the table until we won our second game of the season beating Manchester City 2-1 on December 8th. Two 4-2 victories at Chelsea on Boxing Day and then at home to Norwich on New Years Day still left us in the relegation zone (21st), before a run of wins and draws from the beginning of January through to the middle of March eased the pressure slightly and we eventually stayed up by one point in 18th. Manchester United were one of the teams relegated. I’m hoping that we don’t replicate that season, which also included an ignominious defeat at the hands of Hereford in the FA Cup.

The point I’m trying to make here is that everything can look rosy before a season begins and then it all goes wrong. I can also remember pre-seasons where we have looked good in the friendly games and then performed badly once the league games have begun. The reverse has also happened at times with a disastrous pre-season leading to doom and gloom amongst the fans followed by some excellent performances. It just highlights the Forrest Gump box of chocolates story – with West Ham you never know what you are going to get. That applies from one season to another, one game to another, and frequently to the first half and second half of a game.

I’m not especially confident with everything about the club at the moment, but hopeful that David Moyes can continue where he left off at the end of the last campaign, despite the difficulties that he faces. He knows that the model of recent seasons has to change and he wants to build for the future. He doesn’t want players coming here for a good pay day in London, and if he can unearth more gems like Bowen and Soucek we will have a chance. People forget that when he arrived at Everton in 2002 they were a bit like us, often fighting the drop. When he left there eleven years later they had finished in the top eight for seven consecutive seasons. Whether he will be given the time, and even some of the resources that should be available to the eighteenth richest club in the world only time will tell.  

The game kicks off at 8pm and is available to view on TV. That’s some consolation for not being able to be at the stadium. How will we line up? I expect Fabianski to be behind a back four of Fredericks (or Johnson?), Diop, Ogbonna and Cresswell. I fear that Saint-Maximin can run our defence ragged as he did at the London Stadium last season and wonder if Masuaku will be included to provide extra cover for Cresswell? It wouldn’t be my choice but it may happen. Rice, Soucek and Noble may start in midfield, with Bowen, Fornals and Antonio providing the main attacking options at the start. But will there perhaps be a place for the in-form Yarmolenko, or a hopefully rejuvenated Haller, Lanzini or Anderson? Will any of the youngsters get a chance? Who knows? What we do know is that there won’t be any new faces to bolster a defence that had one of the worst goals-against records in the Premier League last season. I’m confident that we can score goals, but can we improve defensively? Perhaps David Moyes and his coaches can work wonders on this aspect of our team, but has he got the raw materials to work with?

The bookmakers have us at around 23/20 to win the game, with Newcastle and the draw both at around 5/2. If you fancy us to win then West Ham to win and both teams to score is on offer at around 7/2. My fun bet for this game is for West Ham to win 2-1 with Tomas Soucek scoring the last goal in the game – this is priced at 60/1. Without any great degree of confidence I’m just hoping for a decent performance and three points. What are the chances?

It’s traditional for me to forecast (before a ball is kicked) how the Premier League will look at the end of the season. So here goes: 1.Manchester City, 2.Liverpool, 3.Manchester United, 4.Chelsea, 5.Arsenal, 6.Wolves, 7.Everton, 8.Tottenham, 9.Leicester, 10.West Ham, 11.Southampton, 12.Newcastle, 13.Leeds, 14.Aston Villa, 15.Sheffield United, 16.Crystal Palace, 17.Brighton, 18.Burnley, 19.West Brom, 20.Fulham. There’s optimism for you! Enjoy the game