So the legend that is Rob Green has finally won a place in the England squad. Well done Greeny, much deserved and long overdue. Cappello must have finally changed his glasses. Whether he will start or not is another question, he will most likely see James and Robinson in front of him - this I have problem with. James, although decent, is getting on a bit, there's no way he could possibly represent the future for England, and will have a tough time staying number 1 for the next World Cup. That just skims the surface, as we all know James' record on making some really silly decisions.
Robinson got 4 stuck past him this weekend, and in my books is very overrated. Whilst a decent shot stopper, his positioning on crosses is far from good as we exposed on Saturday. Add on to that his record with calamity moments as well and we should surely see that Green is by far the better keeper.
Upson makes another return to the lineup, as justifiably so, The Rock has been solid for us over the last year.
A surprise is seeing Ashton not feature, especially considering the inclusion of Heskey. Ashton though, has done himself very few favours, his brace against Wigan may have been watched by Cappello, but you must admit that his performances since have been average at best. He is a big boy, but I'd say his frame is no larger than a Heskey or a Rooney, and if he wants to break into the England set up then he has to become more mobile. As aforementioned on this site though he can be a game changer, plucking genius out of nowhere, which is more than can be said about Heskey - but football is a game of percentages I suppose, and you can guarantee that Heskey will work his arse off, even if it does get little accomplished. Maybe Cappello was just a Les Ferdinand fan, and likes the big man for intimidation factors - who knows. But from my standpoint, I think Ashton or Crouch would have been a far better pick to get you goals.
I guess I should change my questionnaire now too!
Squad...
Robinson (Overrated), James (Not the future), Green (Legend); Lescott (decent, but not on form), Bridge (Does he even get a game?), A Cole (I used to work with a bloke that looked just like him), Terry (Scum, but solid), Brown (Decent), Ferdinand (Should be captain), Johnson (More adventurous than Brown), Upson (The Rock); Barry (Good), J Cole (Wish he was still with us), Lampard (Overrated), Bullard (Happy he was picked, really pulling the strings at Fulham and certainly in form), Beckham (Not the future, but looks better than anyone else on the right), Downing (He's ok), Bentley (Not in form), Jenas (Never fulfilled his potential); Walcott (Is he really a striker, where do you play him?), Rooney (Quality, but not on form), Defoe (Always a pest, performance depends on who lines up next to him), Heskey(Bit of a donkey but you can't question his commitment).
31 August, 2008
Most Wanted
With too much enthusiasm floating around these pages it's time to get back to being a miserable bastard, so I present to you my list of 5 most hated footballers, again in no particular order...
1) El Hadji Diouf: I just want to slap him every time I see his face. He's constantly whinging, and always complains when he doesn't get the call to go his way, he huffs and puffs and throws his arms around like a petulant child. He also bears an uncanny resemblance to Casper the Ghost.
2) Frank Lump-o'-lard: Aside from the predictable "he left us then slagged us off" charade, I just feel that he is amazingly overrated. He's crap for England and seems to think he owns a spot in the starting eleven. In the last World Cup I saw him take more shots than any other player and he may have gotten two on target. I remember walking out of the room when it was his turn to take a penalty because I just knew he was going to miss. And all that badge kissing means nothing when the only reason he's still at Chelsea is that they are willing to pay more than anyone else.
Ok, maybe Beardsley shades it.
4) Christiano Ronaldo: I think everyone outside of Old Trafford feels this way, and after this summer maybe many within OT feel this way too. What an ungrateful whinging twat. He is undoubtedly very talented, and I'd probably respect him, not like but respect him if he didn't fall over every time somebody looks at him the wrong way. Add that onto his public circus act this summer trying to get out of Man U only a year after signing a new contract, and comparing himself to a slave (despicable) and you have the makings of possibly the most idiotic person in football at the moment - topped only by Sepp Blatter who agreed with him! Poor you Christiano, I can certainly draw a logical comparison between being whipped, starved, brutalised, and being made to row across oceans with having to kick a ball around for the minute fee of 120,000 quid a week - dickhead.
5) Gary Neville: Shave that bloody rat-stache Gary, you look like a knob.
Well that was fun, I may have to do this again with footballers from the past. How about you lot, who do you hate and why?
1) El Hadji Diouf: I just want to slap him every time I see his face. He's constantly whinging, and always complains when he doesn't get the call to go his way, he huffs and puffs and throws his arms around like a petulant child. He also bears an uncanny resemblance to Casper the Ghost.
2) Frank Lump-o'-lard: Aside from the predictable "he left us then slagged us off" charade, I just feel that he is amazingly overrated. He's crap for England and seems to think he owns a spot in the starting eleven. In the last World Cup I saw him take more shots than any other player and he may have gotten two on target. I remember walking out of the room when it was his turn to take a penalty because I just knew he was going to miss. And all that badge kissing means nothing when the only reason he's still at Chelsea is that they are willing to pay more than anyone else.
3) Ivan "Bozo" Campo: Campo just looks like a clown, I want to give him a big red nose and novelty oversized shoes for him to patrol the right wing with. His footballing ability is average at best, but he just looks like a fucking clown - those aren't flowing locks Ivan, you look like a twat, now get a haircut. If there was a contest between footballers of who could do the best Stephen Hawking impression, it would be between him and Peter Beardsley.
Ok, maybe Beardsley shades it.
4) Christiano Ronaldo: I think everyone outside of Old Trafford feels this way, and after this summer maybe many within OT feel this way too. What an ungrateful whinging twat. He is undoubtedly very talented, and I'd probably respect him, not like but respect him if he didn't fall over every time somebody looks at him the wrong way. Add that onto his public circus act this summer trying to get out of Man U only a year after signing a new contract, and comparing himself to a slave (despicable) and you have the makings of possibly the most idiotic person in football at the moment - topped only by Sepp Blatter who agreed with him! Poor you Christiano, I can certainly draw a logical comparison between being whipped, starved, brutalised, and being made to row across oceans with having to kick a ball around for the minute fee of 120,000 quid a week - dickhead.
5) Gary Neville: Shave that bloody rat-stache Gary, you look like a knob.
Well that was fun, I may have to do this again with footballers from the past. How about you lot, who do you hate and why?
30 August, 2008
When Doubting Thomas Met Judas
Even though it was an early 10am on this side of the pond, I had to crack open a beer to calm my nerves for this encounter with Blackburn...and believe me, if the whiskey was there I would have had some of that too. But instead of an alcohol fueled sobbing session, I came away from this whole escapade a very very happy man.
Ladies and gentlemen, we looked good, very good, traditional West Ham good. The passing was crisp and precise, the players' work rate was very high, and aside from a silly penalty give away I cannot say that anyone put a foot wrong.
Behrami and Faubert stepped up their game by about 1000% from last week, and so too did Parker and Noble who dominated the midfield and spread the ball extremely well when going forward. Even Neil left his zimma on the sidelines and got stuck in with some good challenges.
4-1 may have been a bit flattering in the end, but it was certainly a well deserved victory for the irons who have now had their best start to a season since 1999 - I'm sure we'll all break out the Prince CDs to celebrate.
Ch-ch-ch-changes
The one thing that was apparent was the complete change in the way that we went about the game; we didn't look afraid going forward (or to get forward for that matter), and we oozed confidence. Behrami and Faubert looked excellent on the right, taking on their man and getting in some really useful crosses. Etherington looked good on the opposite flank as well, and in fact looked better once he had the support of Linda coming off of the bench. Noble and Parker, as aforementioned, marshaled the midfield with Noble playing behind Parker, and Parker getting forward with some good runs - I also should note that I don't remember him giving the ball away once either. Ashton and Cole also looked good, both holding the ball up well, and really giving the Blackburn defence a troublesome day. The back four were solid, and England's number six put in an excellent display that hopefully caught Cappello's eye.
On a side note it just doesn't seem the same when Judas is in the dugout and not on the pitch. His reception wasn't that bad at all, although the one time he did touch the ball should probably be in the Guinness book of records for the fastest time 35000 people spontaneously boo for a precise half a second...on and off like a light switch!
Player Ratings
Greeny - Excellent, not a single foot wrong. Saved yet another penalty, made a couple of other decent saves that looked flashy too, and really had little chance on the goal which you would have expected any PL striker to put away from that distance. Dear God pick him for England, he could really help in the shoot outs! 9
Behrami - Very positive performance, looked a little pacier this week, not afraid to get forward and can take players on, also set up Bellars' goal. Made one mistake where he tried to let the ball roll out of play instead of just clearing his lines. I also don't think that he tackles, instead he gets fouled attempting to tackle. No complaints though and seems to be on the same wavelength as Faubert, good performance: 7.5
Upson - Solid performance from The Rock, got stuck in, once Santa Cruz came off I really don't think he was tested at all: 7
Davenport - Was he a striker today? One goal, one near miss, looked comfortable at the back, may want to leave a little space between him and the striker though as it was he that was turned for their goal, apart from that though I thought he did well; gets his head on everything which I suppose is no feat for someone who is 7'19" but if he continues to play watch for him to be the target on corners: 7.5
Neil - Decent display from skippy the skipper, some good tackling and his distribution out of defence was good opting to pass rather than play long, his lack of pace is exposed though. Still didn't look quite natural on the left, and was definitely outshone by McCartney once he came on. No complaints again though: 7
Defence overall: seemed tidy, seemed on the same page, and when you get goalscorers from the back you can't say much wrong. Green again played excellent, he saved the penalty, turned away a shot with his feet, and his distribution to the wings was good too for counter attacks. I think I have a man crush on him, what a legend.
Faubert - Very good display, miles better than last week. he seemed to have more purpose going forward, and linked up with Behrami very well: 7.5
Noble - Truly redeemed himself this week, he was gritty and determined, grabbed himself a goal, kept out of the silly challenges, and did himself proud: 8
Parker - This is the Scott Parker that we need if we are to continue pushing forward. Like Noble he was gritty and determined, got stuck in, closed down quicker than last week, and probably deserved a goal for his performance: 8.5
Ethers - Did well on the left, put some nice balls into the box and caused a lot of hassle. I would like to see him cut inside some more as I feel sometimes he's a bit predictable. Does combine with McCartney well though, and the two of them can both produce crosses: 7
Midfield Overall: Solid, productive, adventurous, gritty.
Ashton - Decent performance from Deano, not his best, but he had a couple of nice touches and rarely lost the ball when it was at his feet. The thing with dean is that he can be dire for the whole game but then produce a moment of genius and turn the game on its head - like when he hit the post for example, came out of nowhere. Subbed off in the end, but not because he was playing badly: 7
Cole - My man of the match to be honest, he looked like a right bastard to defend, always causing trouble, and considering his marker was that big bastard Samba, that's saying something. He got a goal for himself which will hopefully raise his spirits, and he's showing the same fight that he had last season which many of us warmed to. Looked strong, and was hard done by not to have gotten a penalty when Warnock thought he was playing rugby and clearly held Cole, Cole though still managed to get a very good shot off! His hold up play opened up space for our oncoming midfielders, classy performance: 9
Forwards Overall: Productive, Ashton and Cole gave Blackburn's back four a lot of trouble. Bellamy too looked dangerous when he came on, and we may have problems picking next week's top two.
Subs
Linda - I was so happy to see Linda back, he's proving himself to be a very useful left-back. He's got good pace and gets up and down that flank very well, and isn't afraid to cut inside either. Looked like he always looks, dependable, and should take that spot away from Neil: 7
Mullins - Took Noble's spot, came out and did what he was told to do. Some good tackles, and wasn't afraid to push up either: 7
Bellamy - Yo gotta love him, I truly think that he is more serious at West Ham than he has been at any other club, he seems to have left his antics behind him. Excellent goal, had the wit to make a run, took the ball down well, and the finish was comparable to Ashton's versus Wigan, and you feel that with his pace and finishing we always have a chance. Beer went flying all over me when the ball hit the net - we need to keep him fit: 7.5
So, an excellent display and an excellent result, our prayers have been answered, and I'm glad for Curbs to get a convincing win under his belt. The atmosphere today was excellent too, and you just wonder that if we could recreate that every week then maybe the team will get forward and play the kind of football that we want. Roll on West Brom.
Ladies and gentlemen, we looked good, very good, traditional West Ham good. The passing was crisp and precise, the players' work rate was very high, and aside from a silly penalty give away I cannot say that anyone put a foot wrong.
Behrami and Faubert stepped up their game by about 1000% from last week, and so too did Parker and Noble who dominated the midfield and spread the ball extremely well when going forward. Even Neil left his zimma on the sidelines and got stuck in with some good challenges.
4-1 may have been a bit flattering in the end, but it was certainly a well deserved victory for the irons who have now had their best start to a season since 1999 - I'm sure we'll all break out the Prince CDs to celebrate.
Ch-ch-ch-changes
The one thing that was apparent was the complete change in the way that we went about the game; we didn't look afraid going forward (or to get forward for that matter), and we oozed confidence. Behrami and Faubert looked excellent on the right, taking on their man and getting in some really useful crosses. Etherington looked good on the opposite flank as well, and in fact looked better once he had the support of Linda coming off of the bench. Noble and Parker, as aforementioned, marshaled the midfield with Noble playing behind Parker, and Parker getting forward with some good runs - I also should note that I don't remember him giving the ball away once either. Ashton and Cole also looked good, both holding the ball up well, and really giving the Blackburn defence a troublesome day. The back four were solid, and England's number six put in an excellent display that hopefully caught Cappello's eye.
On a side note it just doesn't seem the same when Judas is in the dugout and not on the pitch. His reception wasn't that bad at all, although the one time he did touch the ball should probably be in the Guinness book of records for the fastest time 35000 people spontaneously boo for a precise half a second...on and off like a light switch!
Player Ratings
Greeny - Excellent, not a single foot wrong. Saved yet another penalty, made a couple of other decent saves that looked flashy too, and really had little chance on the goal which you would have expected any PL striker to put away from that distance. Dear God pick him for England, he could really help in the shoot outs! 9
Behrami - Very positive performance, looked a little pacier this week, not afraid to get forward and can take players on, also set up Bellars' goal. Made one mistake where he tried to let the ball roll out of play instead of just clearing his lines. I also don't think that he tackles, instead he gets fouled attempting to tackle. No complaints though and seems to be on the same wavelength as Faubert, good performance: 7.5
Upson - Solid performance from The Rock, got stuck in, once Santa Cruz came off I really don't think he was tested at all: 7
Davenport - Was he a striker today? One goal, one near miss, looked comfortable at the back, may want to leave a little space between him and the striker though as it was he that was turned for their goal, apart from that though I thought he did well; gets his head on everything which I suppose is no feat for someone who is 7'19" but if he continues to play watch for him to be the target on corners: 7.5
Neil - Decent display from skippy the skipper, some good tackling and his distribution out of defence was good opting to pass rather than play long, his lack of pace is exposed though. Still didn't look quite natural on the left, and was definitely outshone by McCartney once he came on. No complaints again though: 7
Defence overall: seemed tidy, seemed on the same page, and when you get goalscorers from the back you can't say much wrong. Green again played excellent, he saved the penalty, turned away a shot with his feet, and his distribution to the wings was good too for counter attacks. I think I have a man crush on him, what a legend.
Faubert - Very good display, miles better than last week. he seemed to have more purpose going forward, and linked up with Behrami very well: 7.5
Noble - Truly redeemed himself this week, he was gritty and determined, grabbed himself a goal, kept out of the silly challenges, and did himself proud: 8
Parker - This is the Scott Parker that we need if we are to continue pushing forward. Like Noble he was gritty and determined, got stuck in, closed down quicker than last week, and probably deserved a goal for his performance: 8.5
Ethers - Did well on the left, put some nice balls into the box and caused a lot of hassle. I would like to see him cut inside some more as I feel sometimes he's a bit predictable. Does combine with McCartney well though, and the two of them can both produce crosses: 7
Midfield Overall: Solid, productive, adventurous, gritty.
Ashton - Decent performance from Deano, not his best, but he had a couple of nice touches and rarely lost the ball when it was at his feet. The thing with dean is that he can be dire for the whole game but then produce a moment of genius and turn the game on its head - like when he hit the post for example, came out of nowhere. Subbed off in the end, but not because he was playing badly: 7
Cole - My man of the match to be honest, he looked like a right bastard to defend, always causing trouble, and considering his marker was that big bastard Samba, that's saying something. He got a goal for himself which will hopefully raise his spirits, and he's showing the same fight that he had last season which many of us warmed to. Looked strong, and was hard done by not to have gotten a penalty when Warnock thought he was playing rugby and clearly held Cole, Cole though still managed to get a very good shot off! His hold up play opened up space for our oncoming midfielders, classy performance: 9
Forwards Overall: Productive, Ashton and Cole gave Blackburn's back four a lot of trouble. Bellamy too looked dangerous when he came on, and we may have problems picking next week's top two.
Subs
Linda - I was so happy to see Linda back, he's proving himself to be a very useful left-back. He's got good pace and gets up and down that flank very well, and isn't afraid to cut inside either. Looked like he always looks, dependable, and should take that spot away from Neil: 7
Mullins - Took Noble's spot, came out and did what he was told to do. Some good tackles, and wasn't afraid to push up either: 7
Bellamy - Yo gotta love him, I truly think that he is more serious at West Ham than he has been at any other club, he seems to have left his antics behind him. Excellent goal, had the wit to make a run, took the ball down well, and the finish was comparable to Ashton's versus Wigan, and you feel that with his pace and finishing we always have a chance. Beer went flying all over me when the ball hit the net - we need to keep him fit: 7.5
So, an excellent display and an excellent result, our prayers have been answered, and I'm glad for Curbs to get a convincing win under his belt. The atmosphere today was excellent too, and you just wonder that if we could recreate that every week then maybe the team will get forward and play the kind of football that we want. Roll on West Brom.
29 August, 2008
Neutralising The Burn
My best mate is a Blackburn fan, so as you can imagine it's been a good few years for me as we certainly seem to be their bogey team. But, after every win we've put over them I get a feeling that this pleasure can surely not last, and there is no way that the footballing Gods could be on my side this often - I mean Christ even Real-Choker made them look bad a few years ago, and even God doesn't like him.
On the subject of God we also welcome back our old chum Paul "Judas" Ince, and if what the prophets of every major newspaper have said is true, then expect him to welcome Curbs with a warm kiss on the cheek instead of the usual handshake.
Welcome back as well to a couple of our players, which is a refreshing change. Lucas is back after his absence in midweek, but more importantly we see the return of our fiery Welshman Craig Bellamy, who I would imagine will be raring to go against his former club. To continue in this glorious "we have people fit" theme, a deserved crowd favourite - Linda McCartney - is back as well after a long absence from an injury that can best be described as an unfortunate veggie-burger making incident. Linda, I would hope, will take his left back position away from Neil, therefore rendering our defence a little more natural and fluid. Behrami too is back, and excuse me whilst I jump for joy like a little school girl in disbelief that we have for the first time in ages a problem with selecting our back four...does Neil replace Pepperami or Davenport? - For me I say neither as Pepperami needs to get a few games under his belt if he is to progress, and Neil and Upson wouldn't exactly be the quickest combination if both played at centre-back. Guess we'll see come Saturday.
The midfield will see Noble back, and as far as I know we have no new injuries there. The strikers too seem to have wrapped themselves in cotton wool, and Cole is even available after watching the footage of his "injury" last week and deciding that he really shouldn't be hurt - the question though is whether Cole starts with Bellers' return, will Curbs be cautious with Craig and use him as a second half sub only? Get the boy on is what I say, he should be close to match fitness after a decent pre-season. Curbs should also consider strapping a slice of pizza on the back of Bellamy just to make sure Ashton moves this week. Furthermore it will be amazingly refreshing to see our best strikeforce actually be able to play with each other for the first time since the Jurassic period (Ashton-Tevez 0 mins together, Ashton-Bellamy 10 mins together - that's 10 minutes of our best strikeforce in 2 years!), lets just hope they don't celebrate with a golfing trip.
One more thing to note will be if Curbs puts in the youth this week; apparently in the midweek game everyone was playing for their place, and with Reid and Hines both scoring (and Cole), the starting lineup, if he keeps his word, could be interesting.
This should be a good encounter, and we do normally do well against Blackburn - Mark Lawrenson (or "Thatch" as me and my best mate dubbed him after noticing the strange resemblance of his haircut to a thatched roof) has predicted 2-2, personally I'm just surprised he thinks we can score two. But I'm in agreement that we should see at least four goals tomorrow so I'll go with 3-2 Irons.
On the subject of God we also welcome back our old chum Paul "Judas" Ince, and if what the prophets of every major newspaper have said is true, then expect him to welcome Curbs with a warm kiss on the cheek instead of the usual handshake.
Welcome back as well to a couple of our players, which is a refreshing change. Lucas is back after his absence in midweek, but more importantly we see the return of our fiery Welshman Craig Bellamy, who I would imagine will be raring to go against his former club. To continue in this glorious "we have people fit" theme, a deserved crowd favourite - Linda McCartney - is back as well after a long absence from an injury that can best be described as an unfortunate veggie-burger making incident. Linda, I would hope, will take his left back position away from Neil, therefore rendering our defence a little more natural and fluid. Behrami too is back, and excuse me whilst I jump for joy like a little school girl in disbelief that we have for the first time in ages a problem with selecting our back four...does Neil replace Pepperami or Davenport? - For me I say neither as Pepperami needs to get a few games under his belt if he is to progress, and Neil and Upson wouldn't exactly be the quickest combination if both played at centre-back. Guess we'll see come Saturday.
The midfield will see Noble back, and as far as I know we have no new injuries there. The strikers too seem to have wrapped themselves in cotton wool, and Cole is even available after watching the footage of his "injury" last week and deciding that he really shouldn't be hurt - the question though is whether Cole starts with Bellers' return, will Curbs be cautious with Craig and use him as a second half sub only? Get the boy on is what I say, he should be close to match fitness after a decent pre-season. Curbs should also consider strapping a slice of pizza on the back of Bellamy just to make sure Ashton moves this week. Furthermore it will be amazingly refreshing to see our best strikeforce actually be able to play with each other for the first time since the Jurassic period (Ashton-Tevez 0 mins together, Ashton-Bellamy 10 mins together - that's 10 minutes of our best strikeforce in 2 years!), lets just hope they don't celebrate with a golfing trip.
One more thing to note will be if Curbs puts in the youth this week; apparently in the midweek game everyone was playing for their place, and with Reid and Hines both scoring (and Cole), the starting lineup, if he keeps his word, could be interesting.
This should be a good encounter, and we do normally do well against Blackburn - Mark Lawrenson (or "Thatch" as me and my best mate dubbed him after noticing the strange resemblance of his haircut to a thatched roof) has predicted 2-2, personally I'm just surprised he thinks we can score two. But I'm in agreement that we should see at least four goals tomorrow so I'll go with 3-2 Irons.
28 August, 2008
In The Box
Here's something hammerobie sent me in the old email box, it seems to go nicely as an afterthought of the memories I posted earlier; and as always comments are welcome...
"I wish we could be blissfully ignorant like we were kids again. When we were younger, and couldn't keep track of players names, stats, etc to save our lives. We would just go to and/or watch the matches not caring about 'expectations' or worrying about players, their wages, the manager, the board, where we should've been as a club, blah blah blah... the only thing that mattered was singing your lungs out for your team, and hoping for a win. it was quite simple, you didn't care about anything behind the scenes or players or reputation, just about seeing your club come away with a win."
A Little Lightheartedness
Since it's all been a bit doom and gloom on this blog lately, I figure I might as well cheer up a bit and give a list of my 5 most appreciated West Ham moments (in no particular order). We haven't had too much to rave about lately, so join in if you want.
1) My first game - West Ham vs Charlton, I believe it was in the 92/93 season, I know it was when we were ground sharing with them. The old man took me up to Upton Park, we made the one hour car drive from Swindon to Hammersmith, had a quick bite to eat at my Great-Grandmother's (she always made the best roast chicken), and then quickly boarded the tube from Shepherds Bush down to Upton Park. At that time my Uncle Gerry was still living off of Green Street, we stopped in, had a quick cuppa, and then I was introduced to the family match-day ritual. Double-double at Nathan's pie and mash, plenty of liquor (which I have now mastered to make since you really can't find it outside of London), then onto the Boleyn for a drink or two (I was on shandies back then!), and of course a chat with the masses of Dutch fans that we used to get back then. I used to love the Ajax fans that would come over for the game, with their half West Ham, half Ajax shirts and scarfs; and have a little chuckle when they sang bubbles, because it sounded like "bobbles." After the Boleyn it was off to the stadium, grab a programme and an OLAS, and then get in nice and early to wait for the team to be called out.
Even though we lost that day to Charlton (1-0), I will never forget it as a great experience, all the things the old man had said about West Ham came true that day - great fans, stands close to the pitch, Ludo being a legend - everything I had followed on the telly became a piece of my heart.
2) The Great Escape: After such a dreadful season where Tevez just couldn't seem to get going, he, and the team, finally turned it all around. It was kick started by the loss to Tottenham which had me close to tears...ahead, level, ahead, level, repeat, behind. What a game, what a free kick, what a volley, what a loss!
We seemed to all band together, and everybody was after us - the press, Sheff Utd, Wigan, even Liverpool, but none of it mattered, Tevez was knocking them in, Bobby Z was adding quite a few, Neil had possibly his best performances of his career - it just seemed to all come naturally. And then there's the final day of the season, where the boys went up to Manchester, clawed a goal before half time, and then hung on for dear life. I think we all took a step back and let out a huge sigh of relief that day.
3) FA Cup final vs Liverpool: The greatest final I've ever seen, it had everything - speed, invention, desire, unpredictability - and it was the first time I'd ever seen West Ham in contention to win something (apart from the intertoto cup if you want to include that). Possibly the most touching moment though was the dedication and gracefulness of our supporters after we had lost; they stayed behind and gave a standing ovation to both teams, and I think it serves us well in proving that we are some of the best supporters around.
4) "That Goal" by DiCanio: "That Goal" against Wimbledon was unimaginable, it was perfection, it was genius, it was goal of the season which I have to say was as good as winning the league to me. DiCanio in general was a great era for us, so creative, so passionate, he was like an embodiment of the supporters that was actually on the field. With him in the team we always felt like we had a chance, we always felt as if we were represented, it was as if our passion for the team through wins and losses had manifested itself in one man. I think when we were kids and we had that unrivalled desire to represent our clubs we would have wished to become a DiCanio, first at training and last to leave, feelings worn on the sleeve, and a commitment that comes not from a contract but from love.
5) Getting a 1980 FA Cup commemorative mirror from my neighbour Fred - I know this sounds a little odd, but I love that mirror. Fred was a legend, really good bloke, loved West Ham, and actually grew up with H and was good friends with him - once he went with H to the Cheltenham races and got me his autograph, I remember just being in awe that my neighbour in Swindon was good mates with the West Ham manger! Fred passed away a few years ago, and it was sad to see him go. That mirror, with the FA Cup decorated in claret and blue ribbons will forever remind me of him, and I look forward to buying my own mirror some day.
Well there you go, I suppose there's a little bit of my soul right there, but I hope you enjoyed it.
1) My first game - West Ham vs Charlton, I believe it was in the 92/93 season, I know it was when we were ground sharing with them. The old man took me up to Upton Park, we made the one hour car drive from Swindon to Hammersmith, had a quick bite to eat at my Great-Grandmother's (she always made the best roast chicken), and then quickly boarded the tube from Shepherds Bush down to Upton Park. At that time my Uncle Gerry was still living off of Green Street, we stopped in, had a quick cuppa, and then I was introduced to the family match-day ritual. Double-double at Nathan's pie and mash, plenty of liquor (which I have now mastered to make since you really can't find it outside of London), then onto the Boleyn for a drink or two (I was on shandies back then!), and of course a chat with the masses of Dutch fans that we used to get back then. I used to love the Ajax fans that would come over for the game, with their half West Ham, half Ajax shirts and scarfs; and have a little chuckle when they sang bubbles, because it sounded like "bobbles." After the Boleyn it was off to the stadium, grab a programme and an OLAS, and then get in nice and early to wait for the team to be called out.
Even though we lost that day to Charlton (1-0), I will never forget it as a great experience, all the things the old man had said about West Ham came true that day - great fans, stands close to the pitch, Ludo being a legend - everything I had followed on the telly became a piece of my heart.
2) The Great Escape: After such a dreadful season where Tevez just couldn't seem to get going, he, and the team, finally turned it all around. It was kick started by the loss to Tottenham which had me close to tears...ahead, level, ahead, level, repeat, behind. What a game, what a free kick, what a volley, what a loss!
We seemed to all band together, and everybody was after us - the press, Sheff Utd, Wigan, even Liverpool, but none of it mattered, Tevez was knocking them in, Bobby Z was adding quite a few, Neil had possibly his best performances of his career - it just seemed to all come naturally. And then there's the final day of the season, where the boys went up to Manchester, clawed a goal before half time, and then hung on for dear life. I think we all took a step back and let out a huge sigh of relief that day.
3) FA Cup final vs Liverpool: The greatest final I've ever seen, it had everything - speed, invention, desire, unpredictability - and it was the first time I'd ever seen West Ham in contention to win something (apart from the intertoto cup if you want to include that). Possibly the most touching moment though was the dedication and gracefulness of our supporters after we had lost; they stayed behind and gave a standing ovation to both teams, and I think it serves us well in proving that we are some of the best supporters around.
4) "That Goal" by DiCanio: "That Goal" against Wimbledon was unimaginable, it was perfection, it was genius, it was goal of the season which I have to say was as good as winning the league to me. DiCanio in general was a great era for us, so creative, so passionate, he was like an embodiment of the supporters that was actually on the field. With him in the team we always felt like we had a chance, we always felt as if we were represented, it was as if our passion for the team through wins and losses had manifested itself in one man. I think when we were kids and we had that unrivalled desire to represent our clubs we would have wished to become a DiCanio, first at training and last to leave, feelings worn on the sleeve, and a commitment that comes not from a contract but from love.
5) Getting a 1980 FA Cup commemorative mirror from my neighbour Fred - I know this sounds a little odd, but I love that mirror. Fred was a legend, really good bloke, loved West Ham, and actually grew up with H and was good friends with him - once he went with H to the Cheltenham races and got me his autograph, I remember just being in awe that my neighbour in Swindon was good mates with the West Ham manger! Fred passed away a few years ago, and it was sad to see him go. That mirror, with the FA Cup decorated in claret and blue ribbons will forever remind me of him, and I look forward to buying my own mirror some day.
Well there you go, I suppose there's a little bit of my soul right there, but I hope you enjoyed it.
26 August, 2008
Exodus 8:08
Reports are flying around that Bellamy, Upson, Neil, and Cole are being touted about town (as well as Anton who looks as good as gone) in what looks to be another move by the board over Curbs' head to cut the wage bill. Most of you have probably read this elsewhere, so I will not go into any of the details, but this does lead me to think of a few possibilities if these reports lead to be true...
1) The board has written this season off completely, and instead of securing a decent standing in the table they are lowering the wage bill and will start from scratch next season bringing in players on reasonable wages in an Arsenal-esque capped way.
2) The board has some magic tricks up it's sleeve and will offload these four and bring in comparable players on lower wages within the next week. It would have to be within the next week as well, because as we all know you pay way over the top in January for anybody (I mean the mere fact that Quashie didn't pay us to join amazes me), and if they were to buy in January it would be a huge contradiction to spending sensibly.
3) The board are reshuffling things to clear the way for a new manager to set up his own regime. Since rumours of DiCanio, H, and Bilic are being flaunted, it could be possible to give one of them a clean slate by doing this. What seems more likely to me though is the possibility of Nani taking over, at least as a caretaker-manager, especially since he's been calling the shots on many of the signings this summer, ergo marking his stamp on what he thinks our direction forward should be.
4) Could it possibly be that they want us to do a Leeds? A.k.a. load our team with a massive amount of youth and play out the season that way?
5) This is pure business in a day and age where money in is given more attention than results or the feelings of fans. (If this is the case then we'll see a lot of older irons fans speak out).
Either way we better hope that there is a solid plan in place to secure our position in the PL. I just can't see us moving forward if we get rid of 3 defenders whilst so many are still on the injury table, as well as getting rid of two strikers which leaves us with Ashton (injury prone), Sears (inexperienced), and LBM (doesn't know how to play with Legos let alone play football) as viable options to play up front.
Let's just hope that all of this is pure media speculation, which might not be too far from the truth considering West Ham have been treated like the second coming of Satan by the press for the last two years.
What do you lot think?
1) The board has written this season off completely, and instead of securing a decent standing in the table they are lowering the wage bill and will start from scratch next season bringing in players on reasonable wages in an Arsenal-esque capped way.
2) The board has some magic tricks up it's sleeve and will offload these four and bring in comparable players on lower wages within the next week. It would have to be within the next week as well, because as we all know you pay way over the top in January for anybody (I mean the mere fact that Quashie didn't pay us to join amazes me), and if they were to buy in January it would be a huge contradiction to spending sensibly.
3) The board are reshuffling things to clear the way for a new manager to set up his own regime. Since rumours of DiCanio, H, and Bilic are being flaunted, it could be possible to give one of them a clean slate by doing this. What seems more likely to me though is the possibility of Nani taking over, at least as a caretaker-manager, especially since he's been calling the shots on many of the signings this summer, ergo marking his stamp on what he thinks our direction forward should be.
4) Could it possibly be that they want us to do a Leeds? A.k.a. load our team with a massive amount of youth and play out the season that way?
5) This is pure business in a day and age where money in is given more attention than results or the feelings of fans. (If this is the case then we'll see a lot of older irons fans speak out).
Either way we better hope that there is a solid plan in place to secure our position in the PL. I just can't see us moving forward if we get rid of 3 defenders whilst so many are still on the injury table, as well as getting rid of two strikers which leaves us with Ashton (injury prone), Sears (inexperienced), and LBM (doesn't know how to play with Legos let alone play football) as viable options to play up front.
Let's just hope that all of this is pure media speculation, which might not be too far from the truth considering West Ham have been treated like the second coming of Satan by the press for the last two years.
What do you lot think?
24 August, 2008
Ant-on His Way
BBC Sport is reporting that the board have accepted £8m for Ferdinand; whilst not the most surprising of moves with a "need" to wrestle the wages bill, it was surprising to note Curbs' comments in a 5-Live interview...
What is going on here? There's certainly a massive wake between Curbs and the board, and this is going to get highly unsettling to all members who roam the halls of Upton Park. How are we supposed to be a cohesive team (board included) when you have blatant outbursts from management, and the board going back on their promise to nurture and keep our academy talent. On top of all of this prepare for a press field day with this story, and ever escalating stories on big fall outs at Upton Park...take your bet on Curbs to get the sack first now before the odds go completely down.
One thing I am wondering is if this now means that Cole is moving on too, or maybe Keane's already visible reluctance to take him on will be bolstered by Cole getting injured from a timid dance move today.
This could get messy.
The board have accepted the bid - he's not renegotiated his contract - and the decision was taken out of my hands
What is going on here? There's certainly a massive wake between Curbs and the board, and this is going to get highly unsettling to all members who roam the halls of Upton Park. How are we supposed to be a cohesive team (board included) when you have blatant outbursts from management, and the board going back on their promise to nurture and keep our academy talent. On top of all of this prepare for a press field day with this story, and ever escalating stories on big fall outs at Upton Park...take your bet on Curbs to get the sack first now before the odds go completely down.
One thing I am wondering is if this now means that Cole is moving on too, or maybe Keane's already visible reluctance to take him on will be bolstered by Cole getting injured from a timid dance move today.
This could get messy.
Fear And Loathing in Manchester
Some terrible defending combined with a lack of any ambition to play football saw West Ham go down 3 - 0 at the City of Manchester Stadium. West Ham, buoyed by the return of absolutely no one, went out to prove its supporters correct in assuming that we came to Manchester to try and get a point at best.
The Somme
One of the most dismal displays of football ever witnessed saw massive amounts of down time through a constant barrage of injuries and knocks. Richards being the most notable after a head collision with his team mate, but more importantly for us Carlton Cole was taken off after being hip checked by my gran. Cole's quick departure set a tone for the game, with play constantly being interrupted by both the magic sponge, and the referee's inability to take the whistle out of his mouth.
Noble Sees Red
Noble got himself dismissed early in the game for two yellow cards - the first coming when he sophomorically grabbed the ball after falling over, and the second for a silly lunge on former US 200 metre star Michael Johnson. This whole situation was rather silly, and one noticeable thing about West Ham at the moment is that we are giving away silly fouls, and in doing so picking up unnecessary yellow cards - Noble's first yellow offence proving the former, and Neill's shirt-grabbing tactics over the last year proving the latter. Parker too seems to have changed as a player, and instead of his grit and gusto that we saw last season, we're seeing him give away silly fouls for lunging in and just generally barrelling people to the ground.
Pointless
With Noble gone West ham were forced to make changes, and after half time young Freddy Sears was replaced by Mullins. This seemed to tighten the midfield up a little (until they knocked 3 past us) but left Ashton stranded with little to work with besides long balls as he refused to track back. It became all too predictable, West Ham were content to knock the ball about in triangles until a pass went too short, or too far, or someone decided to smack it upfield for Ashton to plod after. Faubert gave the ball away a lot, at times it looked as if he didn't know the difference between the ball and his own feet. And I swear at one point the cameras switched to Curbs and it looked like he mouthed "we're going down" - I'm not joking.
Ratings, because I really can't bring myself to talk anymore about what happened in this game.
Greeny: One good save, one blunder after Davenport had saved the ball from going in twice. I really don't think that he saw too much of the ball each time that it went in, as the defence insisted on standing right in front of him and let people shoot from 8 yards out. Average at best; 6
Behrami: Didn't seem to posses the pace that I thought he did, and gave the ball away numerous times by emulating Ronaldo's little chop turn thingy. Picked up a yellow, looked a little out of touch, and disastrous marking on the third goal. Looked as if he was working harder than most however; 5
Davenport: Average performance from an average player, marked about as bad as the rest of the defence but did manage to save a goal twice in the space of 10 seconds subsequently almost snapping his neck again; 5
Upson: Below par performance from Matty, nuff said; 5
Neill: Constantly beaten down the left hand side, showed elements of shirt tugging, but did speak nicely to the refs; 5
Defence as a whole: Not at their best, they looked cluttered and slow, often times trying to do too much with the ball instead of just clearing the lines, and often times belting it up to Ashton instead of passing it out (not that they had too much help from the midfield).
Faubert: Also lacked the pace that I thought he possessed, gave the ball away too much, and preferred to shadow players instead of actually defending at times; 4
Noble: Made silly mistakes that resulted in his marching orders, he let the team down; 3
Parker: Also gave the ball away a lot and decided that the best time to tackle is not when face to face with a player but instead when behind one, shame really, and he needs to do better if we're to do better; 4
Etherington: He was playing? 2
Midfield as a whole: They seem more than content to not pressure until the opposition gets to about 20 yards out. They lacked any sense of creativity and we just don't look dangerous going forward. Also, where is this pace that Curbs was talking about? We looked flat footed all day. Huge gaps between anyone and Deano when he has the ball, and no width to our game.
Cole: I swear he doesn't actually run but is in fact led around by momentum or kinetic energy. The few touches he did get were poor and awkward often resulting in a change of possession. His injury was laughable and would have been run off by any 10 year old school-boy; 2
Ashton: Had very little to work with, but didn't do himself any favours by being about as mobile as Stephen Hawkings. He rarely tracked back even when we were down a man, and had to be content with high balls lofted at him, of which I believe he won none. Still, his hair wasn't dyed this week; 5
Forwards overall: Very little movement, very little service.
Subs
Freddy Sears: Was on for all of about 15 minutes, ran around quite a bit actually trying to pressure defenders, but again no service; 4
Mullins: Not too noticeable to be honest, just seemed to fill in space from Noble's departure. Just as guilty as the rest of midfield in his non-efforts of closing people down; 4
LBM: Such is my sheer hatred towards this man that I refuse to give him a positive score, so in order to figure out how he played you have to use a different scale with -10 being abysmal and -1 being poor (or status quo for him); I really don't believe that he ever gets a score that should be on the positive side. Anyway, he was chucked on to partner Ashton after we were about 7 goals down and saw the ball maybe twice. If it wasn't for a signature LBM insane asylum foul nobody would have even noticed he was there; -2
Overall
Overall it was just pretty poor, with the best West Ham effort coming from the fans singing Twist and Shout during Richards' injury. No ambition, no craft, no possible sign of creativity and too much absorption of pressure too close to our net. 1 shot on goal for the Irons pretty much explains it all, and if we show up with the same lack of venturism in the future we could get ripped apart by many teams. City weren't exactly at their best and merely got goals from using a bit of width and showing that unlike us they could keep the ball for more than 3 consecutive passes, and if that's all it takes to score on us then there are a lot of teams that could put us away. If we had been playing an average Man Utd today we'd have let in at least 7.
So, back to the drawing board and it is still early days yet. But in order for us to progress we need to get back to West Ham football and not this defencive tripe that we've been playing lately. We could definitely use a crafty play-maker in the Bishop - Berkovic - Benayoun genre (preferably with a surname that starts with a 'B" because I like trends), and we're going to have to pray that either we don't sell Anton, or that Collins starts off playing how he left if/when he returns from injury.
I'm disappointed to say the least.
The Somme
One of the most dismal displays of football ever witnessed saw massive amounts of down time through a constant barrage of injuries and knocks. Richards being the most notable after a head collision with his team mate, but more importantly for us Carlton Cole was taken off after being hip checked by my gran. Cole's quick departure set a tone for the game, with play constantly being interrupted by both the magic sponge, and the referee's inability to take the whistle out of his mouth.
Noble Sees Red
Noble got himself dismissed early in the game for two yellow cards - the first coming when he sophomorically grabbed the ball after falling over, and the second for a silly lunge on former US 200 metre star Michael Johnson. This whole situation was rather silly, and one noticeable thing about West Ham at the moment is that we are giving away silly fouls, and in doing so picking up unnecessary yellow cards - Noble's first yellow offence proving the former, and Neill's shirt-grabbing tactics over the last year proving the latter. Parker too seems to have changed as a player, and instead of his grit and gusto that we saw last season, we're seeing him give away silly fouls for lunging in and just generally barrelling people to the ground.
Pointless
With Noble gone West ham were forced to make changes, and after half time young Freddy Sears was replaced by Mullins. This seemed to tighten the midfield up a little (until they knocked 3 past us) but left Ashton stranded with little to work with besides long balls as he refused to track back. It became all too predictable, West Ham were content to knock the ball about in triangles until a pass went too short, or too far, or someone decided to smack it upfield for Ashton to plod after. Faubert gave the ball away a lot, at times it looked as if he didn't know the difference between the ball and his own feet. And I swear at one point the cameras switched to Curbs and it looked like he mouthed "we're going down" - I'm not joking.
Ratings, because I really can't bring myself to talk anymore about what happened in this game.
Greeny: One good save, one blunder after Davenport had saved the ball from going in twice. I really don't think that he saw too much of the ball each time that it went in, as the defence insisted on standing right in front of him and let people shoot from 8 yards out. Average at best; 6
Behrami: Didn't seem to posses the pace that I thought he did, and gave the ball away numerous times by emulating Ronaldo's little chop turn thingy. Picked up a yellow, looked a little out of touch, and disastrous marking on the third goal. Looked as if he was working harder than most however; 5
Davenport: Average performance from an average player, marked about as bad as the rest of the defence but did manage to save a goal twice in the space of 10 seconds subsequently almost snapping his neck again; 5
Upson: Below par performance from Matty, nuff said; 5
Neill: Constantly beaten down the left hand side, showed elements of shirt tugging, but did speak nicely to the refs; 5
Defence as a whole: Not at their best, they looked cluttered and slow, often times trying to do too much with the ball instead of just clearing the lines, and often times belting it up to Ashton instead of passing it out (not that they had too much help from the midfield).
Faubert: Also lacked the pace that I thought he possessed, gave the ball away too much, and preferred to shadow players instead of actually defending at times; 4
Noble: Made silly mistakes that resulted in his marching orders, he let the team down; 3
Parker: Also gave the ball away a lot and decided that the best time to tackle is not when face to face with a player but instead when behind one, shame really, and he needs to do better if we're to do better; 4
Etherington: He was playing? 2
Midfield as a whole: They seem more than content to not pressure until the opposition gets to about 20 yards out. They lacked any sense of creativity and we just don't look dangerous going forward. Also, where is this pace that Curbs was talking about? We looked flat footed all day. Huge gaps between anyone and Deano when he has the ball, and no width to our game.
Cole: I swear he doesn't actually run but is in fact led around by momentum or kinetic energy. The few touches he did get were poor and awkward often resulting in a change of possession. His injury was laughable and would have been run off by any 10 year old school-boy; 2
Ashton: Had very little to work with, but didn't do himself any favours by being about as mobile as Stephen Hawkings. He rarely tracked back even when we were down a man, and had to be content with high balls lofted at him, of which I believe he won none. Still, his hair wasn't dyed this week; 5
Forwards overall: Very little movement, very little service.
Subs
Freddy Sears: Was on for all of about 15 minutes, ran around quite a bit actually trying to pressure defenders, but again no service; 4
Mullins: Not too noticeable to be honest, just seemed to fill in space from Noble's departure. Just as guilty as the rest of midfield in his non-efforts of closing people down; 4
LBM: Such is my sheer hatred towards this man that I refuse to give him a positive score, so in order to figure out how he played you have to use a different scale with -10 being abysmal and -1 being poor (or status quo for him); I really don't believe that he ever gets a score that should be on the positive side. Anyway, he was chucked on to partner Ashton after we were about 7 goals down and saw the ball maybe twice. If it wasn't for a signature LBM insane asylum foul nobody would have even noticed he was there; -2
Overall
Overall it was just pretty poor, with the best West Ham effort coming from the fans singing Twist and Shout during Richards' injury. No ambition, no craft, no possible sign of creativity and too much absorption of pressure too close to our net. 1 shot on goal for the Irons pretty much explains it all, and if we show up with the same lack of venturism in the future we could get ripped apart by many teams. City weren't exactly at their best and merely got goals from using a bit of width and showing that unlike us they could keep the ball for more than 3 consecutive passes, and if that's all it takes to score on us then there are a lot of teams that could put us away. If we had been playing an average Man Utd today we'd have let in at least 7.
So, back to the drawing board and it is still early days yet. But in order for us to progress we need to get back to West Ham football and not this defencive tripe that we've been playing lately. We could definitely use a crafty play-maker in the Bishop - Berkovic - Benayoun genre (preferably with a surname that starts with a 'B" because I like trends), and we're going to have to pray that either we don't sell Anton, or that Collins starts off playing how he left if/when he returns from injury.
I'm disappointed to say the least.
23 August, 2008
Starting Up
Intros...
Well lets get the formalities out of the way, and I do feel kind of awkward doing this, like meeting your girlfriend's dad for the first time I feel pangs, anyway here's the lowdown.
1) I'm a West Ham fan and have been since around 1992.
2) I'm not much of a rumour updater, although I may use this blog to vent about possible rumours, but it'll probably be pre and post match commentary, with attacks on what I think we're doing wrong, and cheers about what we're doing right.
3) I probably drink too much and am scared that I may drunk-blog, which could be as bad as drunk texting the ex, but possibly this is a sad reflection that instead of downing a kebab after one too many of the black stuff I'd rather attempt to write.
4) World affairs interest me.
5) I'm an Ex-pat at the moment, and currently residing in Washington DC
6) I'm a West Ham fan and have been since around 1992.
WHU vs Man City
Tomorrow sees our brave boys venture up to the northern badlands in an attempt to take 3 points and a possible 6 point lead on Tottscum. I almost choked today from laughing after watching the demise of that terrible war crime THFC, with Jenas running around like a headless chicken and Ramos completely devoid of emotion.
Anyway, aside from my near death experience I have a bad feeling about the City game. Wigan last week proved to be a bigger test than it should have been, and we really haven't been updated on the probability of seeing Deano this Sunday. City though, seem to have a couple of people out through injury, and we, for the most part, have a decent amount of people healthy. Fire power will be key for us, because with a hapless Davenport at the back, we must surely expect to concede at least one goal. Fair play to the lad though, not everyone would snap their necks and then decide to get a head on every aerial ball within 10 yards of Rob Green. We need Deano, and personally I'd like to see Sears get a start, as I think it would be closer to the dynamic of a Deano - Bellamy strike-force which Curbs intends to continue when our Welsh dragon gets fit again. But we'll more likely see Cole who does put in a good work rate - bless his little cotton socks.
Etherington should also feature, because if LBM gets another 5 minutes in a WHU shirt Russia may invade Upton Park stating that Curbs has broken human rights laws. Parker and Noble will have to step up their game and control the midfield, and hopefully we'll see more of Faubert's progression - he seems to be looking like a good little player, and possibly the play-maker that we need after not replacing Yossi.
Valon Pepperami should also see a start and give us another good look at him (although I'm more partial to look at his misses, what a fitty). Rounding off the defence will be the aforementioned Davenport, the rock Upson, and our token Aussie Lucas who needs to get his head straight after an underachieving campaign last season.
I'm a West Ham fan, which means I always dream of winning but know what it is to lose, I predict 2-1 Irons but expect 2-1 City.
That's all for now, not the best inaugural post I know, I'll be back after the game tomorrow with more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
