What happened next? The Hammers who beat Derby in 2003
WHUFC.com
West Ham United left it late, but kept their strong start to the 2003/04
Football League Division One season going with a 1-0 victory away at Derby
County 14 years ago today. Don Hutchison stepped off the bench and volleyed
home the winner in the final minute, pushing the Hammers up to third in the
league table.
Here, we look at what the players who turned out in claret and blue that day
did next...
David James
David was still England's No1 goalkeeper, despite the Hammers' relegation
the previous summer. He moved to Man City three months later and went on to
play for Portsmouth, Bristol City and Bournemouth, before moving overseas
with Icelandic side ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar. He retired aged 44 after a spell as
player-manager of Indian side Kerala Blasters and has since worked as a
pundit.
Tomas Repka
Hardman defender Tomas was a Hammer for five years, helping the club win
promotion back to the top flight before returning to his homeland to play
for Sparta Prague. He retired in 2014 after a one-game spell with Hvozdnice.
Christian Dailly
Dailly became a cult hero among Hammers fans during his six years at the
Boleyn Ground. After the Hammers he turned out for Rangers, Charlton
Athletic, Portsmouth and Southend United. He retired in 2012 and his son
Harvey has followed him into football, making his Dundee United in August -
27 years after his father did the same.
Ian Pearce
Ian enjoyed a distinguished career at the top of the game with Chelsea,
Blackburn, the Hammers and Fulham, but he wasn't afraid to drop down the
levels in his later years, turning out for Oxted & District, Kingstonian,
Lincoln City and Lingfield. He was also assistant manager to Chris Sutton
during his time with Lincoln.
Wayne Quinn
Wayne's loan with the Hammers from Newcastle United that season proved to be
the end of his professional career. He was released by the Magpies in 2004
and returned home to Cornwall, where he played non-league football for
Penzance and Falmouth Town. In 2013 he became player-manager of
Penzance-baded side Mousehole.
Niclas Alexandersson
Alexandersson was on loan from Everton at the time, with his Goodison Park
spell coming to an end at the conclusion of the season. He returned to
Sweden with IFK Goteborg, where he remained until his retirement in 2009. He
gained 109 caps for his country.
Michael Carrick
Academy product and 1999 FA Youth Cup winner Michael was coming to the end
of his time with the Hammers, moving on to Tottenham in January 2004. He
signed for Manchester United two years later and has since won five Premier
Leagues, three League Cups, a UEFA Champions League and an FA Cup.
Kevin Horlock
Kevin spent one season with the Hammers before signing for Ipswich Town in
summer 2004. Spells with Doncaster and Scunthorpe followed before he moved
into coaching. He currently manages Essex non-league side Maldon & Tipree,
along with holding the post of assistant manager with Colchester United's
U23s.
Matt Etherington
Etherington was just starting out on a 195-game Hammers career at this
point, which saw him become a popular figure in claret and blue. He went on
to play for Stoke City, where injury forced his retirement at the age of 33
in 2014.
David Connolly
Irishman David had a season with the Hammers before playing for Leicester,
Wigan, Sunderland, Southampton, Portsmouth and AFC Wimbledon, where a long
and varied career came to a close in 2015.
Neil Mellor
Scouser Neil burst onto the scene with eye-catching goals for Liverpool
against Olympiacos and Arsenal before heading to the Hammers on loan. He
never re-scaled those early heights, playing for Preston and Sheffield
Wednesday before hanging up his boots and embarking on a career in the
media..
Substitutes
Don Hutchison (for Mellor, 71)
Hutchison made the match-winning contribution from the bench in what was his
second spell with the Hammers. He later played for Millwall, Coventry and
Luton and is now a pundit.
Rob Lee (for Carrick, 83)
Rob left the Hammers at the end of this season for brief spells with Oldham
and Wycombe. He is another member of this team to have moved into punditry
and his son Elliot also turned out for West Ham, and is now at Luton Town.
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Westley: Academy should take pride in international call-ups
WHUFC.com
Academy Director Terry Westley says West Ham United should take pride in the
number of young players called up for international duty. The Academy of
Football has no fewer than eight players away representing their respective
nations in a variety of competitive and friendly matches across Europe.
Declan Rice and Josh Cullen (Republic of Ireland U21), Martin Samuelsen
(Norway U21), Reece Oxford and Nathan Trott (England U20), Rihards Matrevics
(Latvia U19), Anthony Scully (Republic of Ireland U19) and Dan Kemp (England
U19) were all selected, while Domingos Quina was forced to pull out of the
Portugal U20 squad through injury.
"The number of international call-ups for Academy shows where we are at as a
Club, scouting, coaching and developing outstanding young players who are
among the very best in their country," said Westley. "If you are in the
England U20 squad like Oxford and Trott, or a Portugal U20 squad that won
the European U19 Championship last summer like Quina, you have got a
pedigree of player there that we can be proud of. "Rice and Cullen are
important players for Ireland U21s, who have made a terrific start to their
own European Championship qualifying group. "We also have Nathan Holland,
who was on standby for England U20s, Dan Kemp called up for the U19s and
Anthony Scully playing in midfield for Ireland U19s. "The status of our
players continues to rise and, as an Academy and as a Club as a whole, this
is very encouraging and an endorsement of the work we are doing here at West
Ham United."
Rice and Bolton Wanderers loanee Cullen are in the Republic of Ireland U21
squad for home Group 5 ties with Martin Samuelsen's Norway on Thursday – who
also host Germany in Drammen next Tuesday – and Israel in Dublin on Monday.
Nathan Trott and Reece Oxford, who is on loan at German club Borussia
Moenchengladbach, are in the England U20 squad for friendly matches with
Italy in Gorgonzola on Thursday and at home to Czech Republic next Tuesday.
Sticking with the Young Lions, Kemp is in the England U19 squad for
friendlies in Czech Republic on Friday and Slovakia on Monday. Finally,
Scully's Republic of Ireland U19s host Azerbaijan on Wednesday, Cyprus on
Saturday and Serbia on Tuesday in UEFA European Championship qualifiers in
Waterford, while Rihards Matrevics has been called-up by Latvia U19s for a
training camp and friendly matches in Riga.
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Brighton tickets on General Sale
WHUFC.com
Friday Night Football returns to London Stadium when Brighton & Hove Albion
visit east London and tickets for the visit of the Seagulls are now on
General Sale.
Our last Friday night game was that unforgettable victory over Tottenham
Hotspur at the end of last season - so head to London Stadium as the Hammers
will look to kick-off the weekend in style against Brighton on 20 October.
The Hammers defeated Brighton 6-0 in our last home meeting in the 2011/12
promotion season and you can be there as we go for another three points!
Ticket start at just £30 adults and £15 concessions, so hurry to secure your
seat before they sell out.
Supporters can purchase four tickets per person, online by clicking here,
over the telephone on 0330 030 1966, or in person at the London Stadium
Ticket Office.
*Phone lines are open 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday)
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Westley pleased with different challenge against Villarreal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Academy Director Terry Westley was pleased his young Hammers
were tested in a different way when Villarreal were the opposition in the
Premier League International Cup on Wednesday night. The Spaniards visited
the U23s in Dagenham and were 3-0 winners thanks to striker Adrian Dalmau's
hat-trick. The young Yellow Submarine B team side, who play in Spain's third
division, popped the ball around with pace and precision though the 3-0
scoreline was flattering given the hosts had two attempts cleared off the
line. Despite the defeat, it was the challenge of facing an outfit capable
of playing a different way to most of the Hammers' English opponents which
left Westley confident his side learned from the experience. He said: "I
like that we've had a different challenge. We knew they were going to be
strong opposition, and that's what this competition is. We deserved to be in
this by winning promotion and qualifying for European competition last
season, and then you know you'll be up against it. "The average age of their
side, they have a lot of 23-year-olds, they're playing in the second
division of senior football in Spain and it's the international break so we
have a few away. "If you add all of those elements up, it was always going
to be difficult. But it's different. We now go and have a sit down meal with
the opposition, which again is different. All of those facets can only help
bring our young players to the next level. "It's what you learn from it. If
we learn from it, it's a well-worth exercise. The opposition deserve great
credit though, because I thought they were very good."
The Hammers conceded the opener after just 15 seconds when Conor Coventry
lost possession on the edge of his own box and Dalmau raced clear to score.
But although the pacey forward scored twice more, it was the Hammers who
caused more problems in front of goal with Nathan Holland constantly a
threat. "I think Nathan Holland caused them problems going the other way,"
Westley continued. "I think both full-backs in Vash [Neufville] and Ben
[Johnson] came out on the credit side. "I think those players in particular
can think they held their own. The challenge is, with the other players,
that's the sort of level we're talking about.
"The biggest difference [with the way they played] was their movement
without the ball. If you're next to someone, they'll move and ask you
questions. "That was the real telling point and they were able to move and
take unusual positions rather than rigid English systems which we might play
against more often. "Their flexibility was something that was a real test."
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Carlton Cole: My West Ham Scrapbook
WHUFC.com
Former West Ham United striker Carlton Cole picks out some of the highlights
of his time in Claret and Blue...
Scoring on debut against Charlton in August 2006
MY debut couldn't have got any better than that. I just remember feeling a
little bit of relief that I'd come on and made an impact straight away. I
knew that I needed to get the fans on my side straight away and that was a
quality way to start my West Ham career and I needed something like that to
set me on my way.
Scoring on my debut gave me confidence to crack on, and it was against
Charlton – one of the teams I had gone on loan to previously – so that made
it extra-special because I did want to score against them! That was really
good and I do remember that as one of the highlights of my career, scoring
my first goal for West Ham.
The 'overchuffed' interview in January 2011
I'VE got loads of those sort of quotes in my locker. The 'overchuffed'
quote, it's not even a word, it's not in the dictionary. That word just came
into my mind, I don't know why, but that was just how I was feeling at the
time! With the steam coming off my head too, it was just drama all around!
I've just finished the game and scored against Birmingham in the League Cup
semis, I'm obviously hot, and you know what happens when you're hot and
sweating, and you're in the freezing cold, it's a sort of combustion. I
didn't realise at the time, but when everyone was looking at the TV it
looked like my head was on fire. It was just a chemical reaction with my big
head. I appreciated how the fans treated me and every time I go back they
treat me very well. I've got so much respect for West Ham fans, because once
you're a West Ham player and have a good relationship with them, they'll
always respect you. Hats off to them.
Winning the 2012 Championship Play-Off final against Blackpool
IT was a massive highlight for me because my whole family were there. It was
such a huge game for us, with the Club's future in the balance, and to be
part of that, scoring the first goal and having the grit and determination
to win that game, by scoring in the last minute through Vaz Te, was
brilliant. I assisted that goal as well. I think it was a ball in from Kevin
Nolan from the left. I almost got it to try and get the goal, but the keeper
was right there. The only thing I could do was kind of hook it away from
him. I knew that someone was on my right and I was just hoping that they
were on the move as well. When I looked as I scooped it away from the
keeper, just to keep the ball alive, it was Vaz Te. I actually thought he'd
missed it and skied it over the bar, but he roofed it and It couldn't have
fallen to a better person and a better guy. We didn't really play well in
that game, every single one of us was nervous, but the West Ham fans were
the 12th man for us, and it pushed us through right to the end.
Scoring in the 3-1 win against Chelsea in the 2012/13 season
THIS was our first year back in the Premier League, and when you come up
from the Championship and beat a team like Chelsea, it solidifies that you
can do it at this level. It makes you more confident that we're not going
back down and we can beat teams at this level, in the Premier League. This
was my first ever goal against Chelsea too, so it was a very special moment
for me. Obviously, I've got love for Chelsea, because they gave me my chance
in life and this football career, but I made my home at West Ham so that's
why it felt really good to score a goal against a team that let me go.
Re-signing for the Club in 2013 and scoring his first goal back against
Fulham
WHEN I came back, I had to do a lot of work in the gym to get back to the
fitness that I should have been when I got the call. I wasn't fit enough, I
was trying to prove that I was fit, and when I actually did sign and came on
and scored against Fulham it was just like, 'I'm back in the Premier League
with West Ham with a bang'. I think I went on a good goalscoring run after
that. I scored against Man United and Arsenal, so it was good to be involved
and to have the fans really involved in my progress, from where I was,
released, to score that first goal was brilliant.
Carlton's final goal for West Ham in the dramatic FA Cup replay against
Everton in 2015
THAT was one of the classic games under the Upton Park lights. It was an
intense game, and I didn't expect to come on to be honest, but we went 2-1
down and Sam threw me on. The goal was with my first touch – James Tomkins
headed it back across goal and I just put a leg out and it hit off my shin
and went it. It was meant to be! I couldn't believe it myself, we were back
in the game and we went to penalties. It was a great standard of penalties
in the shootout, I notched mine and obviously it went to Adrian. He made
history with his, taking off his gloves and bashing it in. It was amazing
and I just felt so grateful to be a part of it. It's one of those nights
that everyone will remember.
Being back at London Stadium for the game against Spurs
IT was brilliant to be back. I did a bit of TV for beIN Sport and it was
great to see the fans. I went on the pitch at half-time and even though we
were losing they still welcomed me. I'm very happy to be part of West Ham's
history and I'll always love West Ham. I'm back in England now looking for a
club. I've been doing some hardcore training and I'm looking to see where my
future lies. I still enjoy the game and I want to end my career on a high.
Hopefully I can squeeze out a few more years and give my knowledge to the
youth too.
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One more time for the WHISTLE posse?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd October 2017
By: Staff Writer
A former member of the WHISTLE group has been revealed as a key member of
the team working with City financier Amanda Staveley, who is actively
seeking to take control of a Premier League club. Lifelong Hammers fan David
Bick was a member of the fan-led action group WHISTLE that attempted to
wrestle control of West Ham United from former owner Terry Brown during the
tempestuous 2003/04 season.
That bid ended acrimoniously when Brown opted on a course of litigious
action, serving writs against all three main menbers of the group - Bick
plus fellow WHISTLE members Mike Hanna and Barry Abrahams - after they
questioned the Chairman's legitimacy and called for his resignation. However
KUMB has learned that Bick and his City-based Square 1 Consulting PR company
are heavily involved with financier Amanda Staveley of PCP Capital Partners,
who was spotted at Newcastle United last weekend and has been linked with a
move for a Premier League club.
The Dubai-based Staveley, whose company was involved in the £210million deal
that saw Sheikh Mansour take over Manchester City via the Abu Dhabi United
Group sat with the directors at St James' Park but has been linked with
other Premier League clubs, including West Ham. And given her close working
relationship with Bick, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a
fresh move for West Ham could yet be on the cards.
Who were WHISTLE?
WHISTLE were a pressure group formed by a select group of season ticket
holders in 2003, who sought to oust Terence Brown as Chairman of West Ham
Utd as a result of what they perceived to be financial mismanagement. Brown
responded to the group's missives and public meetings by issuing writs
against three of its most prominent members, including Bick, having
previously referred to WHISTLE's campaign as "an unwarranted and unnecessary
distraction". Legal action was subsequently dropped after Bick and fellow
WHISTLE member Barrie Abrahams published apologies. Brown remained a
controversial character until he sold his majority share in 2006 to
Bjorgolfur Gudmunssson - who was himself declared bankrupt two years later,
plunging the club into debt. Brown - who borrowed £2m in order to buy a
stake in West Ham during the early 1990s - made a profit in the region of
£30million when selling his 36 per cent stake in the club some 15 years
later.
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West Ham 1-0 Swansea (And Other Ramblings)
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 2nd October 2017
By: HeadHammerShark
One of my favourite time waster websites is Awkward Family Photos which
pretty much does what it says on the tin. I believe this to be the
masterpiece of the oeuvre:
Hernandez, Carroll, Lanzini and Antonioooooooo
I urge you to really focus on this picture because it is absolutely the best
thing to emerge from this game. There is quite a lot going on.
It is also a rather magnificently apt pictorial representation of the
problem that Slaven Bilic is currently encountering. No matter what he does
to try and make this team slot together, any movement in one area seems to
cause a disaster somewhere else. His early season ambitions of squeezing all
his attackers in and letting the cards fall where they may has backfired
spectacularly as our defence proved as porous as a paper umbrella. He then
shifted the other way by focusing on that back line, with some success, but
this meant that suddenly our attack - a red-headed toddler if ever I saw one
- was face down on a beach. I have some sympathy with his predicament,
although it is primarily of his own making.
***
I have been much concerned lately with the concept of listening and what
happens when people stop hearing what you have to say. This has been
partially triggered by the number of people taking the time to tell me they
no longer read The H List, apparently due to the lack of positivity, but
also because that very point feels inextricably linked to the fact that
Slaven Bilic no longer seems to be getting through to his players.
On the first point - c'est la vie. There are plenty of places you can go for
people to tell you how well things are going at West Ham. That's their
prerogative of course, because none of us watch games of football for xG or
shot locations but because we want to dream, experience joy and lose
ourselves, however briefly, in the endless Elysian fields of possibility.
I understand that and it's why I don't look down my nose at the "Three
positive things to come of our 4-0 defeat to Manchester United!" articles.
But at the same time, that's not me. I reckon I am perfectly capable of
getting excited but I'd argue that this last eighteen months has been enough
to test the resolve of all but the most optimistic Hammer.
I don't watch games solely for the electric rush of immediate gratification
that follows a win. I enjoy that, of course, but I want the feeling of
momentum and the all-encompassing notion that we are being swept along as
part of a bigger overall strategy. For the first time since the late
Nineties, I felt that way in 2015/16. It's been a sobering feeling to have
fallen off that wave quite so spectacularly.
None of which, by the way, is to ask for praise or comment or anything else.
If I am entitled to write these columns then people are equally entitled to
dislike them. That's pretty much how it's supposed to work and if you write
things on the internet then you'd better have a thick enough skin to cope
with the resulting scrutiny. It's a shame to lose readers, but if that's the
price of doing business then that's how it will have to be.
I also know how many people read The H List and it's quite significantly
less than a number of other West Ham sites. In the end, people vote with
their (cyber) feet.
But as I pondered all of this last week, it did occur to me that, in the
same way that I'm running out of synonyms for "inept", and struggling to
find new ways to say the same thing, maybe Slaven Bilic is similarly
reaching for fresh inspiration to convince his team to rouse themselves from
the footballing doldrums.
A kiss before dying?
***
I never had much doubt that West Ham would win this game, although my
confidence began seriously wavering around the hour mark when Andy Carroll
seemed to be briefly playing in midfield, Chicharito was on his mobile
firing his agent and the crowd had taken on the friendly, jovial tone that
one traditionally associates with the Colosseum. In fact I even predicted a
shitty 1-0 win on an appearance with the chaps from Hammers Chat, during the
week.
This was yet another of those typical Bilic games, so synonymous with his
reign that he is almost becoming defined by them. A high pressure match that
he apparently has to win, even though it's early in the season, the board
pretty clearly don't want to fire him and Crystal Palace exist. So it was on
to this familiar terrain that we all clambered and the teams didn't
disappoint.
This might be the single worst game of football I've ever seen, although in
fairness this will take some beating. My criteria here is that both teams
must be fairly - oh fuck it - inept and in that vein I have to rule out all
those 7-1 away defeats because you'd have to accept that the opposition in
those games were probably pretty decent.
No, for a truly awful game you need both teams to be conjoined in futility
and apparently bereft of inspiration. And, well, here you go:
Say what you will about Bilic, but he seems to know how to win these sorts
of game. By my record he has faced these win or die games against Palace
(a), Hull (h), Burnley (h), Swansea (h - twice) and Huddersfield (h) and won
them all without conceding a single goal in the process. I'm not sure what I
think about this, but at some point we might have to acknowledge that there
is a certain skill to this. Of course, a better skill would be to not need
to win them in the first place, but we're a bit past that now.
As per this shot map from Caley Graphics the first thing to acknowledge here
is that Swansea were absolutely woeful. Not a single shot from inside the
box, and all the attacking threat of the Golgafrinchan Ark Fleet Ship B from
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, who got all the way to Earth and
immediately crashed. This, by the way, was considered perfectly acceptable
because they were all incompetent and the Golgafrinchans just wanted to get
rid of them.
For as disjointed and frustratingly patchwork as our play was, you can't
compare it to Swansea. And it should be pointed out they looked a hell of a
lot more dangerous playing away at Spurs than they did here. Actually, now
really I think about it, they were fucking useless here.
Our back four were impressive and, whilst it's easy to dismiss the weak
opposition, both Abraham and Bony are reasonable strikers. However, they
were easily contained by Reid and Fonte, whilst Pablo Zabaleta contains to
render my pre-season warnings about his fitness as foolish. He was
outstanding here, and whilst Aaron Cresswell still came in for plenty of
stick it seems pretty likely that he was simply ordered by Bilic to hold his
position in order to keep the shape of the flat back four.
The febrile atmosphere in the stadium didn't help. Cresswell and Fonte both
fell victim to the boo boys as they were forced back by aggressive Swansea
pressing - the only thing the visitors did well all afternoon - and the
atmosphere generally teetered on the edge of full rebellion all afternoon.
For a team playing with their confidence in their boots, it was a difficult
day on which to perform.
***
So, what was happening further up the field?
Well, Bilic employed the 4-4-2 formation that had briefly served him well in
the closing stages of the Spurs match. That was against ten men, and a team
already 3-0 up, but he saw enough to convince himself that it could work
here.
And then he deployed Michail Antonio and Andre Ayew as the wide players.
It will smack of 20/20 hindsight but I am amazed that Bilic thought this
could ever work. Neither Antonio or Ayew do enough defensive work for that
position, and neither does Marko Arnautovic for that matter, who was due to
play there until eating some Spurs lasagne and coming down with a sickness
bug before the game.
Thus it came to pass that Ayew was chucked on with limited preparation time,
and played out of position once again. If the definition of a manager is to
put his or her employees into the best possible position to perform their
job, then Bilic is failing at this.
There is no doubt that this was a formation tried to try and extract the
best from Andy Carroll and Chicharito, but given their strengths it was a
regression all the way back to the previous century. When English football
evolved away from the 4-4-2 obsession it was by virtue of, typically
foreign, second strikers who dropped in between the lines of attack and
midfield and became link players in a 4-4-1-1 system. Think Bergkamp and
Zola.
This wasn't what we were trying to do here.
Instead we were trying to replicate the Kevin Phillips/Niall Quinn
partnership that worked so well for Sunderland, and which involved the
second, smaller striker running on to flick ons and link play from his
bigger partner. And to start with, I thought Carroll did his part fairly
well. He put himself about in the fashion of a rhino in a soft play area and
generally reminded Swansea why he tends to always score against them.
Big Andy
But we weren't doing the things one would expect to make that system work.
No long diagonal balls from full backs for Carroll to flick on or knock
down, and no drives to the byeline from which the wide players could deliver
crosses into the box.
Instead, I don't really know what was going on. The players are low on
confidence and playing their third different starting system, just seven
matches into the season. We could argue that teams should be able to flick
back and forth, but there seems little doubt that they were uncomfortable in
this formation and the output was dire.
Everywhere you looked someone was having a stinker. Cheikhou Kouyate looked
like he had been dragged out of the crowd by a hypnotist and told he was a
Premier League midfielder, and Mark Noble just continues to fade from view
like the vapour trail of a vanishing jet.
Shockingly, a tactical plan stolen from Sunderland wasn't working.
A decent chunk of this can be explained away. To my mind the best wide
players in a 4-4-2 would be Byram and Masuaku, who can do enough defensively
to justify letting the full backs push up a bit and would lend some nice
solidity when the opposition have the ball. The issue is that with Kouyate
and Noble inside them, there is a serious lack of creativity there.
As it was, our attacks unfolded like a slow time lapse photograph - you had
to keep staring at it to figure out if the bloody thing was moving at all.
And then, on came Masuaku, who ran at the Swansea defence and didn't manage
much until he did, and one beautiful sweeping cross bypassed everyone and
found the lurking Diafra Sakho at the back post. 1-0, 91 minutes,
redemption. Just like that, we're off to a better start than last season.
For a manager much maligned for his substitutes, they sure do seem to paying
some dividends lately.
That feeling of rebellion in the crowd was there all day, and seemed to have
been festering for a week, perhaps as a result of the post Spurs autopsies
that split the fanbase. After half an hour of this game, it was evident that
the system was not working. I would argue that modern managers are far too
slow to make changes in such situations, and that if ever a team should have
been changed quickly it was this one. Swansea were matching us in formation
and the rows of four were making it impossible for anyone to pass to each
other, apparently.
Yet, despite the game crying out for something different, it was allowed to
rumble on. Taking players off after half an hour isn't a recipe for a happy
squad but this might have been an exceptional case. The problem was
compounded by the fact that Antonio looked like he was carrying an injury
for most of the day, highlighting once more the folly of asking players to
play when half fit.
The problem I see with Bilic is that he gives off the very strong impression
of picking his eleven players first and then trying to choose a formation to
shoehorn them into. As such, Carroll and Chicharito were going to play no
matter what, and thus he stumbled upon 4-4-2 as the least worst option
available. One wonders if this might be the decision which finally loses him
the crowd.
Read some of the articles about Bilic, and ask around a bit and a familiar
theme emerges, however. The players like him and continue to play for him
but are baffled by the tactics. They also sympathise with the pressure that
comes of working for the Kim Jong Sullivan family, and don't appreciate the
continued interventions from Pyongyang-on-Thames.
But be that as it may, the word is that anyone going in search of concrete
instructions from the coaching staff is generally met with platitudes or
motivational speeches and, well, none of that is hard to believe watching
the team play.
But, I suppose we can't ignore the facts. This was a third clean sheet in
four games and Bilic's substitutes have contributed two goals and three
assists in that span. The crescendo of boos that greeted Chicharito's
replacement was remarkable given how little impact the Mexican had in the
game. We can argue over whose fault that is, but he wasn't doing anything
and I didn't really disagree. I thought it more important to try and get
Sakho and Masuaku on than pandering to a crowd who were already in a fickle
mood, and felt it should have happened far earlier.
Carroll subsequently showed his worth by hitting the crossbar in the latter
stages with a lovely improvised flick, and whilst I wouldn't be starting him
so unquestioningly as Bilic seems to, I also wouldn't boo him for being
chosen as a sponsors Man of the Match.
That incident capped a remarkable afternoon as some poor bastard in a box
somewhere chose to give Carroll a bottle of Moet so he could get a picture
with him and a quick chat and somehow managed to generate a tidal wave of
boos for one of our own players. I'm all for supporting your team in
whatever way you want, but figuring out that Man of the Match awards are
meaningless might be a good fucking start.
This is not important
***
But all of this shouldn't detract from how insipid and soul destroying this
afternoon was. I know there were injuries, I know Lanzini and Obiang are
coming back, I know the opposition were terrible, I know the confidence was
low, I know we're grinding out points and I know that Bilic is a nice guy
who carries himself with dignity and class. Those things all matters but I'm
not sure they matter as much as the fact that we are going absolutely
nowhere.
I don't know how anyone could watch this latest victory plucked from the
jaws of mediocrity and see anything resembling a plan. Sure, the
substitution of Masuaku has been influential for two games running, but
anyone who thinks that he would be putting in those touchline crosses in the
ninetieth minute of games while playing at left back hasn't been paying
attention. He has been able to do that because the presence of Cresswell
behind him, and the situation of the game has allowed him to advance that
far upfield.
Hands up anyone fancying another crack at 4-4-2 next week at Burnley? Keep
them up if you fancy that Arnautovic is the answer to the disjointedness?
And keep 'em there if you can see an easy way to slot Manuel Lanzini into
this team? And keep them up still if you believe Bilic has a clear
understanding of how he's going to make all of that work tactically?
Now let me see who's still got their hand up. Ah - how nice to see you, Mrs
Bilic.
I retain a healthy admiration for Bilic because I think he has to work with
intolerable interference from our owners, but at some point we have to ask
why we are permanently drifting instead of heading toward some sort of
identifiable end point. I think a lot of that comes back to a question I
have been asking of him for a while now - what sort of team does Slaven
Bilic's West Ham look like?
If we are a fast, counter-attacking team, then Carroll cannot play and
arguably Chicharito might also be a bit of a luxury if we can't find a way
to get him on the ball in the box. Alternatively, if Bilic wants a physical,
direct team that plays off a big striker, then he should just pick one and
find a way to make it work.
The problem with the current bastardised hybrid is that it is neither. We
can't play quickly because hardly anyone in the team has any pace, and we
don't play long ball because it's not really how any of them want to play.
So we drift along in the middle, and it's good enough to beat teams like
Swansea and Huddersfield and it's not even close to good enough for teams
like Manchester United or Spurs.
Perhaps the saving grace here might be Lanzini, who returned on Saturday and
did more in his brief cameo than any of the four midfielders who started the
game did all day. If our season truly does hinge around the fitness of a
solitary player, however, then it might be time to stock up on sleeping bags
because it's going to be a long winter.
Have you tried telling them to be more passionate?
***
One interesting piece of news from last week was that Reece Oxford has come
back from his baffling loan to Borussia Mönchengladbach, a team better than
the one he was leaving. I remain convinced that the club are approaching
loans wrongly, with barely any attention being paid to exactly what benefit
the youngsters are going to derive from them.
What is perhaps timely is that West Ham have a gaping hole at the defensive
midfield position currently. Noble is out of sorts and Pedro Obiang is
currently demonstrating the recovery powers of a leper and William Carvalho
is in Portugal and that doesn't leave much else.
Perhaps I'm a fool, but that brief wondrous glimpse of Oxford two years ago
continues to eat away at me. It's more than Declan Rice has ever shown,
although he now seems to be favoured. Perhaps those rumours that Oxford is
too big for his boots are true, but to see that type of talent and then
watch it shrivel would be a painful cross to bear.
***
We had the relatively interesting development late last week when a new
owner joined up with the Kim Jongs and the Golds. American asset manager
Albert "Tripp" Smith purchased the balancing 10% stake previously held by
Straumar dating back to the rip-roaringly successful Icelandic takeover.
Smith is a billionaire, courtesy of selling his company GSO Capital Partners
to the Blackstone Company in 2008. This makes sense, because you'd really
have to be billionaire to call yourself Tripp and not have everyone laugh at
you.
I don't really have much idea of why he's done this beyond the fact that men
in his line of work don't typically make investments for sentimental
reasons. He must see some value, either in the form of a future sale or an
increase in expected revenue streams, which would both be welcome
developments.
One additional point to mention is that the club will doubtless be hugely
more valuable now than when Gold and Sullivan purchased their shares in
2010. The amount that Tripp has paid for his shares probably won't be a
million miles away from the individual investments made by the owners back
then. In case you're wondering why anyone would ever invest in Premier
League football clubs.
If he brings only one thing to the club, then I would welcome some of the
dead-eyed professionalism that characterises people in his industry. It
might be a laugh when our owners shoot their mouths off and get called The
Dildo Brothers, but it all hurts our wider standing within the game. I
wonder if 10 per cent buys him the right to pull the reins on the Sullivan
horses at any time?
Please note that the opinions expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the views of, nor should be
attributed to, KUMB.com.
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Joe Hart says he has 'failed' in his England career until now
Last Updated: 02/10/17 12:16pm
SSN
Goalkeeper Joe Hart says he has "failed" in his England career until now.
Reflecting on his international career to date, Hart told The Offside Rule
podcast: "It was something I didn't need to dream about - because I didn't
think it was possible. "The next thing after that is to do something with
your England career and make it matter. I have failed up until now so I need
to change that." Hart is one of four goalkeepers in the squad for the final
World Cup Qualifiers with Slovenia on Thursday and Lithuania on Sunday,
alongside Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland and Fraser Forster. Hart added: "I
want to amass as many caps as I can, I want to be the goalkeeper who plays
for England, but I would swap all of that for a trophy or playing an
important role in a good summer for the nation. That's my only intention
when I play for England."
The 30-year-old is on loan at West Ham from Manchester City, who he says
were asking too much money for him. "I would have loved to have signed
somewhere permanent: I want to be set, I want to have goals and be driven.
"But there was too much money put on my head and people weren't willing to
pay it so another loan came about. "I was very grateful when West Ham gave
me the opportunity, so it's another case of getting my head down and working
hard and fighting for the cause."
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HAMMERS SUPER-FAN PROMISES MOTIVATIONAL DRESSING ROOM TALKFeatured Image
Date: 4th October 2017 at 10:00pm
Written by: Forever Westham
West Ham United super-fan Triple H says he is ready to get in the dressing
room and give Slaven Bilic's side a much needed motivational talk after
their narrow victory over Swansea at the weekend. The wrestling superstar,
who was appearing on Sky Sports News to talk about the WWE's upcoming
events, spoke of the Hammers last gasp win at Swansea at the weekend and
insists he is ready to lend a helping hand if necessary. "Here's the thing,
it's only last second but a win is a win," the Cerebral Assassin told Sky
Sports. "So we take the win and hopefully we will capitalise on that and
make it into something bigger. "That brings the confidence to you, now you
just got to capitalise on that, you get a bit of momentum going and next
thing you know the whole complexion changes."
The Game has been with the WWE for over two decades, and now finds himself
as the organisations 'executive Vice President'. His skills on the mic, as
well as his larger than life personality, are something he believes could
benefit Slaven Bilic's men. "Yeah, I'm up for it." said H when asked about
the possibility of getting into the Hammers dressing room. "I can get 'em
fired up."
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NOWHERE NEAR A 4-1 CAKE WALK , BUT AS THE SAYING GOES: 'THREE POINTS IS
THREE POINTS' !
By S J Chandos 4 Oct 2017 at 08:00
WTID
I guess I always knew it was a overly optimistic prediction, but I was
probably just yearning for those long ago days when we could earn a good win
and not have games on a knife edge until the 89th minute! Although it was a
abject first half performance in every sense of the word, the second half
was slightly better and there is something particularly satisfying about a
late winner. I was so pleased for Sakho, in scoring the winning goal, and I
still maintain that he should be starting more regularly. Something that
will now hopefully happen in the aftermath of Saturday's dramatic turn of
events.
For me, it was not that Bilic made the substitution, but that it took so
long for it to happen. The match really was not going well, we were being
out passed by Swansea and could not seem to string two passes together
ourselves for most of the match, something that only noticeably improved
with the introduction of Lanzini. Antonio looked out of sorts, Noble
struggled in midfield and Ayew had an awful match. Plus the
Carroll-Hernandez striking combination was misfiring, with most of the balls
literally going way over the Mexican International's head. No, for me,
Bilic, should have gone with a Sakho-Hernandez combination on Saturday and
should definitely start with it in the next match away at Burnley. Why?
Because, I just feel that these two strikers compliment each other better,
with Sakho leading the line and Hernandez tucking in just behind and playing
off of him. Also, with Sakho in the team, there is more football played on
the ground and less of a temptation to go for the long ball up field, which
invariably cuts the Mexican out of the game.
Readers will recall that I tackled the issue of where best to play Hernandez
last week and concluded that he would be better suited to playing a advanced
role in the centre of a three in a 4-3-2-1. And I was pleased to see Bilic
select a team which contrived to give Hernandez a more central striking
role. However, it was the choice of Carroll as the main striker that
probably ultimately undermined him in my opinion. Still, it is a system that
is well worth testing again and with Sakho replacing Carroll and Arnautovic
selected over Ayew, hopefully it will play out much better next time. At
least we obtained a clean sheet whilst playing the dreaded flat back four.
Indeed, our best performers were probably defenders, with Zabaletta, Fonte
and Reid all having good games. I would certainly have picked any one of
those three over supposed MoTM, Andy Carroll.
Anyway, 'three points is three points,' no matter how unconvincing the
overall performance. We really did need that win going in to the
international break and hopefully we will pick up some more victories over
the next three or four matches. It is true that 'winning becomes a habit' in
football and to emerge victorious after such a weak performance is a good
sign of sorts. And in all honesty Bilic needs all the positive 'habits' and
signs he can muster at the moment. I have said it before and I will say it
again, I like Bilic as an individual. He is honest, has integrity and
genuinely has a pride in managing the club. When he joined I really thought
he was the real deal, as his side put together some great performances in
his first season. Yet, last season was very 'up and down' and it raised some
doubts about whether Bilic was the manager to lead us to the fabled 'next
level.' This season, young as it still is, has only served to deepen those
reservations. I would love to see Bilic turn it around, win the club a
trophy this season and sign a new contract. However, failing a dramatic
transformation of our situation, you do get the impression that he will be
moving on at the end of the season when his contract expires. If it happens
that way, it will be very disappointing, but that is football I am afraid!
I see that a few social media football sites have taken to monitoring Zaza's
goal scoring achievements in La Liga and using it as a stick to beat West
Ham and Bilic. They write articles to the effect of, 'if only West Ham still
had Zaza,' the striker who has scored more goals than the whole Hammers
forward line! It is all mischief, but this Hammer supporter does not have
any such regrets. it was clear from the beginning that Zaza lacked the
physicality to excel in the PL. And I believe that was the reason for his
failure, not Bilic, nor the tactics/system that he employed. He is
performing better in Spanish football because he is better suited to it. It
was the best move for the club and player himself, full stop! The same
websites will no doubt be arguing that we should have kept Calleri as well
if he scores a few goals. Now that would be stretching that type of argument
a bit too far.
It has been announced that the Hammers seat allocation for the 4th round of
the Carabou Cup is 4,800. That is a smaller allocation than most thought and
it seems the 50,000 limit capacity at Wembley could see the club lose out
financially from the tie. Oh well, we will just have to beat them then and
make up the money in the 5th round! Do not write us off completely, Spurs
are not comfortable playing their matches at Wembley and we have been known
to raise our game for a cup match or two over the years. It would certainly
be sweet revenge after the recent 2-3 defeat at the LS.
Finally, the U-23s are hosting Villareal's B side, at Dagenham & Redbridge,
on the evening of 5 October 2017, in the PL International Cup. There are
likely to be a few first teamers around the fixture, especially those like
Antonio who lack match fitness due to injury absence. Season ticket holders
get in free, so why not go along and check it out. I am sure the U-23s will
appreciate the support, for what could be a challenging fixture after the
7-2 disaster in the last round.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jose Fonte's has improved massively at West Ham since Southampton
catastrophe
by Scott Johnson
@greensthammers
West Ham's Jose Fonte had a disastrous time back at Southampton earlier this
season. However he has improved remarkably since then.
One of my pet hates about football players is when they refuse to adapt. You
see former speedy youngsters who now ageing wingers still think they have
the pace to beat their opponent down the line, and they just can't. It's
almost sad. Think Boa Morte at West Ham.
I thought the same for Jose Fonte during his return to Southampton in
August. He was outpaced for the first goal and out of position for the
second, and he reacted with a stupid pull which gave away a penalty. For me
I would have been happy to see him out of the team on a permanent basis. But
he turned around and improved.
Head Down, Hard Work
Since that game he has improved each time. He has worked hard to use the
ball well, and has looked far more solid behind the ball. I'm not saying
he's been perfect, but in keeping ahead of his decline he has improved
himself as a player.
Against Huddersfield, where the opponents rarely got forward, he used the
ball well and acted almost as a defensive midfielder. Against the stronger
West Brom he kept his position and only allowed the strikers in behind him
once or twice. As the games have progressed his ability to keep the game in
front of him has improved.
It's even got to the point where was named Man of the Match by Whoscored.com
in the match against Swansea. That again was an easier game on the defence,
but he is still fairing well. Hopefully by the next time we come up against
a top side we can concede less than three goals for the first time in a long
time? A fan can dream, anyway…
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Diafra Sakho continues love hate relationship with West Ham and fans
by Scott Johnson
@greensthammers
Diafra Sakho continues to write new chapters in his love/hate relationship
at West Ham.
When Sakho was signed for West Ham, I think most reactions were pretty
negative. Coming in from the French second division, he hardly looked like
the player to light up the Premier League. However in his first season he
found a strong partnership with Enner Valencia and looked to be one of the
best signings the David's had made.
But since then it's all been a bit topsy turvy. Sakho has gone through some
dry spells, spells on the bench and transfer shenanigans. Many are surprised
he's still at the club. However he is now getting some calls for Bilic to
start him. Where will this merry-go-round end up?
He loves me, he loves me not
Just over a month ago people were calling Diafra Sakho a bigger snake than
Payet. Given the Frenchman's return to Marseilles was one of the biggest
transfer fiasco's in the club's history that was pretty impressive. Although
that's what booking yourself a medical at another club in an attempt to
force a move will do.
But he is a goalscorer, and that will always get fans over. But anyone
calling for him to be more than a sub is losing their mind. Certainly not
yet anyway. If he's booking a medical at another club he's not going to be
loyal and in the right place a month later. Time and performance could
change that, but for now he's still got work to do.
Also, you have to look at the other players we have in his position. Right
now we have Carroll fit and Hernandez, one of the best poachers in modern
football ready and willing to play. Sakho doesn't get a look in when these
two are playing even slightly well. And as Chicharito is being moved around
in the side as well, slotting him up front should be a bigger priority.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'That's a joke, right?' - West Ham fans fume after ticket allocation for
Spurs game revealed
The club have received a total of 4,800 tickets for the Carabao Cup game at
Wembley
Football London
BYROB GUEST
06:30, 4 OCT 2017
West Ham fans have hit out at the club's ticket allocation for the
fourth-round Carabao Cup tie against Spurs. Following the draw that was made
last month, there had been a lot of talk about the number of tickets that
the club would actually receive. Given Spurs are playing at Wembley this
season due to work on their new stadium, many believed the club would
receive a big allocation due to the national stadium's 90,000 capacity.
However, after talks between the clubs, the Hammers have received an
allocation of 4,800 tickets for the game against their rivals. Even though
the stadium can hold 90,000 fans, it has been decided that the capacity
should be capped at 50,835 for the game. It's fair to say the news hasn't
gone down well at all in east London. After the club announced the official
ticket allocation for the match, a number of supporters were quick to vent
their frustration over the news.
Many questioned the club's allocation, while a number of fans hit out at
co-owner David Gold who had predicted the Hammers would receive 12,000
tickets.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
CAN WE HAVE OUR BALL BACK PLEASE? - AND QUICKER!
By Tony Hanna 3 Oct 2017 at 08:00
WTID
Well I think that was actually a harder watch than the West Brom game? At
least at the Baggies we took control of the game and our passing was pretty
good. The direness of that game was manifested by the spoiling tactics of
the opposition and our inability to break them down. The game against
Swansea was a home match where again the away team looked in control of the
ball but, like us at West Brom, never really looked like breaking the home
team down? If you are on the side of the argument wanting Slav gone then the
ammunition has been resupplied with another display of misplaced passes, a
lack of cohesion and a team put out that hardly seemed to know each other.
If you are in the camp wanting Slav to stay for at least the rest of the
season then you can point to three points and another clean sheet with the
hope that a now fit again Lanzini will make a big difference? I must say
though, if Sakho had not scored that winner at the end, after that
performance I would have been surprised if our owners had not called time on
Slaven Bilic's reign. That very thing was going through my mind for most of
the second half until the goal. I doubt a draw alone would have tipped the
scales for the owners to push the button on Slav's time but the amount of
booing probably would have, together with the very audible dissatisfaction
from the crowd. There would have been plenty more boos had it finished 0-0
and for me, hypothetically, it could have been the last straw.
As for the booing I can put my hands up and say I have never booed a West
Ham team in my life. Never have and never will. If others want to that is
their business. However, for Slav to get booed for taking Chico off was an
overstretch. Chico had a very poor game despite being played in a two up top
with Carroll, a position many have been crying out for Slav to play. His
contribution was average at best and if his running to press defenders
matched his arm movement in gestures we all might be in a better place. Slav
was right to sub him and Sakho duly proved him right.
One of the current problems is that although I feel we do have a really
decent squad of players the team has just not gelled. Whilst we should be
happy that all our forwards are fit and healthy does Slav really know what
ones to play and in what formation? Does he really know how he is going to
play Lanzini now fit? Will he drop the captain? What does he do with Masuaku
now he has shown he deserves another chance? I just get the feeling that
once the glue is set and our manager finds the right combinations this side
is capable of much greater than what we are seeing now. Will that manager be
Slav though? For too long now there have been huge gaps between the players,
width wise and between the front and the back. It is no wonder we are being
forced to play the long ball so often. There is little compression on the
pitch which makes it impossible to keep possession for too long and
impossible for the players to press and hunt in packs when the opposition
has the ball. It is no wonder there is little cohesion in our play.
I have long been a fan of Masuaku. My very amicable run ins with Dan Coker
on the subject, who is a man I rarely disagree with, are legendary in our
own lunch boxes! Dan is a Cresswell fan but for me whilst I agree that he
may be a better defender, especially in a back four, Masuaku offers a deal
more on the ball and going forward as a wing back. Could it even be that
Masuaku be given a chance in front of Cresswell in a 4-4-2 formation? That
would mean dropping Arnautovic and would Slav do that? Or could it be that
Slav has earmarked the left side of a 4-4-2 for Lanzini? After all, he
played Payet there. In my opinion I think Lanzini should play centrally in a
3-5-2 for the majority of this season if he stays fit. That would then ask
the question of how do you fit Zabaleta and Antonio into the same side?
However, it is all very complicated and we will all have our own opinions on
player combinations and formations. Perhaps another plethora of injuries
will make the decisions a lot easier but I am sure none of us want that!
Talking of injuries and this was the second game running where Antonio has
played but was clearly not running freely? We have already seen James
Collins kept on at West Brom for the start of the second half when clearly
struggling before the break with an injury. From my observations I am sure
Andy Carroll was not right in the Huddersfield game as well. My
understanding is that he had to pass a fitness test prior to that game? I am
not sure who is making the final call on these players taking the field but
when we have the competition for places we have at present it makes little
sense risking further injury to players whose impacts on the game are
clearly being harnessed by carrying injuries?
Finally, one thing that does pain me watching West Ham play at our new
stadium is the lack of ball boys and their positioning. Watching the games
from home I have time to go make a cuppa when the ball goes out of play for
a throw. When the first ball went out of play against Swansea the nearest
player went to fetch the ball himself for around a twenty yard round trip as
it was going to be quicker than waiting for the ball boy. Why are there so
few of them? Why are they sitting down? Why are they sitting down so far
away from the pitch? Why do some of them look far from being athletic types
that can actually speed the retrieval up? Answers on a post card please!
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