There are two days that I look forward to in the football calendar. The first one is the first day of the season. It’s the day football is back and everyone starts out equal. Some more equal than others!!
Looking at who’s in and who’s out, I think we have done really well. Last season West Ham had a bunch of players that were OK in the Premier League but didn’t set the league alight.
I’m glad we were able to get Andy Carroll signed after spending last season here on loan. I thought he played really well considering he was alone up front. I loved the fact that he would chase down defenders and run his socks off. Carroll causing chaos amongst opposing defenders – Flying through the air to batter a goalkeeper!! Then again, if you paid me even half of what West Ham paid him, I would do the same. One thing Hammers fans appreciate is someone who tries. Why Sam won’t change to a two man attack is beyond me. I grew up with the 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 systems so 4-5-1 is weird to me.
I don’t know too much about Adrian Castillo, or Adrian as he prefers to be known, but any goalie that wants the number 13 shirt certainly has a sense of humour!! It will be interesting to see who is the number one goalkeeper during the season, with Jussi Jaaskelainen (number 22), the top keeper from last season still here.
Razvan Rat is an interesting signing. I’m sure no one had heard of him before he was signed but he comes with a great past record. He helped his past team Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukraine win seven league titles, four Ukrainian Cups, one Uefa cup and has captained the Romania national team. It all looks good for us as we love a good left back. He joins a list that includes Frank Lampard, Julian Dicks and Stuart Pearce. He too has a strange squad number, 8, at left back. Will he be known as Roland Rat, or something else?
Stuart Downing is a big surprise when you see how much he cost. Where did the money come from? But with him on the right and Matt Jarvis on the left, there should be crosses flying in for our forwards to score by the net full. Hold on, we only have one forward! Liverpool must have more money than sense when you see that we paid £21million for what they paid £49million only a year or so ago. Anyway, their loss hopefully will be our gain. Also, it will give them a chance to wear their famous black armbands and have another minute’s silence.
A player we never signed but have back after a year out on loan to Birmingham City, Ravel Morrison, could be a secret weapon. He was talked about a lot at Manchester United, even compared to a young Paul Scholes, but had problems there. He’s been knocking them in in pre-season but his real test will be playing against the big boys, week in week out, when he gets his chance.
I was sorry to see Carlton Cole leave. He had all the looks of a good centre-forward apart from one thing – a problem scoring goals. One minute he did something great but for the most of the game he chased and run around like a lost chicken. I really wanted him to do well but it never happened. I loved his comments on Twitter and will continue to follow him. I wish him luck with whatever team he ends up at but not against West Ham.
Who will win the league? Probably Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea.
West Ham are now capable of finishing in the top half of the league. It’s the two cup competitions I believe we stand a better chance of winning.
To win the FA Cup you need to win just six games, spread out from January to May. Most of the top teams in the Premiership will field weakened teams for the cup matches so lessening their chances to win the cup. Also, there is no end incentive. Years ago, the FA cup winners went into the European Cup Winners cup competition, but no more. UEFA thought it better to expand the Champions Cup into a Champions League and do away with the Cup Winners competition. Now if you finish 4th you get to play in the Champions League!
We have our Capital One/LeagueCup/Milk Cup/Littlewoods Cup – or whatever it is called – cup match with Cheltenham Town on the horizon, and I hope we put out a full strength team to get to the next round. Winning breeds winning.
By the way, the second day I really look forward to is the 3rd round of the FA Cup. It’s the day the little teams get a chance to play and prove themselves against the teams from the top two leagues. That’s what gives the FA Cup its magic. There have been some bad results for West Ham on this day.
