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Time to Bounce Back

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West Ham v Liverpool

I know I’m not the only one that was left aching after the game against Liverpool.  A 3-2 loss is always going to hurt, especially when you play well and all the goals against you come from former players (though to that point, Shelvey can stop celebrating like an idiot, that was an own goal).

It was, I imagine, a great game for a neutral, and in retrospect I did enjoy it in the “can’t sit down, cursing and yelling at the TV” kind of way.  We deserved something from the game, no doubt.

Liverpool did their thing, passing the ball around for the sake of statistics, often with no incisiveness whatsoever.  Their first two goals seemed to come from nowhere, despite the fact that they had double our passing and 61% of the ball (stats via FourFourTwo’s Stat Zone app).  We played really well, and certainly deserved something from the game. Diame going off injured certainly hurt, and seemed to shift the balance in Liverpool’s favour.

I feel that Gary O’Neil should have been brought on rather than Tomkins, as O’Neil can play as a central midfielder assigned to hassle an opponent’s passing game, whereas Tomkins, being the technically sound but defensive minded player he is, prefers to sit deep and central and break up moves as they get into the attacking third.  Either way, losing Diame is a major blow, and it’ll be interesting to see how we can cope.

On a positive note, and to echo Big Sam’s sentiments, we’re through 7 of our toughest games in a horrible fixture list and we’ve got 8 points out of it.  We’ve still got a few tough games ahead, with West Brom on Sunday, followed by Everton at home and Arsenal away, but then again they’re all tough games in the Premier League.

West Brom have turned the Hawthorns into a fortress under Steve Clark, and getting points this Sunday will be extremely difficult, but it is possible.  West Brom tend to defend deep (and well), hit on the break, and efficiently dispatch their chances.  Long and Morrison will be dangerous, and they have Lukaku at their disposal as well.  They’re solid at the back and efficient going forward. Remind you of anyone?

We are going to have to keep it tight, because it will be a nearly impossible task to reverse a deficit at the Hawthorns.  Fortunately, West Brom are coming off the back of three straight defeats, so they, too, are looking to regain momentum.  My gut tells me that we’ll be more than happy to let West Brom have the ball, and try to hit them on the break, while West Brom will be more than happy to let us have the ball, try to hit us on the break, resulting in an awkward 0-0 draw.

What I’d like to see happen, however, is for us to control the middle of the park, knock the ball around, and remain patient while we work hard for a 1-0 victory, with Mark Noble dictating the play, of course.  Again, Diame is a big miss, with his drive and energy tough to replace.  But I’m in an optimistic mood, and I’m going to say that if there’s ever a game where Diame may not be suited, it’s this one.  If we are going to protect ourselves from West Brom’s great counterattacking threat, then we must be careful in possession, and Diame has shown that he can be a liability when he carries the ball for too long by often getting pick-pocketed.

I’d say O’Neil pushed a little ahead of Mark Noble would be ideal, as he is an ideal central midfielder that is a highly underrated passer of the ball.  Any sloppiness in the middle of the park will cost us dearly on Sunday, so I can only hope that whoever is in the starting lineup brings their best game.  It’ll be a tough match, for sure.  But like I said, I’m in an optimistic mood.  This cold medicine is doing wonders.  We’ll go up to the Hawthorns and win 1-0 with a late goal. You watch. Yeah. I feel good.

West Brom v West Ham – Match Statistics

3 – The last three meetings between the two sides have been draws.

1 – West Ham lost just one in their last nine visits to the Hawthorns.

0 – The Hammers are the only team in the Premier League yet to concede a headed goal this season.

3 – The Hammers are also the only side in the top-flight who have used all three substitutes in every game so far this season.

13 – Thirteen percent of West Ham’s shots so far this season have come from inside the six yard box, which is a divisional high.

58 – The Hammers also have the highest percentage of shots inside the 18 yard box in the Premier League with 58 per cent.

30 – However, the Hammers have the lowest percentage of shots outside the 18 yard box in the top-flight with just 30% of their efforts coming from long range.

 

What a Week

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Spurs v West Ham

Where to even begin? Well, everyone has already said their bit about the incidents surrounding White Hart Lane on Sunday, so I will just briefly say this:

I seriously doubt that anyone who reads this will have been one of those responsible for the vile chanting that took place.  But for those that did chant such ridiculously barbaric stuff: Fuck you.

You live in a first world country and are supposed to support a club with a great tradition and history, not drag the club’s reputation through the mud.  I am a proud West Ham supporter and I know plenty of fellow fans who aren’t racist in any way, so for you all (the idiots that chanted such moronic things) to disgrace the club in such a way shows that you aren’t fans at all, just little shit heads looking to cause trouble, regardless of what was happening on the pitch.  I know you weren’t raised right, that you’re of extremely low IQ, and I feel sorry for you.

But I also loathe you for making a club that I’m proud to support look like shit.  I hope the club acts quickly and bans you all, that you fuck off to Serbia, and that’s the last we all hear of it.  What was chanted at White Hart Lane has no business in life, much less football.

NOW… about the match, we didn’t really turn up, did we?  We saw very little of the ball, and when we did get on it, we looked very ponderous and unsure of ourselves.  When Tottenham got on the ball, they would simply run at us through Bale, Lennon, Defoe, and Dempsey, and we looked absolutely shocked that they would employ two of the purest wingers in the game in such a manner.  the first two goals were a result of giving the ball away in midfield and then simply lackluster defending and a reluctance to close the man with the ball down.

The third goal was due to us chasing the game, the defense being caught out, and again the midfield losing the ball.  I’m not trying to take anything away from Tottenham, I think that was their best performance of the season apart from when they played away at Manchester United.  It was also one of our worst performances, much like when we played away at Wigan.

The point that was really driven home was that our wide play is absolutely vital, and we look a much different team without Yossi Benayoun and Matt Jarvis or Matty Taylor on the flanks.  We started with Maiga and O’Neil out wide, and it should be said that I don’t think either of them are natural wide players, but we just seemed to lack impetus and creativity out wide.  Maiga looks lost out wide, and O’Neil is, while solid, a bit inhibited by a lack of pace.  That said, I fully expect O’Neil to deputize for the suspended Mark Noble at Old Trafford (side note: Noble had a pass completion of 90% against Spurs, sadly only 4 attempts were in the attacking third, a reflection of our poor team performance).  O’Neil is a very competent central midfielder.

Anyhow, to wrap up this rambling, it’s not all bad news! The giant of a man that is Andy Carroll scored a very nice header for our consolation goal.  While celebrations were muted, I do believe it will have done wonders for his confidence.  Also, we are still 8th in the table.  Have faith, my fellow Hammers!

Now, as for the match against Manchester United, I expect them to play either a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3.  The battle that we can win in either case is the one in midfield, as they will probably line up with Carrick, Anderson, and Cleverley in a three man midfield or just Carrick and Anderson in a two-man midfield.  The one thing our midfield trio (though sadly without Mark Noble) will have is plenty of energy and muscle, and we will have to outwork the Manchester United middle.  We will probably deploy in a 4-5-1 with O’Neil and Diame laying deep in the middle with Nolan only slightly ahead.

On the flanks I expect us to start both Jarvis and Taylor, as I think the Maiga-out-wide experiment has been deemed a failure by even Big Sam.  That should give us some pace and crossing ability.  We don’t have to contend with Valencia, who is out this week, which is a huge plus for us. I think if we stay tight, don’t give the ball away needlessly in midfield, and don’t score, we have a slim chance of walking out of Old Trafford with a well earned point following a 0-0 draw.  That really is the key, not scoring.  Every time Manchester United gets scored on, they suddenly flick on and annihilate opponents with three goals in eight minutes.

We should simply try to boss the midfield and cut-off the supply to Van Persie, and wait until the eighth minute of Fergie time to try and steal a winner.  If our midfield plays the exact opposite way they did at Spurs, and then play the way they did the last five minutes at Spurs, then we have got the slimmest of chances, and those are chances I’ll take.  I do expect Manchester United to start lethargically, and if we lull them into thinking that we aren’t going to score, we may just outfox them and get a terrific point before hosting Chelsea at the weekend.

Don’t call me delusional.

Carroll off the mark at last

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Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll is delighted to finally be off the mark in West Ham colours.

Andy Carroll finally got his first goal in a West Ham shirt in the disappointing 3-1 loss away to Tottenham on Sunday.

His headed goal proved to be only a consolation after a Jermain Defoe brace and a Gareth Bale effort had given Spurs a 3-0 lead.

And although Carroll is happy to have finally got the goal his work rate and good performances have deserved, he is disappointed with the result.

He told the club’s official website: “It was about time, to be honest. I think I’ve put myself about and been involved in our goals in previous matches. I think I have been doing well so it was about time one went in.

“It was disappointing as we made mistakes for all three of their goals, really.

“Coming here we were up against a great team and they showed that tonight with the passing, the rhythm and the pace they have got in their team.”

And the 23-year-old is now looking ahead to Wednesday difficult trip to Manchester United before hosting Chelsea on Saturday.

“We have got a tough week, obviously, with Manchester United and then Chelsea and Liverpool coming up,” he added.

“It’ll be tough so we just have to put this behind us now and focus on Wednesday. Of course, the big games are what everyone looks forward to.

“This game is all gone now so we’re going to have to concentrate 100 per cent on Wednesday, which is going to be another tough game.”

Mark Noble up for Spurs clash

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West Ham midfielder Mark Noble
Mark Noble loves a London derby against Tottenham just as much as the next Hammers fan.

Mark Noble has admitted he can’t wait to take on Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon.

The midfielder scored his first ever league goal against Tottenham in that famous 4-3 loss at Upton Park in March 2007 and is eager to register his first win at the Lane in five attempts.

And the Hammer of the Year recalls his previous encounters with Andre Villas-Boas’ side, insisting the London derby is always a special game to play in.

He told the official website: “It was my first league goal [in the 4-3 loss in 2007] and I didn’t know what to do with myself – where to run.

“Playing at Tottenham has become a special match for me. I love playing at White Hart Lane. I think it’s a great place to play and they are a top team.

“My full Premier League debut was there. We drew 1-1 and I remember Edgar Davids was playing for Spurs.”

And Noble believes there is enough confidence in the team at the moment to help spur them on to a surprise win and that the players cannot complain about the current run of difficulty fixtures considering where they were last season.

“We go there on Sunday excited and with confidence in our team. We have a really tough few games coming up but there doesn’t seem to be teams with an aura about them,” he continued.

“It doesn’t come much tougher than Spurs and Manchester United away followed by Chelsea at home, but we have to remember we were losing at home to Burnley in the Championship this time last year.”

Allardyce looking to take advantage of ‘tired’ Spurs

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Allardyce believes West Ham can get a positive result at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Sam Allardyce is hoping West Ham can take advantage of Tottenham’s tiredness tomorrow following their 0-0 draw away to Lazio on Thursday.

The Hammers are two points clear of Spurs after 12 Premier League games and will be hoping to improve on their best start to a top-flight season in seven years with a first win at White Hart Lane for 13 years.

And Allardyce believes Tottenham’s European commitments in mid-week could count in his side’s favour on Sunday afternoon.

He told the official website: “I hope we can take our game to Tottenham and cause them a few problems.

“They played on Thursday night in the Europa League so there is bound to be a little fatigue and hopefully we can exploit that.

“The encouraging thing for us is that Wigan Athletic went there recently and came away with a win. It has not been a fortress that the fans maybe expected and hopefully that will count in our favour.”

But Big Sam also recognises the current tough run of fixtures has the potential to un-do all the hard work the players have put in so far this season, although he admits confidence is at its highest in the Hammers camp.

“We know we are in a very good position, but this run of fixtures could cause us a few problems,” he added.

“I think we will play well and I don’t think we will let ourselves down but we could play our best in the next four games and lose all four.

“We are a third of the way through the season and we have produced a high level of performance so we have the confidence and belief to keep going. I have got to keep driving the players on and I have to strive to make the players even better.”