Randolph To The Rescue To Keeps Hammers Euro Hopes Alive

Normally when the number one goalkeeper is injured at a high profile Barclays Premier League football club there is much talk of defensive crisis, but West Ham United are extremely fortunate to have Ireland International keeper Darren Randolph to fill the void by the calf injury sustained by Adrian San Miguel that will rule him out for the rest of the season and more. It is indeed fitting that U 21 goalkeeping hero Raphael Spiegel will be promoted to the bench for Hammers remaining fixtures, which just goes to show the strength in depth available, with Sam Howes moving up to the U21 line up.
Adrian has been a top keeper this season, albeit with the occasional rush of blood when it comes to his attempted ball juggling skills in dangerous areas! But all in all he would generally be a hard act to follow, however Randolph is no mug, his performances against Germany for his country and stellar performances during the FA Cup run, cruelly terminated at the Boleyn in a match that should never have been, give cause for optimism, the big occasion does not phase him at all, in fact he seems to thrive on high stress level matches. Randolph will be a key element in West Ham United's attempt at legitimate Europa League qualification, he featured in the 'phoney' fair play squad where he acquitted himself well bearing in mind the, at the time, hastily assembled ramshackle team he was playing for.
Apart from Adrian Slaven Billic has a full squad to choose from, with the exception of this who are persona non grata, Alex Song anyone? Anyway, maximum points might even see a late charge for the Champion's league, more realistically when asked about the Europa League, 'Super Slav' said" It is all in our hands, we just have to keep on winning!" He was correct, a win will be enough to ensure a first step on the Euro ladder, one which most fans will be happy to join. - Ed