West Ham: Fabianski, Ngakia, Diop, Rice, Cresswell, Soucek, Noble, Bowen, Fornals, Anderson, Antonio. Subs: Randolph, Balbuena, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Wilshere, Fredericks, Ajeti, Silva, Johnson
Wolves: Rui Patricio, Doherty, Boly, Coady, Saiss, Jonny, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Neves, Jota, Jimenez. Subs: Ruddy, Jordao, Neto, Prodence, Gibbs-White, Vinagre, Traore, Kilman, Buur.
100 odd days a chance to recharge and think of what formation what players he wants so now Moyes and the players have to step up for next 9 matches and prove to those watching that they deserve our support...no fans in the stadium so no pressure from the stands...we have heard in the past about how the crowd affects players and the pressure it puts on them well now with a stray pass or missed chance we will not be there to howl moan groan(i've done enough of that recently!)so the players will not have that excuse but we will also not be there to cheer them on to applaud some great movement to get excited as the team pile on the pressure as we roar our approval...so what can we expect from West Ham as ever you never know i just hope we survive COYI we have missed you.
It has been over 100 days, but the anxieties of supporting West Ham United will be flooding back for most fans as they anticipate the club's return to playing Barclays Premier League football, despite some strange new hair styles the players remain the same, only they are mostly fully fit. The term fully fit and West Ham United is a bit of an anathema especially when looking back at the list of the 'perpetually injured' players that the club have signed, all the way back to Kieron Dyer (remember him?) and beyond.
As we have previously mentioned, and has been reported widely by story starved journalists, only three players currently have 'issues' regarding their fitness. Two out of the three are considered to be Hammers' stalwarts, so David Moyes has a bit of a selection dilemma which could have great bearing on which division the club will be playing in next season. EPL predictions vary from different sources, most are forecasting survival for West Ham United, but the team that the manager selects is going to be up against a high flying and extremely fleet of foot Wolves team looking to build on their European success.
Moyes is at a cross roads now, one that many, and there have been many, managers at the club have had to contend with, should he start Mr West Ham Mark Noble? Having been written off more times than a dodgy rental car, Captain Mark or nobbs as he is known by the players, has clearly stated that he cannot keep playing game in game out because he hasn't got a lot left in the tank. That said, his pure determination and love for the club enables him to push his 34 year old body to the limits and beyond, but he pays the price physically and unfortunately errors creep in to his play as he endeavors to attempt to play the football that is in his mind, as opposed to that which his body can cope with.
Ominously, the home game against Nuno Spirito's Wolves to be played on Saturday at 17:30 Hrs in the London Stadium is featured as a highly predicted away victory by EPL picksand various other platforms, without Captain Noble who does have a 'niggle', the team can look and perform like a ship without a rudder, normally Angelo Ogbonna would be the seasoned professional to take over the captaincy from 'Nobbs', but he too has a niggling injury that has prevented him from training fully, so David Moyes may be forced in to using an alternative line up, one that could possibly obviate the phenominal pace of the Wolves attack.
When it comes to pace, both the injury prone Ryan Fredericks and the accident prone Authur Masuaku have it to burn in abundance, they could match the Wolves strike force for pace, but that would essentially require others to 'double up' when required, not many of those players available for selection have that capability. The new ruling regarding the amount of substitutes that can be used and the amount of players who can be on the bench could be a game changer for David Moyes on paper, but as we all know the game is not played on paper, instead it is played on immaculately manicured surfaces that would put a bowling green to shame.
At the end of the day there are six teams in the mire, and only three will survive, EPL odds currently favour survival for the Irons, however the situation might already have altered before a ball is kicked at the London Stadium, with fellow relegation candidates Watford and Brighton both having played their games earlier in the day. Bournemouth play their's after the Hammers game, by which time the League may well look an awful lot different, especially if things don't go David Moyes' way! - Ed
Watching The Great Barclays Premier League 'operation restart' will have been a strange experience for many, the lack of a crowd being the obvious change. Around the Country clubs are adjusting to the new normal and researching ways to enhance the viewing spectacle, sadly Dame Vera Lynn has just passed away, mind you at the ripe old age of 103 Gob bless her. Dame Vera was born in East Ham and was an avid Hammers fan, she was known to attend matches, often incognito, on a regular basis in her younger years.
Back in the Day, we used to have direct access to the club's PR department, and what a very jolly 'old school' set up it was, and Yes back in the day we would be formally requested to attend the weekly press briefing at 'Chadders', and be invited to help ourselves to tea or coffee in a Styrofoam cup along with as many Bourbon and Custard Cream biscuits we could get hold of before the dreaded 'Red Tops' descended!
Unfortunately since dear old Peter left the Press Office we became personna non grata at the club due to, possibly telling the truth, regarding Media Sport Investment's collusion regarding the Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano transfers, we annoyed 'Tell the bell end' to such an extent that they actually had a picture of the Org's Ed in the little green booth at the entrance to the training ground, with a No Access what so ever note.
Despite our exclusion, we still have the odd 'Doris', or Dean', if you want to be politically correct, associated with the club to find out a snippet or two. We have sent through a suggestion that perhaps the club might consider projecting a Hologram of Dame Vera performing one of the known versions that exist of her singing 'I'm forever blowing bubbles'. Obviously the projected visual would not be in sync with the audio, but there are some clever chaps working with the club's 'live tech' department that could organise a seamless performance, if they lack the necessary facilities BT Sport, who are housed in the same London Stadium complex as the club, most definitely do have the technology to do so.
It would be a nice touch, and would give a linear time frame of communication that would connect supporters and fans of all ages, not only of West Ham United, perhaps they could follow with We'll meet again or possibly close the game with it, as it would resonate among all of those who have lost loved ones, it would be a fitting tribute, come on West Ham and make it happen. This tribute might seem a bit 'Dad's Army, but it should be remebered, particularly in the light of various equality issues surfacing now, that a vast amount of Black and Ethnic minority soldiers and citizens fought side by side with their brethrin from these shores to overcome the tyranny of Nazi Germany. -Ed
. The Barclays Premier League resurrected itself with yesterday's contribution to football, a nation deprived of their favourite sport sat down collectively to watch what was on offer, and it is fair to say the viewing experience wil take some getting used to! Arsenal were swept aside by Manchester City no doubt aided by David Luis' decision to take an early bath with his recklessness. However despite the completely different match day experience, some things remain the same, controversy lurks around most games and the one between fellow relegation strugglers Aston Villa and European hopefuls Sheffield United proved to be a classic example.
As millions with 'eyes' saw, The Blades were blatantly denied a bona fide goal due to inefficiencies with the normally perfect Hawk-Eye system, the system's manufacturers have apologised without reservation for the error which could have a very significant bearing on the outcome of the League. Relegation from the top flight is estimated at costing clubs around £100 million per season once parachute payments are taken into account, however that figure does not include the 'collateral damage' caused by players wanting to leave and those refusing to sign contract extensions.
Strangely enough the 'victims' of last night's technical breakdown were Sheffield United, the loss of at least two points might make the difference between European football and not, but the point gained by Villa could have a massive significance down at the foot of the table. Back in the days of West Ham United's 'Great Escape', the club were fined £5 Million for fielding the ineligible Carlos Tevez, having survived the dreaded drop, the club were then successfully sued by one of the clubs that were relegated, Sheffield United, for in excess of £20 Million, The Blades missing out on survival by one point. They, with an enormous amount of media pressure from one of their directors, Sean Bean's, pal's, argued that Tevez's goals had kept West Ham United up unfairly, so what if, heaven forbid, the Irons get relegated this season by one point?
The proverbial can of worms is just waiting to be opened, and the providers of Hawk-Eye will be praying with everything crossed, that The Irons or in fact any other club in the drop zone, don't get relegated by one point and Villa survive, the outcry would be deafening. Any club relegated by such a fine margin would be forced to seek legal redress. We consulted a corporate lawyer who is an Irons fan, and he confirmed that the company secretary of any professional Football would be legally obliged to pursue the matter through the courts, it is enshrined in UK company law that the Company secretary will at all times act in the interests of the company, it's directors and it's shareholders if applicable.
Villa might have gained a point, but it might come back to haunt not only them, but all the other clubs down at the wrong end of the Barclays Premier League, including a team with a nearly £ 30 Million grudge that is West Ham United. - Ed
After what seems an awful long time, the Barclays Premier League bandwagon is about to roll on as project restart finally begins on Wednesday evening at the odd hour of 6PM with the crucial game between Aston Villa and Sheffield United, Villa are desperate to get points from their game in hand, whereas Chris Wilder's men will be looking to firm up a European slot.
The other game is between City and Arsenal and has no relevance for those teams at the base of the table, essentially West Ham, Watford, Bournemouth, Villa and Norwich are the teams in jeopardy and the odds are pretty close as to who will be relegated. One of the reasons for the tightness of the appraisals is that there are so many unique variables to factor in to the equation, home advantage as has been show in the Bundesliga is no where near as important as it could have been had fans been allowed to attend games, furthermore the ruling allowing five substitutes may well have an impact on results, but it is uncharted territory and fans and managers alike will view tomorrow night's games with interest to see how things pan out.
The exact odds for each club in the dreaded drop zone as of the 11th of June are listed below and in the image above, at a glance it is obvious that Watford have been given slightly better odds than David Moyes' men, but Eddie Howe's Bournemouth have been given worse odds than the Irons.
West Ham: 2/1
Watford: 47/20
Bournemouth: 81/100
Aston Villa: 7/20
Norwich: 11/100
These odds may well change after Wednesday evening due to the fact that 3 points for the Villains will take them above West Ham in the table, We found an average for relegation odds at SportsBettingDime, but as we said these will no doubt be amended as the situation unfolds. Before Hammers take to the field at the London Stadium at 17:30 Hrs on Saturday to take on Wolves, Norwich will have hosted Southampton, Watford would have played Leicester and Brighton, although they don't feature in the bottom five, will have played Arsenal.
So there is a possibility that West Ham could be bottom of the Barclays Premier League before even kicking a ball! That said, at least David Moyes can influence the club's final position and doesn't have to rely on others to get the results that put pressure on those fellow strugglers at the foot of the table. Looking at each team's run in and trying to calculate where each team may finish is like trying to comprehend infinity, because there are so many variables involved, and unique ones at that, no one really knows how things will end up, Liverpool will be crowned champions but it is at the other end of the table where the real interest will be.
Relegation will be catastrophic for any of the teams that go down, especially for West Ham United and Aston Villa, both have big grounds to fill, but West Ham are in a more precarious position due to the fact that they have so many high profile big earners in the likes of Felipe Anderson, Andrily Yarmolenko and Jack Wilshere. In addition there are so many players that other teams would swoop for, Declan Rice, Grady Diangana, Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals and Issa Diop would all be of interest to clubs looking to pick up a bargain, and of course the price offered for these stars would be significantly lower because the club would have been relegated, but also the long term effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on transfer fees is not known, but in the short term prices for high profile players look to have dropped by as much as 50%.
David Moyes and his team have nine games to save the season, to quote Sir Alex Ferguson "It will be squeaky bum time", you bet your arse it will ! - Ed
West Ham United have endured a difficult 2019-20 campaign to this point, and there may already be one eye on what the club can do over the summer in order to make sure that they aren’t locked in a relegation battle again next year.
The Hammers will be doing everything that they can over the final weeks of the Premier League season to fight off relegation, but it will not be easy. Predicting the ending of this campaign is harder than guessing the NBA betting odds.
West Ham are currently locked level on points with Watford and two sides in the bottom three, Aston Villa and Bournemouth. Over the final nine games of the season, David Moyes’ side must at least match the records that the teams below them have. Transfer plans will be impacted by what happens over the course of the remainder of the season. But, should the Hammers stay up, which three positions should be priority for West Ham’s board?
Right-back: Joakim Maehle,
West Ham will desperately be looking to bring in new full backs in the upcoming transfer window, and not many have gained as much attention from Premier League sides as Joakim Maehle. The Genk right-back could be the perfect man to replace the ageing Pablo Zabaleta. Maehle already has the experience that will benefit the Hammers, as he has played in the Champions League, and he fits the profile that Moyes would be looking to add to his side. The 23-year-old Dane has played in 23 games in the Jupiler League for Genk. In the Champions League, he also impressed in the six games that he played, as he made 3.3 tackles per game and made 1.3 interceptions. It may not be a signing that will excite fans, but it will be one that will ensure that the Irons are a more compact side next season.
If Maehle’s transfer fails, the Hammers could move for former Chelsea academy player Ola Aina. Even though he is considered one of the current top Nigerian talents in football, Aina is struggling for minutes in Torino, so it should be an easy target. Aina is also 23-year-old, fast and skilful, having the physicality necessary to fit in the Barclays Premier League (or The Championship!).
As well as a new right-back, the Hammers will also be looking to add a left-back over the summer months, and Jamal Lewis could be the outstanding choice. A few names have already been linked with the Hammers, but there are too many questions regarding whether they will be able to tempt Jonas Hector or Alex Moreno to the club. Lewis’ Norwich are likely to be relegated this season, which means it is a move that could be pulled off by the Hammers. The 22-year-old will likely be getting a lot of attention after he has impressed in the Premier League this term. He has made 16 appearances in the top-flight and scored one goal. He has a pass completion rate of 77.8% and is effective in the defensive third as he has averaged 1.7 tackles per game and 0.9 interceptions per game. Any chance
that the Hammers have of getting Lewis will likely hinge on them staying in the top flight.
Centre-forward: Aleksandar Mitrovic
West Ham’s attacking options this season have been depleted, and the signing of Sebastian Haller hasn’t exactly worked out as many would have hoped. Due to that, it’s likely that the Hammers will be back in the market for a striker again this summer, and there aren’t many better options than Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic. The Serbian stayed loyal to the Cottagers when they were relegated to the Championship, but should they not get promotion this season, then he may be forced to leave. He has scored 23 goals in the Championship this season and proved last season that he could make the grade in the Premier League given the chance. Mitrovic scored 11 goals in 37 games in the Premier League with Fulham, and West Ham could be persuaded to make the £20 million move.
Here we have the top 3 positions where we think West Ham should prioritise their signings. Who else did we miss? Who would you add to this list?- Ed Little
West Ham finished up their pre-project re-start friendlies with what has been described as a relatively competitive 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace at The London Stadium, although the play was hard but fair the game did have a bit of an 'old pals' feel about it due to two ex-Hammers appearing for the Eagles.
Cheik Kouyate and James Tomkins were Irons through and through before joining the opposition, and fortunately neither left 'under a cloud', unlike certain other players, and were therefore greeted like old friends 'after' the game, although social distancing had to be observed so no big hugs for the 'big lugs'.
Friendlies are a double edged sword for managers preparing for what will be an extremely demanding time for the players due to the amount of games they will have to play in such a short space of time, and David Moyes is no exception. The Hammers' manager was able to select from his entire squad for the match that was split in to three 30 minute spells, Sebastian Haller scored, again, and surprisingly not only was Jeremy Ngakia selected to play for the last tranche, but he scored a blinder! Which raises more questions than answers regarding the youngster's future, as has been widely publicised his contract is up for renewal with both the player's agent and the club at an impasse over terms, so why did he even play if he is not going to be around after the 23rd of June when his contract officially expires?
Some things do remain the same for The Irons though, a certain midfielder was seen exiting the pitch 'massaging' his groin, and yes it was Jack Wilshere, but before jumping on the bandwagon of "I told you so" it should be noted that it is very common for players returning to 'full' fitness to be so concerned with the area of their previous injury that they are constantly monitoring it's condition, a bit like taking a deep breath before lifting a heavy item.
No matter how much teams train, nothing can replicate the real thing, even though it is now a different real thing than pre-pandemic, how many players will be left standing by the end of the ninth game? There are one or two who you could bet your house on being injured, the usual suspects spring to mind, but maybe just maybe, the enforced break in the season has given the 'Hammers crocked brigade' a unique time frame for recovery, a luxury never had before and probably one that will never occur again, that is until the Barclays Premier League has an official 'proper' winter break! - ED
Irons beat Palace 2-1 in the last arranged warm up, sorry don't know the scorers.
For Advertising & Site Enquiries Contact: editorialteam@westhamfans.org
Send In Your Thoughts To Our NEW Twitter Account @westhamfans0
Tweet to @WesthamfansO
Useful Hammers Links:
Our original twitter account has changed from @whfdotorg to @westhamfans0
SPONSORS:
We don't have any issues with other media outlets copying and pasting elements of our articles, but do the decent thing and at least give the Org credit it deserves when doing so!
Premier League
Saturday 16th August
Kick Off: TBD
Twitter @westhamfans0 Tweet to @WesthamfansO
Morph Corner
There are currently 2 users online.
