Dads and Parenting!
Forums:
And this boys is why we ladies have the power from the beginning lol,i have no doubt you all would of said why of course princess what is it
Forum | Non-Football Related
Can David Moyes Replicate Last Season’s Success In 2021/22?
Last year, thousands of West Ham fans were protesting outside the London Stadium. The main targets were owners David Gold and David Sullivan but many supporters were also disgruntled at the re-hiring of David Moyes as manager. West Ham went into the 2020/21 campaign being tipped for a relegation battle having finished 16th the previous season. It was no surprise that some pundits were even predicting they’d be relegated back to the Championship.However, how wrong they were. The Irons were the surprise package of the season and Moyes guided the club to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League table. A stunning achievement, made even more so by the fact they finished just two points off the top four. At one stage West Ham fans were dreaming of Champions League football but they had to settle for the Europa League next season.
To finish above the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton and Wolves is a truly wonderful achievement by Moyes and he perhaps hasn’t been given the recognition he deserves. Pep Guardiola won the LMA Manager of the Season after guiding Man City to the title. But I’d argue that Moyes’ achievement of taking West Ham from 16th to 6th, against all the odds, is far more impressive.
The key now for Moyes is to try and replicate this season’s form next year and make West Ham a regular contender for the European places. Currently, West Ham are the 12/1 eighth favourites to finish in the top four next season. You can check the latest odds using this site link but I wouldn’t be rushing to place any hefty bets just yet.
This summer is going to be pivotal if Moyes wants to take Hammers to the next level. Finishing 6th is great but West Ham now have to deal with European football next season and we’ve seen similar sides struggle in the past trying to juggle domestic and European commitments. Moyes is going to need a much bigger squad to cope with the extras games next year or West Ham are going to feel the effect in the Premier League.
Will the owners back Moyes?
Will Gold and Sullivan back their manager with a sizeable transfer kitty in the summer market? Only time will tell, but if not then I fear the Hammers may be back battling in the bottom half of the table next season. Playing Thursday – Sunday every week will take its toll
on a small squad so it’s vital Moyes is able to bring in reinforcements this summer. He obviously has the basis of a quality squad and West Ham fans will be praying they can take this opportunity to push on and make the club a force again nearer the top half of the table rather than worrying about relegation every year.The concern will be that the clubs owners may look to cash-in on one or two star players to help raise transfer funds. Declan Rice is the obvious candidate as he’s being linked with a move to Man Utd or Chelsea and West Ham may feel it’s time to sell if an offer worth over
£70m arrives. Moyes could bring in 3-4 quality players with that kind of money. It may make sense from a business perspective. Gold & Sullivan would rather sell Rice than find the £70m themselves for new signings. West Ham’s squad may even be stronger overall, but fans would be gutted to see Rice leave this summer.It’s certainly going to be an interesting few months and it will be fascinating to see how Moyes does next season after such a sensational 2020/21 campaign. Can he replicate that success next season? We’ll have to wait and see…
Alan Irvine Goes-Why?
Personal reasons are being cited as the reason for Alan Irvine's surprise departure from David Moyes's coaching staff, it must be quite a serious set of circumstances that require the manager's No2 to step down so suddenly, and on the eve of Hammers Europa League adventure.
Irvine has been a mainstay of the backroom staff who have overseen the transition of the club from failures to winners, losing him will be a massive blow, only West Ham could allow such a situation to occur! The Scot will be replaced by another of his countrymen, Billy McKinlay.
McKinlay worked with Moyes during his first spell at the London Stadium, but losing Irvine is a big blow whichever way it is viewed. At least there will be a 'bedding in' period for the new assistant, although whether he will take over the role as a No2 directly is a matter of some conjecture.
The coaching team that Moyes assembled is a well oiled machine with each staff member specialising in certain areas, perhaps Kev 'chicken kiev' Nolan might assume the support role, or even Mark Noble! Realistically Noble's opportunities to play will become almost non-existent in the future, so why not incorporate him into the coaching staff as a player/coach?
There have been plenty of player/managers in the past, so why not have a player coach? It makes perfect sense, the manager 'hurls on' his assistant towards the end of the game to shore things up, much like is done at the moment, but if the coach has worked with the players ahead of the game, the chances are his impact will be far greater.
Alan Irvine's departure is a big blow, but the show must go on. - Ed
Had enough of transfer rumours already?
Forums:
Then watch this it never gets old. Enjoy now
Europa League – What Can We Expect
West Ham fans finally realised a European dream that had escaped them since 1999’s Intertoto Cup triumph by securing sixth place in the Premier League. Although there have been a couple of play off game defeats since then, this is the very first time Hammers have qualified for the group stage of the Europa League. Our rivals have to make do with the Conference League, what a shame Mr Levy. But what can we expect? Firstly, we can expect our squad to be stretched next season unless we invest and bring in a few new faces. If Jesse Lingard decides to move permanently, how much money will that leave for other players? If there was ever a time for the board to give David Moyes an open chequebook to sign who he wants, this is it. But we all know how realistic that probably is, so we may have to rely on some youngsters next year.
The Europa League odds aren’t out yet for the 2021/22 campaign, but it’ll be interesting to see how the bookies view our chances. It’s undoubtedly going to be worth a few pennies for some fans, that’s for sure. We’re good enough to get out of the group. Beyond that, who knows? A little luck with the draw, and we could find ourselves in a great position. I know, I’m getting ahead of myself as I type this. But we can dream, right?
If you’re looking to back us in Europe or in the league where we’re currently a whopping 175/1 in places to win it, then consider free bet codes. This could allow you to claim betting offers from several online bookmakers, which can lead to free bets or enhanced prices on West Ham in a few markets next season. It may be worth looking at the top six markets once that’s priced up for the new season rather than backing us to win the league. That freak season with Leicester was a one-off; it won’t happen again for a long, long time.
We all understand that Europe is going to put a significant strain on the current squad, so who would you want Moyes to bring in to cope with the extra European games and another league push? Lingard is one. Tammy Abraham? Ivan Toney? Abdallah Sima? There are a few rumoured candidates, but it’s important we get one or two strikers in, to begin with. We can’t rely on Michal Antonio’s hamstrings for a whole season.
Let’s be honest, it’s going to be an exciting summer whatever happens. We can first enjoy the Euros first and seeing if Declan Rice can help England to a final. Then we can enjoy a few comings and goings before the 2021/22 season begins. Huge thanks to Fabian Balbuena while we’re on this subject, by the way. He was a good servant and always worked hard for the team.
Many fans thought our chances of Europe were slim after the Everton defeat, and we did ultimately kiss goodbye to Champions League football that day. But we did it. We secured a
Europa League spot after a dreadful campaign the year before. We’re all going on a European tour! Get your passports ready, enjoy the summer, enjoy the transfer activity, and let’s give it our all as fans next season.
Moyes To Swap The General For The Warrior
Fabian Balbuena, AKA The General, looks all set to move from West Ham on a free transfer, with plenty of clubs showing interest in the formidable centre back. Unfortunately for Balbuena he finds himself well down the Hammers pecking order, Angelo Ogbonna, 'Les' Dawson and Issa Diop are all competing for the two berths available, so Balbuena has become surplus to requirements.None of this is to suggest that the player has a bad attitude or anything like that, far from it, it is just that due to Pellegrini's profligacies in conjunction with the Covid Pandemic, funds are extremely tight, and even though his £47,500 per week wages are not excessive it is still 'money for rope'.
The reason the club are willing to let Balbuena go apart from saving on his wages, is that they are already paying Winston Reid £85,000 per week, and are obligated to do so for another TWO seasons! Why pay two players to sit on the bench when you also have a ready made centre back emerging from the U-23 team as well?In an ideal world the club would retain Balbuena and move Reid on, unfortunately there are few chances of any club wanting to take on the Kiwi's not inconsiderable wages, so keeping him at the club for next season makes perfect sense, after all, the club have to pay him no matter what, so why send him out on loan and still pay 80% of his wages? It makes absolutely no sense, and it should be remembered that Reid is a fine player who was coveted by numerous Barclays Premier League clubs before his dreadfully unfortunate injury that was in no way his fault.
It has taken Reid just over two years to recover from his injury, and while he will never be the marauding player that once he was, he is still the captain of the All Whites New Zealand football team, and is still capable of putting a shift in, but maybe not on a regular basis, but in a way that is exactly the point.
Who ever is playing '3rd or 4th fiddle' to the other centre backs will have to contend with long spells on the bench, generally supplemented by late cameo appearances as the game is approaching the closing moments. So not much of an incentive when it comes to acquiring a replacement for Balbuena, therefore getting Reid involved is a logical and pragmatic solution.
David Moyes can then get on with the 'little task' of getting in a new out and out striker, a dynamic midfielder, an additional left back and also try and firm up a deal for Jesse lingard, and also possibly a 'future' replacement for Lukasz Fabianski. - Ed
Bring on Celtic
Forums:
I so hope we draw that lot in the Europa league along with Crusaders and Connah's Quay Nomads i reckon we would top that group! COYeuropa league Irons
Live West Ham v Southampton Line Ups
West Ham: Fabiański, Coufal, Ogbonna, Dawson, Cresswell, Rice (c), Souček, Bowen, Lingard, Fornals, Antonio Subs: Randolph (GK), Fredericks, Johnson, Balbuena, Diop, Noble, Benrahma, Yarmolenko, Odubeko
Southampton: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Vestergaard, Bednarek, Salisu, Redmond, Ward-Prowse (c), Armstrong, Diallo, Minamino, Ings Subs: Forster (GK), Stephens, N'Lundulu, Romeu, Ferry, Djenepo, Walcott, Obafemi, Tella
Destination Day!
The long and winding road of what has been the most extraordinary of seasons comes to a conclusion this afternoon with several key destinations still to be decided. For West Ham fans so used to number crunching ahead of the final game to see if the club is going to survive another term in the Barclays Premier League, events have taken on an almost surreal turn as they wait to see if the club will qualify for a 'proper' European competition, albeit the Europa League, as opposed to the much sought after Champions league, that has been missed at the final hurdle.
Hammers go in to the final game against Southampton knowing that their European destiny IS in their hands, if the team draw or win, then Europa group stage qualification is in the bag. Mathematically, and depending on other results, David Moyes's team could actually lose, and STILL qualify.
However, having been in situations that depend on other's results on numerous occasions, the Irons are firmly in the driving seat, which does bring with it scrutiny regarding Hammers 'flakey' reputation of the past. David Moyes and his staff have instilled a discipline and ethos whereby the players believe they can succeed, sometimes against all odds.
That never say die attitude has seen the team achieve some unlikely results, only on rare occasions, such as the recent game against Everton, have the team let their high standard's down, "but for the want etc" the points dropped against David Moyes's former club would have all but guaranteed a Champions League slot, alas it was not to be.
Hammers co-owner, David Gold, was remorselessly mocked for boldy stating that West Ham would be competing in the Champions League within five years of moving from the beloved Boleyn Ground to the still unnamed London Stadium, and to be fair to him, he was just about right wasn't he?
The point is, IF, the board back David Moyes properly, the current potential of playingEuropean football is something that can, and should, be maintained on a regular basis, maybe not Champions League, but being a constant presence in the Europa League would go a long way to cementing West Ham as a top six club, and why not?
David Moyes has already begun his 'cull' of the squad, but that is only just the beginning. In addition to shipping out over priced duds like Sebastien Haller, Moyes has already cut the wage bill by 'outing' Jack 'Mr extremely ungrateful' Wilshere, he is also lining up the departure of Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson.
Anderson and Yarmolenko are the third and fourth part of the Pellegrini Quartet, along with Sebastien Haller they represent a potentially enormous financial loss, ironically much of which could have been written off against tax liability in a normal non Covid pandemic year!Moyes's 'cost cutting' will be saving the club around a staggering £500,000 per week in wages, money that can be put to much better use than it was in the Pellegrini era. While the jury may still be out on Issa Diop, Pablo Fornals remains the only player signed during the profligacy of Pellegrini who has been a real hit, both with fans and management, and has become a proper 'cockerney".
The need to strengthen the squad has become like a broken record, but despite the obvious financial restrictions that will be in place, David Moyes will at least be able to operate in the transfer market without being weighed down by having to continually finance other people's errors.
Anderson, Haller and Yarmolenko cost the club around £100 Million in transfer fees, at the end of the day their sales will end up returning less than £30 Million! Essentially David Moyes has had to write off £70 Million of 'talent' that he would never have signed in a month of Sundays, at least he will be able to start the new season 'unshackled' in his approach, and you never know, "Destiny Day' might just be the beginning of something special, as opposed to the end of something good. - Ed
Moyes And Other Managers Desperate To Avoid The Con Cup
David Moyes cold find himself in a very strange position when it comes to Sunday's final Barclays Premier League against Southampton, his actions could end up being triggered by results elsewhere in the competition. Desperately disappointed not to have made a Champions League slot, Moyes is still keen to finish on a high.
Now that 'high' would obviously be qualification for the group stages of the Europa League, the alternative is the as yet untried 'Con' Cup, or Europa Conference League Cup to give it's proper name. Entering the Con Cup commits a team to a hefty schedule of fixtures in some of the 'lesser' known outposts of European football.
The Europa League is a well oiled competition that has the added incentive of Champions League qualification for the winners, the alternative has all the trappings of the Inter Toto, a competition West Ham have already actually WON! The new Cup, apart from being untried has the dubious incentive of competing in the Europa League as a reward.
What this means is that some clubs, including West Ham may view qualifying for the Con Cup as a 'poisoned chalice' that they want no part of, therefore the unusual situation could occur whereby a manager deliberately lets his team draw or lose in order to AVOID the competition altogether!
This may all seem a little far fetched, and there are some who would argue ANY European competition is better than none, but would they put forward the same argument if it meant risking injury for key players? Players who will be tasked to help keep Hammers in the top half of the table through a long and gruelling season.
Obviously it is not in David Moyse's DNA to even consider 'throwing' a match, but events might make him seriously think about it....what would you do if you were the Irons manager and were presented with the same circumstances? You can guarantee other managers would definitely weigh up their options before committing their team to a long and arduous campaign, with very little reward at the 'end of the rainbow'. - Ed
Pages
