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  • The joy of six

    mcbikeman's picture
    Submitted by mcbikeman on Mon, 02/11/2020 - 08:08

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    So we have come through six really really tough fixtures and two defeats away we certainly did not deserve(gooners/bindippers)but lets face it we have got more points than we thought we would get so sitting pretty lets push on and out of the next six games four of which are at home and two away in Yorkshire just how many points will we get and will the players concentrate as hard as they know they needed to in the previous six games.....going into fixtures now where we are expected to win or not lose how will they cope with the pressure of expectancy from we the fans......Apart from the Leeds match all the other matches are against teams in poor form so now is the time to see just how good we are when we are not playing on the counter but pressing for the win.....so out of the 18 points available and considering the way we are playing i am hoping for an impressive haul of 14 points but hey this is West Ham so you never no...COYI

  • Live Liverpool v West Ham Line Ups

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Sat, 31/10/2020 - 16:35

    Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Phillips, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Henderson, Jones, Mane, Firmino, Salah Subs: Adrian, Milner, Minamino, Jota, Shaqiri, R Williams, N Williams
    West Ham: Fabianski, Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Masuaku, Rice, Soucek, Fornals, Bowen, Haller Subs: Randolph, Yarmolenko, Benrahma, Lanzini, Snodgrass, Diop, Fredericks

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  • Hallerween! D-Day For Striker

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Fri, 30/10/2020 - 16:30

    OK big man, a message from west ham fans, you were furious with 'bug eye', 'the corpse' or whatever you want to call your manager David Moyes, when he replaced Michail Antonio with Yarmolenko instead of you against Manchester City. Another in a long line of snubs, or just how the cookie crumbles? Having banged in goals for fun in the Elk Cup hopes were high that there would be a chance of 'significant' minutes on the pitch in the Barclays Premier League, unfortunately due to an injury picked up in training it was not to be.

    Instead of being the 'sulk', Sebastien Haller should now become the 'hulk', having seen his place as the main man firmly taken away from him by the incredible performances of Michail Antonio, the frenchman now has the opportunity to show why the club paid a record £45 Million for him from Eintrecht Frankfurt. It is unlikey that Moyes will start Haller against Liverpool on Halloween, but if he does he will expect the striker to run his heart out for the cause, an element of his game that has been woefully lacking.

    If ever Haller was to be given the opportunity for a run in the team, then now is the moment, if he puts a shift in he might well benefit from the passes pinged in by Bowen, Fornals, Creswell and Coufal to name a few! Hallers stands at nearly six foot five, it's about time he stopped playing at five foot six! - Ed

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  • That's Torn It! Antonio Out For Ages

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Thu, 29/10/2020 - 23:27

    Contrary to the hopeful images we saw of Michail Antonio at Rush Green, the Hammers striker has been side lined for what could be up to six weeks with an injury to his troublesome hamstring, it is a situation that was always going to potentially occur, but the timing was not anticipated.

    To lose such an influential player is little short of catastrophic, but David Moyes has built a squad that works as a unit and the loss of Antonio, grievous as it is, doesn't necessarily spell imminent disaster. The recent recruitment of Said Benrahma from Brentford has turned out to be a god send as he might just be the solution to the problem, either as a fox in the box, or as a provider at close quarters for the under performing Sebastien Haller.

    Although Antonio has taken the spotlight with regards to goal scoring and tremendous wing play, it should not be forgotten that one of the reasons he has found himself so much space is because of Jarrod Bowen operating on the opposite flank, not only that, but the tireless running of Pablo Fornals also creates endless opportunities.

    The situation is obviously not ideal, but it was one that most fans expected to happen, however it had been hoped that it would be later rather than sooner! Michail Antonio has shown the way for the 'expensive' players to go about their business on the pitch, nothing less than all out commitment will be tolerated by David Moyes, his coaching staff, or indeed the fans.

    An outsider looking in would say, "Hey, what's the problem? Your winger who has become a striker is now injured, so you replace him with your record signing who was supposed to playing as a striker in the first place, and you do have additional wingers available don't you?"

    If only life was that simple, particularly when it involves West Ham United and their long suffering fans, it is to be hoped that Big Mich recovers soon, but is not rushed back too soon, we wish him all the best. - Ed

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  • Big Mich Returns To light Training

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Thu, 29/10/2020 - 11:00

    In what will be seen as a very positive sign, West Ham United striker Michail Antonio has been pictured taking part in a supervised light session at the club's Rush Green training ground. While it is great news that Antonio will not be out of action for the 4-6 weeks as originally feared, his rehabilitation will mean that at best he starts from the bench against Liverpool this Saturday, the ex-winger is seen as such a valuable asset to the club that there is no point in risking more damage to his hamstrings if avoidable.

    It would be easy to blame the medical team for Antonio's woes, but a quick glance at the size of the thighs his hamstrings have to cope with at full pelt, shows that if he uses his 'explosive' energy to propel himself down the touch line too frequently, that something has to give!

    There is no like for like replacement for 'Big Mich' at the club, in fact we doubt that there is another like for like replacement for Michail Antonio in the entire Barclays Premier League, his all action style of play means he will always be prone to injury and as such there is need for a plan 'B' to be available.

    Sebastien Haller is NOT a like for like replacement for Antonio, but he is the only senior striker at the club, the only other option being Andrily Yarmolenko, who unfortunately resembles a cart horse as he tries to get his 'frame' moving, once he is up and running he is fine, but his initial launch leaves much to be desired.

    If Haller can be moved in to the middle of the pitch and be provided with adequate service from the flanks, he might finally prove why he was worth £45 Million in the first place. David Moyes is proving himself to be a bit 'Jeddi' when it comes to team selection and formations, and he doesn't need to do too much to facilitate Haller's talents bearing in mind the ability and speed of the other players around him.

    So to encapsulate, Big Mich Antonio's injury is not as bad as first thought, but with so much of the season to be completed, wrapping him up in 'cotton wool' seems a prudent course of action, and speaking of 'courses of action', it's about time Haller used his impressive physical frame to start 'bullying' defenders, if he picks up a few yellow cards so what?

    Someone needs to sit with the towering French striker and show him a Video of Andy Carroll, on one of the few occasions when he was actually fit, saying 'hello' to the defenders with his first action in the game, it may not be cricket, but Haller is here to play football! - Ed

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  • Hall Or High Water?

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Tue, 27/10/2020 - 12:00

    Irrespective of whether Michail Antonio is passed fit
    following the second scan on his troublesome hamstring, David Moyes obviously has to have a plan B in order for the club to progress, and given Big Mick's hamstring history he will have anticipated when, not if, there would be a need to make changes in his starting line up.

    The £45 Million conundrum Moyes has to deal with is how best to utilise Hammers record signing Sebastien Haller, Moyes had hoped he would not need to cope with the loss of Antonio so early in the season, but would obviously be mindful of what might happen. Essentially Moyes must try to use Haller and somehow put a rocket up the french man's back side, or something to motivate the player to put a shift in!

    It may have been OK to strut around waiting for pinpoint passes to put away while playing in the Bundesliga, but the Barclays Premier League is a different kettle of fish, Haller himself must know what is required of him, but he just doesn't appear to show any real effort. This may be a slightly disingenuous appraisal of Haller, one cannot imagine that he doesn't want to do well, but he must try and adapt to the rigours of the Premier League.

    THe problem for Moyes is that he would have to ensure proper service to ensure Haller can be used effectively, unfortunately in order to do that he might have to change formation slightly to incorporate a 'provider', probably in the form of new signing Said Benrahma, but Haller has to step up to the plate! He is a big lad and shouldn't be being knocked of the ball like a fly weight, perhaps a few rounds in the ring with Psycho or Chicken Kiev might help, him to 'man up', what ever it takes has to be done, and if he has a strop about it, then good, he is being paid to play, and not run around like a fairy!

    Somewhere inside his 6'3" frame there lies a superb player, and somehow the Hammers team have to get him to fire on all cylinders, because if they can, he can suddenly become a force, but he must try harder! - Ed

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  • Moyes' Road To Redemption

    nevillenixon's picture
    Submitted by nevillenixon on Mon, 26/10/2020 - 14:00

    It has taken him a long while, but West Ham manager David Moyes is finally starting to reach the managerial summit he achieved while manager of Everton, The Toffees consistently finished between fifth and eighth in the league under Moyes, and at the time of his departure, he was the longest-serving current manager in the league behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, at 11 years and 3 months.

    He succeeded Ferguson as manager of Manchester United in June 2013, but with the club in seventh place in the league in April 2014 and unable to qualify for European competition, he was sacked after 10 months in the job. The stats look damning, however, the managers who have followed him have all failed to hit the heights achieved when Alex Ferguson was at the helm. Louis van Gaal, Moyes' replacement, achieved a win ratio of 52.43% and was given nearly two seasons in the job, Moyes achieved a ratio of 52.94% and wasn't even given a full season!

    Looking for something different, Moyes spent an ill advised season at Real Sociadad, where the language proved to be an issue, most spaniards speak or at least understand english quite well, particularly footballers, the problem was that they could not understand what the Scot was saying because of what they saw as his 'thick' Scottish accent. He got given his marching orders and then returned to take over relegation certainties Sunderland, he left when their relegation was confirmed and then went in to 'Alan Curbishley land' for quite a while, things weren't too bad for the 57 year old though, because having been handed a five year deal by United he was entitled to 'gardening leave' payments for the entirety of the contract, with the exception of when he was gainfully employed.

    Fast forward to Moyes replacing the very popular Slaven Billic following a grim season that looked to all intents and purposes as if relegation was a formality, Moyes restructured the team, gave Masuaku freedom to play and converted a winger in to a striker, sounds familiar? It should be, because he is using the same template now as when he first arrived on a temporary basis until that season's end, his reward for keeping the club up was a hefty bonus believed to be in the region of £1 Million, but he was then unceremoniously canned in favour of Manuel Pellegrini.

    The Chilean 'mastermind' was seen as the man to take the team to the next level instead of the dour Scot, The 'Pellegrinophile' was indulged to a ludicrous level in the transfer market, having funding placed at his disposal that David Moyes could only have dreamt about. Of course it all went 'tits up' and Moyes was brought back yet again to rescue the club from almost certain relegation, he did so with aplomb and was consequently offered a new contract to stay on as manager for a full season.

    Having had their fingers savagely burned by Pellegrini, the Board were initially reluctant to see Moyes as anything other than a short term solution, but Moyes insisted on not only being given a full year's contract, but also the guarantee of a second season should certain criteria be met.

    Starting the new season from scratch' has given Moyes the opportunity to stamp his own brand of authority and style of play on the team, his achievements so far this season have been nothing short of miraculous given the paltry transfer budget he was given and the intimidating early run of fixtures which threatened to see the club rooted to the Barclays Premier League basement.

    Of course it is early doors yet, but Moyes seems to be in a 'happy' place at the moment and his team along with his coaching staff are buying in to his vision, long may it last, it's been along time but Moyes' road to redemption may well finally have a happy ending. - Ed

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  • Antonio’s New Contract

    Naples Hammer's picture
    Submitted by Naples Hammer on Sun, 25/10/2020 - 11:42

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    Antonio’s contract is due for re negotiation in Jan. It is rumored he is requesting a 5 year contract. Knowing his Constant hamstring Issues and that he has been out for 300+ days of injury, who here would give him a five year contract? We should assume he’s asking for $100k PW. I understand these are just rumors, and ‘hearsay’ but what seems a reasonable offer if YOU were in charge?

    I would offer 3 years, With perhaps some sort of ‘pay per play’ after that.

    This is based on hamstring tears never really heal and are prone to re tears. The reality and likelihood of him playing at 35 is unrealistic.

  • Now Moyes and co have to earn there corn

    mcbikeman's picture
    Submitted by mcbikeman on Sat, 24/10/2020 - 15:28

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    Not that they have not been but like i mentioned few weeks back and what we all new would happen Antonio injured we struggle....Bowen does not have his physical presence and has to be kept wide IMO Haller well is there not a more frustrating player in our squad he just does not want to make the runs and so we cannot get an outlet to relieve the pressure....i want to give him a chance to prove himself but next weekend against the bindippers i'd rather stick Yarma upfront at least he runs and trys and plays for Ukraine upfront at times, despite his mare of show today but we all have seen worse in claret and blue!.....so i hope Moyes and co have a plan B or is that B going to be Benrahama or otherwise our good form could go to pot....COYI

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