It is no secret that 2011 was not a good year for the Hammers as they dropped down to the Championship and lost key players as a result. Embarrassing performances from January to May under the clueless Avram Grant made the East Enders the laughing stock of the Premier League with their rivals taking full advantage of rubbing it in.
The second half of 2011 though has been promising at Upton Park as the complications of the Olympic Stadium move have pleased a decent percentage of supporters as well as improving on the pitch under new boss Sam Allardyce. After losing Scott Parker and Demba Ba in the summer, Allardyce has gone about rebuilding the squad who currently sit in the automatic promotion places going into the final game of 2011 away at Derby County. However, 2012 is going to be a great year for the club that will include promotion and some dignity returning to the East End that every Hammer must be looking forward to, but what are New Year’s resolutions for the club?
Automatic Promotion
I have to start with the obvious, but it is not a certainty that West Ham will be a top flight club again next year and some shrewd work in January along with some bottle will be required. Southampton have been far and away the best side in the Championship this season, but if the Irons play at their best week-in-week-out then they will win the league. The squad that Allardyce has assembled is a competitive one that is possibly an improvement on last year and the rumour mill has linked the club to some decent players in January.
Club’s such as Middlesbrough, Leeds United and Hull City will all be tough competition for the top two but it would be a surprise if West Ham were not in there come May. Last time the Hammers dropped down to the Championship they failed to bounce back at the first time of asking after a cruel play-off final defeat to Crystal Palace at the Millennium Stadium and the supporters will be praying that the play-offs is not an option this time around. Allardyce only has a one year contract at Upton Park and so if the club are not promoted, don’t be surprised to see him shown the door.
Be positive in the Transfer Market
If ‘Big Sam’ and Davids Gold and Sullivan honestly believe the club will be a Premier League team come August then in both January and the summer they need to look at bringing in Premier League quality instead of wasting money on mediocrity (Peter Whittingham as reported today). The club are still in a great deal of debt and the owners have got to praised for doing everything they can to save their beloved club but they must also take some blame in relegation with stupid summer money spent and employing/ then not sacking Avram Grant.
But now the club are moving forward, all of that has got to be left in the past and with January just days away a list of 25 players has apparently been put together by the manager regarding New Year signings. If Gold and Sullivan are prepared to put their hands in their pockets once again in January, then less work will have to be done in the summer if promotion is achieved. The likes of Andy Johnson, Rio Ferdinand and Bobby Zamora have all been linked with the club in the past few weeks and while some might say they are unrealistic targets, you would be surprised what an attraction Upton Park might be for a disillusioned player. Faith has got to be put in the people in charge that they will be positive and do the right thing when the window opens.
Keep giving the youngster a chance
Due to injuries and suspensions over the past few games, Allardyce has given 17-year-old Dan Potts his West Ham debut and he has made quite an impression on the Upton Park faithful. The Leighton Baines type left back will now be hard to drop for Big Sam and his potential is unquestionable. The old saying ‘Academy of Football’ that is written on the touchline at the Boleyn is something that Allardyce laughed off on his arrival in London in the summer but he is now seeing the benefit of the unbeatable youth system that Tony Carr has set up. With current products of it such as James Tomkins, Mark Noble and Freddie Sears already in the first team squad, that number will look to grow in the next 12 months.
A number of youngsters are currently out on loan from Upton Park and are making headlines of their own, with players such as Cristian Montano, Marek Stech and Frank Nouble the noticeable improvers. The current youth side, that included Potts until now, are still in the FA Youth Cup as they look to recreate what the likes of Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and co achieved way back in the late 1990’s.
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