After yet another frustrating home draw this time against Middlesbrough, just what have Big Sam and the players learnt from their fourth consecutive 1-1 draw.
1. Big Sam must play players in their right positions: Game after game we watch our better players played in the wrong positions. A centre half playing midfield, a natural goal scorer playing right midfield, a central midfielder a slow one at that in the form of Jack Collison pushed out onto the wing. Maynard brought in for his goal scoring prowess is so clearly wasted out wide it is painful to watch. He is as well as Baldock who for some reason never get a look in, are our only fox in the box type striker and if I was Maynard I would be having serious words with Big Sam. The negative 4-5-1 or as Big Sam calls it 4-3-3 formation just sets us up to be negative at home. Yes at times we play some nice football but far too often it gives us the excuse to pump it forward. And before you ask I am a Big Sam fan but excuses are wearing thin at home at the moment.
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2. I’m not the curse: Unfortunately or some may say fortunately last night I couldn’t make it to the game thanks to a pointless work meeting I “had” to attend. Forcing me to miss my first midweek home game of the season and only my second home game of the season. Receiving joke texts from my Dad and Billy suggesting it was my fault we weren’t winning midweek games. So last night we learnt it isn’t my fault. Having read Big Sam’s press conference he bemoans luck again and to be fair the midweek games I have attended over the last two years luck has come into it. A stonewall penalty ignored here and there, but that’s football and these excuses are starting to make us sound like sore losers or drawers if that makes sense.
3. No plan B. Far too often this season we have watched opposition work out how were going to play within the first 25 minutes so revert back to Big Sam’s favoured style and the
oppositions favoured style pumping it long down the throats of grateful centre halves who will head the ball away all day long. Our only plan “B” option Ricardo Vaz Te is out injured so we are forced to play labouring central midfielders out wide which takes our width away meaning we have no out ball. This forces us to play far too central and with the lack of movement out wide and with no one looking for the ball promising attack breaks down.
Home fans groan and are accused of being too “negative”, no they just want to see their team play well and score goal every fan wants that surely? When we have a pacey winger come central midfielder wasted on the bench in Morrison who I’m sure would have made a difference last night and would certainly have given the fans a boost instead of seeing Carew waltz onto the pitch as Big Sam decided to settle for a 1-0 win.
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4. Abdoulaye Faye must be edging closer to HOTY: Abdoulaye Faye or the beast as he is known to most down the Boleyn, has been producing starring roles in the heart of the defence game after game is my vote for Hammer of the Year. He is the most reliable performer West Ham have had in the centre of defence for as long as I can remember and he puts Matthew Upson to shame with his never say die attitude. Last night was no exception, he was strong in the tackle, won everything in the air, and even got on the score sheet what more do you want for a centre half. Forget Nolan, Faye was the best summer signing Big Sam made. Strong as an Ox, as determined as a turtle Abdoulaye Faye is the box I shall be ticking come April.
5. To end something positive, the fans: Yes towards the end the frustration came too much for some and there were some ridiculous chants let’s be honest, people calling for Sam Allardyce’s head really? But I understand the bulk majority of the game Upton Park was buzzing and a 10 minute “we are West Ham’s claret and blue army” was sung, top effort. The players responded in large parts, but for a worldly by an unheard of player (always the way for West Ham) left us desperately scraping for a winner late on. If we can create that sort of atmosphere for the remainder of the home games I’m sure player “nerves” will go and they will start expressing themselves more at the academy of football, so let’s keep believing and let’s continue to get behind the boy’s in our last push for automatic promotion.
Come on you Irons!
Tweet me;@Bowdenwhu
Determined as a turtle?
Ha, Well I must admit it was hard to find a simile so google gave me Turtle don’t ask where that came from but it made me smile so i whacked it in.
agree with remarks on team set up, that was the worst ive seen them play for while[tv & links]but live games on tv had you rocking-last nite was shocking. Tonks is by far our best CH, why play in MF when he can bring the ball from the back, we had no defensive cover on the bench last nite, linda or collins[who looks a ok player] should have been on the bench.taylor legs have gone-hes better on bench, collinson & lansbury need to play-and why not put maynard and baldock up front, and put cole on the bench- bring him on and not carew what a waste of a shirt, no pace,no touch no use sorry but his day as passed,we look more like DADS ARMY all old men. wake the f up or next year we will be playing this lot again.
I think we all agree it’s time to change the tactics, as they are, they are not working. I would play Green, O’Neill Faye, Collins, McCartney then play Vaz Te (if fit) or Faubert on the right, Tomkins or Diop in the Middle along with Noble and on the left Lansbury and make the front two Maynard and Baldock. Stop with the long ball, and play it on the ground and let the speed of both Maynard and Baldock get at the defenders. Putting long high balls in to central defenders that are bigger than the forwards is pointless and loses us the ball.
We have games to try this out with and we have a Plan A, then we can revert to negative if neccessary as Plan B. Let’s go look for a win, and once we get one it should become a winning mentality. Teams will not be able to just defend in numbers and wait for the inevitable long ball. Let’s face it all teams now know how to defend against West Ham, and have worked out how to “Make life difficult, for the West Ham forwards”. We make it east for them, so let’s change things and play to the strengths of the players bought because of the strengths they showed at other clubs.
The alternative appears to be the management mantra of a do not lose at all costs mentality, and then blame everyone else for the lack of winning results. It can’t always be the referee, teams coming to defen in numbers, lack of quality of our forwards in the last third. If anyone can think of any other excuses just add them to the list.
The reality is that playing with the tactics we are currently employing will probably result in putting us in the lottery of the play-off’s.
I agree that the excuses being trotted out repeatedly are wearing a bit thin.
Own up, say “I got it wrong”, and change tactics, if the manager is unable to do that, then we really do have a problem.
We are better than we were when we were in the Premier League with Avram Grant, but we do need a change to release the players from what appears to be a bit of a straight jacket.
If we leave it too late, then we will be playing most of these teams again next season in the Championship.
I believe we can get promotion, but it will take change, removal of the fear that makes legs turn to lead, and jittery men of the talent that we have.
Unleash the creativity, skill and inspire the players to play and enjoy the game. The alternative is a staple diet of the way we are playing at the moment and the consequences that we all fear that will follow.
If we can all see this then why can’t sam allardyce and if he can why isn;t he doing something about it. As stated, we have some real jack in the box strikers that can cause defences lots of problems with pace if we play the right balls in behind. Peterborough caused Reading all sorts of problems the other night playing with just those sort of strikers. The problem is that Sam doesn’t want to lose, which is ok, but we need to win and start winning comfortably. If we end up in play offs then we will need goals
Thanks for the great article, I was researching for details like this, going to check out the other posts.