Since our fantastic victory over Cardiff City on Sunday March the 4th, West Ham have typically let us down through a series of dire (obviously excluding yesterday’s masterclass), anti-climactic and medicore home performances where despite fantastic home support, players (who despite being on Premier League wages) fail to find the invention to find gaps through Watford or bottom of the table Doncaster Rovers’ defence.
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Since then, we have seen Reading FC surge up the table, a team who have kept their team a constant 11 that would roll off the tongue of every one of their fans mouths. Their signing of Jason Roberts has been shrewd no doubt and yet arguably our most exciting signing has played 9 minutes of real time for the first team at Elland Road since his arrival.
These problems are minimal compared to the issue that has majorly halted our promotion push in the past 6 weeks. Can any fan tell me the last time they saw the same X1 in the team for two games on the trot? True, injuries (as Big Sam will no doubt point to in press conferences) play a huge part in this of course as they do at every professional football club. It is also true that we have the biggest (and surely strongest and most flexible squad) in the nPower Championship so occasional squad rotation is to be expected.
But when Big Sam decides to play Nicky Maynard up front (by himself at home I may add) to Middlesbrough, then switches to Carlton Cole up front by himself, then puts Vaz Te up to support him to be concluded by desperation acts of sending John Carew on for a second half impact showing and throwing Kevin Nolan up front as a second striker in the Birmingham second half, signs of tactical naivety and cluelessness appear evident. He clearly has no idea about which strikers or even wingers are his first choice with Julien Faubert, Matty Taylor, Jack Collison, Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and even Ricardo Vaz Te being deployed on the left or the right at some stage of the season.
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In our strike force on paper, we actually have a rather potent mixture of striking variety. Carlton Cole; a typical target man who on is day is Premier League class, Maynard and Sam Baldock, both small quick strikers known for goal poaching in the Football League. These are followed by Ricardo Vaz Te, a flair striker who seems to have that creative instinct for dribbling and finding holes in defences (traits we will desperately need in the play-offs) and John Carew, a well known target man who in the peak of his career has played in the Champions League Final for Valencia. On paper, that strike force is of envy of many Championship managers this year. Furthermore, with a manager knows the style of play he wants his team to adopt, there is no doubt we should be well equipped to win the play-offs.
However, that is certainly easier said than done. Once Sam knows the automatic places are mathematically out of reach, he must realise what style of play he wants to attack the semi finals with and look at what striking partnership (or single striker if he wants to make the fans groan) to use and employ it for the last few domestic Championship games. Players must get used to playing with each other to develop that team camaraderie that has seen Reading surge from mid-table to destroying our season. If going direct is our best option, surely Cole and Vaz Te or even Cole and Nolan are better options than Maynard up top by himself (which was ludicrous to watch in the Boro game)!
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It may well be that we have to employ different striking forces at home from the away leg. If Sam thinks so, so be it, but for god’s sake smell the coffee and keep the ball on the deck if we have a striker under the height of 5ft10!
Written by Hal Walker
We won 6-0 at the weekend. Why don’t you enjoy that feeling on a Monday morning instead of moaning.
One Seagull thrashing does not make a summer mate. Yes, it was a great win and let’s enjoy it. However Fat Sam was simply forced into being positive (completely against his nature) because it was our last chance of avoiding the lottery of the play-offs. I just hope he doesn’t go back into his negative, tactically naive shell again tonight or next monday. The pressure is back on because we have something of a chance again now. The man is only comfortable when planning not to lose. He can’t do that and expect to get promoted. Let’s keep the positivity of saturday, and not change the team too much tonight. COYI !