Why exactly did West Ham sign him?

On Friday the 6th of April, the words ‘We play on the floor!’ resonated around Oakwell as a Hammers team, with the likes of Ricardo Vaz Te, Nicky Maynard and Mark Noble, showed the potential of this current squad to play attractive and exciting football. Sam Allardyce’s men embarrassed a poor Barnsley side to move even closer to promotion rivals Southampton in the race for the coveted top two places. The West Ham team looked like completely different players as they passed the ball around, probing for spaces to exploit. The use of Maynard as a loan striker in particular highlighted Sam’s change of strategy, leaving his favourite target man Carlton Cole on the bench.

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The Good Friday fixture reignited the Hammers hopes for automatic promotion, but also, the Hammers faithful can be delighted with the way that the team played. They looked comfortable on the ball and created plenty of chances and most importantly, converted them in emphatic style. What was particularly interesting was the Hammer’s Barcelona styled high pressing, which resulted in Mark Noble’s exquisite chip just before halftime. The high pressing resulted in the Barnsley

team having to go long or lose possession in dangerous areas as they were not allowed time on the ball. As soon as they went long, the two centre backs Tomkins and Reid were on hand to retain

possession and build from the back.

Plenty then for the Hammer’s faithful to get excited about, but with a tough fixture against Birmingham looming, the home hoodoo could offer another setback in the Hammer’s promotion

race. A foreseeable problem for the Irons is whether the team can keep this style of football up when the fixture list becomes more congested. When playing possession football with high pressing, it is very important that the whole team is behind the philosophy and has the ability and understanding to play in this style. With the congested fixture list, it is likely that we could see players becoming tired and therefore other players will have to come in and fill the boots. Whether these other players however can sustain this style of football is another question.

So this is where young Montenegro comes into the equation. The young Paraguayan was signed on loan by Allardyce to boost the attacking options at Upton Park. However, following the signings of Vaz Te and Maynard in the January transfer window and the style in which the Hammer’s played during the first half of the season, opportunities have been limited for Montenegro. He has only made one appearance in the Claret and Blue first team, in a 1-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup.Unfortunately for the 18 year old, a 20 minute appearance against Wednesday is the only time he has been able to show the Hammers fans what he is capable of.

 

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Montenegro has been scoring for fun in the Development squad this season, scoring only a few days ago against QPR to add to his tally. Ian Hendon’s development squad has relied on Montenegro

to bring them some vital goals this season and it is surprising that Hendon has not suggested to Allardyce that the young lad deserves to play in the first team. The striker come winger looks an exciting prospect and it would be a disappointment to see him leave without making a league appearance for the club.

A problem that Montenegro faces is the language barrier, however he has managed to show his finishing ability and dribbling skills for the development squad and not to mention his relentless work-rate and clever movement. After a stellar performance against the Dagenham and Redbridge team, Hendon was full of praise for the youngster, saying that if he ‘keeps showing that sort of form,

people will take notice of him’.

It begs the question then, why hasn’t he made a full league appearance? In my opinion, there is no harm in placing him on the bench and letting him come on as a sub with 20 minutes or so left and seeing what he can do in competitive matches for the first team. What would be a real shame is if he left after his loan not being able to show his true ability. It would be even worse if we don’t give him a chance in the first team and he then goes off to a top club and shows us what we were missing. Allardyce could treat Montenegro’s loan as a season-long trial. If he impresses, then he could earn a full contract. It definitely wouldn’t break the bank to bring him in after this season if he can take his goal scoring form from the development squad to the first team.

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With a lot of fixtures still left, it would be great to see Montenegro make a full appearance for the Hammers. After all, he would do a much better job than John Carew. With a congested fixture list and the possibility of players becoming tired, the versatile forward could be seen playing in the Hammer’s front three in the not too distant future. With the Hammer’s new found style it would be a shame to see a player with potential, who could fit the possession football style with his expressive style and work rate, sent back to Paraguay without being able to shine at Upton Park.

 

Should he be playing? Tweet me @TollyCoburn