TEN things we can expect this season?

After fending off the pressures of the Championship the hard way, West Ham are finally back where we belong, the Premiership. This season the list of expectations are going to be endless by all accounts, fans will be expecting a solid season that doesn’t involve a relegation battle for once and I can’t see the board and coaching staff thinking any different. But what ten things can we honestly expect of the season ahead?

1. How we will cope against the “big” teams?

One of the first obstacles everyone thinks of when competing in the best league in the world, is how will their club perform against the likes of the top four. When you consider the fact that we have been competing against teams such Barnsley, Peterborough United and so on (no disrespect) and compare how we played against them, then think of the potential outcomes we could face against Manchester United and Manchester City (3-0 to the Hammers of course!)

If Big Sam can get a quality team together and feel the weaknesses of the squad with “true” talent rather than cheap fringe players then we could stand a chance. Although I believe the two clubs of Manchester being our biggest threats, in the past we have proven many times we are capable of beating both of them, which reminds me, does the name Carlos Tevez trigger memories of a certain match?

This season both games against Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur will be a challenge but even so football is a funny game at times and I can’t really predict the outcome, but be sure we will put up a good fight as somehow Big Sam knows how to set a team up against those in the top four places.

Against the likes of, Liverpool, Everton and Fulham I am expecting the outcomes to be varied as we have had the tendency to waste points against these teams, whom I feel we are in the same category as “on our day”.

2. Can we keep the squad fit enough to have a solid season?

A problem we always seem to face is keeping the squad fit enough to be worthy of making a challenge and competing to the squads best ability. How many times have key players been injured during a season for a few weeks or even days and then during that time, points against teams we should be beating are dropped.

Although we had the odd injury here and there last season, I really can’t see many injuries this year as Big Sam is known for getting his players fitness levels up and deals with injuries the correct way.

Don’t expect an injury free season as that will not happen, but unless one of the players is on the receiving end of a leg breaking challenge, the time spent on the Physio bed will be mainly massages, dead legs and cramp.

3. Will Mark Noble keep on taking strides in his career, or will the Premiership get the better of him?

Fan favourite Mark Noble has really taken strides in his career as a Hammer after years playing alongside Scott Parker; Noble has clearly learned a lot and adapted his style of play based on the once famed number 8. It is clearly visible that Noble is still improving and as each game develops he is clearly our main man who pulls the strings and looks for the killer ball, as he delivered time and

time again in the Championship, but has he reached his level or can we really expect more to come from Mr Hammer himself?

Based on what I saw of him last year I honestly think he would be capable of walking into most of the Premiership clubs and If you remember correctly both Arsenal and Manchester United were reported as being interested in a move for our linchpin a few years back. Expect to see plenty of penalties, assists and never say die attitude’ performances from him, he could well be the name

come the twilight of the season to be considered “Hammer of the year”.

4. What approach are we likely to take for away and home games?

Last season we saw a combination of playing formations such as 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 but based on the players we have at our disposal so far, including the additions made the transfer window, will we stick to the formations we are familiar with or will we be willing to be slightly more adventurous.

As all West Ham fans are aware, we have plenty of forwards and midfielders, so why not use this to our advantage and really try and get a concept of free flowing attacking football which is really starting to prove the right route to go down after teams such as Manchester City, Swansea City, Barcelona and the Spain national side have had such success with in recent years.

Although the idea is very appealing, maybe that’s an option more for the second season back in the Premiership; whereas the goal this year is to concrete our famous clubs name back where it should be.

Expect to see Big Sam applying the 4-4-2 against smaller teams and away fixtures, whilst at home he may try and be slightly more attacking to please the home fans and opt for two strikers up top.

5. Will there be the inclusion of youth this season?

Fans have been crying out for a few seasons now for the youth squad players to be given a chance,we have seen the likes of recently departed trio Junior Stanislas, Zavon Hines and Freddie Sears, also those who are on the fringes of the first team such as Jordan Spence, Dan Potts, George Moncur and the very highly rated Rob Hall have all been tipped for bright futures, yet none have really been given the chance to gain that needed experience.

Many admirers felt that the Championship was a great time to introduce the youth in the squad, gain a new look team and develop a morale and chemistry for when we return to the Premiership.

 

However, apart from Dan Potts who was exceptional in his appearances made at left back, no one really got a run out.

This year, mainly to the closing months of the season expect the likes of Ravel Morrison, Jordan Spence, Dan Potts and Rob Hall all to get a few appearances under their belts. So far they have been included in the pre-season games quite frequently, could this be a sign that the gaffer could be looking at options he has available to him in all manners?

6. Where can we really expect to finish?

Many fans will expect us to finish mid-table, somewhere between 10th and 15th, however if the team goes into the season with this expectation is it seen more as a positive or negative mentality? I for one, feel as though we should have no expectations on where we finish except we do not want to be fighting relegation. If we take the “fearless” approach to the league such as Swansea City did in their first season and who knows, we may even finish in a Europa League qualification places, or higher (dare I say it). The limits we have are what we give ourselves, if the team believe they can achieve and deliver then no one is to say we cannot compete at the highest level.

This season, the only expectation is survival so anywhere above the bottom three could be deemed a success, but obviously the higher we finish in the league the better the platform we have to build on for the following season.

7. Will Carlton finally deliver what has been desired from his for years?

One player who has received his fair bit of criticism, chants and pressure is Carlton Cole. For years now fans have been expecting him to deliver the goods and until he does he will forever have the weight of the irons faithful resting on his shoulders unless he loses his starting role as our main striker.

I feel for him as he is stuck in a vicious cycle, with the fans on his back and the pressure to score constantly gleaming over his shoulders, he often panics and loses his composure at key points. But how can he score with such pressure, you could argue his a professional and should learn to deal with it, but us as fans should also be aware of the fact that he is a player who needs confidence,

praise and a guide, not thousands of critics. Until we relax and let him get on with it, he will continue only scoring 12 goals a season, put you trust and faith in him and he will deliver as we saw when he was under the management of Gianfranco Zola.

Expect to see Cole firing on all cylinders this season, with the added pressure of Modibo Maiga and reports of other striker links, he will have to fight for his place, but first he needs to be aware of the faith we have in him, not make things harder for him by booing and slating everything he does or doesn’t do.

8. Will the transfers prove to be worthy acquisitions?

Fans will be very eager to see the new acquisitions doing their club proud and that will be no different for the West Ham fans, with the six new additions made so far.

We have managed to sign some real quality so far, with Mohamed Diame clearly being the stand out capture in my eyes. The lad has pure power whether it be going forward of picking up the pieces going back, I have really high hopes for him and I can see him fast becoming a fans favourite playing alongside the likes of Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble.

Expect to see the experience and safe hands of Jussi Jaaskelainen deliver solid performances through this year, in place of the departed Robert Green. With McCartney at left back we all know what to expect and he will be a fine piece of business if he keeps doing what he is doing for us. As for Modibo Maiga he is untested in the Premiership, but if his gazelle like strides with a football are anything to go by on YouTube we could we be in for a treat once he gets his Hammers career underway.

9. Will Sam Allardyce be one of the first manager casualties this season?

With each season, comes ups and downs and in recent years Managers have seen their fair share of downs with their being at least two managers a season being shown the door. So it brings me no surprise that pundits and the bookies are already putting their odds on certain managers to be the first to go.

But can we really expect to see the mastermind to our promotion to be one of the first to go, or even be sacked at all? I truly feel we have a great manager in Sam Allardyce and unless the England job miraculously become available or Real Madrid offers him a deal, I can’t see him wanting to leave either.

The chairmen have all their faith in him and they know he can deliver at the first hurdle as he proved last season in the Play-Off Finals. If at times results do not go our way, the media will surely add pressure on him and the board to take drastic actions, but I can’t see them wanting to lose Big Sam and I feel as though even if we fail to stay in the Premiership, Sam’s job is safe for at least a couple of years yet.

10. Finally can we expect silverware, or relegation?

One of the biggest questions a newly promoted team asks is “Are we capable of survival?” In our case I really feel we have what it takes, we have a manager that will get the team working hard and playing goof football depending on what approach he chooses to adopt, we have a captain in Kevin Nolan who will help drive the team on through the toughest of times on and off the pitch and we

have players raring to go and fight for the precious starting 11 places.

Relegation will always be on the back of every fans mind who follow either a lower half of the table team or a newly promoted club, however West Ham is a club that has been underachieving for years and we shouldn’t be in the position we have been in for the last 5 years and we will be trying really hard to avoid the drop and the battle that comes along with it.

Since the day of the FA Cup final, we have seen the optimism drained from the mental strength of the players and everyone linked to the club, but with the mood in the atmosphere slowly improving, expect us to put in a really good shift in all competitions and who knows we may just get lucky.