On Saturday the 18th of August at 3:00, West Ham will kick off their Premier League campaign at Upton Park after a year away. The league dubbed the best in the world earns this title because it consistently throws up thrills and spills, last minute winners, multi-million pound players, upsets and thrashings, but the main reason that the Premier League is so popular around the world is the unpredictability and the variety which the Premier League produces week in, week out. No longer do we have to wait until the early hours of the morning to see the goals from the matches played the previous day. Stadiums such as Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge will welcome the Hammers this season, it’s like being a child a Christmas for football fans up and down the country as we countdown to the new Premier League season.
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It has been a busy summer for Premier League clubs, some have new managers, and others have familiar faces. There has been little extravagant spending from English clubs this year, however there have been significant moves and changes; Jack Rodwell travelled up to Manchester to join the League Champions, Robin van Persie has gone in the same direction, only to join the red side of the city. The Hammers have frequently been the talking point of gossip columns and twitter pages with romantic returns for Carlos Tevez and Joe Cole being reported and a record-breaking bid for Liverpool’s, Andy Carroll being the talk of the summer. So far, these “marquee signings” have failed to materialise.
Although some of our extravagant bids for players haven’t been successful, good players such as Alou Diarra, Modibo Maiga and Mohamed Diame have been brought in for relatively small sums of money. Diarra showed his class during the Euros this year playing in the French National team and he will undoubtedly bring some much needed solidity to the Hammers’ midfield. Maiga and Diame both look very talented players and all the fans are very much looking forward to them walking out on the pitch come Saturday.
Although the Hammers have made 8 signings so far this transfer window, there are still doubts as to whether the current squad can cope in the Premier League. Can Carlton Cole lead the line for the Hammers against defenders like Vincent Kompany and Nemanja Vidic? And can Kevin Nolan dominate in midfield like we have seen so often before? Only time will tell.
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Big Sam’s style of football isn’t one met often with smiles from the Hammers faithful, as it does not comply with the “West Ham Way”. Allardyce’s rough and tough approach of a strong back four and a hardworking midfield designed to keep the opposition at bay may not be the prettiest, but if it can secure the Hammers Premier League football, perhaps the fans can cope with the slightly negative football. Let’s not forget however, we have players in the squad that can play.
First matches of a Premier League season are daunting, especially against Aston Villa. Avram Grant’s first game in charge was when his side met Villa on the 14th of August 2010 on the first day of the Premier League season. We were beaten 3-0. The Hammers team looked disjointed, vulnerable whenever the ball was in our half and lack any penetration going forward. Let’s hope that the roles
are reversed when Paul Lambert takes his Villa side to Upton Park for his first game in charge.
The flanks have been a problem in the past few seasons for West Ham, both attacking wise and defensively. With no significant investment as of yet in these particular areas, only George McCartney brought in to fill the void at left back, Could we see the likes of Jordan Spence and Dan Potts thrown in the deep end this season? Will we see central midfielders thrown out-wide in an attempt to give the Hammers some width?
The nervous wait for the Premier League season is almost at an end and in a similar way to the Olympics; there has been some doubt as to whether we can cope. Remember how successful that was though?
For the past week, the same questions have been flowing through my mind and I am sure they have been going through the minds of many Hammers fans; are we good enough? Have we got enough depth at the back? Are we creative enough in midfield? Are we strong enough upfront to makes sure we don’t suffer as many draws as last season? Have we signed a good enough replacement for Green? But the ultimate question; can we survive?
The countdown begins.
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