West Ham United have won just two games away from home all season, and look a shadow of the record breaking side of last year is time for a change in tack away from home.
West Ham’s two away wins at QPR and Newcastle United seemed were played in a way of belief and confidence, something that has all but in sucked out of them after a run of just one point from 27 trips away from the Boleyn.
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I stood in disbelief at the negativity that Sam Allardyce served up last week at Villa Park against a struggling team at the wrong end of the table. Had Weimann scored that chance in the first minute god only know what the score could have been.
It was obvious to the travelling fans and those watching in the warm at home what our side was missing, pace and graft from the wings, there is no faulting Joey Cole’s effort on the day but we need pace on the other wing and the answer to our problems didn’t get a look in, record buy Matthew Jarvis.
It frustrates me how Big Sam cannot see the issue away from home, there is no positivity, no belief, and the fact he came out and said we “dominated Villa” was an embarrassment. It was obvious on the day who wanted it more right from the first whistle and in the rain and the cold it’s not what us travelling fans deserved.
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Enough of my rant and onto away days in general this season, far too often this year we have capitulated away from home. I don’t know whether this is a tactical problem or a confidence problem but one thing is for sure Big Sam has to do something about it.
For me, the Hammers simply have to go from the word go and this mentality of “staying in the game and playing on the counter” simply isn’t working. We have players who are more than capable of beating most teams in this division. It’s not for a want of effort, and I cannot fault that last weekend, we are just missing that spark.
With tricky home fixtures coming up, that trip to Stoke is looking vital and big Sam will need to rejig his tactics if he wants to end this barren spell away from home. Whether that’s an extra striker or playing the same formation we do at home and gain a bit of consistency, simply something needs to change.
I’m all for Big Sam and think he has done a fantastic job and those calling for Paolo Di Canio need to have a long hard think. But I must admit away from home this season some of the football we have played is nothing short of shocking.
But still in Big Sam we trust.
Come on you Irons!
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David, we simply are not set up to play effectively away from home. The modern trend is for teams to defend deep and hit on the counter attack, sucking the Home team in and forcing them too concede possession. This usually happens when the home crowd become restless watching their side huff and puff against a packed and tight defence and home players, eager to please and aware of the building pressure try the killer ball or the long ball, conceding possession and leaving themselves vulnerable to a QUICK SPEEDY AND MULTI PLAYER counter…and here is the root of our problem, we simply have no pace in the side to cause opposition defences the type of problems they need to be set to concede. With a big lone striker and a midfield of Nolan, Noble, Taylor, Collison, Cole (not as quick as he once was)and other shall we say ageing players, we just dont have the tools to hurt defences in this manner. If you look at our overall pattern of play, it always involves a slow and im afraid predictable build up phase, with much square and backward passing. teams can esaily withdraw goal side of the ball. This is followed by the inevitable long and high ball to the big front man, generally into a packed defence where its very much a 50/50 outcome. There is no element of surprise and unless we hit the jackpot with set plays, especially corners where we send up the lumbering giants, we really have no effective Plan B do we. Allardyce has set us up to play percentage football, with little craft, guile, speed or pace and we have to make do with what we have and hope it works. If it doesnt then we hope for a 0-0 scoreline and a point at best. Its sterile and pretty negative but I hope its enough to keep us up this season.
I think Sam did a great job getting us up,and the 1st half of the season was good,but the element of surprise is gone,teams have our number,and Sam has to realize we need different tactics for different teams,we play the same way each week and if he doesn’t change I think he may ladt another year at best!