Did Sam Allardyce get the selection right?

I have to admit, when I saw the West Ham United team line up against Cardiff City on Saturday, I muttered a few things under my breath. As any supporter, you always want to see the new boys start, in front of a home crowd, against a team you fancy your chances against. However, yet again, Sam Allardyce got his selection correct.

After all, the players who were out there are the players who have performed well during pre-season. I wanted to see Razvan Rat at left back, instead of playing a right back out of position. But as always, Joey performed well to justify why he keeps his place in the team. Rat is an Romanian international, so I’m sure it won’t be long before he gets a game, so its nice that we have genuine competition at the full back positions.

As for Stewart Downing, well, he only joined the club a week ago, and Allardyce claims that he was lacking a bit of match practice. Big Sam chose Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole ahead of the ex-Liverpool man, and it proved to be a wide choice, Jarvis getting an assist for Joe Coles opener.  Very much like Rat, Downing is going to have to earn his place, and its good to have competition for the wide man role too.

As for whether Rat or Downing should start at Newcastle, well, Allardyce has no reason to drop either O’Brien or Demel, so I’m not sure that Rat will get a look in. Downing on the other hand, well he showed when he came on for Jarvis at the weekend, that he has pace to burn. I’ve been moaning that one of the reasons we performed badly away from home last season, was our lack of pace.  We had to rely on Big Andy to hold the ball up everytime it went forward, and as good as he is at doing that, opposition players got wise to it.

Downing and Jarvis would be a good outlet for a counter attack, and with Modibo Maiga playing instead of Andy Carroll, we have the pace to get behind the opposition defence.

I doubt Allardyce will change the line up after an impressive performance against Cardiff, but the fact is, we now have the options to change it if we want to!

COME ON YOU IRONS!!

By ChelmoHammer