I’ve got a confession. I’m getting a little disenchanted with West Ham; I think I’m running out of blind optimism and the cracks are starting to show. My Dad warned me this would happen! Am I the only one that’s actually finding the club a bit, well, embarrassing at the moment? There are two main factors for me – the club itself, and the supporters.
I’ll start with the club. I was really happy when we bought Andy Carroll, but with the club releasing Carlton Cole, thought that we still needed some back-up fire power. Then we bought Stewart Downing. And we really got egg on our face when both got injured soon after signing. With no real lone striker back-up, the club has struggled for goals ever since.
Speaking of striker shortages, I’m over-chuffed (pardon the pun) that Carlton is set to make his return to the club, after increasing his fitness levels over the last few weeks. I just feel that the whole situation was avoidable, and it’s embarrassing for all involved really! It would appear that both parties have come crawling back to each other when they realised they weren’t going to get anything better. David Gold’s Twitter comments didn’t help, after his response to a fan asking about the striker shortage was that no decent strikers would want to sit on the bench when Andy Carroll is fit. This is giving out the completely wrong message and would have surely put off potential suitors to the club.
Now on to the fans; this may be a bit of a delayed reaction, but it’s partially because I am still in disbelief about what happened. At the Everton game, I watched as about 75% of the Boleyn Ground gave Mark Noble a standing ovation as he received his second yellow and took himself out of the game. Now, I know many see Noble as ‘Mr. West Ham’ but that is absolutely ridiculous! We’re sliding down the table, and, while the Everton match was one that I wasn’t expecting to win, his departure made it an uphill – and ultimately losing – battle to hold on for all three points, and then for the draw.
I was also at the Southampton away game, where fans booed striker Modibo Maiga as he was substituted. Now I’m all for showing dissatisfaction when a player does something stupid or costs the team the game (yes Mark Noble, I’m looking at you), but when he is being played in a system which doesn’t suit him it seems a tad harsh to me. I’m not saying he’s the best player in the world by any means, but if Big Sam played to his strengths whilst he’s our only viable option, we may be higher up that Premier League table. Dare I say we should try a 4-4-2 formation?! Sorry, I must need a lie down.
What do you think about the way things are going at West Ham at the moment? Leave me a comment or tweet me at @alwaysintune.
At the moment, it’s all gone to shit, I was full of optimism at the end of last season and the start of this season…. But due to poor transfer activity and a mediocre start to the season, on what I would call a gifted first lot of fixtures…. This season itself is going to be an uphill struggle, relegation may be a possibility, but I do have some faith in allardyce to the extent that he has never been with a relegated team in the premier leage… But… As the saying goes, there’s a first for everything.
Couldn’t agree more – give 4-4-2 a go for heavens sake what have we got to lose, we aren’t scoring. Like you say this might suit Maiga – I would give Elliot Lee a run out alongside him. Petric isn’t a lone striker either. To be honest I think its pathetic the way teams have set out with this 4-5-1 philosophy because its the Barcelona way?! All well and good if you’ve got players like Messi, Xavi and Iniesta – We haven’t. It is times like this that Sams stubborness to attempt a different system will cost us. I’m all for keeping it tight and making us hard to beat but if we aren’t scoring how are we going to pick up points? I am more disenchanted with our failure to adapt than anything else. Look at the players available to you and play to their strengths!!!
We should try 4-4-2 or any other formation that the best clubs in the world use. BFS – Mr hoof & hope – would be long gone by now if I was the club owner, .
Because its not that the formation doesnt suit him, its the fact that he has no footballing brain. He just stands there and lets himself be marked. He also doesnt have any pace, Faye outpaced him at the weekend, has a poor first touch and can’t shoot.
no good telling sam he only knows hoof ball hope he isgone by christmas
We haven’t even one decent, fit striker at the club presently yet some of you want the manager to play two?
Bizarre…
Agreed, none of our backup strikers have set the world on fire – as a direct replacement of AC. Nothing Bizarre in suggesting a change in formation to see if we can get anymore out of them? Maiga is clearly not a lone striker – he may well be useless as one of a pair also but how will we know if we don’t even give it a go. Elliot Lee not deserve a chance? How many goals in development squad?
Don’t disagree with you. But what would you do then? Play 6 in midfield?
Agree totally with the comments re Mark Noble. Been a WH supporter for 40 odd years and I too am becoming embarrassed trying to defend my club to other fans, by the style of football and also by the marketing initiatives – ‘Moore Than A football Club’ really? I thought that was exactly what we are. And don’t get me started on the crossed hammers arms all the players are required to make in their publicity pictures or the Jack Sullivan twitter account.
The style of football has got to be down to BFS or else what on earth’s he actually being paid for? We have enough good players in the first team and development squad to be able to play more stylish and effective football. BFS has done a good job getting us straight back up but my impression is that he’s arrogant and has his favourites. It’s no brainer we should be playing 2 up front and should have done last year with AC and CC. When either of them played there were 3 defenders around them – you do the Math BFS!
But DG is right – what decent striker is going to play second fiddle to AC? Short sighted, lazy strategy from our manager I’m afraid.
I don’t think other strikers won’t come because of Caroll. Man U often start with RVP Roo and Welbeck. They won’t come because of Sam A and his tactics and management style
Agree – there you have it, Man U start with 3, Sam only plays 1 and it’s going to be AC when fit!
It is early days but we have to admit that our form and football we are playing is bad. We can not keep hold of the ball for any period of time i think 60% of possession against Hull is our best this season. We have now let Collison out on loan and i ask why? this lad can get goals from midfield also playing Diame out wide is crazy he must play through the middle and surely the fitness of Petric should allow him to start and play at a high tempo for as long as he can last and then take him off. To keep playing Maiga up front on his own is crazy he is clearly not that type of player. So what do we do ? it is simple play your best inform players in positions that they play in and stop messing about to accomadate players .
Hold you nerve lads, hold your nerve. Its early days, yes the striker situation could have been handled better, but from what I have heard they were busting a gut in the transfer window to fix that situation. We’ve played 6 games, and to the best of my memory we have let in 1 goal from open play. One! Everything else has been ‘wonder’ free kicks and penalties. I really think we will start to score goals soon and if we remain stingy at the back we will climb the table slowly but surely.
I too feel totally disenchanted with West Ham and football. I have a season ticket but I will try to sell it every home game as I have simply had enough after 30 years. I’ll pop back to see the new stadium at Stratford now and then.
Been a whu fan all my life but it’s just becoming a joke we can’t score can’t attract a striker of quality we play one way only and are countered from the start. All the other prem teams have strikers queuing up to play n we got naff all now carrolls out. I can’t bring myself to watch them at the mo
Why are fans getting uptight about Collision going out on loan for one month – if it gets him fitter and as long as he don’t get injured it’s good for both clubs. Also I think the reason 75% gave Noble a standing ovation when he got sent off was because they believed he got the ball and the second yellow shouldn’t have been given. Refs decisions have gone against us recently and having two goals incorrectly chalked off for offside haven’t helped. It’s a long way till the end of the season and we all have to stick together. COYI
We need a fast, young, hungry striker with a keen eye for goal…wait a sec, what about Elliot Lee? Problem solved!
He’s been scoring goals for fun for the development squad (4 in the previous game). I really think this could be his moment to shine.
Dont blame Alladyce for this embarassing debarcle! we knew our weakness , was goalpower Last Season.The failure to strenghten ,must surely be with Sullivan, as we are led to believe, he was in Charge of that Operation. To have to go backto Cole, is surely an embarrasment. The mess we are now in is solely in the owners Court, and could prove Costly regarding the move to the new Stadium.
4 4 2! We start playing that way and we’ll get hammered 4-0 every week cos it will undermine our strong defensive form. No one plays 442 anymore in the top leagues. If we were to play 2 up top, like brendan rogers has shown, you have to play 3 5 2 with wing backs. Again though, that will ruin our defensive stability! Im afraid we are gonna have to grin, bear and hope:-(.
COYI
There does seem to be a growing feeling of frustration at BFS and his refusal to change formation and tactics,myself included,None of the Prem strikers we were linked with wanted to come because of this and knowing they were only going to get a game when AC was out,which he will be again.
Regarding Mark Noble,I also don’t understand applause for a red card resulting from a needless challenge.I don’t doubt he is claret & blue through & through but he needs to stop giving the ball to players NOT wearing claret & blue.Not sure what Nolan does either.
Disenchanted, no. Surprised that management/ownership would fail to address such a glaring need as cover for an injury-prone Andy Carroll, yes.
all i can say is what a load of crap. lets get a good manager and maybe another striker just incase ac gets injured. wait a sec he is there’s a surpries. same old westham nothing changes year after year.
I’m 100% agreeing with Katerine.
I’ve been reading her tweets since more than 2 years now and she’s perfectly in line with my way of thinking all the time.
Maiga is more a victim thana guilty one as Allardyce is continuing to break him waiting for the not confirmed return of the Messiah.
Noble did a stupid tackle against Everton, especially as he was already under the threat after the first yellow card.
I really hope some luckiness will help us to collect some points in the togh games that we have now on the menu. I’m not sure about that as we are about to align the same poor tactics with an unadapted player as unique striker by the end of this week.
Thanks for the lovely comment! 🙂