Well, after watching both games at the weekend in the Schalke 04 tournament, desperate for a glimpse of something positive to take into the coming season, I scoured the Hammers bench for signs of Teddy Sheringham, our new attacking guru but he was nowhere to be seen – just Sam Allardyce chewing gum like a hyperactive camel and the others looking pensive and anxious.
Not a great start, but no matter; the owners had promised us a more attack-minded style, and Big Sam was under orders. I ignored the team selections, and ignored the TV line-up graphic. It showed a lone striker, but this was going to be different. This was an exciting new era for the Hammers and the old days of a lone big lump up front were gone; consigned to the football scrap heap alongside heavy leather balls with laces, leather studs, baggy shorts and goalkeepers caps! Happy days my friends!
No, the twin striker format had arrived, and the sleek, elegant and classy Teddy would by now have got into Sam’s ear and explained that football is split into two distinct phases…defence and…wait for it…ATTACK.
The attack part of our wonderful game usually involves pushing men (as in more than one player) into forward positions, getting some width to split the back line of the opposition leaving gaps and spaces for willing midfield runners to exploit and allowing chances to be created for a shot at goal. Teddy would have drawn Sam little diagrams covering support play, split-striker formations, third man runs, crossovers, through balls…I had to withdraw and take a cold shower, so exciting was the prospect ahead….
There was to be no gentle let down, no gradual realisation that this could have been a re-run from most of last season’s games. No, it was obvious from the very first kick off…there was one bloody player up front. No one was within earshot of poor Carlton Cole, then poor Mauro Zarate then poor little Elliot Lee. All of them ran and battled and huffed and puffed. All of them were isolated, alone, and having to battle two or three defenders, win the ball, hold it up, and play in anyone who fancied risking the wrath of Allardyce by tip-toeing over the half way line to help out our desperately ineffective and overworked strikers.
I can recall leaping from my chair when three West Ham players commenced an approach toward the Schalke 18 yard box…three players…bloody hell Teddy..good work old son. My delight was short lived as again possession was conceded through lack of numbers and pressure on the ball, and every Hammer scuttled back like a mob of nervous crabs, desperate to be back “in position” ready to defend Sam’s goal to the death.
And, depressingly so, this pattern continued in both games; defend in numbers, attack as individuals; the contrast with the opposition, especially Malaga, was stark and anger inducing. If they could do it why not us? At 2-0 down, why not have a go; throw the well thumbed copy of the Allardyce Defenders Bible onto the fire and get a copy of Attack With Gusto by Paolo Di Canio out of the proverbial drawer. Get numbers forward and see what happens. Lose 4-0, but at least salvage some pride in the process and send the astoundingly loyal fans home with some fire in their bellies…surely its worth a go…surely?
The unpalatable truth is that nothing has changed. Nothing. Despite bringing in new players and blooding some of the promising kids, there was no sign at all of anything approaching an attacking system. The fact that we have had really poor pre-season results wise is far less of a worry for me than the fact that the playing style appears to have been maintained totally, and any influence from Sheringham was nothing less than invisible. The appallingly ineffective and pedestrian Kevin Nolan was paraded again, and the thought of another season watching this car-crash performer aimlessly wandering around looking for something to do fills me with dread.
Teddy still has time to get things sorted and exert some influence on dinosaur Sam. If we see a lone striker take to The Boleyn in two weeks time you know that hasn’t been the case. Just keep your fingers crossed!
Things have changed. We are year older, but non the wiser than we were at this point last season.It’s quite well known that us humans don’t like change very much. But we are not going to move forward at West Ham until either bfs changes the style of play and tactics, or someone changes bfs. I know my preference. Probably the same as 95% of fans. But ANY change would be a step in the right direction!
The club has changed massively over recent years , the iceland bunch bought us and gave curbs loads of money which went on shxte ! Dave and dave came in got the club working sensibly and financially sound effectively saving us from bankruptcy .
some people are not happy with this 8-/ they want sexy football right away whatever the consequences , well all I can say is be careful what you wish for . I for one am willing to wait and be patient and I dont think im alone .
we can’t live with the best teams playing sexy football so at the moment we have to live with what we have got .when we have more money we can buy sexy football players BUT IT WONT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
Some good points Tev. I don’t look for sexy football. I know we’re not Arsenal or Chelsea or their like. But we have got a squad who can keep better possession, pass the ball better, and work in a formation that isn’t set up to not lose. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
I think we all understand it wont happen over night. The problem is the players must feel like S%^t, they do run their socks off, but football is about getting the ball to do the work.
This year we seem to have picked up some talent – it will be left on the bench. Barn Door Cole will run, stop, look, walk, walk, walk, stop, look, walk, run, walk through the game – he will get three passes, a fumble and a missed header – I mean miss the ball not the goal.
We will lose 1 -0 due to a defensive mistake many times, with no method of getting a goal back.
There are no whipping boys left in the Prem this season – just us. THIS IS NOW SERIOUS.
Dont confuse sexy football with having no ability to attack…its not sexy to push men forward when in possession or get some crosses in or get some shots away…that is simply a huge and critical part of any teams armoury. With no goals for, any team walks a dangerpus tightrope…West Ham more than most im afraid.
Nothings changed. Nothing will change with Sam in charge. Sam is one dimensional, just like his teams. For the life of team what the owners have done this summer makes no sense. Imagine if they’d said back in May thanks v much Sam take your sack load of money and run along. Imagine if we’d then employed a new progressive coach, who was determined to keep the ball on the floor, play some football. Then invest (as they always do) on some exciting talent. Wow, we’d sure be looking forward to the season wouldn’t we ? Everything around UP would be so positive. Fans, players, manager, owners all pulling together. But he we are. Pointlessly buying players that Sam will either not play or play in such a negative system that won’t see them express themselves….just don’t get it at all. Looking forward to another season of moribund, joyless football ? I’m not interested….
He’s constantly up and down my local high street the last couple of weeks, I was wondering to why he has not been with the squad
He has constantly been up and down my local high street the last couple of weeks, I was wondering to why he has not been with the squad
I think it was simply some window dressing Harry to keep the fans happy and keep them off the boards back. Can you imagine old pig head Allardyce taking any notice of Teddy? No chance.
To be honest I was a fairly happy hammer after our ventures in the transfer market.
We seemed to have bought decent players that thoughtfully addressed the shortcomings of the side.
Then the dreaded injury jinx struck again! And again! And again!
The tour down under was an embarrassing disappointment! Only west ham can go half way round the world to showcase what the club has to offer and play like that!
We travelled so far and let down so many!
All the time the injuries were mounting. The trip to Germany wasn’t much better and the fact we blooded so many youngsters was spoilt a little bit by the fact there wasn’t anybody else to play!
This however doesn’t excuse some of the line ups. Although once the injuries kicked in BS was only ever going to play one way.
Before the curse struck again I was impressed how the new signings could potentially take us forward.
The thought of Valencia,Carroll, zarate and a n other striker to come, were going to link up was something to look forward too.
With kouyate holding and Diame, noble and poyet driving forward on top of an attack minded watertight defence! Things were going to be soo different this time!
Now with so little of pre season left I’m more worried than I was last Xmas!
If we can’t put out a team that’s competitive for the start of the season then we will be in trouble. Trouble that might be too serious by the time the injured cavalry return! Only us!
Nothing will change while he is in charge. Definition of madness: keep doing the same thing and expect different results.
Nothing will change – meaning we will still survive to fight another season on the PL – if thats madness then im absolutely insane and proud of it. I am one of those long term fans of 50+ years, have seen it all, and am willing to accept that we as a club will only continue to build whilst we remain in the PL – the last 7-8 years have been a tumultuous time at west ham, iclelandics come in, spent poorly, got into financial difficulties and nearly sent us bankrupt, then the Tevez affair – ultimately we went back down with poor squad and a poor cash flow – we brought in Sam to start the rebuild, revive our PL status and we now enter our 3rd season back – last season was ugly, one of the worst ive witnessed, but the circumstances were abysmal with the squad and injuries, not just for the fans, but the players and the manager – we still managed to survive when most had written us off by Xmas – i remember when Avram was in charge and took us down, we were screaming for someone like Sam to come in and save us – ironically he was brought in and now a large section of fans want him out – this club are no where close to cemented in the PL, and in no financial position to be playing with fire, Sam will not sacrifice our PL status while hes in charge, this summer the squad has been strengthened, those that needed to go have gone, preparation has been up and down but then so has the speculation and controversy around the club, so what would you expect – imo this season could be our best since weve been back, the squad is certainly looking better despite some of the unwanted injuries, we have a manager who we can trust to keep us in the top flight, but it will need the fans to get behind the club, squad, team, players, manager and owners and support what they are trying to achieve – anything else is just a self fulfilling prophecy – its like some fans want Sam to fail but the club to be ok – doesnt work like that im afraid – the time when this club can be choosy on how they achieve success is in the future, which will be a lot further away if impatience gets the better of those who have to power to change the clubs destiny. COYI
Simon. The man may be a decent man manager in terms of discipline…but as a football team manager he is so poor it is hard to believe. One dimensional, pig headed and clueless tactically. He is wholly unable to react to a game situation and is unwilling to change his defensive minded principles even when we are goals down. I now see so clearly why Blackburn and Newcastle were so desperate to see the back of him. How a man with these cringeworthy limitations has a job at this level astounds me.
agree with every word bfs has to go this week to give any one new half a chance to at least scare the spuds a bit failing that I cant see us winning any of our first six games even though most should be winnable
I find it amazing that some fans still can’t see the difference between loyalty and reality. Do they think that hoping for a more attacking style, concerned with a manager who is on record as despising tippy tappy football as practised by all the top teams in the PL ,rubbishing the much admired Hammers Academy style ( win or lose ) and playing the likes of Nolan,O’Brien and Vaz Te is in some way disloyal. Was there a better opportunity to gear up the possible starting eleven by playing them against Malaga rather than trying out some of the youngsters who will not be up for first team selection yet. We do have some promising kids but this looked like another Notts. Forest debacle giving bfs another opportunity to say ‘I told you’.Thank goodness most supporters are both realists and die-hard supporters and the warm feeling that I now have is that even the Daves are now in this camp. Coyi.
Excellent points Ron…at least someone can see exactly what is going on at OUR club !!Those fans who as you rightly say cant see the difference between loyalty and reality are actually hindering our club by simply putting up with any old crap, and crap is what we have and have had for some time. Its the vocal section of Hammers fans who have the balls to stand up and say “No thanks , we expect better” who really have the club at heart, not the others who are just content to buy the ticket, wear the shirt, and put up with whatever tired, unimaginative and directionless football is served up to them in the name of entertainment !!