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Can he be the man West Ham need for the next decade?

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AdrianSince his arrival from Spanish club Real Betis, ‘keeper Adrian San Miguel has become somewhat a fans’ favourite in East London, and deservedly so. After displacing the ageing Jussi Jaaskelainen half way through last season, the Spaniard has gone from strength to strength and firmly cemented his place as the number one stopper at the Boleyn Ground, with some of his biggest supporters arguing he is the right man to wear the jersey for years to come.

At twenty-seven years of age, the Spaniard is undoubtedly at the peak of his playing career. Admittedly, I did have my doubts about the former Betis man upon his arrival at the Boleyn Ground; after all, Spanish goalkeepers have something of a reputation for not having the safest of fans and often choosing to punch balls away rather than catch them. Despite this, the Seville-born stopper has well and truly proved me wrong and if anything, is continuously doing the opposite and claiming balls confidently and comfortably.

The keeper’s, in my opinion, biggest strength, is his shot stopping ability which must be acknowledged and credited – Adrian’s performance away at Chelsea last season was absolutely outstanding, and deservedly earned him the ‘Best Individual Performance’ award at our annual awards ceremony for the 2013/14 season. Alongside that, however, the ‘keeper’s consistency levels on the whole since joining have been second to none – there is not a game that sticks out in my mind that I believe his mistakes, solely, have cost us three points and a defeat.

It must be admitted, however, that every once in a while, the Spaniard is prone to the odd blunder – but hey, who isn’t? The stopper should have kept out Theo Walcott’s goal at the Boleyn Ground last season, but I really am clutching at straws here. One look at Adrian’s Twitter profile will tell you all you need to know about how he feels about the club and its’ supporters, and from what I have heard from a vast array of fans in East London, I get the impression the feelings are mutual.

On the whole, I’d have to say that I believe Adrian San Miguel is the right man to be between the sticks for at least the next couple of seasons – having initially signed a three-year contract, the Spaniard has the option to extend it for a further two, something I would personally love to see happen. The fact that we managed to capture Adrian on a free transfer makes it an outstanding piece of business and realistically, I see no better alternatives becoming available at a reasonable price.

Let me know what you think – would you like to see our Spanish ‘keeper between the sticks for years to come, or do you still have your doubts?

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9 comments

  • Tony Hammer says:

    He came in last season and looked the real deal. I was not impressed with him during the pre-season games and to be honest he doesn’t look as safe as he did last season

  • Legends says:

    totally agree with everythig said in this article. … He is a very good goalkeeper and i would be extremely happy if he stays for a long time.
    Said that, i was shocked to read on twitter etc some excessive criticism of him. where did that come from?!? ..It seems like some west ham fans are epitomising english modern society’s need to constantly be on a witch-hunt. always looking for a villan to hang, draw and quarter. As much of the team have been performing very well lately (the past week), i can see fans were hunting for the next weak link. … Mark my words, Adrian is not the weak link. He a very good keeper – shot stopper, claiming crosses, agile, good kicker.. and a superb character and individual. all the ingredients to become the next west ham goalkeeping legend.
    Final word about Motd’s pundits calling for him to receive a red card. Never heard such a load of blx! He got angry at Balotelli’s dangerous tackle on him (rightly so!) and Borini was trying to get him sent off! The raised foot was a natural reaction to his body movement and the way he turned to cover the ball (not malicious!) and the actual contact was a mere brush nothing that could of caused real damage. And yet Borini was crying like he’d been shot in the testicles in Vietnam or something… for one reason only (to get Adrian sent off). … ive had enough of two bob pundits on motd. How do they get jobs in football if they see things so drastically different from the way things actually were. how is english football suppose to improve with stupid commentators?

  • Saboteur says:

    Nice guy, not a bad shot stopper,

    but pretty average as far as keepers go, just have to check his stats on any stat site, he is at least half way down the list,

    the problem is fans get overly emotional about players, that goes both ways, would be nice if we could prise Cech away from chelsea,

    just my opinion anyway,

    COYI

    • Tom says:

      Yeah…what a great idea. Let’s go back to the West Ham we all know and buy an ageing player thats coming to the end of his career. I reckon £100,000 a week should prise him away.

      Ridiculous.

      • Joe says:

        ^ Cech is 32 for a goalkeeper thats not to old last season chelsea barely let in goals he would defo be a coup bring some good experience considering hes won everything aswell. Can’t see it happening though

  • blimey says:

    Interesting piece.
    Adrian has had his critics, but overall has been a good player for West Ham, and at 27, his peak is still ahead of him.
    My guess is that he will looking for a move to a bigger club next season unless West Ham cough up top player money.
    And I can’t blame him for that.

    Lets hope Speigel and any others come through by then in case…

  • firefighterx says:

    I like him..yea he has his moments don’t we all Lets stick with him.. Hammers fans are a funny lot and i count myself amongst them.. we are the biggest critics of our team and rightly so we pay our money.. BUT at times we are overly critical if its not sam its the board or a player we don’t like. BUT hey were human and the best supporters in the world. Thats why ive stuck with them since 1958 all the ups and all the DOWNs will never follow anyone else.. COUI

  • AlanG says:

    At the level we’re playing just now, he is ideal, but I’m not sure how he would fair if we do push on up to playing in Europe. Much like Carlton, love his commitment to the team though…

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