At the beginning of the season the Hammers were in unstoppable form sitting in and around 4th in the Barclays Premier League. The team were playing fantastic football and looked nothing like the team they were last season. The team had a new lease of life and were playing fast, attacking and attractive football. This was down to the new style of play and the introduction of new young and energetic players, such as Aaron Creswell, Alex Song, Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Carl Jenkinson. The Irons were playing silky football with Sakho scoring eight goals in 14 games and his strike partner Enner Valencia also chipping in with three goals.
However, since the arrival of big Geordie Andy Carroll upfront the team has seen a decline in the level of performance. The difference is evident in the recent form and style of the team. The team has started playing more like last season with long balls and playing in a tight defensive style that does not offer much attacking options and goal scoring opportunities. Much of this has happened due to the injury prone English striker Carroll demanding the ball in the air and not offering Song and Sakho the type of football they need to play to their best. Also the return of Carroll has seen the decline in Stewart Downing’s performance, as he is now needed to provide crosses for Carroll instead of being the creative spark in the middle he was at the beginning of the season.
Everyone at the club hopes that Allardyce sees sense soon and goes back to the style of play and the starting eleven that got us to fourth in the Premier League. However, this does not look the case, as he is starting to start Nolan more and play Jarvis and Downing together which suggests a shift in a style, with two wingers and three centre midfielders, with Carroll upfront. More evidence of the backwards step is the loan transfer of small skilful player Mauro Zarate to QPR, as the Argentine is being considered below emergency signing Carlton Cole of 2014.
Better question to ask is why the hell is the pedestrian, hopeless plodder Kevin Nolan ANYWHERE NEAR a first team shirt ?????? Brilliant of Allardyce to ship out the livewire, pacy, and always dangerous Zarate and then start playing Nolan and Cole with the excellent option of Vaz Te on the bench. You really couldn’t make this up…ONLY at West Ham !!!!!
Utter rubbish!!
We lost against two champions league teams and drew with WBA and were unlucky against Everton, and that’s it we have had it in your opinion.
Why are we always so quick to criticise?
Did you really expect to be where we are in the league?no I doubt you did,let’s just be grateful and get behind the team we love!!!
Granted Nolan is not in form I see your point with that one but let’s judge at the end of the season.
Re Zarate I can assure you he did not get on with a bulk of the players for whatever reason, and it being a team game that is not good for the team relations.
Coyi
Spot on!!!!
Brian…totally agree mate. Just when things look solid and organised, BFS gets Nolan back in at the first chance and we are back to ten effective men. Its nothing to do with Carroll upsetting the apple cart, its playing the RIGHT men off of him.
Sean…you really need to understand the difference between opinion/debate, which I thought this site was all about, and unbased criticism! Where, at any point did I make mention of the games we played in over the Xmas period?? Where did I complain about our excellent league position or season so far ?? Having seen my first live game at Upton park in 1961, on the balance of probability ive supported West Ham a little longer than you have so please, don’t insult me by questioning my loyalty.
In summary you actually agreed with the only point I was making about Nolan being simply hopeless. His efforts at Everton was nothing short of laughable.
I can’t be live it
I do have to say, after looking at the way we played against Liverpool, city etc… and then the games that caroll has played in it is very much long over the top which freaks out our defense, who arnt exactly crossing specialists! Enner and sakho all day! And Amalfitano needs more game time, all ways gives his all and looks creative on the ball.
We have definitely taken a step backwards since re-adopting the long ball game with the re-introduction of Carroll. We’ve stopped playing the ball on the ground and lost that speed & fluidity we had at the start of the season, It’s plain to see! I was surprised in the Zarate transfer but then again we don’t know the full facts!!
Re losing to CFC , pains me to say it but a good, side why were Sakkho & Song rested for that match i don’t know why, its accepting defeat before you start the match. Arsenal are nothing special we deserved a point – remember how we played against Liverpool and City we look like a different team now or the team that played last year – hope there’s a change back to a passing, fast ,mobile game that we had at the start of the season when we were great!! Come on you Irons!!!
Thought Carroll was totally ineffective against west brom. Perhaps he should convert to a centre back!
Carroll has hàd a couple of average games on the back of returning from injury with a bang. Bfs decided to rest a couple of players for Chelski, which is an open to debate decision. We could’ve/should’ve seen off the gooners and everyone on new yrs day looked hungover, including us, the fans – thought I heard a pin drop a couplè of times inthat west brom game. Carroll looked on fire against nèwcastle aand we’ve had a couple of injuries to deal with (sakho, noble, valencia, kouyate ). To be fair, our expectations have been surpassed inthe first half of the season. Lets not lose sight of that and back the boys to pick up again. Southampton had a horrible run and have hit their straps again now, I reckon we’ll do the same! COYI
Sam has been moving the team back to his liking ever since he got Carroll and Nolan back.
Now, having got rid of Zarate just when we needed him most and with Sakho injured ( a blessing in disguise for Sam) he has made Valencia the scapegoat for Tuesday, he has put himself nicely in position to revert to his favoured 4/5/1 with his ‘favoured’ boy upfront on Saturday which will suit Swansea very nicely.
And don’t be surprised to see Valencia get the same treatment as Zarate.
Only the two D’s can stop this (unless Sakho has a miracle recovery before Sat.) before it gets worse. Let’s pray they do
Once again I see people confused between giving personal opinion and objective criticism and then being considered disloyal. We are all true Hammers and in wondering why bfs continues to play Nolan when he is obviously past his best must resonate with any knowledgeable football supporter who wants to see the best eleven on the field. Similarly I believe we must not be carried away by our current league position because of two memorable wins over Liverpool and Ma. City. On the day I thought Liverpool were one of the poorest teams I’ve seen this season and we did not do the work against Spurs,Chelsea,Arsenal and Southampton. Our fixture list helped at the start of the season but it will get a lot harder now on. Everton,WBA and Swansea prove this point and we aren’t the only club to miss key players through Injury and international games.As to the Carroll debate he is better on the floor than many give credit for and for me he deserves his place at the moment with Sahko in tandem. Valencia a little disappointing but time will tell.Finally the draws at the last few games when in front shows the dangerous tactic so beloved of bfs in giving up the midfield and inviting the opposition to break us down. They do !!