Iron Bobby | West Ham United Blog

West Ham v Everton Match Preview

December 21, 2012 By Iron Bobby 1 Comment

West Ham welcome Everton to The Boleyn Ground this weekend in a Premier League match, however the good news is they will be without big hairy star player Marouane Fellaini as he serves the first of a three-match suspension.

Fellaini was handed a ban by the Football Association for his head butt on Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross last weekend, although some thought he got off lightly as it was one of at least three separate incidents.

Phil Neville is also out with a knee injury so the familiar face of Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger, ironically known as Der Hammer, could be given a run out against his former club.

There are also doubts over Tony Hibbert and Kevin Mirallas who are struggling with injuries.

The good news for West Ham United is the return of midfield player Jack Collison who makes the squad for the first time this season, Collison has not played a match since undergoing surgery in the summer and his last appearance was in the play-off final win over Blackpool.

Manager Big Sam Allardyce has been in need of a boost as the injury list has been gathering more members with Mohamed Diame (hamstring), Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder) and Alou Diarra (thigh) all missing, while Andy Carroll and Yossi Benayoun remain out with knee problems.

West Ham could climb up to 8th in the table should they secure 3 valuable points over Everton and other results go their way.

Bobby’s Prediction: 3-2

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: West Ham v Everton

Allardyce keen on West Ham stay

December 20, 2012 By Iron Bobby 1 Comment

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has spoken of his desire to stay at the club for the long-term.

Allardyce has done a great job in getting West Ham promoted in his first season and now the team sit in 11th place in the Premier League knowing a few good results could lift them into a Europa League spot.

Earlier this month West Ham were named as the preferred bidders for the Olympic Stadium, something which Allardyce is eyeing up as the club will hopefully move to their new home in 2015, and if Allardyce is still in control than that will give the club stability as well as one of the longest-serving managers in the Premier League.

Talking to the Express he said:

For every manager, the sack is just around the corner but the Olympic Stadium is a nice light at the end of the tunnel.

It would be a massive achievement for anyone to stay at a club that long these days. But after a number of experiences, you get confidence in your own abilities. If you don’t have that, you won’t survive.

Big Sam is currently in the last year of his contract, but unless West Ham lose every single game from here on out and get relegated then it’s safe to say he will be rewarded with a new contract.

Having been sacked somewhat unfairly in his last two jobs, Allardyce feels he has started to win over the West Ham faithful.

Even when we’ve lost, the crowd have appreciated what we’ve tried to do. The Chelsea turnaround (in a 3-1 victory at Upton Park) was a huge booster for everybody

I think stability is exactly what we need and I believe with a few more quality additions in January the football will only get better and we wont just be good defensively but also a handful in attack.

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Sam Allardyce

West Ham sign Sean Maguire

December 18, 2012 By Iron Bobby 2 Comments

West Ham United have signed Irish striking prospect Sean Maguire after he impressed on trial at The Boleyn.

Maguire, 18, spent two-weeks at the club last month and was impressive enough to earn a two-and-a-half year deal with West Ham.

West Ham United Blog reported here a few weeks back about the club looking to sign Maguire from Irish club Waterford.

Maguire will now join up with West Ham’s Development Squad.

Let’s hope he turns out to be a diamond in the rough and makes the leap to the first team when the time is right.

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: sean maguire, Sean Maguire West Ham

Jack Collison injury boost

December 14, 2012 By Iron Bobby 1 Comment

West Ham have received a boost with the return to training of midfield player Jack Collison after a knee injury.

Collison, 24, is a Welsh international and has not played for Sam Allardyce’s Hammers’ this season after undergoing surgery on the troublesome knee this summer, however the academy product is now back in training and pushing for a place in the squad for the game against West Bromwich Albion.

This will come as a welcome boost to manager Sam Allardyce who lost Mo Diame to injury during the defeat to Liverpool and is already without Andy Carroll, Yossi Benayoun, Alou Diarra and George McCartney who picked up an injury in training this week.

Speaking to SkySports Jack Collison said:

It’s been frustrating, just because it has been my knee injured, everyone has jumped to the conclusion that I’m walking wounded and will never be the same again.

That’s not true. I’ve had surgery but I’ll be back as strong as ever and I’m desperate to play in the Prem again. It’s been a nightmare not being able to help the lads.

Collison has struggled with this knee problem big time and at 24 he has already missed more than a year of football for West Ham. He has likened his injury to the Ledley King situation where he will have to be monitored:

My knee will have to be managed to some extent but it won’t make me any less of a player, I want to play on for as long as I can. I met Ray Wilkins recently and he played into his 40s. He was such an inspiration.

Lets hope Jack can now get a good injury free run under his belt as we are short on central midfield players at present and he was looking a good prospect before the injuries started kicking in.

Iron Bobby – West Ham United Blog

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Jack Collison, Jack Collison Injury

Diame facing injury lay-off

December 10, 2012 By Iron Bobby 2 Comments

West Ham United’s monster of a midfield player MoMo Diame is facing an injury lay-off of up to 12 weeks according to manager Sam Allardyce.

Diame picked up the injury in the 3-2 loss against Liverpool at the weekend, with the midfield player again putting in an impressive shift with West Ham enjoying a 2-1 lead before he had to be substituted after pulling up clutching his hamstring.

The Senegal international has been excellent for West Ham this season, and after his game changing performance as a half time substitute in the 3-1 win over Chelsea, Diame continued that excellent form in the game against Liverpool and it was a true game changer when he went off as West Ham looked comfortable at the time and Diame was breaking up everything Liverpool could throw at us.

Medical tests and examinations need to run but Sam Allardyce was not confident of a quick return for Diame saying:

We will wait until it has settled down and then scan it, but it does not take a medical expert to know it is a serious hamstring tear when he falls and stopped the way he did.

I would expect, in medical terms, for it to be a grade 3 (injury) and that could be anything up to eight, 10 or 12 weeks.

Diame is about the start and build-up of most of the creative side of our game. That is what we have lost and what we will be missing for a number of weeks so we are going to have to be a bit more dogged and resilient.

Mo going off was obviously a blow to the creative side of our game. He was in front of every or most of the attacks we built so that was a blow.

It is disappointing to lose, but it is even more disappointing when your most creative player leaves the field with what looks like a serious injury on top of all the injuries we have got at the moment – so today has been obviously more disappointing because we have lost Mo as well as losing.

What a huge blow for us with the busy festive fixture coming up losing a player of Diame’s quality, the only good news is that Diame won’t be going anywhere in January as he will most likely still be injured so we will have him for the run in towards the end of the Premier League season.

On another note, Liverpool fans were celebrating at them game like they had just won the Champions League again and the buzz around the internet from their fans over the result shows we must be doing something right as a win over a promoted team is not usually something to shout so loudly about!

Iron Bobby – West Ham United Blog

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Diame Injury Update