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Disappointing loss, Wilson continues to torment & More- Talking Points from West Ham 0-2 Newcastle

September 12, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

West Ham’s 2020/21 league season started on a disappointing note as they went down 2-0 at home to Newcastle United. Jeff Hendrick and Callum Wilson were on target for Steve Bruce’s Magpies at the London Stadium. Here are our talking points from the game.

Is the Grady Diangana transfer still affecting the players?

On paper, this was a very winnable game, and given West Ham’s tough starting fixture list, it was a game David Moyes would’ve targetted for at least a point, if not all three.

The players weren’t clearly happy with the situation regarding Grady Diangana’s transfer and one wonders if it’s affected their morale. With the next set of fixtures reading Arsenal, Wolves, Leicester, Spurs, Man City and Liverpool, there is every chance the Hammers might only get their first points of the season in November!

Hammers go in the same attacking formation as they did at the end of 19/20 season

Moyes made only one change from the side that had faced Aston Villa on the final day of the 2019/20 season, with Aaron Cresswell coming in at left back for Ben Johnson. That meant a repeat of the 4-2-3-1 formation with skipper Mark Noble again effectively playing as a 10, Pablo Fornals on the left wing, Antonio alone upfront, and the troika of Anderson, Sebastien Haller and Manuel Lanzini on the bench.

Lanzini didn’t even make it off the bench while Anderson, the club’s second most expensive player, only had a minute or so of action. [Read more…]

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Easiest win of the season for West Ham, Norwich relegated, All five subs used, first away win for Moyes & more- Talking Points from NCFC 0-4 West Ham

July 11, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

Norwich City were officially relegated as West Ham put four past them at Carrow Road earlier this afternoon. The 4-0 win for the Hammers, plus the 2-0 victory over the Canaries at the London Stadium earlier this season saw them complete a league double over Daniel Farke’s men- their first one over Norwich since 1973.

Manager David Moyes made only one change from the side that had lost 1-0 to Burnley, with skipper Mark Noble returning to take his spot in the starting lineup. Here are our talking points from the game.

Easiest league win of the season for West Ham: This was perhaps West Ham’s easiest league win of the 19/20 campaign so far. Norwich were abysmal- a side resigned to their fate, and much of the game, the second half in particular, resembled a training ground exercise for West Ham. Michail Antonio looked like prime Messi and scored four goals in the fixture- the only West Ham player to do so in the modern Premier League era. Antonio was also the first WHUFC player to score a hat trick since Andy Carroll four years ago. [Read more…]

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First start of the year for Yarmolenko, Burnley double over Hammers for the first time in 73 years & More- Talking Points from West Ham 0-1 Burnley

July 9, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

West Ham’ inconsistent run continued as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat at home to Burnley. Chris Wood, the Hammers’ chief tormentor in recent years, wasn’t even required as a goal off the shoulder of Jay Rodriguez gave the Clarets all three points at the London Stadium.

Here are our talking points from the fixture.

Burnley do a rare league double over West Ham: This was Burnley’s first league double over the Hammers in 73 years. They had beaten West Ham 3-0 at Turf Moor earlier this season, and this 1-0 win saw them complete a rare league double over their rivals.

The Clarets have now won four of their last five games against the Hammers, and seem to have become a bit of a hoodoo side for them.

starting lineup v burnley

Yarmolenko’s first start of the year: Andriy Yarmolenko’s performances against Chelsea and Newcastle, coupled with poor form from the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson saw David Moyes give the Ukrainian his first start of the calendar year alongside Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen in a 4-2-3-1. We thought it would be with Fornals in the centre- the Spaniard has appeared isolated on the wing at times, but it was originally with Bowen in the centre, Fornals on the left and Yarmolenko on the right. [Read more…]

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Soucek & Antonio again on the scoresheet, Wait for two consecutive league wins continues & more- Talking Points from Newcastle 2-2 West Ham

July 8, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

West Ham took the lead twice, but had to settle for a point at St.James’ Park against Newcastle. The Hammers probably edged Steve Bruce’s side on the day and looked good for all three points, a draw wasn’t a terrible result either, especially given Newcastle’s form at home and West Ham’s abysmal run on the road.

Here are our talking points from the game.

Goals again for Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio: They got on the scoresheet in the 3-2 win over Chelsea, and Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio were again on target for the Hammers here. Antonio was virtually gifted his by Jamaal Lascelles, while Soucek finished well from close range after Declan Rice’s initial effort had rebounded off the bar.

The Hammers have struggled for consistency in the goal scoring department, and it’s rare to see players find the back of the net in consecutive league games.

Wait for two consecutive league wins continues: While goals have been tough to come by, West Ham have also never won two consecutive league games in David Moyes’ second stint. For a while, this looked like they might break the duck, but it eventually ended up being another case of points lost from winning positions (apparently West Ham have squandered 24 such points this season according to the commentators!)

Fornals error proves costly: It was an error from Jamaal Lascelles that gifted West Ham their opener, but it was a similar gift from Pablo Fornals that lead to the Newcastle equaliser. The Spaniard made a mess of the offside trap as he stood in the background- a costly, costly error. Fornals did some good things in this game- he had a crucial hand in the opener, but this was a disappointing mistake. [Read more…]

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Talking points from West Ham 3-2 Chelsea | Three priceless points in the fight against the drop

July 5, 2020 By West Ham Blog Leave a Comment

West Ham finally picked up a much needed win as they upset Chelsea 3-2 at the London Stadium. Here are our talking points from the game.

Three massive points for the Hammers: These were three absolutely vital points for West Ham. Coming against an in-form opposition side aiming for Champions League football, the Hammers were outsiders despite having home advantage.

It was also a rare game when the Hammers came from a goal behind to win the fixture. It doesn’t happen often, which makes it all the more memorable.

Hammers overcome disappointment of disallowed goal: West Ham’s shoulders could’ve easily slumped- they had an early goal for Tomas Soucek disallowed by the barest of margins, and then saw Chelsea take the lead through the penalty spot. That twin disappointment could’ve buried this side on other occasions, but not this one- Soucek himself spearheaded the comeback, and Andriy Yarmolenko scored what could be one of the most important goals in his West Ham career.

Michail Antonio plays a crucial role: Antonio scored the goal that put West Ham 2-1 ahead, and his passing (not his strongest point), set up Yarmolenko for the late winner. It’s important to seize the big moments when you’re a potential candidate for the drop, and he certainly did so here.

Losing debut for the Blues: Chelsea had unveiled their new kit with much fanfare earlier in the day. It had a new sponsor in the form of 3, and they ended up conceding three goals!

West Ham must make the most of an easy future fixture list: This was perhaps the last of the tough games, but West Ham have an easier run-in than most of their fellow strugglers. They must make the most of it and ensure survival.

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