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Opposition View: Manchester City

November 2, 2012 By Iron Bobby 3 Comments

With Saturday’s home game against Champions Manchester City coming up, West Ham United Blog caught up with Ric from bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk to get some insight on the opposition.

After City’s amazing triumph on the last day of last season, how is going so far this season?

It’s been a relatively slow start to the campaign compared to last season, and we haven’t yet rediscovered our best form. We look more vulnerable at the back, and aren’t as fluent going forward. Having said that, we’re the only undefeated team in the league so the press talk of a “crisis” is a touch premature. We’re struggling once again in Europe though, but the draw wasn’t kind to us, and it’s taking us time to adapt to Champion’s League football.

How is Tevez doing after his exile last season?

Tevez started the season well, and was once again our best player in the last game against Swansea. The events in Munich last season were disappointing, but he seems to have made his peace with Mancini and played a part in the title run-in, so all is forgiven. Football fans are fickle like that.

Who will West Ham need to pay particular attention to on Saturday?

A player of Sergio Aguero’s quality will always be a threat, whilst Yaya Toure’s bursting runs from midfield are difficult to stop.

Do City have any injury worries or absentees for the game?

We’re suffering a bit of an injury crisis at the moment, although obviously we have the squad to cope so can’t really complain. At present David Silva, Maicon, Javi Garcia, Jack Rodwell, Micah Richards and possibly Pablo Zabaleta are all missing through injury.

What do City fans think about West Ham as a club?

Like many City fans, I’ve always had a soft spot for West Ham. For many years there were similarities between the two clubs, and they’ve always been the London team that we can relate to the most. Perhaps that’ll change with the new generation of fans post takeover, but I hope not. There’s still great respect for the ovation we got at Upton Park when you sent us down in 1987.

Likely team and score prediction for Saturday?

Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Milner, Barry, Yaya Toure, Nasri, Tevez, Aguero

Prediction: 1-1

Jussi backing West Ham to bounce back

October 31, 2012 By Iron Bobby Leave a Comment

West Ham goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen is backing Sam Allardyce’s team to bounce back and learn from their mistakes following their defeat to Wigan.

Our boys produced one of their worst displays since returning to the Premier League and handed Wigan their first home win in the league this season capitulating 2-1 to the home side.

West Ham had been in a fine run of form until the Wigan match and blew the chance to go 4th in the table which would have been an incredible position to find ourselves in considering we have just been promoted and would have had a better start than many of the big guns.

Jaaskelainen, who has been in outstanding form this season for West Ham, believes the team did not put in the kind of performance the fans would have expected, but hopes that the experience will stand the team in good stead:

We did not really turn up in the first-half and in the second-half we gave them a soft goal which did not help.

After that I think we played OK. We created a few chances and as always when you are losing we would have liked to play for a few more minutes at the end.

We did not play well as individuals or as a team and we did not cope with the counter-attacking way in which Wigan played, so it is very disappointing.

The Hammers will need to raise their game for the next fixture which will see Sam Allardyce pit his West Ham team up against Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City. City will be without a few key defenders for the match so maybe this is a good time to play them, if there is ever a good time to play a team with their quality of players.

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: Jaaskelainen, jussi backs his hammers

Complacent Hammers surrender to Wigan

October 28, 2012 By Stevo 1 Comment

Wigan started off well yesterday and were out of the starting blocks like a ferret up a drain pipe. With strikes from Ivan Ramis and James McArthur that was enough to do the damage although West Ham pulled back a goal late into the match via a lovely placed header by James Tomkins that gave the Wigan keeper no chance.

The Hammers were complacent and didn’t really get down to business if you ask me. They had their chances but they were not put away and at this level we all know what happens when you don’t stick your goals in the net, don’t we? It was visions of last year when we lost the plot half way through the season and went on a spree of drawing matches to let other clubs like Saints in the back door and take away our lead.

I must admit though that it was a beautiful volley from the Spaniard Ramis, who turned down West Ham by the way, to move up north to join fellow countryman Roberto Martinez. Big Sam must be biting his lip because it was only last month when Ramis scored his first goal for Wigan against West Ham in the Capital One Cup. His goal yesterday, came after 8 minutes of play and paved the way for the Irons’ second loss in 14 away outings.

Wigan could even have bettered the score at Upton Park had they been more accurate in front of goal.

After the game, Hammers boss Sam Allardyce had this to say:

“We never got going. It wasn’t just the defence, we did not function anywhere near our best in any department.
“As a promoted team you must give your very best to have any chance of winning on the road.
“Wigan were looking for a first home win and we needed to put pressure on them to make them more nervous.
“The technique Ramis showed for that first goal was terrific — any striker would have been proud of it. If Robin van Persie had scored it people would never stop going on about it.
“We did try to get him but Roberto’s Spanish tipped it Wigan’s way!
“It was a disappointment to see us perform that badly. We need to pick ourselves up quickly because we’ve got some very tough games coming up.”

The Wigan front men Arouna Kone and Franco Di Santo were causing the Hammers all sorts of problems and kept Jussi Jaaskelainen on his toes for a lot of the game. With James McArthur’s goal, it gave the Latics some breathing space being 2 goals up. They started to play nice football but their cocky style nearly backfired when the ball fell sweetly to Andy Carroll after being picked out by George McCartney. If it wasn’t for a pitiful first touch that ended with the ball running out of play, the Latics would have been taking just a point from this one.

West Ham need to tighten up the defines as Jussi can’t do it all, can he? The Hammers also need to put away their chances. Football is a very unforgiving game and if you don’t find the net with the chances you do get then it’s game over. I’m sure Sam will borrow Fergie’s hairdryer and give his boys the rocket they so deserve. Come on you irons!

Filed Under: Latest News

Allardyce would welcome Rio Ferdinand back

October 27, 2012 By Stevo 3 Comments

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has said that he would welcome Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand back at Upton Park and the Boleyn Ground.

I’m sure the fans would be please, too including me! Allardyce has said that the door is open for a return in the light that Rio has just one year left on his current contract at Man U with red nosed boss Ferguson already trying to get the defender to sign a fresh deal.

Big Sam would welcome a return as this is where Rio cut his teeth before he moved to Leeds United and then onto mega stardom at Manchester United. And should Rio fancy a drive back down to London to finish off his footballing career, Sam would love to make it happen.

Sam Allardyce had this to say of the “Rio Gate” affair:

“If it’s at the end of the season and he hasn’t got a new contract and he is released by Manchester United, then we would be interested”.

“If he wants to live back in London eventually, which is where he comes from, which you know quite a few players want to do when they come to the end of their careers, that is an advantage for us”.

“It depends entirely on Rio or which other clubs might be interested in him”.

There you have it, from the horse’s mouth as it were. I would like to see Rio finish off his fantastic career down at West Ham and I’m sure most of the fans would, too. The Irons would be a good bet as Rio is originally from Peckham and the Hammers no doubt hold many fond memories for him. His brother Anton also plays for QPR so that could also be a Brucie bonus to get the sharp defender back down here.

What do the rest of the fans think about a Rio Ferdinand move back down south? Answers on a postcard please by 9’0 clock Monday morning!

Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: allardyce welcomes ferdinand, ferdinand back at upton park

Saints see Hammers go marching on

October 21, 2012 By Stevo 1 Comment

It was a thriller at Upton Park yesterday afternoon as all the Saints could do was watch as West Ham went marching on! The match started off very well for the Southampton boys as they quickly had the Hammers on the back foot. They wanted to show that they were “up for it” and that they were no “pushovers”.

Goals came from a brace by Mark Noble, one from captain Kevin Nolan, with the fourth being picked up by Maiga on 87 minutes to punish the sloppy defence of Nigel Adkins’ team. A team which, by the way, has ended up with the worst defending in the Prem despite forking out £33million this summer – ouch! Adam Lallana did manage to pull one back for the visitors but it didn’t look like inspiring the Saints to keep going and scoring more goals.

The first half, to be honest, was one of the most miserable I’ve seen this season and it looked like the typical match where Southampton were going to nick a late goal and finish up on a pitiful 0-1 score-line. It was not to be however as large Sam must have had a word in each of his boys’ ears and told them to turn on the style.

The second half saw the Hammers pulling on the goal scoring boots and putting on a show for the fans. It’s an encouraging start to the season for Sam’s boys and we could say that the Hammers are the best performing of the three teams that have been promoted. Let’s hope we can keep it up!

Big Sam had this to say after the final whistle:

“It was a lacklustre performance”. “The players took a bit of criticism at half-time. We had to up the tempo and show the sort of desire we have done before this season. We came out and put it right”.

West Ham were indeed a different team after the break at half time as they showed the boss that his ethos of quality passing of the ball along with a high delivery. Benayoun should flashes of his past magic and that can only be a good sign. He’ll certainly be filling Vaz Té’s boots while he’s sidelined for three months following surgery to his shoulder.

‘It was a fantastic victory,’ said a euphoric Allardyce after the game. ‘To have 14 points at this stage is terrific.’

It was a bit of an amazing match – a first half reminiscent of some dire Npower League matches and then Bamn! A second half to take your hat off to. Great job lads and well done. 14 points in the bag so far, let’s see if we can keep them coming!