August 15 Wolves A
August 18 Aston Villa H
August 22 Tottenham H
August 29 Blackburn A
Top of the table by the end of August, eh?!
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Whoopee, Spuds on my birthday, a win from that one would be a nice present!
1st game could be tough. Draw
2nd game if we play well we should win
3rd game, who ever turns up will win
4th game, if we are physical enough and take our chances we will win.
Result: Top 5 at the end of aug.
In terms of difficulty, a middling sort of start. Wolves, like most promoted teams before they run out of steam, will go hell for leather. Spurs and Villa are good stiff tests at home, and how Blackburn start is anyone’s guess?
As always, we need a good start to the season, we should set a target of at least 10 points from those four fixtures. That is more than possible.
31 pts by christmas !!!!!
My bet for this season
56pts or more top 7 finish.
we won’t be playing villa i doubt, europa league will cause that game to be moved.
djclipz you are right, the site says that game will be called off.
oh and pompey on boxing day again! how boring
hey I wouldn’t mind some more 4-1 games to the Hammers
.
Looks like we could have a bit of an influence on the title race ha ha, all big four away before our final game!
Hopefully we will have consolidated a lofty position before playing those.
Sorry, was reading that from a truncated fixture list posted on KUMB – whipes brow, phew.
dujon, so would i but would have been sweeter against spuds or chelsea!!!!!
5pts from that lot.
I’m more concerned about our injury list after the Wolves game. How many players returning from injury will get kicked up in the air against that lot?
No predictions from me yet. Will post them when transfer merry-go-round has finished.
Paddy Agnew on Talksport today said the Mancini deal was far from done i Jiminez more likely at this satge
Don’t take a lot for our players to get injuries Goatygav.
i think that these are good fixtures for the start of the season however wolves will be a tough test hey will want to come at us all huns blazing and wheather we are gunna be ready i really hope we will be would be great to get a good start to the season.
with the transfers maybe they are just holding these two back and going to announce all three signings when they are done deals i wouldnt worry that much there has been so much feed on these two i truly believe that there is some truth so keep th faith
You know it D&G.
Overall not too bad a start to the campaign I reckon. Not as easy as last year but it gives us some opportunities to get some early points on the board.
COYI!!!!!!!
Sorry but our new kits minging,what the hell’s that horrible stripe down the front.
I haven’t been able to watch any of the games, but Mark Noble must be gaining some excellent experience and confidence in the U21 set-up. Good win against Spain.
I’m really expecting him to kick on next season.
Yeah GBM, the U-21 victory over the Spanish was a very significant result. Noble is looking every inch a future West Ham and England captain.
I found it extremely difficult to understand those attacking Noble last season. It was clear that he was played out of position quite a bit last year and that he had undeniable dips in formthroughout the season. However, he never hid and he tried to play through it. Fans need to understand that young players usually have indifferent periods, it is part and parcel of most players development.
Who remembers Paul Allen’s storming first, cup winning season, and then he had one or two seasons when he did not reach the same heights. Then he came right back to form for his last season before joining that crew over at White Hart Lane! I am told that even the great Bobby Moore had a few dodgy games in his debut season! He had fanastic winning home debut against Man Utd and followed it up with a total mare away against Notts Forest!
Some even criticised Stan because he had one game when he was not on fire! And people openly started doubting Nsereko’s ability because …. he was not Craig Bellamy!!!!
If we are to have Project Football and develop our youngsters, we the fans need to appreciate that they do have ups and downs in form and that they may make mistakes as part of their own unique learning curve. We need to be more patient, sophisticated and adopt a more realistic, long-term perspective.
Getting the stocks and the rotten fruit out at every youngsters’s dip in form or enforced error is just madness!
Anyone have any idea on when we can expect the Home kit to be released.
So, where do we stand at the moment? The Jimenez and Mancini deals are being finalised. Either or both Homei and Bates may come in on or after 30 June 2009? That should cover the right back spot if Neill does finally decide to jump ship.
I think Stech may join Sears on a season long loan and one or two other youngsters may also go out for at least part of the season. Players like Hines and Dixon (when fit) could do with a short-term loan to assist their fitness, form and self-confidence. A judgement call needs to be made on players like Ngala and Effloysson to see whether they would better benefit from staying with the first team squad or having a short loan? One player that should not go out again is Spence, that boy needs to be prepared for the first team, right now.
Other players that I am looking to see pick up the developmental pace are Mattie Fry, Daniel Kerns and Balint Banjer; whilst one or two like Oliver Lee or Edgar could sudden push on. I have a good feeling about Fry, I think he could really make his mark eventually. And another left footed central defender/left back is invaluable to the squad.
I reckon we still need an experienced goal keeper to cover Green and Kurucz (if Stech goes on loan), left back cover and at least one top class striker. Not a big target man, but a more mobile, goal poacher.
Mancini! To think people were talking about us going for Joe Ledley! That is a world of difference in quality and I am very please to see the ambition.
I note the Bojan rumours, but like others I will believe it when I eventually see it! That would be a fanastic capture though, a coup to rival the initial positive impact of the Tevez/Mascherano arrival, but hopefully not the longer term consequences!
They would get 11 out of 10 for pulling off that deal!
I also see that there are rumours about Man City offring £17m for Matty Upson. I can understand people wanting to bite their hand off, but I really think that we will find it extremely hard to find a player of the same quality. I also think that he is the experienced lynchpin of our defence and I would ideally want to preserve it, this coming season, to give us ample time introduce other players/youngsters in to a system and assess our options. Next season perhaps, but I would be loath to see him go now.
However, a lot depends on Matty’s attitude and whether he wants to sign a new contract. If he refuses a new contract, that might force the club’s hand. We need to watch that one with interest!
Matty said he wanted to see ambition and big signings, well how is Mancini for size? That should show him that the new regime mean business.
With Jimenez coming in, Dyer suddenly has some big time competition for the creative midfield/playing in support of the strikers role. Good, competition breeds improved performance right across the squad and gives Zola options!
Dyer needs to get fit and in form and play for his place. This is a World Cup year and a fit Dyer would be a real candidate for the England squad. Methinks that we will see Dyer make a real contribution next season, if only to try and get on the plane to South Africa with Green, Upson, Ashton and Noble!
A bit unlikely? Lets wait and see!
Afterall it is one of the iron laws of football, to win the WC England need at least three Hammers in the team! lol. Capello take note, act accordingly or see your challenge falter and fall.
p.s. Leave waste of space Beckham and Lampard at home!
In fact the World Cup factor might just galvinize the minds and bodies of one or two of the other of our more noted absentees?
Or am I just having a rare cynical episode?
But Dyers never been fit,EVER.
Injured at every club,nothings gunna change now at 30, 31.
SJ:
Sorry to see that feel cole wont be good enough for England squad and that you think Ashton will be, Deano will be on the treatment table by christmas lol
As for not being to replace Upson I agree to a point,however with 17 mill in the bank a quality yonger replacement would not be to hard to find, I feel.
I would rather he stayed but hangaland could do a good job for us and Fulham need the money.
What annoys me about the Upson thing is that he says he would like to be playing in Europe (fair enough) as he feels it would improve his chances of playing for England (slightly-less fair enough) but then Man City get mentioned. This is the same Man City that finished below us last season and aren’t playing in Europe in the coming season!
E1, I forgot about Cole, to be honest. However, I do think he has his work cut out to make the WC squad, especially with Heskey and Crouch ahead of him. Whereas Ashton is different class to those two. At international level Ashton is certainly a far superior prospect to Cole. However, if Cole comes in and does a Geoff Hurst, then I will cheerfully and happily admit that I under-estimated his ability!
Yes, I know that you have long standing doubts about Ashton, but I am backing him to get back this season and make up for lost time. If Ashton’s ankle breaks down again then obviously it becomes an issue of real concern.
I think you prove my point when you put forward Hangaland up as his replacement. I have seen him play and I was not impressed at all, Matty looks a much better player. Hangaland, Taylor, Dunne, et al, are all inferior players in my book and money in the bank and a leaky defence ain’t going to help us next season.
West Ham need to underline their ambition by stopping other clubs, once and for all, from cherry picking our best players. If he goes then we need to go out a get a left footed central defender as good or better, or we lose ground. It’s as straightforward as that!
As for Dyer, it is true that his career has been limited by injury. Still regardless, look up his career total number of league, cup and european appearances and how many England caps he has? He must have been around and fit to accumulate those career stats, think what he would have achieved if he had been relatively injury free!
SJ – I take your point on Matty being very hard to replace, and agree – however with 17 million this is far from impossible. 17million should easily buy a champions league quality defender from aboard.
In addition you need to look at this from a strictly business point of view – that’s almost a 10million pound profit!
On another point just seen a rumour of us getting Mario Balotelli on loan – I take this with a rather large pinch of salt – however he would literally be the perfect player to play off a target man!
All-in-all although these are rumours they are nerveless very encouraging and show we are heading in the right direction
Exciting times!
Ambition To keep a 30 year old CB how many seasons do you really think he will perfome as well as the last and stay injury free. I really cannot see if 17mill is offered why we would’nt take it?
Project football’s target is to be competing for a CL spot in 4 yrs time and Upson is NOT going to be part of that team IMO
Spence if he continues to develop will be along side Tomkins and Upson will have been released or sold for what 2.5mill? As you know I am a big fan of Upson but needs must.
I also feel the same about Parker the mid-field Can manage without him and if him going brings in someone like Mancini or a large amount of cash then Ican’t see the problem. We need to be building a squad that come 2012/13 season are all around 26/28 IMO with perhaps the exception of Green who is the only one we MUST keep come what may.
I hope Ashton as I have said before does return to his best, this season pre-season will make or brake him.
Fingers crossed.
Zola has said he is prepared to be ruthless and I think he meens it.
“We have to start again from the passion and the culture of sport. Those phrases seem like clichés, but sport is not a business or at least you can’t treat it as such.
“The people become estranged [if it is treated as a business]. Football is no longer the leading principal,” he concluded.
Wise words from Zola…
Upson may be 30 years old, but the truth is that he is at his peak. And look beyond the birth certificate, it’s his current value to the team, and our plans, that are the important thing. Every team needs one or two experienced heads in key positions, even under project football!
Tell me a equal or better quality, left footed central defender that we could realistically secure and great no problem, I will agree with you that we should take the money and do the deal!
And ambition also involves retaining current England internationals, not losing them as soon as they become established in the squad, does it not?
SJ ask nani the same question he is the man who already knows the answer the money will need to be there first.
And lets not forget Upson is quoted as wanting to leave and his house IS up for sale.His current value to the team is IF true 17mill off the pitch and who knows for sure what it will be on the pitch next season injury history has never been that good.
As for experience a 27 or 28yr old can have that.
Sorry SJ on this one I don’t agree,
The game as we knew it is not the same
Money Talks.
I don’t know where you get your quote on Upson wanting to leave as he has said no such thing, in fact quite the opposite. If you look at the best defences/ defenders historically they tend to include 30-35 year olds and they are at their peak- think of the Adams/ Keown/ Winterburn combination, arguably the best defence to ever grace the top english division! Upson is at his peak and could be for the next 5 to 7 years now he appears to be over his injury troubles, the paraphrase the words of Goldmember “I think he’s a keeper”!
Eddie as I said to SJ sorry Don’t agree IF that is the sort of money we can get and nani is given it then it will only improve the team. After all there are 10 others on the pitch?
I can understand people being tempted by the money E1, it’s just that If I was Zola and Clarke I would be looking to build a bedrock defensive system in to which others players could be gradually integrated. The defence is sound and as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Anyway, I have already asked Nani and he agrees with me! Best to keep Upson, because he has not got any left sided centre halves lined up of the same attributes and quality. Only joking, lol!
Yes, we will have to agree to disagree on this one E1.
And you are right about the nature of the modern game E1. That is why the top 4 will in all likelihood continue to syphon off the best players from the chasing pack and, in doing so, reinforce their own dominance of the English game.
I guess that is the top 4, plus money bags Man City now. Although it is far from certain that they will be able to gate crash the top 4′s party, regardless of their endless resources?
Current reports are stating that we are looking at triple signing from Inter in the shape of loans for Jimenez and Mancini and a permanent deal for Barlotelli.
That would be an impressive triumvirate of signings, if true?
Reports from Italy state that Barlotelli’s problem is attitudinal. He has a poor attitude to training and can be a bit lazy, negative factors that have brought him in to conflict with a disciplinarian Jose!
Zola seems to think that he can sort it though, so it could get interesting, if it happens. The boy certainly does have pace and power in abundance, that’s for sure!
Ideally, we should keep Matty for at least this season. He has the experience and confidence to lead the back four, allowing Tomkins to bed into the first team. MU is also a good choice for captain, assuming Neill goes.
Plan B is to sell him for £17mill+ if the deal is done quickly enough for a replacement to get a full pre-season induction. it is clear GZ wants to get the squad together asap to hit the ground running – a strange new concept for us but we should give it a try lol!
COYI!!!!
Fair enough E1, thats why we love the sport and blogs such as this- discussion and opinions!
And to re-iterate that which is Mario Balotelli, scored a goal and got sent off this afternoon, could be a poisoned chalice!