Guest Post by IronFish
As the start of a new season draws ever closer, I like most of you, am totally dreading the game at home to Spurs on Saturday 16th August. Let’s face it, it has been a terrible pre-season with awful tactics, boring football and even worse luck with injuries. But, it had looked very promising, with our new approach to the transfer window, getting in early bids for Zarate, Kouyate, Cresswell, Poyate, Valencia and then Jenkinson on a loan deal.
Clearly it will take time for new players to fit in with the rest of the squad – will they fit in with Sam’s style of play? and does he want them all in the team anyway? These are all the questions that many of us are asking.
The injury to Andy Carroll (yet again) has been terribly unlucky – do we sign a similar style player, in the mould of Crouch or Wickham, or do we go for something different? All will be revealed shortly, I am sure.
But, let me put a slightly different perspective on things…….let me take you all back to the summer of 2010, under the leadership of Avram Grant at that time…………….
16 July: Pablo Barrera signs on a four-year contract, with a one-year option, for a fee of £4 million. He becomes West Ham’s second summer signing of 2010.
16 July: Frédéric Piquionne joins West Ham for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract, becoming West Ham’s third summer signing.
28 July: West Ham appoint Željko Petrovi? as assistant manager.8
3 August: Tal Ben Haim joins West Ham on loan from Championship side Portsmouth until January 2011.
5 August: The signing of New Zealand international Winston Reid is completed. Reid signs a three-year contract for £4 million.
24 August: West Ham sell Alessandro Diamanti to Serie A club Brescia for €2.2m.
27 August: Nigerian international Victor Obinna is signed on a season-long loan from Inter.
31 August: Danish international, Lars Jacobsen signs a one-year contract, moving on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers.
31 August: Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin signs a two-year contract for a nominal fee moving from Dutch side MVV.
We then went on to have a very good pre-season, beating Peterborough 2-1, winning at Monchengladbach and Panathinaikos (2-0 and 1-0 respectively). We beat the mighty MK Dons 2-0, then Ipswich Town 1-0, before drawing at Southend 1-1, with the final pre-season game at Upton Park, drawing 0-0 with Deportivo La Coruna, winning 5-3 on penalties.
Everything in the garden was rosey – new manager, new players and a very good pre-season……..BUT, disaster struck – we only get 4 points from the opening 6 games of the new season, losing to Villa, Bolton, Man Utd and Chelsea, before drawing at Stoke and then beating Spurs 1-0……we then had to wait until the end of November, for our next win, a 3-1 victory against Wigan.
The season was a complete disaster, no leadership, no passion and not many wins under our belts, until we crashed out of the Premiership and were relegated to the Championship…….need I say more, a total disaster.
So, my thoughts fellow Hammers, are that we should wait and see what the new season brings……it’s been a summer World Cup and I am guessing not many Premiership teams will be at full strength or at full fitness, so for me I think we have to try and put the poor pre-season behind us. We have many positives, in terms of new players, and I am sure they can find their feet quickly and we can build and develop again to have a fairly successful season.
The spot-light is under Sam more than ever, but I feel we have to give him at least 6 games to show what he can do again. Anything less that 6-8 points in those first half dozen games will probably spell the end of the big man’s reign, with Messrs Moyes, Laudrup and Mackay waiting in the wings…….whatever happens, it won’t be dull and boring, even if it appears that way on the pitch, it will be West Ham, and I for one am always forever blowing bubbles…….Come on you irons !!
What’s your prediction for result and starting line-up for that 1st game of the season?
I’m going for a 1-1 draw and I reckon Sam will opt for the following starting 11:
Adrian…..O’Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell…..Zarate, Kouyate, Noble, Nolan, Downing….C. Cole.