Clash of the Lamborghini Lads: Antonio vs Sakho

As the Hammers prepare for a key clash with Crystal Palace today, fans will be hoping that MVP Michail Antonio is fit after a midweek smash in his Lamborghini. Former favourite Diafro Sakho had a similar accident in 2016 as he smashed up his £200,000 Lamborghini under mysterious circumstances!

Since departing for Rennes in 2018, Sakho's career has nosedived as he has struggled for form at Rennes and was part of the relegated Bursaspor side while on loan last season. In total he has only scored five times since leaving West Ham for £4.5M!

However, Hammers fans will recall how the Senegalese striker enjoyed an impressive scoring rate during his time at the club. In truth, Antonio and Sakho are similar in style - fast, aggressive and single-minded. Both have been played out wide and centrally and pose a high aerial threat. But how do they square up in terms of strike rate?

Its perhaps something of a surprise that Sakho had a significantly greater strike rate at more than a goal every three games compared with just more than one every five for Antonio!!!

Let's hope Michail can keep up his impressive recent form today as since returning from a niggly injury he has recovered that crucial pace and abrasiveness that underpins his best play.

COYI!!!

A Five Point Plan to Prevent the Annual Injury Crisis at West Ham

Here's a thing - every year around December and January we get to use the bubonic plague sketch to describe West Ham's injury situation. Every year. Right now we are second in the league in terms of injuries with a whopping first team squad players out through injury.

Having china dolls like Andy Sicknote and Diafra Sakho on the payroll is certainly part of the problem – with a total of 12 Premiership goals between them in the last two seasons (Carroll =9; Sakho =3) it’s simply not good enough! In all honesty, at this stage we really need to take the hit and free up space for players who will be available for selection at least 50% of the season.  

However, our most recent issues relate to Manny Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic. The optimist in me hopes that the Arnautovic injury scare is to end the tiresome media focus on the non-transfer of Marko to Chelsea. First it was Antonio, then Carroll and now Arnautovic - all fake news and it makes you wonder if there aren't some serious West Ham haters out there desperately trying to destabilise our club with these unhelpful rumours. 

However, in Lanzini's case you have to link his hamstring injury to the Shrewsbury saga. It's great to give the kids game time opportunities, and the replay certainly did that, but did our midfield talisman really need to be out there for 120 minutes in midweek with another (more important) game on Saturday? 

We have tried moving training facilities to reduce our injury count but with no benefit. Maybe it's time to make a coherent plan to reduce our injury count for the future. How about this: 

1. Offload long term chronic sicknoters - Carroll and Sakho. They are taking up space and wages that could be used better.

2. Include a detailed analysis of injury history in all new signings.

3. Restrict new signings to players who have not yet passed their prime - Jose Fonte is 34 years old - it's much harder to manage the speed of the game once you are over 30, and recovery time from injuries is greatly prolonged in the 'more mature' player.

4. Treat the FA cup and league cup the way the top clubs do - kids only. No Lanzini's out there against have a go types like Shrewsbury!

5. Invest in a big enough squad to allow for more player rotation - it's cost effective to have more players because it leads to less Lanzini-type overuse injuries.

 

 

Hammers simply can't afford NOT to strengthen!

With just a week left in the January transfer window it's all getting a bit heated at West Ham. Even worse, the injury list is (as usual) growing with news that both Andy Carroll and Manny Lanzini are set for prolonged absences - three months in Carroll's case (ED: that usually means nine!) and which essentially ends another season of disappointment for the big man.

With a series of very winnable games looming in the next month, Moyes can nail down his job as Hammers head-honcho for next season beyond, but with the squad depleting it looks like all the good work of late , which has propelled the club to mid table safety, could well come undone.

With rumours that just about every Hammers forward is potentially on the move (Chicharito to Besiktas; Ayew to Swansea; Sakho to Rennes; Carroll to sickbay instead of Chelsea) and revelations today that Chelsea are trying to destabilise Marko Arnautovic, it makes for hard viewing right now at the London Stadium.

Even worse, do we really think that the likes of Joe Allen or Jonjo Shelvey are top six standard players? With some reports suggesting that Moyes wants to stick to proven Premiership performers, it is clear that he has an eye for inter Milan's midfield Joao Mario. The Portuguese would bring a winning mentality but as a principally defensive-oriented player, he will hardly provide the solution to our reliability on Arnautovic up front.

Similarly, Anderlecht's Leander Dendoncker, another energetic midfielder that the Hammers have been linked with, is not exactly prolific with just 10 goals in 155 appearances for the Belgian club. 

It's pretty clear that its going to be difficult to bring in quality players as the January window is cagey and overpriced! Offloading the volatile Diafra Sakho for the reported fee of £10 million (who is out of contract in the Summer!) would be a start. Also, Chicharito might have finally checked in with his strike on Saturday against Bournemouth. It's also relevant that after high profile failures chasing 'big' players in the past, last Summer saw the Hammers board adopt a less flamboyant approach to transfer dealings which perhaps underpins the relative silence about possible signings.

With the 13th highest income from gate receipts worldwide, we can certainly afford to dip into our pockets and ensure our Premiership survival! We predict some good news on the transfer front, and soon!  

What is the Logic Behind Andy Carroll's Proposed Move to Chelsea?

As speculation grows regarding a shock move to Chelsea for Andy Carroll, fans are wondering what logic underpins the potential switch. Having mustered just 86 games in his four and a half seasons at West Ham, offloading Carroll for a decent fee (or just offloading his weekly wage) would possibly be the best piece of financial business the Hammers have done in recent years during the treacherous January transfer window.

With Carroll once again in sickbay - this time with rumours that he is feigning an ankle injury to keep himself available for any potential move - David Moyes has been coy about the move. From a Chelsea perspective, the move makes little sense. The Pensioners already have a big man up front in Alvaro Morata who has a decent record of maintaining injury-free status over recent years and hardly needs back up.

At the start of this season Hammers fans hoped that a combination of Carroll and Chicharito up front could propel them up the table and onto the verge of Champion's League glory. However, the two have rarely played together as both have had constant injury niggles, while in reality, the two up front combination represents an outdated model of attack since most clubs prefer these days to work with a lone attacker and a mobile midfield pushing up in support.

Carroll appears very settled in London, but it is worth noting that many of his closer friends have departed from West Ham, including Kevin Nolan, Joey O'Brien and Darren Randolph. After a career that has been blighted by injuries, it may well be that Andy has adjusted to the reality that he can only ever be an occasional presence for any club and that, at 29 years of age,  role as an impact substitute at Chelsea may be the height of what is possible for him now.

For the Hammers, losing Carroll would be a blow (sort of!) but if they could offload both Carroll and Sakho it would free up considerable resources to bring in strikers who will hopefully be reliable - both in terms of fitness AND goal scoring record. A possible swap for want-away Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi represents good potential business as despite being used as a substitute for much of his time at Chelsea, he still has a considerably better scoring record (17 goals in 50 apps) than Carroll (32 in 124) that is similar to that of the terminally unhappy Diafra Sakho (24 in 71).

At this stage, if the rumours are correct, it might be better for Carroll to depart as it seems that his head has been turned. After so many false dawns over recent years, a fatigued Hammers fan base will mostly welcome moving on with new blood up front.

COYI!!!



 

Moyes is Ready to Rock!

They Say that the bookies rarely get it wrong. With odds as high as 35-1 for a West Ham victory today you'd really have to wonder! Even worse, a 1-0 win is quoted at 90-1, while an 7-0 win for city is just 55-1.

To add further insult, our old mate Paul Once predicts a 5-0 thrashing but revealed he really thinks we could see double figures but doesn't want to be unkind to his old club. Thanks mate!

With Sakho likely to start, it's worth noting that he has been the difference between the sides twice in the past three years - both home and away. A repeat of those 2-1 victories is quoted at 75-1.

While City do look mesmeric of late, it's only 11 vs 11. Moyes has been working on our squad fitness and let's hope it pays off today as we are going to be doing a lot of chasing!

Kick off is 4pm. I've been looking at a Vox A.C. 30 of late. A crisp twenty quid note says Moyes' boys can win it for me!

Let's rock!!!

Bottom at Christmas?....there's still hope!

David Moyes' embattled troops head for Man City away tomorrow without the services of our main offensive weapons in Carroll and Chicharito, along with the likelihood that Winston Reid will also be unavailable. In all honesty, its hard not to feel fearful for our chances of not shipping another painful hiding.

With Chelsea and Arsenal to follow, we are understandably favourites at 4/5 on with BetVictor to be bottom at Crimbo, and frankly, we deserve to be. With an away game at Stoke on the 16th and a home clash with Newcastle on the 23rd, perhaps we can pick up a few points but there may be some hard yards between here and the Stoke game.

The January transfer window offers some hope but in all honesty the problem is not the quality of the squad but the team dynamics and our loss of confidence. We really need a win badly and can kick on from there. For the longer suffering Hammers, we can predict that in typical fashion we will grab a spectacular result against one of the big guns that await in the next three fixtures. If not, maybe we can take a little consolation from the fact that Leicester were bottom in 2014 and we all know what followed!

So, with Antonio back in the mix maybe we can switch Arnautovic to his preferred left sided role and Antonio should provide better cover for Zabaleta. Sakho has downed City before and will surely lead the attack. We are 35-1 against with betfair to win tomorrow.....

35-1 in a two horse race!!!

Must be worth a tenner?

 

Hammers Look to Silver Lining...

After his 90 seconds of madness on Saturday, Andy Carroll will be serving a ban when West Ham welcome Brighton to the OS on Friday night. missing out on the three points that we looked destined for against Burnley was hugely disappointing, but for many fans Carroll's loss may be a bonus as it will likely mean that Chicharito will return to his favoured central role.

In truth the Mexican assassin has looked out of sorts since he was displaced from the central striker's position by Carroll's return. Never the less, he is joint top scorer for the club with three goals in eight games - compared with Carroll's zero return from 4 starts.

Perhaps even more interesting will be the opening created for Diafra Sakho - a player that is starting to look like his old abrasive self as he regains hard-won fitness after repeated injury woes. Sakho has delivered 3 goals from 2 starts (and seven substitute appearances) but clearly needs more game time.

With the Hammers at home and under the floodlights, it's surely time to go with two up front - with Arnautovic on the left and Antonio on the right. Add Lanzini in the middle and we have the prospect of goals galore. The one issue is who will fill the holding midfield role - with Kouyate and Obiang neck and neck while poor Mark Noble looks out of the picture.

Whatever else, Friday night will answer some important questions about Bilic's intentions for our forwards and his preferred offensive style. Chicharito and Sakho will no doubt be hoping to seize this excellent opportunity to impress the boss regarding their respective claims for the central striking role.

COYI!!!

Dream time ahead for Hammers

Ok, so yesterday was a repeat of the Baggies game a fortnight back where two unimaginative sides played out a turgid affair, with one exception, just as in last week's defeat to Spurs, Bilic was able to change the game with his substitutions.

Arthur Masuaku came on with Diafra Sakho and conspired to land a knockout punch just on full time. We are now out of the relegation zone and looking ahead with as close to a full squad as Bilic has ever enjoyed during his time at the club. The next three months will test just how good the Croat really is. 

With Salvo, Carroll and Chicharito all fit it's hard to remember when we last had such potential up front. The return of Manny Lanzini can spark pour creativity while the choice of any two of Antonio, Arnautovic, Ayew and Masuaku is tantalising. Put Kouyate and Obiang in front of a back four and we should be defensively solid.

All we need is a bit of rhythm and confidence and we can push up the table. A run of results and we can think about a top six spot...

COYI!!! 

Sak-Go: Time to Let Diafra go if he wants

The Hammers are in a bit of a crisis already this season - bottom of the league after three games and once again leaking goals for fun!

And now Diafra Sakho is up to his old tricks after being left out against Newcastle - pulling off an Odemwingie-style solo effort by organising his own medical at Rennes! Apparently the French outfit are willing to splash out £9million on him - if so, its surely a no brainer?

Sakho has just a year left on his contract and any seasoned observer would question whether he will ever regain full fitness for a sustained period after a series of setbacks over the past two seasons.

The Hammers need attacking players but with Little Pea, Andy Carroll and the ever improving Toni Martinez we are not too badly off, while Michail Antonio is a decent second striker when needed?

Diafra had a great first season but has done little to impress since. He has stated that he wants to leave such that there seems little point in holding on to him and maybe the fee will bridge the gap in the Carvalho campaign?

Two images that will please all West Ham fans

He's Back-ho! Diafra is training again with the first team. Fingers crossed, he's endured a torrid time with injuries. This is his make or break season.

Meanwhile, Winston Reid is preparing to return after his recent shin operation and word is that West Ham have NO interest in selling him to Everton or indeed anyone else!
.

 

Striker, Striker, Striker!!!

After last night's toothless encounter with Austrian third tier outfit Sturm Graz 2 it's surely time that fans started to shout louder for that much needed striker - NO, not the 1970's board game, but a real 2017 player who can score goals at the highest level!

Having created a host of gilt-edged chances in the first half, with last season's star offensive signing Andre Ayew chief culprit with at least three unconverted one on ones with the keeper, the game petered out for a 0-0 draw!

On the positive side, there were good performances from young Nathan Holland and Pablo Zaballeta, as well as welcome returns for Pedro Obiang and Arthur Musuaku, but we looked blunt and lacking in the final third. There's a long way to go before we can set the Premiership alight!

Both Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho sat out proceedings as their seemingly endless rehabilitation programmes continued. The rumour mill suggests that Chicarito is edging closer towards a move to West Ham - let's hope we can finally bring a consistent and injury-free forward to the club.... 

The Truth Behind West Ham's Drab Season

For West Ham fans the 2016/17 season was a frustrating campaign, with the title crushing win over Spurs and the Cup victory over Chelsea the highlights. While there are a number of explanations - adjusting to a new stadium, another harsh run of injuries to key players, the lack of pace in midfield - undoubtedly the main problem was in attack where none of their forwards managed to make double figures.

Perhaps the writing was on the wall with the panic signing of World Cup penalty comedian Simone Zaza after efforts to lure the likes of Carlos Bacca or Michy Batshuayi came to nothing. Thereafter, an impotent Hammers attack laboured away to limited effect with Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio the main lights in what was a drab offensive campaign. 

As usual, Andy Carroll popped up with a few decent strikes and an overall decent strike rate of almost a goal every third game - which was our most potent scoring percentage per game. When twinned with his contribution in terms of general physicality and at both attacking and defensive set pieces, it's hard to not be lured into continuing to hope that he will find a consistent run of fitness. However, it's fair to assume that Andy cannot ever be relied upon as our principal starting striker as he only managed 110 appearances in five seasons at the club.

Similarly, after a tremendous start to his career at the club, Diafra Sakho has succumbed to sustained injury problems and has been almost constantly absent for the past 18 months. With squad numbers at a premium, it's hard to justify having so many injury-prone forwards on the books (and Daniel Sturridge seems unlikely to improve matters!). As such, either Carroll or Sakho need to leave this Summer - Carroll is the more consistent performer but his wages are considerably higher. The outcome will tell us something important about how cash rich we really are!

Otherwise, the departure of Jonathan Calleri comes as no surprise but perhaps what confused some fans is that he was started ahead of Ashley Fletcher for the final half dozen or so games of the season? Andre Ayew seemed to find form after his early injury setbacks but is clearly not the natural poacher that the club need if they are to push into the top half of the Premiership next season.

As for developing talent, for all the talk of Toni Martinez being the next big thing, he endured a disappointing spell at League One Oxford, while Jaanai Gordon fared no better at League two's Newport County.

The bottom line is that we need to invest in at least two top class strikers this Summer.

NOTE to Messrs Sullivan and Gold: Top class players are rarely available on loan!

Let the transfer games begin!!!


 

Where To Now for Misfiring Hammers?

After a week that brought seven precious Premiership points including two clean sheets and a rare away result at Anfield, it seems strange that Hammers fans are feeling so negative about their side. However, the overwhelming vote for the post as MOTM after yesterday's almost criminal victory over a dominant Hull City highlights the level of concern amongst fans that the team are playing relegation football and have lost their way tactically.

After stumbling home against Burnley in midweek courtesy of a soft penalty, Hammers fans hoped that their heroes would turn on some style having finally ended a run of defeats. However, the performance against Hull was possibly our worst of the season as we could easily have conceded 4 or 5 goals against the Premiership's least potent attack!

Apart from the three shots that hit the post, Hull created a host of decent opportunities and will feel devastated not to have taken all three points. Chief amongst our woes is the inability to maintain possession once we get past the half way line. Opposition sides have rumbled the 'Payet plan' and are simply crowding the talismanic midfielder out of the game.

Meanwhile, Andy Carroll may be winning lots of headers but as a lone striker there is nobody close enough to benefit. as a consequence, we are sending long balls up to the big man who is essentially controlling the ball for opposition defences. Pointless stuff that makes you wonder if we need to revert to a traditional 4-4-2 formation? Sakho and Carroll up top will make any opposition defence stay deep and take some pressure off our beleaguered midfield and defence. Moreover, it will make space for Mr Payet, which can only be good for us!

The three CBs formation was adopted back in early November in an effort to stem the flow of goals conceded by a disorganised defence that had lost it's confidence. Chief amongst this was the absence of Cresswell and Bilic's insistence upon playing Antonio as a right wing back. Although initial results (against the offensive might of Middlesboro!) suggested that we had tightened things up, yesterday's performance, along with the recent drubbings by Arsenal and Man United have emphasised how we are really no better defensively with this formation.

With Kouyate sitting deep we lack the mobility in midfield and also his capacity to join the attack at crucial moments. Moreover, Kouyate's positioning in the deeper role allows teams to play the ball quickly through the centre with relative ease and has resulted in our repeatedly getting caught on the counter. Given our lack of penetration as a pressing side when in possession, this is proving a major weakness for opposing sides to capitalise upon.

Now that we have a few points on the board we can get back to trying to find our best formation. The (presumed) arrivals in January will provide new personnel to fit into our system and a face-saving excuse for Bilic et al to abandon our present tactics. Swansea will be an interesting test but the early substitutions yesterday bringing on Fernandes and Ayew emphasised that the current problems are about a lot more than players and that our set up is all wrong.

COYI!!!


 

Sak-Blow: Hammy Injury for Hammers Hero

David Gold has revealed that Diafra Sakho's problem is a hamstring injury and the prognosis will not be clear until a scan tomorrow. Sakho's principal injury problem over the past six months has been to his back but has also previously struggled with thigh and groin injuries.

After his excellent performance today - where he scored one and had another headed effort just glide over the bar, Sakho deserves a bit of luck. Let's hope his injury is just a grade 1 in severity as West ham really need his abrasive and direct style.

Andy Carroll continues to edge his way back and may be available for the bench on Wednesday night but Ashley Fletcher looks set to lead the line against his former club. It seems that Simone Zaza is now truly out of the frame as he is close to a mandatory buy out if he reached 14 appearances.


 

Jon Moss - Where have you been all of our lives?

Oops! Sorry Jon

Bet you can't wait to have another go at Man United on Wednesday? After a pretty open and exciting encounter, the Hammers came away from Ye Olde Trafford with a deserved point after an early strike from the returning Diafra Sakho was levelled by I-Zlatan. United huffed and puffed and had plenty of opportunities, but similarly West Ham had a few excellent opportunities to steal al three points as the second half witnessed a ding dong toe to toe encounter.

For once, the man in the middle was excellent. Hammers fans quite rightly feel that over the years the Old Trafford crowd have persuaded referees to award dubious decisions to the home side, but Moss was having none of their simulation and whinging for free kicks and penalties at every possible opportunity. Even better, he expelled I-Jose to the stands for petulantly kicking over a bottle while wandering outside his technical area. Hilarious!

At the back Ogbonna was excellent while Dazza Randolph was simply sensational in pulling off a series of wonderful stops to keep it level. Across midfield the Hammers passed the ball well and kept the Man United defence on their toes. Up front Diafra Sakho provided the kind of directness that has been lacking and will hopefully be ok after going off with a twinge (?) just after the hour. Ashley Fletcher clearly relished his opportunity and so nearly pulled off a dramatic winner in the final minute of normal time.

Ultimately, West Ham fans will applaud referee Jon Moss for his confident performance as he made a series of excellent calls to keep the game entirely honest. He has obviously forgiven the Hammers for Joe Cole clattering into him a few seasons back! Can we have him officiate on Wednesday as well?

Is Sturridge Really better than Sakho?


The rumour mill keeps swinging back to the possibility that West Ham might try to bring England striker Daniel Sturridge to the Olympic Stadium to bolster our impotent attack. However, despite the sickening manner of the defeat, Saturday's game did bring a host of positives. Chief amongst these was the return of Diafra Sakho.



Three's a crowd?

The Senegalese hitman has had a series of issues over the past nine months, both personally and professionally, but is finally back in claret and blue and looking to recover the sort of form that characterised his arrival at the club in August 2014, where an explosive start saw him bag six goals in as many games! 
Having almost exited to West Brom back in August, Sakho failed his medical and has endured a long journey back to fitness - one which has given him plenty of time to ponder on the vagaries of life! Now he's back and looks keen - bringing his characteristic physical edge to Saturday's game where as the lone striker he hassled the Spurs defence vastly more than Zaza, Calleri and the rest have done so far this season.

Understandably, he was substituted after an hour as he is still trying to get back to match fitness, but one wonders if he would have done better with the two on one break that presented itself to Simone Zaza with under ten minutres to go when we were 2-1 up. A third would have seased the win and prevented the nonsense that ensued but Zaza dallied and fluffed his lines. 

Which brings us back to Sturridge. His well documented (but poorly understood) injury problems are a definite negative. Consecutive Liverpool managers have made unusual comments about his commitment to playing suggesting, to this onlooker at least, that a 'psychological overlay' might be at play. With Andy Sicknote already soaking up a massive part of our wages budget, maybe another injury-prone striker is the last thing we need.

And then there's the strike rate. Sakho has a 33% scoring rate but brings a lot of physicality to the game and opens things up for others, forcing the opposition to defend deeper. Sturridge's is a little better at 37%, but much of this surplus mostly relates to the period he spent hovering up the rich pickings alongside the phenomenal goal machine that is Luis Suarez!

Maybe we need to stick with Sakho. For many fans, ex-Hammer Jermain Defoe looks wasted at Sunderland where even in a limited side he has 42% hit rate, with 18 goals last year and 7 already this season. After 12 games no striker at our club has hit the net! Now 34 years old, Defoe would only be a stop gap until we can truly bolster our attack in the Summer, but maybe the bright lights of London and the Floodlights at the Olympic Stadium might appeal?

However, having tasted relegation once before with the Hammers, he might want to pass on another stint at the club as we are slipping perilously close to the drop zone and last season he proved how his contribution can be the difference between Sunderland staying up or not. They’d be mad to let him go!

Sifting Through the Rubble after WHL Horror Show

As the dust settles on what was one of the most disappointing defeats EVER for Hammers fans, we can perhaps look at the game more objectively. We showed great courage to get ahead twice in a game where we conceded the lions share of the possession (67%!!!). The principal factor in this was the resolute defending with Winston Reid in particular really putting in a massive shift. 

That his game ended with a red card was just one more misfortune in what ended as a sickening day. He will miss the Man United game which will make it even harder to get a result to lift us away from the drop zone. Even though we don't deserve to be quite as low in the Premiership as 17th, as Hammers fans we know that once you go into the drop zone the bad luck becomes infectious.

Up front Diafra Sakho was a delight to watch. He hurried and harried the Spurs defence and given his lack of match time over the past 6 months he put in a tremendous hour's work. Simone Zaza was awful and messed up a chance to bury Spurs when we were 2-1 up but dallied and the chance slipped away. He needs a new club. Andre Ayew has yet to play well for us but its early days.
Which brings us to the Spurs goals. All three came from moves down our right side. The first involved a hand ball by Janssen, the second was grave misfortune but a decent right back would have blocked passage before the ball whizzed across to Harry Kane. Dazza Randolph got a hand to it but in doing so made Kane's task all the easier. The penalty was a moment of utter madness from Nordtveit. Randolph almost pulled off a wonder save despite Kane's precision. Hmmm.

Alvaro Arbeloa must be wondering what is going on. He silently slipped off the radar a few weeks back for no apparent reason. He didn't play badly at any point and is not injured. Bilic has changed our system somewhat - and is once again experimenting with playing our best attacker in a defensive role! However, there is no such difficulty on the left, so why not play a specialist right back on the right?

The January transfer window is not the ideal place to look for decent first team additions or indeed for value, but we need a major clear out. All of the loan deals have been disappointingly unsuccessful and Tore, Zaza and Calleri should be let go asap. Nordtveit has been solid (apart from yesterday's foolishness which will unfortunately be remembered for ever!), Feghouli has looked interesting but without a cutting edge. Fletcher is developing. Let's hope Sakho is back for real and not just to ready him for a move in January. With Andy Carroll we need to  cut our losses and just plan for him not ever being reliably available and enjoy it when he is.

We need to dust ourselves down and focus upon the Old Trafford visits. We deserved at least a draw at Spurs but that's history now. The cup competitions still present a good chance to make our season memorable for positive reasons.

COYI!!!

Are You Ready For A Ripsnorter?

A definite ripsnorter!

The word for the day today at dictionary.com is Ripsnorter or 'something remarkably wild and exciting' and that's what awaits at White Hart Lane today. Hammers fans have to grudgingly admit that the current Spurs squad is strong, but SuperSlav's men relish getting a pop at opponents who fancy themselves and will be hoping to show the form that recently tamed Chelsea.

With Captain Mark Noble on a suspension, Bilic has a big call to make in terms of his midfield and whether he should persist with the back three set up which has steadied our previously very leaky defence. Central to that call will be the fitness of Reid / Collins to team up with Angelo Ogbonna and, of course, whether Cheik Kouyate should be pushed further forward to add some bite to our attack.

Young Edmilisen Fernandes has done really well since forcing his way into the starting XI. Despite being shifted around the formation, his close control has stood to him and today could well see him given a role somewhat like Ravel Morrison had in the famous 3-0 thrashing of three years ago. It will be a huge day for Pedro Obiang as he will have the opportunity to develop upon a string of decent performances of late but with Nobes in the stands on this occasion Obiang will be the conductor of our midfield orchestra .

Just how Bilic uses Michail Antonio today remains a mystery! Right Back, Right wing, Striker, Goalkeeper? Who knows except the Croat himself! Andre Ayew may get the responsibility up top with Antonio at wing back, but there is also the Diafra Sakho factor to consider as a possibility. Mr Sakho seriously damaged his popularity at the club last year and may well be just being prepared for a January exit, but many fans would love to see him properly back in the picture at West Ham. We expect him to come off the bench for the final fifteen .

In the goals there is also much to ponder with Darren Randolph really pushing for a starting role. Adrian is a great keeper but he has become erratic this season and may have cooked his goose with a poor display against Stoke.

And then there's a certain Dimi Payet who quite likes a big stage to demonstrate his unusual skillset!

The good news for Hammers fans is that Mystic Mark Lawrenson has predicted that we will lose.

Probable Starting XI: Randolph, Antonio, Reid, Collins, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Kouyate, Obiang, Lanzini , Payet, Ayew.

 

Bilic signals the return of Sakho for crunch derby

This weekend sees the mighty West Ham make the short trip to visit 'little' Tottenham Hotspurs at No Heart Lane. Many predict that the East London giants will find the atmosphere in such a tiny ground intimidating and may underperform.

Given that the average attendance so far this season at Spurs home games is a paltry 31,400, the Hammers may find the little stadium suffocating as they have become used to playing in front of an average of 57,000 fans at the Olympic stadium - making them the third most watched club in the league!

Tottenham have been playing cute all week pretending that half their squad will be unavailable for selection, but as the big game draws nearer suddenly all sorts of miraculous recoveries have been announced. Meanwhile, West Ham may be ready to finally welcome back Diafra Sakho. The Senegalese hitman's abrasive and penetrating style has been sorely missed by the Hammers who have yet to see a goal scored by any of their recognised forwards this season!

Sakho's days at West Ham looked over after the Summer when he refused to travel with the team on their preseason trip to the US but then failed a medical at West Brom and found himself in the wilderness. Luckily, David Gold has remained supportive to Sakho through all of his difficulties and issued an upbeat message about Sakho's return earlier this week.

Perhaps even more reassuring were Slaven Bilic's positive remarks about Sakho's abilities in his Prematch press conference where he highlighted his capacity to create space and opportunities for the team - something that has been sadly lacking so far this season leaving Bilic's men just one place above the drop zone.

Bilic went on to explain how he expected it to take a few games for Sakho to get  back his match sharpness but Hammers fans will be hoping his new start will be as explosive as his arrival three years ago when he scored six goals in his first six appearances!

COYI!!!

 

Sakho Ready for Spurs Trip as Hammers Impress on International Stage

Slaven Bilic’s side may be underperforming so far in this season’s Premiership, but on the International front there is much to remind us just how talented our current squad is as the latest series of Internationals highlights.
Dimitri Payet put himself even further into the shop window with another stunning performance for France - scoring one and assisting in another as France defeated Sweden 2-1 in Paris on Friday. Payet’s free-kick in the 58^th minute was headed home by Paul Pogba. Dimitri then capped off a fine performance by scoring the winner on 65 minutes thus maintaining France’s dominance in the group. As we languish in 17^th place in the Premiership, the pressure for a move in January is mounting and his own recent comments highlight how little long-term contracts actually mean in the modern game.

There was also a big night for hammers latest rising star – young Edimilson Fernandes who made his debut for Switzerland against the Faroe Islands in Lucerne. Fernades came on midway through the second half and helped his side to a 2-0 victory. No doubt his recent breakthrough into the Hammers first team was a significant factor in his international promotion.

The Republic of Ireland pulled off a major coup in Vienna with a 1-0 win over Austria to go top of their group with three wins and a draw after the opening four matches. Hammers number two Darren Randolph relished some game time and kept a precious clean sheet with an assured performance for the boys in green. You’d have to wonder what he needs to do to displace the out of form Adrian in the starting XI?

Meanwhile, Cheikhou Kouyate captained Senegal to a disappointing 2-1 defeat in South Africa, while Andre Ayew captained Ghana to a 2-0 loss in Egypt.

Elsewhere, Sofiane Feghouli played the final ten minutes as Algeria were defeated 3-1 in Nigeria, Simone Zaza came on as a late substitute for Italy in their 4-0 win in Liechtenstein (no, he didn’t score!), and Havard Nordtveit sat on the bench throughout Norway’s 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic in Prague.

Spurs are up next – they remain the only unbeaten side in the four English leagues! We will be missing Mark Noble but Tottenham are having a bad run of injuries and could be without a host of first team players. Diafra Sakho will be available for selection which will give a revealing insight into whether he has truly made his peace with SuperSlav. Andy Carroll continues to make 'good progress' - whatever that is! maybe he'll be back for the New Year?

The North Londoners have become draw specialists with 6 stalemates in their opening 11 games. A draw away from home would be a decent result for SuperSlav’s lads just now as they face a series of tough fixtures and will want to head into Christmas outside of the relegation zone.