The Curious Case of Arbeloa Unfolds

Alvaro Arbeloa arrived at West Ham from Real Madrid with much expectation that he would tighten up a porous defence by bringing his experience to the right back position that has so troubled Slaven Bilic's reign as West Ham manager. However, Arbeloa quickly fell out of favour after a number (three actually) of lukewarm performances and was suddenly out of the frame even despite Sam Byram picking up an injury.

In truth, many Hammers fans were bemused and befuddled by the whole affair. Arbeloa had no apparent injury issues and his history pointed towards a consummate professional. Just exactly what was wrong was very unclear indeed.

However, announcing his retirement today, Arbeloa spoke to La Marca and shed some light on his difficulties at West Ham citing that it was not a physical problem but rather " in the end it was a head and motivational issue".

Arbeloa went on to describe how he has no interest in playing in the lucrative US or Chinese Leagues as for him they represent something that he finds less appealing about modern football. Hammers fans will note that he found motivation an issue despite his rumoured £50k per week wage!

As the 15th richest club in the world, surely it's time for West Ham to stop buying past it burned out players who lack the desire that a club with our ambitions needs?

Hammers prepare for Superman's return

As the transfer merry go round kicks into gear the Hammers gave moved quickly to address their longstanding problem at right back by capturing Pablo Zabaleta from Man city. Zabaleta is no spring chicken at 32 years of age, but will bring his experience and discipline to the position with the hope that young Sam Byram can learn from the Argentinian veteran.

Meanwhile, the rumours about regarding their other key area of deficit as they have been linked with a series of forwards.

In other news, it appears that Enner Valencia will be returning from his loan spell at Everton. After 21 appearances and three goals, his contribution at the Toffees has mirrored his in and out form over the two previous seasons at West ham where he managed 8 goals in 54 appearances.

Valencia has not managed to bring his prolific scoring at International level to the Premiership but with Gokhan Tore departed, he may be deemed a useful squad member as Superslav looks to push for top six status next season.

What do you think? Should we hold on to him in the hope that he has finally adjusted to the physicality of the Premiership or let him go?

Are West Ham Still Slipping Backwards?

Looking back to November it was abundantly clear that our Summer transfer campaign had failed miserably. With Andy C out again on the sick list, leaving a bunch of hapless strikers who hadn't managed a goal between them and our woes further compounded by a defence that had lost its confidence after trying to compensate for a San Andreas faultline at right back, Hammers faithful took solace in the looming January transfer window and the opportunity to bring in some new recruits.

Then came a couple of (very) scrappy wins and we dragged ourselves out of the relegation zone until Arsenal and both Manchester sides delivered thorough spankings to bring us back to reality. Then Dimitri Payet went loco...

Since then we have circled the wagons and found a couple of decent results, but the cracks remain. At right back Sam Byram has returned and so far looks decent, but he's inexperienced and we have no back up plan apart from the Michail Antonio crazymadness option. Hmmm. Up front we got rid of Zaaaaaaaaza and Calleri may possibly depart (let's face it - his breakthrough goal came by virtue of a fortuitous deflection) leaving just Ashley Fletcher as back up to Andy Sicknote. Again, Fletcher is a prospect but he's still a kid.

Still we look to have captured Robert Snodgrass - a decent signing but hardly up to Payet standards. And then there's Jose Fonte - clearly recruited to allow Angelo Ogbonna to get a much-needed operation. In reality, we have fallen further backwards in the past month and have done nothing to address the screaming deficits at right back and striker positions.

Still there's 5 days still to go before the curtain descends. David Gold tweeted today that you never know what you might get before the fat lady sings.......Take your time you oversized chanteuse, we've got work to do!

Sam's the Man as Bilic Looks for more of Palace Form

 

SuperSlav has opted to continue where we left off last week with Sam Byram starting instead of James Collins. Andy Carroll has shrugged off his 'whiplash' injury and starts with Lanzini, Feghouli and Antonio feeding the offensive bullets. New signing Jose Fonte is not yet eligible.

For Middlesboro, new signings Bamford and Gestede are on the bench alongside ex-Hammer Stewart Downing.

West Ham United: Randolph, Byram, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Noble, Obiang, Feghouli, Lanzini, Antonio, Carroll
Subs: Adrian, Calleri, Collins, Fletcher, Fernandes, Oxford, Quina

Middlesbrough: Valdes, Bernardo, Chambers, Gibson, de Roon, Traore, Clayton, Forshaw, Friend, Negredo, Stuani

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Subs: Fabio, Leadbitter, Fischer, Guzan, Downing, Bamford, Gestede

Who is the best option at right back for West Ham? Time for you to have your say...

As our defensive woes continue, we at VERYWESTHAM have launched a fans poll to assist Mr Bilic in dealing with what appears to be a rare blind spot in his footie vision. With your help, SuperSlav can get his head around the options at right back and hopefully we can rediscover our defensive brilliance of last season.

Get your vote in now!

What's gone wrong with our defence?

So far this season West ham have been struggling defensively, culminating a an embarrasing implosion yesterday where in truth Watford could have easily scored five or six goals.

The preseason campaign was unimpressive with a concession rate of over two games per game even though many of the games were against modest North American and Austrian opposition.

Further warning signs went out after the dusappointing defeat to Astra which, rather like yesterday, occured from a winning position after the Hammers were gifted an away goal in Romania.

So what has gone wrong - the success of last year was undoubtedly built upon our ability to suffocate opposition sides which allowed for a series of famous victories over all the traditional top six sides.

Undoubtedly the right back situation has been problematic as SuperSlav showed the less positive side to his stubborn determination by prolonging a visibly failing experiment using Michail Antonio at right back.

All the while, our defence has become unbalanced and nervous looking. Watford's openibg goal testerday was typical of the poor defensive positioning at right back as Sam Byram 'did an Antonio' by allowing himself to drift 5 yards off his man and then mysteriously allowed Odion Ighalo to turn inside with disastrous consequenxes as his shot deflected off James Collins for a mighty soft goal that allowed a Watford side who had been totally outplayed until that point back into the game.

Watford's equaliser was truly embarrassing as Adrian and Ginge messed up yheir shouts and gifted Troy Deeney the chance to equalise. Undoubtedly, the opportunity was deftly executed with a delightful lob that the retreating Masuaku couldn't quite keep out, but the ball should gave been easily dealt with without any such danger.

The response after the break was really disappointing. West ham lost yheir way and conceded another sift goal as Sam Byram failed to cut out a cross to the right side of the box leaving Capoue on his own yo rifle a shot high onyo the net. On another day Adrian would have pushed it over the bar but Watford were on a roll.

Cue another embarrassing goal as Ighalo was allowed to dance around the right side of the penalty area (again with Byran in hapless oursuit) before teeing the ball up for a low strike that again Adrain could have kept out on another day.

It's a real pity that a day that should have been remembered for Antonio's brilliant brace that emphasised his resurgenge since returning to his natural attacking position as well as the fabulous rabona cross from Payet for the second goal, in fact was more notable for a series of comically inept defensive cock ups.

Even worse, Angelo Ogbonna posted an unhelpful post match tweet that is likely to impede his return to the starting XI.

There certainly is lots of work to be done on the training ground by Mr Dicks and Co who are mighty quiet just now having been hailed as rock solid this time last year. The right side of our defence needs serious working on as Collins and Byram are not managing the space between RB and right CB properly. However, perhaps the biggest single issue is that we have lost confidence and need a few decent defensive showings to get the boys talking again. With Arbeloa still short of match fitness, Sam Byram will surely get another chance or two, but things need to improve rapidly.

Defensive Madness Set To Continue!

One of the most enduring negative images of the Allardyce era was that of a young Hammers fan in tears as a youthful West Ham side were thrashed 5-0 by Notts Forest in the FA Cup. Similarly, the look on Michail Antonio's face as he was substituted on Monday night after another disappointing display at right back represents the most negative moment of Slaven Bilic's reign as west Ham manager.

Fans have repeatedly condemned the misuse of Antonio as a defender as it is glaringly obvious that he thinks like a (very capable) attacker in terms of positional sense and tackling style. For many, the silver lining in Monday night's showing was that it seemed to surely end the 'experiment'. 

However, with Arthur Masuaku cup-tied, Slaven Bilic may well persist with Antonio at right back and play Sam Byram at left back for tomorrow night's Europa League clash with FC Astra Giurgiu in Romania. Other options include to play Angelo Ogbonna as a left back and Byram in his natural RB position or use Reece Burke as a right back and keep Byram at Left Back.

Let's hope Slav makes a switch as for many fans it's becoming an agonising spectacle. Please stop this madness NOW!!! Even better, with Feghouli at al out why not reward Michail for his loyalty and commitment to the cause by playing him on the right wing?

C'mon Slav, you know it makes sense!



 

Perfect Start to New Life at OS for Hammers but how did they rate individually?

Life at the Olympic Stadium began with an emphatic win as West Ham dominated Slovenian rivals NK Domzale, overturning the 2-1 deficit from the first leg to run out 3-0 victors. The reward will be a tie versus Romanian side Astra Giurgiu who defeated the Hammers in last year's Europa exit. One senses that Slaven Bilic will be looking to avenge that defeat with a strong side when the tems meet on the 18th (a) and 25th (h) of August.

But how did our heroes perform individually?

Darren Randolph: Dazza is a top quality keeper and we are lucky to have him as back up to Adrian. A quiet night but he was called into action in the second half as Domzale tried to get back into the tie. His concentration was good and he made the one excellent save that was needed. Good distribution from the back as well. 8/10.

Sam Byram: Sam played really well despite being on his less favoured flank. He also contributed to the attacking efforts of the team with plenty of overlapping runs. One foolish mistimed challenge in the second half reminded us that he isn't the finished product just yet but is certainly progressing well. 8/10.

Michail Antonio: A better organised defence last night meant that his lack of defensive positional sense was not exposed as in the first leg. One mistimed tackle reminded us that he is naturally an attacker. Michail was unphased by the difficulties of the previous match and just got on with it, pushing forward regularly without any fear. He seemed to connect well with Reece Oxford as the right-sided CB as well. Still wasted though at RB! 8/10.

Winston Reid: Cool and committed, Winston is our best defender by an amount. He linked in brilliantly with young Oxford while also supporting Byram out wide. Top class player. 9/10.

Reece Oxford: He really does look like the new Rio! Calm, intelligent and fearless - should he start against Chelsea? We think yes!!! Made some excellent tackles when needed and looked entirely unphased by events. 10/10.

Havard Nordtveit: Looked much more comfortable as the defensive midfielder than he did at CB last week. A decent physical presence he looks well suited for the Premiership. No nonsense tackling and unfussy but distribution. he'll be pleased with his contribution. 8/10.

Mark Noble: Captain Claret fluffed his first few touches at his new home but naturally kicked into gear and kept the intensity of our game at a high level throughout with his high octane contributions. 8/10.

Cheik Kouyate: Looked a bit off form last week but was back to his best with his energetic running and, of course, two decent goals. Kouyate likes playing anywhere in midfield and last night emphasized his ability to be the more forward element of the midfield. All smiles, as always! 10/10.

Enner Valencia: Made the first goal and looked lively throughout. However, he missed a few decent opportunities and in fairness it seems that things have just never quite kicked on for him at West Ham. Maybe its time for a switch? 7/10.

Sofiane Feghouli: You sense that we have picked up another diamond here. Lively, nice touch and an eye for goal as emphasised by his finish for the third goal. We simply cannot wait to see him alongside Payet and Lanzini. 9/10.

Andy Carroll: No goals but he put in a very decent shift. Andy looks like he has gained a yard or two in pace as well! We were once again reminded just how big his contribution to the team effort is with his targeted physicality. Ten goals a season along with the chaos (and space) he creates is enough. 8/10.





 

Could Jenkinson Return to West Ham?

This time last year they were touted as England's future at full back

What a difference a year makes! This time last Summer West Ham were trying to tie down the impressive Carl Jenkinson to either a full transfer or further loan period. Fees as high as £12 were quoted for the right back's permanent services and the Hammers finally opted for a season long extension of his loan.

Then it went wrong, horribly wrong. Jenks suffered a drop in form and a series of blunders led to James Tomkins being pushed to right back to shore up a misfiring defence. Jenkinson's confidence was visibly effected and just as Superslav was gently re-introducing him to the action disaster struck.

The unfortunate Jenkinson tore his cruciate ligament against Man City in January and was shipped back to Arsenal for treatment. After a six month lay off he is scheduled to return in the coming weeks, but what next for the 24 year old?

Arsenal's resources at right back contrast sharply with West Ham as they have the impressive Hector Bellerin and a host of understudies including Matthieu Debuchy and Callum Chambers. Is there really room at the Emirates for Jenkinson?

Meanwhile, West Ham need a right back (or two!). There seems to be a possible meeting of needs. Jenkinson certainly wouldn't command the crazy transfer fees being suggested this time last year. It's also worth remembering how impressive Jenks was in his first season at West Ham - so much so that he was on the verge of an England call up. Pacey, solid and disciplined in defence, he was a real threat going forward.  

It's also worth noting that West Ham sent him a very public best wishes for the coming season greeting just a few weeks ago. Sam Byram looks ready to step up but, as last night's action demonstrated, may find himself shifted to left back to fill in for the injured Aaron Cresswell. Could Jenkinson provide a solution to West Ham's full back problem?

 

Hammers find Full back solution for Europa League Clash

Time to put the toys away lads!

West Ham's preseason has been far from impressive with a series of embarrassing results out stateside followed by a thumping from Rubin Kazan. Things got even worse during a disastrous win over German second tier side Karlsruher CS in which defensive star Aaron Cresswell sustained a serious knee injury. As it stands, West Ham keep thumping on about a 50M striker, have bought two wide attacking players (Tore, Feghouli) but have no experienced full backs. Having conceded a whopping ten goals in five preseason fixtures, the Hammers need to tighten up their defence!

It will be fascinating to see how Bilic handles the full back crisis against Slovenian side NK Domzale tomorrow night. Despite Cressy's injury, Stephen Hendrie remains on loan at Blackburn which reflects poorly upon his progress to date, while Lewis Page, who has just turned 20, will be hoping to build on his experiences in last season's Europa League. Meanwhile, Sam Byram has been looking excellent in preseason and will hopefully prevent a return to the folly of playing Michail Antonio out of position at right back.

In midfield, it looks like it's game over for Diego Poyet who is not in the Europa League squad for the trip to Slovenia. With Obiang, Nordtveit, Cullen, etc all queuing up for berths it may be time for Diego to move elsewhere. Its a pity as its hard to see what he has done wrong when he's had the (rare) opportunity to shine. As for Josh Cullen, many are predicting that this season will see him push further up the ranks and into the first team proper. Tomorrow night should provide a platform for him to shine.

On the up side of things, Andy Carroll's latest injury scare seems behind him and he looks ready to get stuck into early season action alongside the impressive young Ashley Fletcher. words is that the pair took time out to share some quality time fishing whilst in Austria on preseason. I guess you could say that they are well perched to take their plaice at the top table.

Kick off is at 19:45 and its live on BT Sports....Here we go again!!!
 

Oi....Where's Our Right Back?

As the Summer transfer rumour mill turns over it's apparent that the newest entrant to the privileged clubs gang is being linked with exorbitant bids for just about every potentially available striker on the planet! Lacazette, Bacca, Van Persie, Carlton Cole....the list is endless! However, one thing which seems lost in all of this is that the Hammers are light at right back.

Last season saw the departure of Carl Jenkinson through injury (and poor form) and the arrival of young Sam Byram was viewed as an ideal longer term solution. Byram out in a series of solid performances after his arrival but clearly has quite a bit to learn yet before he can secure a starting place in the defence of a side that has series Premiership and European aspirations.

James Tomkins loyally provided tremendous cover at right back but has now (astonishingly?) departed much to the chagrin of many diehard hard fans. Michail Antonio also put in some decent shifts but quite frankly, he is a super attacking threat and is wasted at right back where he also lacks the positional sense to be relied upon in big matches.

So far there hasn't been a peep about the right back berth apart from some silly rumours that Byram might switch to join the other dozen or so right backs currently on the books at Arsenal?.......hmmmm.

 

Selection Headaches for Slav Key to Kickstarting Eurodrive

While much of the attention will focus on the return of Sam Allardyce, today's clash is vital for both West ham and Sunderland, albeit for very different reasons.

The Hammers are still well positioned to make a late season charge for a European place. These efforts will undoubtedly be buoyed by the host of key players returning from injury. Although Diafra Sakho is not yet ready to enter the fray, Winston Reid and Andy Carroll may well enter from the subs bench today, while Manny Lanzini will possibly start.

At right back, Sam Byram and Michail Antonio are both in the running for a starting berth. Sunderland are offensively strong on the left side with Van Aanholt being their best performer this season such that the Hammers will need to be well organised at right back.

Up front, Emmanuel Emenike found his form with a brace against Blackburn last weekend and should get the starting berth with Andy Carroll ready to shake it up from the bench if needed.

Mike Dean will preside over proceedings and Bilic will be expecting him to police Sunderland's efforts to contain the other-worldly talents of Mr Payet. No doubt the ever-vocal home fans will provide every assistance in his important efforts!

West ham look increasingly capable of scoring right now, with a variety of potential sources of supply for goals. As such, if they can dominate possession they should translate that into scores with Payet, Emenike, Antonio, Lanzini and Moses all more than capable. Cheikidh Kouyate's rescinded red card is thus a key midweek development as it will add muscle in the middle of the park.

Meanwhile, Hammers fans will enjoy ribbing both Allardyce and Defoe as the pantomime villains in what should be another passionate day at the Boleyn. Kick off is 12.45.

Sunderland will try to keep it tight but we expect our gamechangers to make the difference. Put your cash on 2-0.

COYI!!!

As Byram Negotiations Hot Up, Who are the Two Makeweights?

It wasn't me, honestly!

Latest news is that West Ham are still very actively seeking the services of talented Leeds right back Sam Byram, currently tussling with Everton and West Brom for his signature. With the current deal rumoured to involve cash plus two un-named players, specualtion is growing as to the identities of the two who are deemed surplus to requirements.

The strength of Slaven Bilic's first team squad is such that it's hard to find anybody who might fit the description of un-needed! Joey O'Brien's time at Upton Park may well be coming to an end but his injury history is such that he is unlikely to leave until his contract runs out. The rest of our defence is either still developing or untested (Stephen Hendrie) or not for sale.

Otherwise, Mauro Zarate is one player who might wish to move elsewhere but Leeds would represent a massive step down in status for the Argentinian. Moreover, although Zarate is quite inconsistent, on his day he is undoubtedly a useful part of the Hammers offensive set up and with both Sakho and Carroll out Bilic is likely to want to hold onto as many of his attacking options as possible.

Another possibility is that Nikica Jelavic might be on his way back to the Championship, although for similar reasons one would expect Bilic to be looking to bring in like for like were an attacker to depart.

Is this just speculation or could we see two first team squaddies exit? The Davids have repeated emphasised the need to prune back our wage bill before we can add reinforcements....The plot thickens

Rio in Reverse!

The growing rumours that Leeds United's top prospect, Sam Byram, will be joining West Ham during the transfer window is a cause for reflection on the state of the Hammers in 2016. While the troubles at Leeds of the past decade are only too well documented, it's worth reflecting how back in 2000 young Rio Ferdinand, who at the time was our best young prospect, exited Upton Park for the then staggering fee of 18 million!

At that time there was a sense that Ferdinand's departure was inevitable as West Ham were essentially a feeder club for bigger outfits. In fact, the Hammer's faithful were already bracing themselves for the inevitable subsequent departures of Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Joe Cole, which duly followed a few years later.

Wind forward to 2016 and West ham are no longer a feeder club for Manchester United, Chelsea and (dare i say it!) Tottenham. Of all the arguments for the move to the Olympic Stadium, the improved capacity to build a brilliant team that includes our best home-produced talent is surely the most compelling?

So as we hoover up young Byram into our ranks to serve as understudy to Tomkins and Jenkinson (sorry Leeds fans!), let's all reflect upon how times are changing. When the 'big' clubs inevitably come calling at the end of this season for the services of Payet, Reid, Lanzini, Adrian, Cresswell, Sakho etc we no longer look at the sports news with the previous sense of trepidation.

As Goldie and Sullivan keep reminding everybody.....we are no longer a selling club. Upwards and onwards...