Things aren’t all rosy at the Boleyn Ground…
Manager: Big Sam Allardyce
Last Season: 13th
Major Signings: Mauro Zarate (undisclosed, Velez Sarsfield), Cheikhou Kouyate (£7m, Anderlecht), Aaron Cresswell (£2m, Ipswich), Diego Poyet (tribunal, Charlton), Enner Valencia (undisclosed, Pachuca), Carl Jenkinson (loan, Arsenal), Diafra Sakho (undisclosed, Metz).
Players Out: Joe Cole (free, Aston Villa), Matt Taylor (free, Burnley), Raphael Spiegel (loan, Crawley Town), Stephen Henderson (free, Charlton) Jack Collison, Callum Driver, George McCartney, Jordan Spence (released), George Moncur (loan, Colchester).
Expectations: It’s a sad state of affairs when managers are already under pressure before a ball is even kicked but that’s the situation that Sam Allardyce faces.
The West Ham fans and board have made their feelings well known last year as the club flirted with relegation. But the team managed to string an impressive run of results that steered them to safety with a handful of games to go.
Allardyce has been asked to play more attractive football but if given the choice between Premier League safety and a risky sea change of tactics then JOE knows exactly what we would choose.
Their pre-season results have been dreadful while the perma-crocked Andy Carroll is out for another four months with torn ankle ligaments.
Drama is nothing new for Irons’ fans, they frequently expect the worst, but we have an awful sinking feeling about this team.
West Ham have more than enough quality to survive the drop but only if there is stability. Remember that Allardyce has never been relegated from the Premier League.
We might be jumping the gun but we’re having flashbacks of Big Sam, The Venkys, Steve Kean and relegation. Just replace the name of Blackburn with West Ham. Hammers fans will really be hoping that this doesn’t happen especially with a shiny new stadium around the corner.
Sam’s critics have some valid points, West Ham lost 20 times last year, played more long balls than any other side, had the worst shooting accuracy in the league (37.4%) and were involved in the most 0-0 draws (six) while failing to score 15 times.
The irony is that West Ham have more than enough quality to stay up. The £12m spent on Enner Valencia is a gamble but his 3 goals in the World Cup showed a striker of real promise while Diafra Sakho is an unknown quantity. He scored 43 goals in the past two seasons but they came in the lower leagues in France for Metz.
The on-loan Carl Jenkinson is a smashing signing while Mauro Zárate is the type of volatile wildcard that Upton Park seems to attract.
West Ham may struggle to score goals but their defence kept 14 clean sheets last season and we feel that they will be called on once again. A heavy defeat to Spurs on the opening day could see the mood turn even more sour.
Irish Angle: This season could be a defining one for Joey O’Brien. The versatile full-back hasn’t managed to establish himself as a permanent Irish squad member due to a combination of knee and shoulder injuries.
O’Brien signed a new contract with West Ham recently so he doesn’t have to worry about his future. He just needs to keep himself fit because O’Neill has constantly said that he will consider everyone for selection.
The Irish left-back position is most definitely up for grabs and now is the time for the Dubliner to impress.
If they were a fictional character… Ugly naked guy from Friends. Their style of football isn’t easy on the eye but you can’t ignore the fact that people do talk about it. Like the Friends character they frequently drop out of the league only to re-appear and grab headlines.
Where they will end up? Borderline relegation. Allardyce will probably be sacked, the club will go into a tailspin but will a potential new manger be able to turn them around. Time will tell.
