A few thoughts...

Last few weeks have been disappointing to say the least, below par against Burnley, and a quite frankly embarrassing away performance last weekend, it was almost as if we were back to our previous selves: un-able to defend, demotivated and a lack of harmony within the squad. However, these past results have been exactly what we've needed - a reality check. Many fans, including myself started to think "Yeah we'll easily get promoted" but even I said to my Dad before the game against Burnley, "this is the sort of game we lost last season, don't fancy a win today" and low and behold we lost. If anything, it's highlighted how poor we are upfront when Baldock is injured. Cole, who isn't a lone striker is totally ineffective when played as one and needs the likes of Baldock and even Sears to play off him for him to get involved with the game. Our squad is injury hit and there's no way I can deny that whatsoever, but you'd imagine that those being given a chance in the absence of Taylor, Lansbury, Reid and co would be chomping at the bit to impress however, it looked as if at times last week at Reading that they'd just met each other for the first time before the game.

January will be a big month for us, and perhaps our biggest and most important transfer market in a long time. Allardyce has supposedly drawn up a 25 man short-list and with it rumoured that G&S have given him a £10m transfer kitty, we may well see some 'big' names. However, with Green refusing to sign a new deal and Faubert suggesting that he wants a move to France, we may well see departures as well as arrivals. Names such as Zamora, Andy Johnson, Wilfred Zaha and Liam Ridgewell have been thrown around Twitter this week as potential transfer targets and all would undoubtedly improve our squad however I feel that we're missing a trick and need to target - even if it be on a 6 month loan - a CM. Now, with him apparently seeking a loan move away from Arsenal to gain match time, need we look further than said Emmanuel Frimpong? Yes he'd be a liability as his attitude in previous games has shown, but he'd offer tenacity, desire and with the intention to impress Mr Wenger, why not? Worth a shot surely?

With Collison and O'Brien suspended, and Winston Reid, Sam Baldock, Matt Taylor, Guy Demel, Henri Lansbury, Ruud Boffin and Gary O'Neil all still out injured, it will be interesting to see what kind of a side Allardyce puts out this afternoon. Who knows, we may even see some youth! If we loose today, it's understandable, we're in the middle of an injury crisis and looking at the squad list, I can't begin to think what our starting line up will look like this afternoon. But what ever happens, do not start calling for Allardyce's head, you can't do anything about injuries and I for one am certainly excited as to what he gets up to in Jan. Come on you Irons and let's hope for a resounding win this afternoon. 

Ooo get us...

Four wins on the trot, seven games unbeaten, this is more like it. Sound performance away at Middlesbrough is certainly something I didn't expect to see so soon in the Allardyce reign. Our away form at the moment is spectacular to say the least, let's hope it continues until the end of the season! Piquionne scored doing what he does best and although I've criticised him in the past he more than justified his selection tonight. Cole's time out injured appears to of rejuvenated him and he's returned as the player he should of been last season. Judging by 5Live's commentary it was a tidy finish too. Bring on Burnley is all I can say, and let's hope we see those pretty bubbles continue to fly.

King Kevin

Sure it's taken him longer than we'd of liked for him to get his first goal at Upton Park but boy he didn't half do it by measures? A cracking left foot volley that even Matty Taylor would be proud of set us on our way to victory on Saturday but again, like I've said before, the growing animosity towards the man is unsettling. Not just for Nolan himself but for other fans who knew he was capable of scoring goals like he did on Saturday. Nolan is industrial, he's strong and he scores goals and it'd sure be a shame if he turned around and asked for a move because he didn't feel welcome. You only need to look at his goalscoring record a couple of seasons back when Newcastle were in the Championship to see just how valuable the guy is.  More importantly, I don't think Allardyce has found the right role for him yet. Some will say that he's too slow to be playing in the middle of the park and I for one agree with that especially as on the counter we leave ourselves vulnerable it'd be wrong to play him there arguably he could be deemed too slow to play in behind Cole to support him. I say let the captain find his feet and in time, he'll more than justify his price-tag and wages. With the likes of Taylor and co recovering from injury I'm sure his game will improve. Just a thought to consider, if he does go 'missing' in a game as some have pointed out, sing and cheer for him rather than abusing him, might just gee him up.

It's growing...

In a footballing world where more and more fans are jumping on the bandwagon and support top clubs such as Barca, Real, United, City it’s intriguing to see growing levels of support for the lower English leagues.

Take Hartlepool United for example, a League One club currently 12^th and filling on average 75% of its ground every week, impressive huh? A club that is Geographically close to Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Doncaster and only twenty or so miles south from the high-flying Newcastle United, why is it that they are attracting big crowds every week?  Now I say big, and I mean big for Hartlepool’s standards. Hartlepool’s capacity in 7229 and with an average attendance 5491 turning up every week, it’s safe to say it’s not that far off a full house. Affordable prices without a doubt are one of the reasons League teams are attracting large numbers week in week out and with kids willing to sing their hearts out to support their team, the clubs benefits from it in more ways than one. Rousing support without a doubt boosts atmosphere and with people singing for the players rather than clapping them on and off the pitch at the beginning and end of the game it's bound to have a positive effect on player morale too. I experienced this first hand in January when Newcastle came to Stevenage for a 3rd round FA Cup tie and to this day I am convinced the atmosphere unsettled the Newcastle side. Barton as you can imagine took a lot of stick and when Newcastle showed signs of "uncomfortableness" it showed and the crowd picked up on it. What I'm trying to say is when the crowd get's going at any club let alone the Premier League's elite it really is a moment to behold and savour.

However, as I breifly touched upon earlier, money and affordability does play a large part. A season ticket for an adult at Hartlepool is on average £376.50 compare this to Middlesbrough who are a Championship club and that figure rises to £420-595. Therein lays one of the fundamental reasons lower league football in England has seen a rise in support - Premier League and Championship football is just too expensive to watch. The Championship, full to the brim of Premier League talent have their prices high simply for “financial reasons”. David Gold, chairman of  West Ham stated in the summer that he “can't justify paying huge wages to players and passing on the cost to fans however a financial reality”.  An idea that Adrian Durham of Talksport was totally against and in turn, many other football fans. It’s not just Premier League football that’s excluding a large percentage of it’s fans, but the Championship is also resorting to high-ticket prices to help fund their astronomical wage bills in the hope that the players they have signed will guarantee them promotion. Gold's quote without a doubt highlights the increasing problem in Championship football. Clubs are willing to take a risk on ex-Premier League players in the hope that it will fire them back up this (and I know it's still early days) has not been the case at Leicester City where as I'm sure you are all aware, spent big in the summer in the hope they'd run away with the Championship, which is not the case. Currently 9th in the Championship and 13 points of the leaders Southampton they've got a bit of work to do yet. A change in manger surely doesn't help but when you've spent big and the fans are paying for it in more ways than one, it doesn't bode well. 

But let’s step away from finance and get serious; lower league football is becoming much more attractive.  Let’s take League One again for example; Charlton and Sheffield United (ex premier league), Sheffield Wednesday (ex Champions League winners), Huddersfield and even the once mighty MK Dons are all playing their trade there. With these big names, comes ex big name players; Clinton Morrison, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Lee Hughes and Richard Cresswell to name but a few and slowly but surely ex Premier League players are re-ignighting themselves down the footballing ladder. These players, albeit not single-handedly, do still however attract fans to watch their team play, for example I can remember earlier on in the season at Stevenage when Notts County came to town a lot of the home fans were talking about Lee Hughes albeit negatively but it highlights the point that big time players playing in the lower leagues are getting fans talking and more importantly, getting them paying. Not to mention the League's are breaking the typical stereo-type. Traditionally when you think of lower League football you think of the dreaded away trip to Carlisle/Plymouth in the pouring rain where you'll witness 90mins of hoofing the ball forward to the well-built striker in the attempt he'll get a lucky header that floats in, well I can tell you that is no longer the case. Having been to four Stevenage home games this season and seen them beat Charlton, Sheffields United and Wednesday and lose to Notts Country it's evident that this is no longer the case. In every game, both sides kept the ball on the ground and looked to play it and with the way the English game is evolving it's nice to see this is spreading down the Leagues. I say the word evolve because I personally believe that that is what's happening to the modern game.  I have got to look at this with open eyes and I cannot categorically deny that there are times where the football becomes ugly and it turns into a game of who can head the ball the furthest however as the game evolves and the footballing ethos is further developed eventually I can see the "Footballing Divide" between the Leagues to the Premier League gradually becoming smaller and smaller. 

League’s 1 and 2 are also providing a platform for some very interesting managers to show off their capabilities. Take Chris Powell for example, took over at Charlton last season, pulled them through to a below-par 13^th place finish in League one and in his second season he’s got them currently 5 points clear and only losing once (1-0 away to Stevenage). The fans adore Powell from his tenure at the club as a player and this was undoubtedly what saved his job, without his previous reputation his shot at the big time could of been over before it'd even begun. Graham Westley currently in charge of my local team Stevenage FC has not seen his success go un-noticed in recent years. Having led them to back to back promotions it was inevitable he would be linked with a job in the big time and the Media speculated that it'd be Westley who would take over as Watford manager in the summer it was however not to be and Sean Dyche got the job but it's certainly interesting to see these accomplishments being noticed. Westley's style has undoubtedly changed over his 2nd spell at the club however the mentality "witness the fitness" remains and it's easy to see why they are so successfully. Without a doubt one of the smallest clubs in the Football League and with roughly the same squad that saw them promoted from the Conference it's evident to see that Westley has something about him - I mean, you don't beat Newcastle 3-1 at home if you're not up to scratch do you? A further example would be Paolo Di Canio at Swindon. Lets face it, all of us including Hammers fans were sceptical if Paolo would be able to cut it as a manager however 18 games in Swindon are sitting in 7th in League 2 on 30points eleven off the pace, not bad for a rookie eh? If the League position doesn't impress you then maybe the fact that he led Swindon to a 4-1 win over League 1 high-flyers Huddersfield who at the time of writing are 44 league games unbeaten. If that's not enough to get chins wagging then I don't know what is. 


I don't doubt for one second that there's a large percentage of you that won't agree with the above and I welcome that and you're more than welcome to leave comments at the bottom of the page. If you want to have a moan at me on Twitter you can find me @MusingsofMoore. Praise is welcome also. Cheers for reading. 

My Top 5 PL Goals

A hot topic of debate for many a football fan – what is the greatest goal of all time? A “great” goal can consist of a piece of skill, a forty yard thunderbolt or a match-winning overhead kick or even a simple tap in after a beautifully knitted thread of thirty passes. Below I’m going to list my Top 5 Premier League goals of all time. Ready?

5) Dennis Bergkamp v Newcastle

Not only was it a sublime piece of skill from the Dutch master followed by an even better finish it was a fantastic team move as-well. Recently voted the 7^thbest goal in Premier League history it’s easy to see why he gained legendary status at Highbury. The move started deep in Arsenal’s own half and within three passes the ball found itself in the back of the net. Not to mention the ball into Bergkamp’s feet from Pires was a beauty too.  This goal just about pipped another Gooner, Robin Van Persie into my Top 5. His thunderbolt against Charlton will live long in the memory of many a football fan.

4) Matt Le Tissier v Newcastle

What a special bit of skill this is. Again a move started inside their own half Southampton hoofed a long ball forward into the Newcastle half, a header down to the holy feet of Le Tissier who flicks the ball over his head, over the head of an oncoming defender and another and then a cool finish into the corner of the net.  In my opinion one of the single greatest pieces of skill of all time it’s easy to see why Le Tiss was idolised by Southampton fans.

3) Alan Shearer v Everton

In my opinion the second best volley of all time after Paolo Di Canio – an absolute rocket from the ex-England man.  The ball perfectly headed so it dropped onto his right foot and then at what appears to be 100mph+, absolutely flies into the net.  Cue wild celebrations from Shearer and his team mates as they struggle to believe what just happened. As I say only just beaten by Di Canio to the greatest Premier League volley of all time it’s easy to see why Shearer was considered one of the best strikers around.

2) Cameron Jerome v Liverpool

In what is going to be considered a surprise admission by many, in at number two is Cameron Jerome.  When you hear and think of Jerome you wouldn’t have thought he was a player capable of unleashing a rocket from 30+ yards but believe me he is as Reina found out in the 2009/2010 season.  Jerome, using his upper body strength powered past a couple of Liverpool defenders and unleashed a beauty which sailed into the top corner of the net.  Jerome who hasn’t repeated this undoubted skill since might just be a one hit wonder nonetheless what a way to be remembered. (Goal at 1min 28sec)

1) Paolo Di Canio vs Wimbledon

The one, the only Paolo Di Canio.  You know what goal I’m talking about the absolute beauty of a volley commonly known around the world as “The Di Canio”. A fantastic team move that shall I say, ripped apart a Wimbledon side that ended up in what I believe to be the Greatest Goal of all time.  Yes as a West Ham fan you could consider me biased but tell me, have you seen anything like it since?  A brilliant ball from the late Foe to Sinclair who bettered Foe’s ball to him to Di Canio who timed his leap perfectly and beautifully finished.  Those immortal words uttered by Martin Tyler “Di Canio oh, I do not believe that, that is sensational” will certainly live in my memory forever.  Long hail the king.

Guest writers wanted!

With my contributions slowly getting less and less I'm looking for fellow Hammers to write for the site. Drop me a mention on Twitter @Daniel_Speller and I'll email you with details. Look forward to hearing from you.

Captain Kev

This afternoon I've read, heard and seen some totally ridiculous suggestions that Nolan's gone downhill, not the player he was and that we've been 'ripped off'. Are you having a laugh? These are the same people that were praising him and Allardyce a couple of months back when he signed on the dotted line. How fickle do you want to get? He's our captain, arguably our most accomplished player and like every other player needs time to settle in and find his place etc. He'll find his shooting boots and goal scoring form from a couple of seasons back when he led Newcastle straight back up. In fact, I think i've hit the nail on the head, Nolan isn't a midfield player he's more of a striker and maybe that's where we should play him, upfront with Cole rather than alongside Noble/Collison. Give him time rather than slagging him off after 6 games, he'll prove you wrong, I know it. 

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