Is it all a little pre-mature?

We've had a pretty decent pre-season, no doubt about it but is it all a little pre-mature? Yeah we beat Real Zaragoza who finished 13th in La Liga last season but that was the first time they have played since May meaning that they were rusty and rough around the edges. Four clean sheets in a row however is impressive and it would appear that Allardyce and the team have made huge strides since the end of last season. Faubert again looked solid and it would appear he has changed his mind and now wants to stay at the club following his outburst last season demanding that could leave in the summer - all positives as I believe he's a good winger and even though it's not his preferred position he has also proved he can play at right-back when required. However I'm not totally convinced and I believe that Cardiff next weekend will be a real test for us and in doing so will set the benchmark for the rest of the season. It's looking increasingly likely that we will keep a hold of Parker, Cole and Green for the curtain-raiser which can only be good - reports suggesting this week that Cole has rejected a move to Stoke to stay at Upton Park next season. Big Sam left the Zaragoza game at half-time to scout a striker - I wonder who that may be? There have been glimpses of promise and hope during pre-season but I won't believe it until I see it and we're a whole week away from that. Plenty time for further improvement.

Carew - a direct replacement for Cole?

Reports today linking us to Carew placed a smile on my face. A man-made replacement for Cole if he leaves with Stoke readying another offer for the England international. Tall, physical and a powerful finisher, Carew in my mind is built for the Championship not to mention he'd feel right at home in claret and blue. He was released by Aston Villa at the end of the season therefore he would cost nothing in the form of a transfer fee however I can imagine his wages being relatively high. Even IF Cole leaves and Carew replaces him I still think we need to sign another striker. Who that will be however, I have no idea. A rather interesting recommendation put forward to me a couple of weeks a go in a comment on one on my previous blogs was Federico Macheda - a player who would thrive alongside a big man such as Carew and also who would be interested in joining our club as first team opportunities might be scarce at Old Trafford this season. A deal that would work for both teams on a season-long loan basis it's hard to see why this deal couldnt happen.  

Like for like?

I've been thinking...

I was asked to write an article for another site where I would be guest posting (an achievement which I'm proud of as I though it'd never happen) and I was told I could write the article on absolutely anything. An sudden flow of ideas rushed to my head but the one that stood out the most was - What are the Top 5 Premier League Greatest Goals of all time. Goals throughout the years sprang to mind: Xabi Alonso from inside his own half, Beckham against Wimbledon, Henry against United and even Figueroa's free-kick from inside his own half - the list is quite frankly endless however one goal stood out and that was Di Canio's volley against Wimbledon, which in my view is easily the greatest goal in Premier League history. A string of beautifully orchestrated passes which led to the 9th minute opener are as equally impressive as the goal. Di Canio's timed his leap impeccably and unleashed an unstoppable volley past the hapless Sullivan into the corner of the net. Di Canio seemed impressed with himself and the celebration showed it but it got me thinking - will we ever see a better goal at Upton Park? A moment of magic, genius or just plain showboating whatever you want to call it, it has not been matched since and has left me pondering. No-one expected Di Canio to do it infact I'm not sure many people knew he had it in him yet on the 26th March 2000 he set Upton Park alight with a moment of individual brilliance. No pressure then ...

Take a bow son, take a bow.

Anyone remember this beauty?

Yeah he can be clumsy, yeah he might not be the best finisher but when he can score goals like this who cares? The goal against Birmingham earlier on in the season was a cracker as well. Cole needs time and games and I'm prepared to give him a chance - given the right balls and striking partner he'll be the Championship's top goalscorer next season. Okay, I'm being a tad optimistic but given a bit of luck it'll happen. Still time for him to be England's No 9 ...

In Carlton we trust.

Scotty Parker

The man who once looked certain to leave Upton Park seems to have for now parked himself in the side. Interest in Parker has cooled dramatically since the start of the transfer window and with Aston Villa now looking like they have pulled out of the race to sign him along with Chelsea it is looking more and more promising that Parker will be in claret and blue next season. As I've said before, the thought of he, Nolan and Collison in a midfield trio is certainly interesting and should in hindsight be the best in the league. Allardyce has thankfully ruled out selling Parker on deadline day and urges any teams that wish to make a bid for the England international to do so before then. News that will rattle 'Arry who's renown for making high profile deadline day transfers such as Van der Vaart last season. I'm going to live on in hope that Parker will be with us next season as I truly believe (dare I say it) that if we keep Parker we will return to the Premier League at the first time of trying. Although, now I've said that we'll probably miss out on promotion thanks to a 90th minute Millwall equaliser.

More of the same please Sir.

A bit of a Long shot...

We've submitted and seen rejected a £8million bid for Long this morning a deal in which I believe shows fantastic attacking intent not only in the transfer market but in the challenge for promotion. Long is fast, clever and proven goalscorer at Championship level and would fit in well to the side alongside either Cole or Piquionne in the classic 4-4-2 (similar to Crouch/Defoe at Spurs). £8million seems a bit steep but if that's the price of promotion then it is well and truly worth it. Having seen Long in action against Stevenage in the FA Cup I've became a fan ever since and in a previous post listed him as a recommended signing this summer. However as we aren't the only club interested in Long with West Brom supposedly willing to put in a matching bid for him it'll be interesting to see where he ends up.

Upton Park bound?

Three down, four to go...

In one of the quickest transfer sagas of the summer we've got our man. The fee undisclosed but I believe it to be in the region of £2million. Taylor will offer something else to the side weather he plays at left back or on the left hand side of the midfield and with a cracking left foot that can be seen at its finest here , I'm personally looking forward to watching Taylor strutting his stuff at Upton Park next season. Another player who I'm looking forward to watching provided that he stays fit next season is Gary O'Neil who showed glimpses of decent attacking intent before he got injured towards the end of last season. A good crosser of the ball and I can certainly see him providing many assists for Cole (provided that he stays). 

As I stated in my last post, I believe that there are four maybe even five areas of the team that still need improving. Provided that Green stays I think that are goalkeeping options in reserve are fine, Stech deserves a chance to prove himself and we've also got Kurucz. However if Green leaves then I think we need to target Joe Lewis. A good shot-stopper who proved his worth with Peterborough last season who I believe would be the end to all our problems. Lewis is tall and therefore commanding in the air which would hopefully put an end to our poor defending at corners - something which I hope Allardyce has been working hard on in training. With the departure of Upson, Da Costa and Jacobsen our back four is looking thin, the arrival of Faye has strengthened it somewhat however we are still a centre back away from being as strong as we should be. Having seen him in action a couple of times last season and impressing me somewhat I feel that Alex Bruce (son of Steve Bruce) would not only strengthen the squad but improve the back four. A fee in the region of £2-3 million would be required to snap him up from Leeds but he certainly looks an interesting prospect. If Taylor hasn't been signed to play in the left back role then I think we need to sign someone to cover Illunga, now for me this was a pretty easy role to research and if it's experience we need then it has to be Ian Harte - a player who has also been there and done that who currently plays his trade at Reading wouldn't command a large fee at all and his wages would be relatively small in comparison to Nolan and co. In my opinion the right back role is fine Jordan Spence who played in that position for the last couple of games at the end of last season deserves to be given the chance to prove himself and we've got cover in the form of Reid (our World Cup star) so I'm not too worried bar an injury crisis. 

Our midfield is shaping up to be looking quite promising. Nolan, Parker (for now), Noble and Collison battling for at most three central midfield places could be quite exciting. As I stated earlier the return of O'Neil on the right, Barerra/Taylor on the left and Sears/Hines coming off the bench to replace tired legs our midfield is going to be fast and industrial. The thought of Nolan and Parker playing together for a season is shall we say ... mouth watering. Apart from the defence the area that worries me the most is up top. There is no point of having a very decent midfield if there is not sufficient talent to finish moves off. I'm a fan of Cole and provided that he finds his shooting boots early on in the season I can see him ending up top goal scorer and winning back the majority of fans. Piquionne should get amongst the goals this season as there were times last season where he looked lethal amongst looking clumsy. I'll admit we need a proven goal scorer but who? I can't see us signing Gradel unless Barerra leaves and with him performing incredibly well at the Copa America I can see him being given another chance to prove himself, which I'm all for. The Championships top goal scorer last season was Danny Graham (Watford) followed by Grant Holt and Shane Long (Norwich and Reading respectively). Long is well and truly out of our price range as reports suggest that West Brom are ready to make an £8million bid for him some point next week however I feel that Holt and Graham are possible and wouldn't command a large fee and wage demands would be smallish too. Still, that's what I believe should happen, whether it will or not is a totally different matter entirely. 

New look back four?

Super Matty Taylor?

With the signing of Taylor from Bolton looking imminent, I thought I'd weigh up the deal. For £2.2M we are getting what I believe to be a bargain. A cracking left foot and a good work ethic, Taylor will definitely fit into our side but where? With 4-3-3 reportedly being our formation of choice next season I imagine Allardyce views Taylor as our No1 left back as he is not a centre midfielder and in my opinion would struggle to fit into that role. If Taylor signs it will be interesting to see if our supposed interest in Max Gradel comes to an end or if it carries on will we line up in a 4-4-2 with Barerra right mid and Gradel operating on the left? With us missing out on Gudjohnsen and Cole announcing that he wants to stay in London and looking more and more likely that he will stay our attacking options are looking more or less the same as they were last season - weak. With Hines yet to renew his contract they could be further weakened still. In my opinion we are still three or four players away from being Championship contenders we need a new right back, an attacking midfielder, centre back and a general striker. I honestly think we missed a trick when Bowyer was released by Birmingham as I feel he could of seriously done a job for us next season in a three man midfield - experience and a proven track record in the Championship. Still with just over a month to go and only two players signed - I'm becoming increasingly worried about next season and what it may hold.

Anyone else see the Gud in Gudjohnsen?

A man that's been here, there and just about everywhere Eidur Gudjohnsen has inevitably been linked with us. A player who in my opinion could certainly do a job for us next season is also wanted by Premier League new boys Swansea. An impressive record (54 goals in 196 appearances) for Chelsea saw him make a move to Barcelona where he made little impact scoring 19 goals in 109 appearances over three years. After falling out of favour at Barca he made a switch to French side Monaco where he failed to impress and was eventually loaned out to Spurs before ending up at Stoke and more recently at Fulham, where he was released at the end of the season.

Although Eidur appears to be on the decline as a footballer I feel that after a little pre-season training and a few games he could soon be finding the net again. A player who would command no fee and presumably relatively small wages compared to the likes of Nolan and Parker may well become Allardyce's third signing. With Cole looking like he's well on his way to Stoke for a reported £4.5mill fee plus a further £1.5mill based on appearances our strike force is looking increasingly thin. Having worked with Allardyce at Bolton I can see him preferring us to Swansea but who knows. An experienced head to help develop the youngsters also I'm all for Gudjohnsen and would love to see him in a West Ham shirt next season, now all we need is the powers that be to make it happen. Here's to hoping.

It's all gone quiet on the Western Front

It would seemingly appear that after last week's disappointment of missing out on Craig Mackail-Smith we've gone into hiding. Still the rumour mill turns and low and behold we have once again been linked with Joe Cole, a player who I personally would love to see back at Upton Park however, it is well documented that his wages are ridiculously high and therefore in my opinion putting us immediately out of the race to sign him. I fully believe that for a couple of seasons at least we have got to forget about making any further big name signings before we put the financial future of the club at serious risk. Parker, Green and Cole all remain for now however Cole looks increasingly likely to leave with QPR and Stoke reportedly tabling £6m bids to secure his signature. Parker once again linked with Spurs however with them having to sell before they buy it too is looking likely that they are set to miss out on Parker with Aston Villa showing a keen interest in our captain. With a £10m bid by Fenerbahce accepted (which Parker rejected as he doesn't want to uproot his young family) it would appear to be unlikely that we will let him leave for anything less than that. As I stated last week even though there is just under two months to go until the end of the transfer window I'm becoming frustrated at the lack of movement within the market. We have let eleven first team players leave and so far signed two replacements - that fact alone shows that progress is slow.

Allardyce has handed trials to former Bolton player Joey O'Brien and Polish defender Hernani da Rosa, both in their mid-twenties I feel that they would bolster the squad and therefore both be good signings. O'Brien having worked with Allardyce before I should imagine will be keen to link up with his former manager. However in the way of transfer news that just so happens to be about that. Dissapointed and frustrated at the lack of movement in the market is many a West Ham fan however I am sure things will soon pick up and Allardyce's vision for Upton Park will soon become clear. Until then we can only imagine, speculate and guess as to who will be wearing Claret and Blue next season. Names such as Cole, Bellamy and Davies will fly around all summer and as per usual I feel none of those will sign on the dotted line. I hope I am proved wrong, COYI!

Just a little update ...

It's the second of July and with just under two months to go until the transfer window ends and yet I still end up finding myself a little frustrated. After a cracking start to the summer which saw us capture Nolan and Faye our efforts in signing  players appear to be dwindling. I can't help but feel the Cole/Green/Parker saga will drag out over the whole summer with the three of them eventually leaving on deadline day or agreeing with the club that they will stay until January and then be allowed to leave if the club is not meeting it's high expectations. I'd of thought Big Sam would of wanted his targets signed, sealed and delivered by pre-season so he had the whole summer to work with the squad but that does not appear to be the case.

Players such as Faubert who are on the way out of the club will raise transfer funds which we need to spend appropriately. Gone are the days of Dyer, Bellamy and co which is why I'm happy to see that a player such as Max Gradel has been targeted - a proven Championship player voted Leeds' Player of The Season 2011 he has displayed that he has the qualities to survive in the Championship. Sadly it would appear that we have missed out on the signing of Craig Mackail Smith which is a real shame in my eyes. Fantastic goal scoring record in League One caught the eyes of many clubs and it looks like he will sign for Leicester next week. What have they got that we haven't? Reports linking us to Matty Taylor have died down along with rumours of Kevin Davies strutting his stuff at Upton Park, both in my opinion would be very good signings offering us experience and quality upfront and in midfield. However especially the latter I cannot see them signing, they both have a few years left in the tank and both have what it takes to play at Premier League level and I'm sure they both would be wanted by other clubs and not just West Ham.

Pablo "World Cup Wonder" Barerra has had another fantastic tournament shining in the Gold Cup for Mexico. I just hope he can continue this form and take it into next season when we will need it the most. Promising youngsters Tombides and Turgott have been in good form for their countries indicating that we are still producing fantastic Youth talent which bodes well for the future of the club. I'm looking forward to the remaining two months of the transfer window because potentially it could be a good time for the club. Replacements for Parker and Co need to be signed before they are sold otherwise I have bad visions of us scrambling on deadline day paying over the odds for players we could of signed weeks before. Still as always I remain optimistic and convinced that there are good times to be had at Upton Park next season.