Poll Results: Zola

Do you think Zola will still be manager of West Ham at the end of the season?

Yes 84%
No 16%

If West Ham sell one of their star players in January do you think Zola will resign?

Yes 41%
No 59%

Do you think Zola is the right man to lead West Ham through this period of instability within the club?

Yes 76%
No 24%

Do you agree with these statements?

Zola was the wrong man at the wrong time – 14%

He must be given time to prove himself and all this talk about him leaving is just destabilising – 65%

He can only work with the tools available to him – 50%

His tactics have been wrong and he is incapable of adapting – 3%

I have total confidence that Zola will come good and we will soon be clear of the relegation zone – 36%

I think we should cut our losses now and replace him – 4%

Tomkins Returns from Derby Loan

Gianfranco Zola has recalled James Tomkins from his loan spell at Derby. The Rams had wanted to keep him. This is a firm indication of Zola’s intention to sell Calum Davenport, I would say.

Incidentally, does anyone know how far Danny Gabbidon is from returning to fitness?

In Praise of The Independent

It’s not often I post a reader’s comment as a main blogpost, but I thought this comment from SJ Chandos was worthy of it…

The only paper worth reading on the transfer situation is The Independent. No ‘fire sale’ nonsense there, just impartial reporting. Even the likes of The Times, Telegraph and Guardian have been infected with the tabloid diseases of lazy journalism, speculation and sensationalism.

It is worth noting that the Independent is stating that bids for all key players are being rejected and that funds are to be raised via the sale of fringe players. It has also made it clear that only bids of 15m plus received will be referred to Zola for decision. Presumably to see whether he thinks a sale will fund the purchase of better players, options that exist, but cannot be funded at the moment. So to all intents and purposes, Zola appears to be in control of situation.

It has also been reported that Parker and Upson have been told that they are staying and that Bellamy is not up for sale. Only the Independent reported that Duxbury had told Spurs that Bellamy was not for sale. Proably because they were the only paper with the journalistic standards to actually bother asking him!

I think that the club are not going to undermine Zola by selling players against his wishes. The board genuinely appear to believe in him and Clarke and want them to lead the regeneration of the club. Even if that was not the case, they cannot afford to have Zola walk out on them! That would be very damaging to the reputation of the board and the club.

I suppose this could still be Machavellian manipulation and manouvre by the board, but the signs look good so far. Lets hope they are going to support Zola and Clarke and, as promised, keep our best players. Keep the faith!

Faubert Set for Nantes?

The Mail report that French premier Legaue outfit Nantes have expressed an interest in Julien Faubert. Their manager Elie Baup said: ‘If I had to sign anyone in January, the priority would be Julien Faubert.’

Now that Jonathan Spector and Kieron Dyer are returning to fitness, we’re OK on the right. Talking of Spector, I have never understood the antipathy towards him which people have expressed in the comments on this blog. He’s certainly not a flamboyant player, but he is solid and rarely let us down. I’d far rather see him at right back than Lucas Neill or Julien Faubert. He can also cover at left back, in the centre of defence and, if necessary in midfield. Every team needs a player like him.

Poll Result: HOTY & Player Ratings So Far This Season

Who do you think will get Hammer of the Year?

Matthew Upson 39%
Robert Green 25%
Valon Behrami 19%
Scott Parker 9%

Give your player ratings out of 10 so far this season

Matthew Upson 8.17
Robert Green 8.10
Valon Behrami 7.59
Scott Parker 7.30
James Collins 7.21
Herita Ilunga 7.13
Craig Bellamy 7.03
Calum Davenport 6.40
Mark Noble 6.39
Hayden Mullins 5.93
Freddie Sears 5.76
Matthew Etherington 5.16
Luis Boa Morte 4.77
Carlton Cole 4.67
David di Michele 4.65
Julien Faubert 4.10

Staying & Going

The Sun says we have turned down a £12 million bid for Craig Bellamy from Spurs – double their original bid. Cheeky buggers. I’m glad they didn’t accept the revised bid, although you have to say £12 million is an awful lot for a player who has been injured for most of the last eighteen months.

They also speculate that Calum Davenport is on his way to Bolton for £1.5 million. That is way to cheap. He cost £3 million and we should be looking to recoup that. Poor sod. Imagine having to play for Gary Megson. A fate worse than death.

Channel 4 say that David di Michele may be returning to Turin. If so, that would leave us a striker short. One player who has been limked with us is Giampaolo Paxxini from Fiorentina, although The Sun reckon he could be on his way to Everton.

If One Player Has to be Sold, Then it Should be…

You’ve got to feel sorry for James Collins, who is now fit again. Calum Davenport is in storming form so he can’t get back in. This is why I reckon if we do have to lose one of our star players, Matthew Upson should be the one to go. We have four excellent central defenders (Davenport, Collins, Tomkins & Gabbidon) plus Lucas Neill, who is better there than at right back.

We do not have the same cover for Bellamy or Green, and Upson is the only one who would raise real money.

Don’t get me wrong. but if we really do need the money Upson, is the one to go… Just sayin’, like…

[battens down the hatches]

UPDATE: Yes, I did write this before the Stoke game. My point was that any business can go through tough times and have to capitalise on its assets. Of course I don’t want Upson to go, any more than you do, but if we do have to sell one our three star assets, all I am arguing is that it should be Upson rather than Green or Bellamy, purely because we have cover in his position.

Twitter & Links

As you can see, I have added my Twitter feed to the blog on the right hand sidebar. If you want to follow my Twitter feed click HERE.

I have also worked out how to reinstate the Blogroll, and at the same time culled some dead links and added new ones. If you know of a West Ham blog which is not listed, please email me and I will add it.

Poll Result: Who We Should Sell

If West Ham have to sell one of their star players, who should it be?

Dean Ashton 58%
Scott Parker 20%
Craig Bellamy 17%
Matthew Upson 3%
Robert Green 2%

Which one of these players would you want to keep at the club at all costs?

Robert Green 48%
Matthew Upson 35%
Craig Bellamy 7%
Dean Ashton 6%
Scott Parker 4%

Which player would you most like to sell during the Transfer Window?

Luis Boa Morte 41%
Julien Faubert 20%
Carlton Cole 19%
Lee Bowyer 6%
Lucas Neill 6%

Which of these players would you be content to see sold in January?

Luis Boa Morte 94%
Lee Bowyer 84%
Jonathan Spector 74%
Carlton Cole 70%
Julien Faubert 70%
Lucas Neill 51%
Matthew Etherington 40%
Hayden Mullins 35%
CaluM Davenport 30%
Craig Bellamy 8%
Scott Parker 8%
James Collins 4%
Mark Noble 3%
Matthew Upton 2%
Valon Behrami 2%

Stoke Match Report: Down With the Tottenham!

This is the sort of match which we often fail to get anything out of. But we came good in the end. It certainly wasn’t our best performance of the season, but we did deserve the three points. Stoke didn’t help themselves by self-combusting. They weren’t the worst team we will play this season, but despite being first to the ball a lot of the time, they failed to capitalise on the possession they had.

I can’t ever recall a player being sent off for hitting one of his own teammates, but that is what happened to Ricardo Fuller just as Stoke were kicking off following the West Ham goal. I suppose it’s this sort of thing that keeps us going to matches. Just when you think you have seen it all.

Our clear man of the match was Valon Behrami. What an engine he has. I don’t think I have ever seen a player like him. Tenacious is a word which hardly does him justice. He was all over the pitch and won the ball back countless times. When he first came to the club I thought he was a headless chicken, but he knows exactly what he is doing. I didn’t think I would ever admit a player deserved to keep Noble out of the team, but I will make an exception for Behrami.

Overall, the midfield had quite a good balance to it. Scott Parker was all over the pitch too, although too often his final ball was off beam. He takes too long to decide what to do with it and today missed the obvious ball on too many occasions. Luis Boa Morte had one of his better days today and in the second half gave the team some much needed width, although he still had an annoying tendency to drift infield. Jack Collison was superb again and quite why he was subbed is anyone’s guess. His tackling was effective and he was probably the most creative of the midfield four. He’s also not afraid to shoot.

With two of our defenders being changed (O’Neill and Davenport) I suppose it was inevitable that we looked shaky at the back on occasion. The Stoke goal came about because neither Faubert, nor Collins picked up Faye from the corner. Otherwise Collins was commanding in the air and had a good game. The same cannot be said, unfortunately, for Julien Faubert, who has joined Carlton Cole as the crowd’s favourite whipping boy. At times he was simply awful, giving away possession too easily and being weak in the tackle. He fared a little better in his regular forays forward, but too often his crosses were misdirected.

Carlton Cole was largely anonymous in the first half and only really came to life after he scored. Confidence is a wonderful thing. The truth is he should have scored immediately after the Stoke goal. A poacher would have tucked away Collison’s cross without thinking twice. Cole blasted wide. But for all that, he was miles better than the totally ineffective David di Michele. Apart from a skilful cross, he contributed very little to the game and it was a mystery to us all when Zola substituted Tristan for Collison rather than di Michele.

Tristan again looked totally out of it after he on for the last 20 minutes. Yes, he scored, but it was quite a flukey goal. I couldn’t understand why Zola thought Tristan or di Michele were better bets than Freddie Sears. But why should I complain? We got three points and now sit in tenth place, just one win away from a European place. What a difference a week makes, eh?

Green 7
Ilunga 7
Upson 7
Collins 7
Faubert 5
Behrami 8
Collison 8
Boa Morte 6
Parker 6
Cole 6
di Michele 4

UPDATE: To all those Spurs fans leaving comments protesting (several using very homophobic language) at the headline to this article, your comments won’t get through moderation. So piss off.

Stoke City Open Thread

This is the game that could, in theory, kick start our season. I can’t remember the last time we won two in a row. If we beat Stoke we will be in the top half of the league for the first time since the first few weeks of the season.

There will be at least one enforced change tomorrow, with Craig Bellamy suspended because he has reached five bookings. I imagine Diego Tristan will start alongside Carlton Cole. Lucas Neill may also be replaced by Julien Faubert due to a twisted ankle. Otherwise, expect the rest of the team to look the same.

Green, Ilunga, Upson, Davenport, Faubery, Noble, Parker, Behrami, Collison, Cole, Tristan.

When Harry Went Too Far

There are rules and regulations about tapping up players. Harry Redknapp may not have rung Craig Bellamy directly and said “Luv a duck, Craig, me old mucker, get yourself over to White Hart Lane,” but he might just as well have. He’s made it known that they have tabled one bid and will follow it up with a second. The first bid was a laughable £6 million. We paid £7 million for him, and presumably Redknapp doesn’t believe he has deteriorated as a player otherwise he wouldn’t want him. Indeed, he’s on the record as saying that he doesn’t want to buy anyone who isn’t better than the players he’s already got. Bearing in mind Bent cost £16 million and the Russian £14 million, Craig Bellamy must surely be rated by Redknapp in that bracket. OK, he’s a bit older, but he’s a proven player.

I have no inside information on this, but it is clear that if the Board are offered silly money – by which I mean £12 million or more – then they are going to consider it. Hopefully if he did go for that we then would not entertain bids for Matthew Upson or Robert Green. But what a big hole it would leave in our strike force. We have found goals hard enough to come by as it is, and a strike force of Cole/Tristan or Cole/Di Michele will not be strong enough.

It would be good to hear from Craig Bellamy himself that he is happy where he is and does not want to go. His silence so far, tells me he is keeping his options open. In some ways, he cannot be blamed for that.

Later on today I will publish the transfer section of my survey, which shows which players you all most want to keep.

Survey Results: Part 1

Over the last week 892 of you have voted in my survey – 98% of you support the Hammers. Over the next few days I will be publishing the results. Thanks to all of you who took part.

* 27% of you have a season ticket
* 23% of you never go to a game
* 24% of you sit in the Dr Martens Stand
* 26% of you always go a to a pub before a game
* 6% of you boo players who you feel aren’t trying

* 17% of you live in London
* 24% of you live in Essex
* 14% of you live in Kent and the South East
* 7% of you live in Western Europe
* 5% of you live in the USA
* 5% of you live in Australia & New Zealand

* 10% of you visit this blog more than once a day
* 23% of you visit every day
* 23% of you visit once every two days
* 29% of you visit once a week

* 75% of you like the blog as it is
* 25% of you want me to appoint a co-editor

Thanks to all those who left comments about whether I should change the focus of the blog and appoint a co-editor. You all want me to post more regularly but don’t want me to appoint a co-editor. I will do my best!

Portsmouth Open Thread

No internet, no team news, nothing. So it’s over to you…

COYI

UPDATE: Team v Portsmouth: Green, Neill, Davenport, Upson, Ilunga, Collison, Noble, Parker, Behrami, Cole, Bellamy.

Happy Christmas

I am spending Christmas Day and Boxing Day with my parents and sister and her family near Saffron Walden. No broadband, no internet … but lots of mince pies. I know I shouldn’t, but it is Christmas…

Happy Christmas to all my blog readers!

Faubert & Boa Morte on Their Way?

So, Julien Faubert wants to go. Nigel Quashie is staying at Birmingham for another month and possibly permanently. And Luis Boa Morte may be on his way too.

Happy Christmas!

But it’s not all good news. There are various reports that West Ham have put a £12 million price tag on Bellamy, £10 million on Upson and that Chelsea and Juventus are both interested in Valon Behrami.

And now, to get you all in the Christmas spirit, sing this to the tune of Rupert the Bear!

There’s a little bear like you’ve never seen before whose a lot of fun.
Hammers fans every where tried to love him more wishing he’d be number one.
There’s a million stories to be told of the things that, he’s done.
And he’s going to share them all if you so come along.

Oh Julien, Julien Faubert every one sing his name.
Julien, Julien Faubert every one come and join, in all of his games

There is Nigel Quashie, little Boa Morte too and a whole lot more.
They are Julien’s Friends and they are waiting here for you so unlock the door
There’s a magic land not far away from here and they call it, West Ham.
Where you’ll meet a little Zola bear if you are good.

Oh, Julien, Julien Faubert etc

Is Elano the Answer?

Do you remember the first match of last season – when Manchester City came to Upton Park and tonked us 2-0? Elano, a player I had never heard of, ripped us to sheds. He has now fallen out with Mark Hughes and should be available in January.

We desperately need a creative midfield play maker to create chances in the style of a Berkovic or Di Canio. At the moment we don’t have such a player.

Bearing in mind we won’t exactly have a fortune (if anything) to spend in January, who else might we consider for this position?

Calling Hammers Fans in Washington DC

A message from Dan, a Hammers fan in Washington DC…

I live outside of Washington DC. I would love to find some fellow West Ham fans to get together with to watch the Hammers. I was wondering if you had heard of any fan groups in this area. I know it’s a stretch, but thought I would ask.

If you’d like to get in touch with Dan, please email dan AT commonwealthhousing DOT com

Poll: Zola, Transfers & This Blog

I hope you will spend a few minutes filling in this End of Year Poll… It covers

* The future of Zola
* Which players you think might/should be sold
* Whether you think I should change the way this blog is run
* What the club should do about Sheffield United
* Player performances so far this season

There are around 20 questions and it should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

Vote HERE.

Your Questions Please

Later today or tomorrow I’m going to do my annual poll – which will include questions about what you think of this blog, who you think we might have to or want to sell in January, your views on the Sheffield United situation etc.

If you can think of a question – related to this blog, or to the club, that you think I should ask, please say so in the comments.