West Ham fluffed three good chances and conceded a late goal in the first
half. A lack of quality and a dodgy
substitution doesn’t help their cause in the second. The Hammers lose at home to the Blues twice
in four days.
Chilly Upton Park; gloves
required. That Easterly is blowing all
the way in from Russia. It’s tough to play the same opponent in quick
succession and the muted crowd at Upton Park seemed to sense this. This win was more important to both teams
than a League Cup result; you need your bread and butter before you can enjoy
the jam.
Curbishly makes two changes from
the side that lost a tight one to the Blues on Wednesday in the League
Cup. Green in goal with Neill, Collins;
in for the injured Gabbidon; Upson and McCartney across the back. Solano; back in the side after missing out in
midweek through ineligibility; Parker, Mullins and Ljungberg across the middle
with Ashton and Cole up front.
Moyes starts the same eleven;
from Wednesday’s game; in an attacking 4 4 1 1 formation. Howard in goal, Neville, Yobo Jagielka and
Lescott at the back. Arteta, Carsley,
Osman and Pienaar across midfield and Cahill; slightly deeper; with Yakubu up
front.
Everton start brightly, looking
to pass but the first incident is Parker tackling Neville, the ex-Manc gets a
taste of what he normally dishes out.
AN UGLY SISTER GETS A TASTE OF HER OWN MEDICINE
A West Ham corner is tipped out
by Howard and Yobo release Yakubu on the left, Pienaar receives the ball and
cuts it inside to Osman but the shot goes behind for a goal kick. Then Osman shoots wide after a lovely spell
of Everton possession, plenty of passing and movement from the visitors. Green has to be alert to claim a Cahill cross
and Jagielka comes across to cut out Ljungberg.
Cole gets the ball in midfield
and lays it wide to Solano his cross is telling and Ljunberg gets his head to
the ball but sees it go wide. A half
chance.
Collins and Yakubu commence their
altercation which continues throughout the game.
Solano and Parker combine well to
pierce Everton’s defence but they eventually hoof it clear as West Ham start to
assert themselves. Solano provides
creativity and Parker drive. West Ham makes
the most of a sloppy Yakubu pass with Cole crossing a looping ball into the
area which Ashton meets well but can’t keep on target. First decent chance.
Howard pushes a ball sloppily
wide and then makes a far better save at the feet of some West Ham players in a
crowded box. That’s how you do it
Paul! Everton appear clumsy and a tad
lethargic at the back and Solano takes the opportunity to spread the ball
around neatly, the ball breaks to Ljunberg off an Everton deflection, from a
few yards out the Swede’s shot can’t beat Howard.
Second really good chance.
Everton start to battle a bit
more and win a free kick which Arteta delivers nicely only for the home side to
clear. The pressure from West Ham is
good but the final ball is either poor or cleared.
Upson; who has an up and down
game; clears well from Yakubu after Osman’s through ball beats the offside,
then the diminutive midfielder is shaping to shoot when Ljungberg’s tackle puts
him off. The Swede is putting on a
thoroughly excellent display. Ditto
Parker and Solano.
It’s not all West Ham, Pienaar
intercepts a sloppy midfield pass and attacks the cross is decent enough but
Ljungberg’s clearance is better. West
Ham tries to break but Yobo is easily a match for Cole and shrugs him off the
ball.
Parker breaks up Everton play
with a brave (or foolish) header, the ball comes to Solano whose cross is put
over by Ashton.
Carsley gets an unlucky bounce
and gives away a corner but he’s first to Solano’s delivery.
Arteta hasn’t shown yet but when
Everton do get the ball Pienaar, Cahill and Yakubu are playing well. The South African drifts offside in a poor
end to some nice Everton possession, then Lescott; covering at left fullback; gets
a chance to cross with a nice run but with men in the box only finds a West Ham
defender, poor delivery.
CAKE AT THE YAK'S PLACE IF YOU SCORE!
Ashton gets possession in a
decent forward area but his turn is clumsy and shot is wide.
Ashton gets onto a deep ball but
Jagielka and Lescott clear up, the ball comes back to West Ham and they get a
free kick, Upson’s delivery finds a wide open Collins but the defender doesn’t
make much use of his header and it flies way wide.
Yakubu gets some possession on
the Everton left, his first cross is poor but his second run is delightful, he
beats Collins twice with some neat footwork but his final ball in is neither a
cross nor a shot and Green gratefully collects, at the second attempt.
Ljungberg gets forward on the
left with McCartney, the initial cross is poor but Ljungberg gets a second
chance, he nutmegs Neville and evades Yobo before stumbling on the byline,
Everton clear thankfully.
Solano shows his dead ball skill
with a well delivered free kick, Ashton flick the ball on but Lescott is
covering the back post and heads clear, another Peruvian dead ball delivery is
flicked on and finds and unmarked Collins, the defender has time and space to
bring the ball down and try a shot but just shanks it. Third really decent chance.
Green clears a ball long and it
comes to Parker via Solano, the midfielder tries a header but can only find the
side netting from a difficult chance. Osman;
not in the form he was in Wednesday; blazes over after Arteta tries a quick
free kick.
The half is coming to an end but
West Ham continues to see more of the ball.
West Ham huff and puff as they
pressure the visitors but a promising move is halted by a silly handball in the
Everton area. Howard clears the ball,
Mullins and Yobo each have touches before it comes to Lescott who plays it
forward to Yakubu, the Nigerian finds the South African who holds it up neatly
and plays in Arteta, the Spaniard finds Yakubu but Collins half clears, the
ball is loose and Pienaar is first to it, he plays in Osman who finds Arteta,
the Spaniard plays his ball of the game with a great looping ball to the back
post area, Cahill 5’ 10, outjumps Upson 6’ 1” to head the ball back across
goal, Yakubu is playing the goal scorer role supremely at the moment is in the
right place at the right time and picks his spot wide of the flailing
Green. The goal; just before half time;
is perfectly timed for maximum impact.
YAKITY YAK! DON'T LOOK BACK - FEED THE YAK AND HE WILL SCORE!
Curbishly brings on Camara for
Cole due to injury at the half. Moyes is
more than happy enough to leave the lads to get on with it.
Everton come forward early and
McCartney does well to shepherd Arteta away from the ball. , the ball upfield is poor and it allows
Pienaar to get some more possession, he waits for the run of Lescott and plays
in the defender, whose cross is that of a centre back and not that good.
Arteta is lucky not to get carded
for a trip in Parker; Tanner decides a talking to is enough. The free kick is quickly taken but Camara’s
control is woeful and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
Neville’s throw ins cause West
Ham some problems but they manage to clear.
Parker is having a blinder, all
over the park, attacking and defending, shame some of his team mates don’t have
his energy or touch. That means you
Dean.
Solano gripes when he’s muscled
off the ball by Lescott and Everton sustain some pressure, neat one and two
touch passing cuts through West Ham and Mullins decides to stop it with a free
kick (this happen last week against Fulham!).
Osman wins a throw in from the quickly taken foul and Lescott’s throw in
is good but a foul on Neill relives the pressure.
Parker is all over the shop; his
through ball bisects the Everton defence but doesn’t manage to pick out
Ljungberg, only finding a relieved Howard.
Ashton loses the ball; again, he
looks like he needs to come off. His
passing isn’t great and his insistence on keeping his feet and playing argy bargy
with the strong Nigerian hasn’t worked at all so far, he isn’t 100% fit
though.
Everton have the better attacks
and Green needs to be sharp to clear a good free kick delivery from Arteta, it
comes out to Carsley and his volley is headed in the right direction, Upson
clears with a timely header. The Everton
pressure breaks down then the Blues get the ball back from Mullins’ mistake, he
redeems himself with a good tackle and West Ham come forward, Solano’s first
touch allows Jagielka to come across and clear.
Noble comes on for Solano, the
Peruvian isn’t quite as effective in the second half but he is causing Everton
problems when he gets the ball. The
formation shifts slightly into what could almost be a 4 3 3.
EVERYBODY SAMBA!
Howard clears long and Green does
likewise, Ashton, Camara and Ljungberg combine in quick succession but Everton
get men back quickly and clear the danger.
They have moved to a 4 5 1 leaving Yakubu upfield alone. His hold up play has been effective today
though.
Noble gets the ball and runs directly
at Everton, he manages to find Mullins and the midfielder has a go from inside
the area but gets a deflection and wins the corner.
The game is drifting away from a
tiring and long ball prone West Ham, Parker is still gunning for the Blues and
his wide right run is finished with a great back post cross. No West Ham players have made the move into
the space and the delivery is wasted.
West Ham players are nothing if
not pluggers and they keep at Everton, Howard claims the ball in front of
Ljungberg. Everton still look the more
dangerous and a through ball leaves the Hammers defence for dead, Green and
Yakubu race for the ball and the ‘keeper gets to it first, Yakubu recovers
enough to put the ball into the box but the West Ham defence gets itself
together and clears, Parker is at the heart of all things good West Ham
today.
Collins has a moment of apoplexy
and just stops, Osman doesn’t and no flag is raised but the dink over the
advancing Green goes out off the crossbar.
The pear shaped moment continues for Collins as he hacks a clearance aimlessly
at Yakubu, the Nigerian is on the ball in a flash and Curbishly is greatly
relived to see the flag go up for offside.
West Ham seem to have slipped into neutral, they are sloppy in
possession and aimless in their passing.
Arteta wins a free kick from
Mullins who demonstrates what he thinks of the Spaniard, no words needed
there.
Neill gets forward in a
disorganized and dispirited West Ham thrust and volleys high and wide. Everton haven’t shut up shop but are solid at
the back, rebuffing any and all Hammer attacks.
The last twenty minutes isn’t
really pretty for West Ham, apart from Parker.
His run and pass is well met by Camara with a low, driven, near post
cross, Yobo’s clearance flashes past Howard’s post for a corner.
Pienaar, having plenty of the
ball tonight, gets forward wide and puts in a good ball, Yakubu heads from
distance with enough power to trouble Green, when the ball comes out Carsley is
waiting and his screamer is tipped behind by Green. Pienaar is in the thick of things moments
later and starts a move which Osman tries finish, no shooting boots on the
Englishman’s feet today, the ball flashes high and wide.
Parker; unable to rouse his team
mates but happy to take more than his share of the load; tracks back in
midfield and robs Osman with a great challenge, Ljunberg bursts upfield but the
move ends with Parker’s shot only getting a corner kick.
West Ham throw everything forward
in the final few minutes but some good last ditch headers, hooks clear and poor
crosses keep the scoreline for the visitors.
West Ham are in long ball heaven but Everton just stand firm and clear,
one clearance comes to Upson who tries to head back to Green, he is about
twenty yards short and Johnson is lightening, he gets a good bounce and drives
forward, he takes a quick look and lobs Green for the second Everton goal of
the afternoon.
Game over.
THAT'S NOT THE HEIMLICH!
Everton didn’t play particularly
well in the first half but finished much better than West Ham, the goal all but
killed off the Hammers and Everton played themselves through the second half in
a professional if unspectacular manner, the Johnson goal was a Brucey Bonus. In patches they still managed to play some
neat, attractive passing football, this is nice but the clean sheet may chuff
Moyes more.
Curbishly’s side had three really
nice chances in the first half, failed to put any of them away and lost the
game. Solano was a constant trouble to
Everton and his substitution was terrible, West Ham was never as effective with
Noble on the park.
WEST HAM'S BEST PLAYER DOES HIS DEFENSIVE DUTY WITH GUSTO
Parker was a giant,
striding around Upton Park attacking and defending with skill and heart,
totally the opposite of Ashton who looked dull and leaden footed and totally
unable to cope with the attentions of Yobo.
Where will the Ashton for England crowd be now? Ljunberg played well in spurts but the class
of players around him isn’t what he is used to.
For all their huff and puff West
Ham were the second best team on the day and got beat.
Tanner did well; most other
Premier league referees would have booked Arteta.
Scrappy London
derby with flashes of class is fought to a draw. Neither side impresses too much and the
referee's feeble attempt to pick a winner backfires. Is this a better result for Ramos or
Curbishly? Certainly with a vast number
of wins in the Premier League this weekend a draw is not the most satisfactory
result for either manager. .
Packed and noisy at Upton Park,
the claret and blue going bananas over bubbles and the short trip East meant a
healthy away support and a rather large police presence. Both managers had the time to tweak things
ahead of this crucial game but what would the result on the pitch be?
Curbishly had to pick from an
injured squad; as usual; so he goes with a rugged 4 4 2. Green keeps goal with a back four of the
experience of Neil, Gabbidon, Upson and McCartney. Solano and Etherington provide the width
whilst Mullins and fan favourite Noble occupy the middle. Cole and Boa Morte pair up in attack.
Ramos keeps faith in Robinson in
goal and looks to get more out the personnel brought to White Hart Lane by his predecessor. Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul and Bale form the back
four. Lennon, Jenas, Zokora and
Malbranque are the mixture in midfield and the Spaniard goes for Keane and
Berbatov up front.
Spurs start the game with their
tails up, Keane being quick to close down a Green clearance.
The away side settles into a
pattern of hustle in the middle, shoddy defending and quick attacking breaks,
Lennon’s pace on the right creates the first opportunity with a corner kick.
Spurs continue to win the
midfield battle whilst endeavoring to be dangerous in attack, Berbatov shows
his cool head with a neat ball into Jenas whose shot from the edge of the D is
poorly parried into danger by Green, Lennon smashes the loose ball into the net
but the flag is up; offside.
West Ham seems flustered by the
aggression and pace and closing down of the Spanish inspired visitors.
Riley shows his pernickety nature
with a whistle when Etherington is freed on the right by Cole’s physical presence. Quick yellows for Zokora and Cole show the
referee’s tolerance levels are low in the frantic opening minutes. Then he gives a soft free kick which saves
the blushes of Robinson who was unable to beat a West Ham player to the ball –
why are ‘keepers protected so much?
The clock is on 18 minutes and
things start to settle, Spurs initial onslaught has abated or is it that the
Hammers have started to play their way into the game?
This pause for breath is deadly
for Spurs; Dawson plays a nothing square ball to Kaboul, the defender panics
and hoofs the ball at Boa Morte who accepts the invitation and goes forward
with possession, further embarrassing Kaboul the ball is slipped through to
Solano whose late run is perfectly timed, a flustered and uncertain Spurs back
line isn’t back covering and rushes towards the ball, Solano’s slide rule pass
to a massively open Cole results in an easy tap in into the open goal. The Hammers are up one nil and Ramos shows a
brief flicker of exasperation on the sidelines before resuming his normal taciturn
demeanor.
COLE'S TAP IN
Spurs still haven’t quite worked
out how to defend, a simple error and befuddlement is clinically capitalized on
by an efficient West Ham.
The game has changed and Spurs
have lost any edge they may have had in the opening period. West Ham don’t have quite enough to get a
second, they do have enough to dominate midfield. The traffic isn’t all one way and Spurs have
enough in attack to trouble the Claret & Blue at times.
Robinson shows his lack of confidence
with two touches to smother an easy ball in from West Ham.
Cole runs powerfully down the
left and cuts inside before laying the ball into Boa Morte, the Portuguese’s
powerful drive is saved by the legs of Robinson.
Berbatov gets a surprise chance after
shoddy West Ham defending off a Bale cross, the Bulgarian can only fire
wide.
Cole and Boa Morte combine to
force Kaboul into conceding a corner, and then Robinson clears.
Keane gets onto a long ball with
no West Ham defender in sight; he lofts the ball over Green and tumbles to the
ground in the penalty area. Riley;
twenty odd yards away is well positioned to get a much better view than the TV
replays offer; waves play on to the rage of Spurs and particularly Keane. Probably the correct decision, but then I’m a
neutral observer of this game.
ARE YOU BLIND REFEREE?
A last minute corner from West
Ham allows Mullins to get forward and have a headed chance sail over Robinson’s
bar, Spurs look shaky on these set pieces.
Curbishly and Ramos keep things
the same as the second half starts.
The midfield is combative and an
early free kick for Spurs is blasted at the wall by Bale.
Jenas; for the first time all
game; runs at West ham and creates time and space for Malbranque to come
inside, the ball is neatly played into the Frenchman whose curling shot eases
itself wide of Green’s post.
Berbatov holds his pass to Keane
a fraction too long allowing Upson time to intercept.
The midfield battle is bubbling
up nicely with neither side truly dominate but Spurs unable to quite match West
Ham.
Chimbonda and then Dawson get
cards, the latter rather harsh.
Ramos finally sees the light and
brings off the liability that is Kaboul for the other liability that is
Bent. Zokora sort of drops back and
Spurs sort of play a sort of 4 3 3, sort of.
The England striker is keen to impress
his new boss and disappoint his old boss; called offside on the most marginal
of decisions his excellent run ends with a flag.
Gabbidon gets a yellow and the
three wise men of Keane, Berbatov and Bale discuss the weather with the ball at
their feet and a great goal scoring opportunity in the offing; this free kick
is in a very dangerous position.
Handbags are put away as Bale strikes a beautifully flighted ball that
has no power on it all straight into the arms of the grinning Green; what a
waste.
The feistiness level is cranking
itself up.
Boa Morte heads wide. Lennon and Keane combine to win a
corner. Curbishly brings on Parker for
Noble. Boa Morte hacks Bale down and
Jenas’ delivery is well met by Dawson. Green’s idiotic lunge forward left him in no
mans land so instead of an easy save off a rather soft Dawson header he’s kicking the ball back into
the goal in frustration at making such an elementary goalkeeping mistake.
DAWSON RUSHES TO THANK GREEN!
The second defensive howler in
the game that the opposition has gratefully capitalized on.
Both sides look to win the game
and the intensity is coming to a rolling boil.
Ashton is brought on for Boa
Morte and Defoe comes on for Keane either side o####reat Bale run; powerful
and determined; which results in a good cross and a Malbranque shot straight at
Green.
The scrappy play continues to travel
up and down the field in a rather entertaining manner.
Cole cuts inside from the left
and fires wide. Defoe gets a silly
yellow. Spector comes on for the tiring
Nobby. Robinson saves well from Parker
then saves a snapshot from Ashton, he is out of the picture as Jenas heads
McCartney’s goalbound effort off the line from a delicious ball which saw the
Northern Irishman unmarked; from Etherington.
Riley tries to make the headline
with a dubious penalty kick for Tottingham.
Neil and Defoe are side by side, both a tussling for the ball and with
minimal contact Defoe goes down. A
nonplussed West Ham side sees Riley point to the spot, Spurs are grateful for
the gift and Defoe places the ball on the spot.
GREEN TURNS DEFOE'S MUNTER OF A PENALTY ONTO THE POST
A game this tight can’t be
decided on what amounts to a sloppy ‘make up’ call so the sprits of justice do
their thing and another Englishman takes a poor penalty, Green is alert enough
to turn the ball onto the post and JUSTICE prevails.
A point each is a fair
result. Neither side did enough to
warrant the win, which would be to score more than the opposition.
Curbishly is making slow and
steady progress at Upton Park just as Ramos is making slow and steady progress
at White Hart Lane.
A dreadful showing from Ashton underlies
his uselessness to the England
team and Bale is growing in confidence and stature the more he plays. Both sides showed grit and determination but
were undone by defensive lapses. It’s
looking to be a tough December for both teams.
Ramos’ talk to Defoe before he
came on would suggest the Spaniard’s command of English is improving.
Mike Riley had his usual red free
game but was pernickety. His one gaffe
was the Spurs penalty but he called things pretty even handedly.
Entertainment in the East End as Wenger’s Arsenal gets a well deserved
win over a tough and ebullient Hammers; 0-1.
Upton Park was packed and noisy
for this particular chapter in the London Derbies. With two wins over the Arsenal last season
the home fans were expectant and full of voice.
The away fans were no less enthusiastic.
Curbishly couldn’t pick the injured
Bellamy so went with Ashton and Camara up front; solidity in the middle was
provided by Parker and Noble with Bowyer and Ljungberg operating on the flanks;
Neil, Ferdinand, Upson and McCartney provide the defensive cover for
Green.
Wenger paired Togan, Adebayor
with Dutchman van Persie up front, Fabregas provide the midfield flair and
Flamini the grunt with Diaby and Hleb playing out wide; Senderos, Toure, Clichy and Sagna made up
the back four with Almunia in goal.
The start was frantic; both sides
struggling to settle although Arsenal had the early opportunity, Adebayor
firing wide from a Diaby cut back; Ljungberg gets in on goal from McCartney and
Ashton but is offside; Fabregas plays in Adebayor who is blocked and the ball
goes up field; too slowly for an offside Ashton; the game hasn’t slowed down in
the first ten.
Ashton gets his shot in after a
nice spin and shoot on the edge of the are but his aim is high; then the
striker loses the ball in a forward position; Toure gets the ball up field quickly
to Adebayor who holds off the defender with ease, he plays in Hleb who’s first
time cross is gift wrapped for van Persie.
West Ham; full of ideas and
running before going behind lose their way after the goal, Arsenal have the
better of the possession; although not dominant; and try to press for the
second.
Wenger kept his side out and
injury forced Curbishly to bring in Mullins at the half.
Minutes into the second Curbishly
is forced to make another change with Ferdinand out for Gabbidon.
Van Persie comes closest for
Arsenal; the visitors continue where they left off with more possession and
attacking guile, the Dutch striker gets the ball on the edge of the area and
with time to shoot hits the upright.
The Hammers come to life after
that shock; Bowyer delivers a great ball to the back post which invites an
equalizer; Ashton’s header is tame, straight at Almunia; poor effort with a
free header and the whole goal to aim at.
Ljungberg put the ball in the net
moments later but was correctly flagged for offside; despite the thoughts of
the West Ham manager who obviously had the best view of the incident as is
totally unbiased.
The traffic is still two way, Adebayor
drags his shot wide after a good run from van Persie at the heart of West Ham,
Green saves well again from the Togan and Gabbidon makes a great tackle one on
one with the effervescent striker.
On the hour West Ham is more
dominant but they tail off as the game ends.
They don’t have the class to unlock a solid Arsenal back line, Camara in
particular is pretty average, Ashton has half chances but with his confidence
gone he doesn’t trouble Almunia.
The best West Ham chance sees
Ashton’s head from a Ljungberg corner saved off the line from van Persie.
Three points for Wenger, his team
didn’t play that well but did enough to beat the Hammers; the sign o####ood
team and they maintain their grip on the Premier League with a win against a
side they couldn’t beat last season.
Ashton should have had a couple;
poor finishing let Arsenal off the hook somewhat. The home side didn’t lack energy and
conviction just the skill to unlock the current League leaders.
Alan Wiley isn’t the best referee
in the Premiership, so it goes to show, although Brooking was a good player he
knows sod all about refereeing.
Still; Trevor aside; the referee
had a reasonable game, a touch on the authoritarian side and the odd incorrect
or strange decision. Much better than
the dog’s dinner he had at Villa Park.
Steadily climbing up the table
Spurs are quietly building up steam, Berbatov was a great buy and Jol’s brand
of attacking football results in abundant goals; they have had problems at
defence but are looking to challenge the top four.
Transfers:-
IN: Kevin Prince-Boateng (Hertha
Berlin, £6m), Younes Kaboul (Auxerre, £8m), Darren Bent (Charlton, £16.5m),
Gareth Bale (Southampton, £5m), Adel Taarabt (Lens, undisclosed)
A tough and talented German midfielder,
a solid and pacy French defender, a Charlton reject, a young and promising English
defender and a French midfielder.
OUT: Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria,
£1.4m), Mark Yeates (Colchester, undisclosed),
Emil Hallfredsson (Lyn-Oslo, undisclosed)
Goal:-
Robinson is currently the England number one but not the best
English keeper playing, Cerny is a long term Czech loaner and Alnwick, is a
young prospect.
Terrible goals against for a top five club part of the problem
is the ‘keeper.
Defence:-
Chimbonda, a good combative right
back who can slip inside and he slapped Nicky Butt, adds steel to the back line
for Spurs, Lee is coming back from injury and will add competition at left
back, he has pace, an engine and can cross well, Stalteri is decent at left back,
and can play anywhere across the back, Dawson was almost ever present last year
and a tough man at the back despite his young age, King is a solid
international centre back, Ifil is a young fullback, Gardener is trying to
break into the first team, Assou-Ekotto is an out of favour left back, Rocha
bring international experience and is good cover at the back, Dervitte is a
young French prospect, Bale is making the step up from the Championship and is
highly regarded and Kaboul is a
promising young French centre back,
Again, terrible goals against for
a top five club, expect the new signing to be used early and often, if they get
the back line sorted out they will be a dangerous opponent.
Midfield:-
Zokora is good defensive
midfielder, a fan favourite, Tainio, an injury prone tough tackler he adds grit
when he starts, Jenas has resurrected his career at Spurs and provides goals
and a good engine, Murphy provides good cover and is a Gradi product, Ghaly
isn’t happy at Spurs and will likely be used as cover, Malbranque is a winger
but hasn’t settled at Spurs yet, Taarabt is a promising attacking midfielder,
Routledge is a pacy winger, Huddlestone is a bright young English talent with
good vision for passing, O’Hara is a young prospect, Lennon is a right sided creative
midfielder, he scores the odd goal and Boateng is a quality young German
midfielder.
A bit of a mixture, plenty of
attacking gusto but lacking a holding midfielder of real quality.
Attack:-
Berbatov, skilful Hungarian who
score freely and creates chances, Keane pairs up front well with the Hungarian
and grabs his share of goals, Mido is unsettled at Spurs and likely to leave, Defoe
has plenty of pace and keeps competition for the front two tough, Bent is a
decent centre forward with a good scoring record the competition at striker
just heated up, Barnard is a promising striker and Barcham is a young prospect
A potent attack with depth, working
out who will be the first choice pairing will be difficult.
Manager:-
Jols is getting Tottenham to play
attacking football; which suits the club; he has plenty of playing experience
and has managed extensively in Holland.
Missing out on a Champions League
spot by two points was tough for Spurs, but another good UEFA Cup run will
please fans and board alike, if they can sort out their leaky back line and
goalie they’ll do well in a couple of Cups and keep inside the top six.
West Ham United FC
Scraping a last day win to avoid
the drop West Ham had a troubled season, burnt financially by the Tevez transfers;
but no point deduction; they should be more settled this season.
Green will have to work hard to
get the starting position under Curbishly, Wright can be good but a touch too mistake
prone, he’ll fight for the starting spot and Walker will be a popular back
up.
Two less than stellar starters,
only Wigan let in more home goals last season so it’s a position that needs
improvement.
Defence:-
Neill is a solid defender who can
play full back and has some attacking flair, McCartney is a good defender,
Gabbidon has had good seasons with West Ham but is likely to be cover this
season, Ferdinand is the favoured centre back, Upson is solid and experienced
but injury prone in Claret and Blue, Paintsil is cover at right back, Dailly is
experienced cover, Spector is a US International and can play in the middle or
at full back, Collins is a solid defender and likely to start at centre back
and Davenport is good young cover.
Midfield:-
Ljungberg is a good winger but is
picking up more injuries late in his career, he adds pace, vision, goals and a
good cross, Parker brings plenty of experience and a toughness into the
midfield mix, Etherington is a good wide player, usually occupying the left
side, Boa Morte is a quality attack midfielder who plays out wide and brings a
good goal-to-games ratio to the Irons, Noble is a good prospect, Mullins is a
good defensive midfielder; but is likely to follow Pardew, Stokes and Reid are
young prospects, Quahsie adds his experience to the middle and he will be
looking not to add to his relegation record, Bowyer has been around a bit but
brings hard work and attacking impetus to the midfield and Faubert is talented
but injured.
The addition of Ljungberg will
help West Ham the midfield has depth but no real flair player.
Attack:-
Ashton will be looking to get
back to his pre injury goal scoring form he is a Gradi product, Bellamy will be
a fiery addition and bring pace to the attack, Cole is good young cover, Zamora
is on and off in terms of achieving the goal scoring form that saw him leave
the Seagulls and Ephraim is a young prospect.
If Ashton and Zamora hit form and Bellamy lets his boots do
his talking West Ham will have a goal threat, look to see them struggle against
middle of the table teams.
Manager:-
Curbishly had a great career at Charlton
Athletic and displayed his talents with a streak of 21 points from West Ham’s
last nine games; maybe a future England manager.
West Ham will be a mid table team
if their strikers gel and score but look for the need for more escapology if
goals become a problem. The ‘keeper
position is also crucial. FA Cup Semi is
their highlight this year.
Wigan Athletic FC
Scrapping out a win on the last
day of the season saw Jewell save the Latics then promptly quit, survival will
be a tall order for new manager Hutchings.
Transfers:-
IN: Michael Brown (Fulham,
undisclosed), Jason Koumas (West Brom, £5.3m), Carlo Nash (Preston, £300,000),
Andreas Granqvist (Helsingborgs, £750,000), Mario Melchiot (Rennes, free),
Titus Bramble (Newcastle, free), Antoine Sibierski (Newcastle, free), Antonio
Valencia (Villarreal, loan)
A exponent of the ‘Glasgow Kiss’,
Championship player looking to make it in the Premier League, useful keeping
cover, a promising Swede, a useful Dutchman; looking for a challenge, a misfit
or a huge hit, French attacking talent and an Ecuadorian winger.
OUT: Matt Jackson (Watford,
free), Arjan de Zeeuw (Coventry,
free), David Unsworth (released), Andy Webster (Rangers, loan), Lee McCulloch
(Ranger, £2.25million)
Goal:-
Kirkland is good young ‘keeper but has
suffered injuries and slumps throughout his career, Pollitt is vastly
experienced cover and Nash has plenty of experience between the stick.
If Kirkland stays fit they may stay up. At 100 he’s probably better than
Robinson.
Defence:-
Taylor is a quality young
defender, Granqvist is a solid young Swede, Hall is a tall centre back who can
move up into the midfield, Boyce is a good right back, Bramble left Ipswich
Town and flopped, he could be really good if he can get his head sorted,
Melchoit is talented Dutch defender and Scharner can cover in defence or in
midfield and Montrose is a prospect.
Melchiot will bring the
experience that may help the Latics avoid the drop; they’ll be in for a tough
time this season and will need to be outstanding.
Midfield:-
Sibierski can play as an
attacking midfielder or a striker but goals have been tougher to come by in
England than France, Kilbane brings plenty of midfield versatility, Koumas is a
quality Championship attacking midfielder with his share of goals, Brown is a
fiery and combative midfielder, Landzaat brings Dutch international experience
to the midfield, Valencia has lots of weapons but needs a strong team for them
all to be utilized, Cywka is a Polish prospect, Skoko is a good sqaud
midfielder, usually defending with Moore and Montrose being young
prospects.
Some good additions and look for Valencia to
establish himself as a quality wide player, it’ll be tough but the unit can
score goals.
Attack:-
Camara; plenty of goals and good
forward play from the Senegalese striker, Hesky still sometimes a bit of a
donkey but he manages the odd goal and has a good work rate, Aghahowa was quality
in Russia but scoreless in the Premier League, he will want to be more than
just pacy this season, Kupisz is a Polish prospect, Folan is a promising young
Englishman who has been called up to play for the Republic and Cotterill is a
fiery Welshman with football loving parents.
Relatively light weight (Hesky
excluded) but some bright young things, Cotterill could come good. They’ll just find it tough to score in the
Premier League.
Manager:-
Chris Hutchings was Paul Jewell’s
assistant and has just received a promotion, His only Premier League experience
as manager wasn’t good and he was fired.
It’ll be tough for Hutchings to
make the grade with a squad that barely managed to avoid the drop last season,
new additions are questionable but some existing players may stand out. Bottom five this season.
