We’re lucky enough this week to have a guest-blogger in the shape of West Ham fan Simon.
He’s a top bloke and runs his own West Ham Blog. I’ve written a similar piece for his site so if you want to read that, please feel free to check it out by clicking here.
Anyway, over to Simon:
When kindly asked by Wolves Blog to pen a few words on the upcoming curtain raiser against my beloved Hammers, I will admit to breaking out into a sweat. You see, apart from ensuring Sheffield United are losing, I’ve not paid as much attention to the Fizzy Pop League as I perhaps should.
Zola - Hoping for a good start
I was thinking about players from Wolves I could name and got stuck after a couple that I used to have when playing Championship Manager, namely Jody Craddock and of course Mr Ebanks-Blake (And the bloke who missed a sitter for Scotland). But I just don’t know too much about you and that could possibly be your greatest weapon.
West Ham could make the mistake of not taking you seriously enough. And having stormed a tough league with what looked like some nice, attacking football, we will have to make sure we are up for the challenge. Respect is the keyword here, the crowd will be baying for a good start to the season, the players up for it, possibly more so than at any other time, and the Hammers will need to be aware of that and put it into the game plan.
I think Wolves fans will be pleasantly surprised by some of the skill we have in the team, certainly look out for young Jack Collison, an excellent youngster who has great skill on the ball. Scott Parker is immense and Matty Upson will be marshaling the back. We will also be watching probable debutant Luis Ji menez from Inter Milan as keenly as you guys will, but he has shown some nice touches in pre-season.
Our biggest weakness as I write is up front, with Carlton Cole the only true striker we have. I desperately hope that Luca Toni and/or Gudjohnsen sign on the dotted line before kick off, otherwise we will struggle to score and I have the feeling with all your huffing and puffing, you may hit the back of the net at some point.
A prediction, very tough to call the first game of the season against newly promoted opposition. If we have not signed a striker, I’ll be happy with a 1-1 but if we add some bite up front, I’d hope our Premiership pedigree would shine through and we can nick a 2-1. Either way, hope it’s a good one and good luck to Wolves for the rest of the season, there are plenty of other teams we’d like to see relegated, so hope you do OK, just not at our expense…
Let me start off by saying I wish the best of luck to West Ham this season as they are a good side and I have a lot of respect for them.
I am not too confident about Saturday, particularly with the injury issues we’ve got at the moment (as mentioned in the post on the hammers blog) but if we do somehow miraculously sign a decent centre half before Saturday I will feel a lot more confident. Still holding out hope for Mancienne to be honest, hearing rumours he will sign tomorrow.
Totally agree Hallam, central defender is a must, and for the umpteenth time, we need a left back!
West Ham are a long established PL team, they will bring with them guile, speed, fitness and vision. Whoever we would have played first up, it would have been a big test. With West Ham likely to be a top 10 side, Saturday will be very interesting, and thank goodness for “viewers choice” on Foxtel, I will be kicking and heading every ball at midnight! The wife has already locked away the china tea service.
Left back I am not so concerned about, probably because I am quite a big fan of Matt Hill. He’s a sort of “Elokobi Lite”. However, McCarthy’s refusal to pick him probably means he’s not as good as I personally think. But since when did manager’s know what’s right
Even if we sign a centre back in the next few days they’re unlikely to play in the first game. Trust me, Zubar will be good enough, maybe not just yet. If we can eek out some points (such as this game, where a point will be fantastic away from home) before Kightly is fit and Milijas, Zubar and Doyle up to full speed.
The Hammers will be good test, as they are the type of side we’ll need to take some points from if we’re to stay up, although if we do lose, away from home and depleted by injury, it wont be the end of the world.
Great idea getting a guest blogger from the team we are about to play to post on here.
I don’t think Zuber will even start on Sat. Looking forwar to the start of the season so much now. Can’t wait.
t’OM you do realise we’re playing the hammers at molineux…
t’om has had one too many visits to the Little Creatures micro brewery in Freo
Hey Tom, good idea getting in a guest blogger. Think you can manage to find someone for every game this season?
Reading Simon’s account has made me slightly more optimistic about Saturday. Didn’t realise West Ham had a lack of striking options. Given our (possible) defensive frailties, maybe this is a good side to be starting against.
Prediction? How about a tight, hard-fought 2-1 victory.
Thanks Andrew.
Getting a guest blogger for every match is the aim, but for the lesser teams it might become slightly more difficult.
I’m also pretty sure that all Birmingham City fans are illiterate (joke).
Are you coming down for the match?
I’m going for a score draw – 2-2.
a 1-1 for me. We will score in the 21st minute through Dave Edwards, and will concede in the 65th minute. All West Ham for the last 25, but we hang on. We’ll have a blatant penalty turned down too.
Yeah, will be there. Looking forward to it. Lets just hope that optimisim is well placed!
Prediction wise I really think it is too close to call. I’m confident we won’t get out pants pulled down and embarressed but think we will do well to scrape a 1-1 draw.
What would be everyones starting 11 and what formation for Sat???
4-4-2
Hammernan
Foley, Zuber, Craddock, Hill
Halford, Jones, Milijas, Jarvis (I know C’tain Henry will play)
SEB, Keogh
Sorry for the oversight guys, will be more attentive in future.
I stand by all of my comment except for
@t’OM “away from home and”
@Dazza in Brissy
And I’m not a fan of the Creatures beer Dazza (for which I cop much flak as I went to school in Fremantle) but their Pipsqueak Cider is class.
Apparently Mancienne is a done deal. He’s taken out a lease on a flat on the wergs road. Get in!
Keogh in the Premiership is such a scary thought. But we all knew he will start, just like he did at Plymouth on the opener last season, with Iwelumo on the bench back then.
I just can’t see what he offers the team, but hey ho, I pray to be proven wrong.
My team, which will look nothing like Mick’s, is below. Oh, I reckon Mancienne will be here by then, so he fills the problem left back slot.
Its 4-3-3 until Doyle is fit, then we go to 4-4-2 with Halford right, Jarvis left when Doyle is ready.
I can’t pick Zubar as I aint seen him.
Hennessey
Foley
Craddock
Stearman
Mancienne
Henry
Jones
Milijas
Halford
SEB
Jarvis
Thats a bit of a scoop for you Tom having mick mccarthy announce his team for saturday on your site!!!
Mancienne, done deal, I’m not exactly jumping for joy at that one.
Not sure what’s most interesting about mick’s prediction; the lack of optimisim (predicting a draw), or predicting Edwards to score after withdrawing him from the Welsh squad with an injury!
Would like to see us stick with two up front at home:
Hennessey, Foley, Stearman, Berra (if availible), Ward, Jarvis, Milijas, Henry, Halford, SEB, Keogh.
Keogh to score (!) and Surman to get a run out at some point.
I don’t want to dampen the mood, but I’d like more solid confirmation than ‘He’s put a lease on a flat’ before I believe Mancienne is a done deal. Let’s not become one of those ‘I saw him in ASDA’ sites please gentlemen.
Here’s what the team will be:
Hennessey
Foley
Berra
Craddock
Ward
Jarvis
Henry
Milijas
Halford
Keogh
Ebanks-Blake
I’m about 90% confident that will be the lineup.
With a bit of luck Doyle will get the chance to make a good contribution and maybe we’ll have Mancienne and / or another signing sitting on the bench.
Andrew – also noticed Edwards was down to score in the 21st minute but didn’t even make the starting line up. Seriously worried mick was predicting another injury for us as well!! Thats the last thing we need!!
Thomas.
I would have to agree that that will be the line up, the one I put up is the one I would like to see, but have to admit, your’s is the more likely.
Is Berra deffo fit???
Tom – Think you are spot on with your line-up. Doyle will hopefully get a run out for Ireland in the week to get some extra match sharpness for us. Fancy him to come on off the bench Saturday to bag the winner
I hate you Ed Milson……stop voting against my comment just to wind me up!!!!!
Good to hear on both sides its a close call. I think the common thing everyone is running away with is the defensive shortcoming, but I feel the defence is not as bad as everyone seems to think.
Time will tell but the one thing I’m sure of is, it will not be as bad a score line as the first game last time we were in the prem.
We have to give the players the opportunity to progress from where they left off last season, I hope and believe some people may be surprised with a few as I think the prem will suit them.
Anyway Saturday will be a great first test and a win would give great confidence for the next few games and that are all important.
Why can’t Doyle start on Saturday? He played 20 mins last weekend, will play 45 during the week and will have been in training for weeks. It was a hernia operation which is very different to say a hamstring or knee problem. I’d play him and get 60-70 mins out of him. We desperately need him to play to avoid Keogh starting.
kwolf is right. We need Doyle. He certainly didn’t look that injured on Saturday and if he plays midweek, there’s no reason for him not to.
@Dingal Dave – I agree with you mate that we have to have faith that at least one or two of the players will step up a notch and prove they can cut it with the big boys. I recall when we went up last time everyone was saying we needed to get rid of Butler because he was too slow, but by the end of the season he was a hero and the majority were saying we’d have stayed up if we’d signed someone decent to play alongside him (and not Craddock – haha).
@kwolf and @Hallam – I agree that Doyle could certainly be considered for the West Ham match but lets face it, do you really believe in your heart of hearts that Mick will pick him?
I did wonder whether Mick would spring a few surprises with his first team selection and he often proves me wrong, so lets hope he gives our record signing a decent chance to make an impact.
I think the defensive frailty that a Berra-Craddock combination would bring has been highlighted as a major cause for concern and I share those fears, but wont go over old ground.
However, I am also concerned with the impact this combination could have on our attacking ability. Playing this 4-5-1 system will rely on good ball retention in defence and midfield to create chances, not merely lumping it long, or wide, which is where I suggest Halford will come in (winning headers). When we were at our best last season it was an absolute pleasure to watch Mancienne and Stearman bring the ball out of defence, and this massively helped our attacking play. In the latter part of the season when we ground out results (which in fairness we did), it certainly wasn’t pretty, the big ball to Iwelumo or Keogh being used far too often in the hope of a knock down for our better players.
So, it looks like we have Mancienne, so will Mick reunite the Stearman/Mancienne partnership? I hope so, as not only could it work defensively, but it could be a major plus point to our attacking play.
Good point Bazza – we definitely played a more attractive style of football in the earlier half of last season, and I agree that the ‘long ball’ probably had a lot to do with that. It would be good to see us attempting to play the ball out of defence next season, even if that risks losing the ball further up the pitch.
One question, where has this Mancienne rumour come from? Haven’t seen anything on the BBC website.
Why does it look like we have Mancienne? I haven’t seen him in the starting PL line up, and, until then, these playground rumours need to stop
This site is above all that rubbish you get on the other dopey forums, and, unless you have absolute 100% proof, we need to get away from the “seen him shopping in the ASDA” routine
One thing I suppose, is that if we sign Balde, then that would be the signal that Mancienne is NOT comming. M’Bami could be an intresting signing if it comes to fruition, and, I’ll take some flak for this, but Greening from WBA is just what we are looking for in the middle of the park
Dazza my stepdad said a similar thing on Saturday about Greening. I can see why he and you have said it but it is actually never going to happen.
Also a good point with Balde, but the fact he didn’t play on Saturday suggests probably not.
We shall have to wait and see !
If M’Bami is available, sign him, he’s class, and he’s huge, just what we need as cover for Henry.
Good shout about Greening, probably not him but deffo some one like him would do really well for us this season.
A question I have is why we have seemed to stay away from season long loan deals, haven’t heard hardly a peep about any deal like this for any of the players we have been interested in (Mancienne aside).
I would have like MM to be straight on the phone and asking about Wilshire, Ramsey and Gibbs at out often debated left back role.
These guys are just examples (but good ones I think) and I am sure we all have a player that we think would not sign permenantly but would be great for us to have for this first season. Danny Wellbeck at Utd springs to mind as well.
Some other loan signing too muse over.
Tom Huddlestone
Nigal Reo-Coker
Johnson (Man City)
Your thoughts please guys.
Season long loan deals don’t tend to happen until closer to the end of the transfer window mate. I know you get the odd one or two completed earlier but these tend to be players who aren’t that close to getting first team action with their club (Scott Sinclair going from Chelsea to Wigan being one that springs to mind).
Any of the Arsenal players you mentioned would be amazing signings for us but seriously doubt the voyeur would ever let them anywhere near another club let alone us!! Actually think Wilshire will be in their first team by the end of this season. We can dream though of seeing that type of player in the old gold
Tom Huddlestone: Can’t afford him, won’t come on loan (I wouldn’t have thought anyway!)
Johnson: Injured, a crock, so not likely. Shame though as he was touted as the next Francis Lee.
Reo-Coker. Just can’t see it. Wages, and I’m pretty sure he’s in their first team anyway?
I’m with Bazza about ball retention. Remember that documentary with Peter Reid and Sunderland many moons ago called Premier Passions? He shouted ‘keep the f**ing ball’ about 40 times in one half time rant. Great viewing, and still very relevant today.
Possession was far, far too cheap on Saturday, and we really need to work on that. When we give it away in the Prem, we’ll be waiting 5 minutes before we get it back!
If this M’Bami deal comes off, then promising, but I guess we’ll know more soon.
I’d still not be averse to Jermaine Beckford up front as a pacey option. (might be on my own there)
And without wishing to be cynical (moi?!) with just days to go, but is anyone else not completely bewildered by this Zubar story in the E & S? He isn’t fit because he can’t speak the language??!! He needs game time but didn’t get off the bench?
Hmm, strange one.
Ben- Did you see Beckford scored twice on saturday?!! Still wouldn’t have him, just thought i’d throw that in.
With Zubar, you know any signing is going to take time to settle in but even more so with foreigners especially if they don’t already speak the language. Which is why it is often such a risky transfer policy to have. Then again he might already speak English, its just Black Country he’s having trouble with!!!!!
I wouldn’t touch Johnson with a bargepole for obvious reasons. Also I can’t see as many Arsenal players being put out on loan as usual because of the players they’ve lost and that AW doesn’t seem to know his first XI quite at the moment. The M’Bami one is very strange. Why are we taking a player on loan 4 days before the start of the season and why are we dealing with McKay?!?!
Are we talking about the same Johnson. Micheal Johnson from Man City, broke into the first team last year, made a real impact. That Michael Johnson??? I know he was injured 2nd half of the season but still worth ago.
As for wages beeing an excuse, have none of you ever played Championship Manager? You don’t have to pay the whole wage bill for a loan player.
Reo_coker was in the firat team untill Miller took his right mid position last year and he had a few outing at right back then finneshed the year out of the first 11.
Signing M’Bami could turn out to be a fantastic signing as it would give Zubar some company and help him fit in; and it’s possible Zubar could have recommended him?
I once played Championship manager and bought Ariel Ortega who bagged me about 50 goals. Sure he could do a job for us. Dean Keates was a revelation too.
That Michael Johnson is a crock mate. Seriously.
Ben, you mean he is a crock in the sense that he keeps getting niggly injuries that keep him out for long periods?? Can you say KIGHTLY!! But you would not swap him for the world!!
I don’t see the difference, both great influencial young players. If I remmenber Steve G had a lot of injury problems when he was just breaking into the Liverpool team.
Interesting to read so many posts calling for more central midfielders. I was under the impression this was one of our best strengthened areas; Milijas, Henry, Surman, Edwards. And according to Ben’s vivid and informative description of the Valladolid match (!), it looks like Dave Jones may be forcing his way back into contention as well.
Whilst the names mentioned are all talented, signing a number of players for one position means those who fought so hard to get us to where we are will be sat on the bench, or dropped completely. This may affect team morale.
My personal opinion is we only need another couple of defenders. Would be happy with Mancienne, and maybe somebody like Traore if Arsenal can be persuaded to do a deal. Or is this overconfidence in the ability of some players to make the step up?
Andrew, no need to extract the michael now!! Jones was good though. I’m a fan anyway, but he looked particularly sharp, and leaner. Centre half is a must, and a left back. The centre back position has been a problem for a good three years now, and one that looks to be some way from being solved.
andrew has a good point, midfield is strong at the moment although I do think we need an extra player to make us that little bit better and so much of Premier League football is played in the centre of the park I can understand why.
But our defense is still weak. No matter what way you look at it. Right back is sorted it’s just the other 3 positions. With only one centre back signed this summer I can see us leaking goal after goal.
And loaning defenders from Arsenal? Got to be kidding, Wenger hasn’t a clue at the moment.
Hallam. Gibbs is the only defender metiond in the loan stakes, and he will be a future England player almost garenteed so can’t understand why he would be such a bad loan deal.
Ben – would never “extract the michael”, all genuine praise!
I don’t think we should go near anyone who has even heard of McKay let alone some who is represented by him!!!!
Johnson has more than injuries as an issue. Drink and class As are his bigger problem.
Kwolf – Had heard that rumour as well
Oh, is that right? I had not heard that………Good shout then, keep away.