Change of Name

I have changed the name of the site and the URL in an effort to get more traffic. Reading Iron was an obscure name that people would never have put into a search engine unless they were looking to read a book about ironing or past iron works!!!  Unlikely eh!  So her we are in it's third incarnation as All Things West ham!

Is sacking Big Sam really the answer?

I want to say at the outset that I have no strong opinion either way on this.I just can't quite understand a few things:

1) Why is it when we go 1 nil up, we through on a lethargic battering ram who is well past his best and a young lad who doesn't really bring the attacking flair that would have killed off the game.  

2) We have two proven goalscorers in Maynard and Baldock and yet play them both out of position whenever they play (Maynard is not the lone forward in a 4-5-1 formation!)

3) Why is Tomkins still in midfield, he's one of the best young centre backs around and needs to play there to continue that development, Collins is good, but he's not Tomkins!

4) Where is our creativity ever going to come from!

5) How did Forest score 7 past Leeds when we struggled with 1?

6) Where has the spirit gone that saw us get 7 out of 9 points with 10 men?

7) What's going on!!!

When you look at the first three of these questions, they can solely be addressed by the gaffer.he sets out the side to play the opposition with the tactics to try and beat them and he is the one that then decides on the right (or wrong) substitutions.

Question 4 is more difficult I think. Is it just a creative player that's needed or do we need to see more creative movement all round.Too often we are so predictable (not always long ball, but definitely direct), the movement off the ball is often poor and there are few people making proper runs into the box.  This has to come down to coaching surely! Or perhaps it is time for Ravel to have a go, he can do no worse than Collison!

Question 5 kind of connects with 4 and 6 - although i guess you could argue that tend to play against us with a siege mentality making hard to break them down.

Question 6 - although you could argue that this lays with the manager and in part it does, you also have to ask the question of the players on the field - why does it take you going down to 10 men to show that you can play?  I would rather look at the players at this point, the gaffer can say what he likes, these guys MUST start playing.Maybe they need to practice more against the sort of formations that are being set out in front of them, but I would say it's time for them to start earning their wages again like we mere mortals ave to!

In general I think that we should keep hold of BS (at least until Paulo is ready or Slaven says yes!), but I would love someone to question what is going on and fast.  Perhaps the David's have had or are planning on having that conversation.

In everything I must remember we are pushing for promotion and not fighting relegation.Our frustration comes from the fact that we have done well this season and are just messing up, by drawing games, not losing them!

A late review

So I got to watch the match on Saturday, albeit on television.  To be fair I thought considering what had gone before, the boys did well.  Crystal Palace came and were determined to get something out of the game.  I was impressed with Wilfred Zaha and indeed was also impressed with him last night for the U21s.

For me the boys looked tired, slower to the ball and lacking in incisiveness up front.  Greeno was outstanding between the sticks and Noble did all he could do boss midfield once more.  Maynard looked like he would work better off of Cole, but it's only his second game so let's see. Vaz Te looked quality and I was surprised he was subbed when he was, would have loved to have seen him play with Maynard off of Cole!  Baldock was great when he came on and but for two great saves would have gone home with 2 goals. The back four stood up to constant pounding, although Faye did look out of position at times.

So we may have dropped to second, but we still have a game in hand.  A tough game against Cardiff on Sunday, again in front of the TV cameras!

COYI

Who needs 11?

Well for the third game in a row we go down to 10 men.  Agreed it was actually the second half this time, but it was Greeno with no obvious sub!  7 points from 9 in a run that has seen us go to 10 men in those three games is remarkable. I wonder if it has ever happened before!

The players that are staying on the pitch have been fabulous.  Vaz Te looks brilliant and Maynard IS going to score us goals, Noble goes from strength to strength and all looks rosy. At last we have a team that looks fast, incisive and dare I say it, even a little creative!

Now onward to Crystal Palace at home and who knows we may even go for 90 minutes with 11 men on the pitch - I wonder what could happen if we manage that!

Just thought I'd mention Iain Dale's interview with David Sullivan. Well worth a read here  (it goes to part 8 first, from there you can start at 1 and make your way through, I promise it makes sense!), excellent stuff, thanks Iain!

We're still top!

Well for the second match in  row we have managed to get a result with only 10 men!  Once again Noble was excellent.  However this time it did cost us.  I do think we might look back on this result as one we could have won and didn't because of ill discipline.  It's all very well blaming the ref for all sorts but players do have to take responsibility for their actions.  I know all about the arguments for the heat of the moment etc, but Matty was needed on the pitch, not in the changing room!  Did he strike his face, did the opposition player make a meal out of it, was the ref in the wrong position?!?  Who cares, don't get involved!  We had the penalty awarded why get yourself in bother?

Rant over! we have a couple of tough away games coming up and I am hoping that a dropped two points does not come back to haunt us!

With 11 men and the boys in the mood they are I think we will make the automatic promotion places, I just hope it's as champions!

COYI

Postponed!

A frozen pitch in Peterborough means no match today.  Well there are positives and negatives:

• +: The boys won't have to play twice in 4 days - we don't usually do that well!
• +: The pressure is on Southampton to get a result today - they haven't done that well recently!
• +: It gives more time for Maynard, Morison and Vaz Te to get involved and push for a place
• +: I won't have to be anxious in the hopes that we play well!
• -: I do enjoy the tenseness of match day, strangely!
• -: Southampton could be just one point behind us at the end of play tonight and thus leaving us pressure on Tuesday night!

Overall I reckon it works out well for us today as long as the boys don't become scared rabbits on Tuesday under the lights at Upton Park.  For today they get to train, gel and work out the tactics that will be needed to beat Southampton and lead us onwards and upwards to the EPL

Peterborough away

I am one of those supporters of our great club who is unable to make the regular visits to watch the boys play regularly.  Hence my excitement last week when we were on Sky.  This week I will be keeping up to date on my phone as I am supporting the launch of a charity at kick off time tomorrow.

What  I am hoping is that we us some of this new attacking prowess that has been brought in.  I would like to see Nicky Maynard running off of Cole.   I know it's unlikely, but here's hoping!  I'm also hoping that Noble finds the same intensity that he had last week.  It was probably the best I have ever seen him play.  He's evidently learnt so much from Parker and he is just starting to be the player we all hoped he would be.

Ia result tomorrow takes the pressure off of Tuesday night - let's hope we get it!

My team for tomorrow;

Green
O'Brien Tomkins Reid McCartney
Faubert Noble Collison Taylor
Maynard Cole

COYI