We were a little dismissive of the victories in the first two friendlies: yes it was great to win, and exciting to win away, but the opposition wasn't up to much was it? Yes Avram had instilled a sense of organisation into the team, which had appeared beyond the wit and gumption of Zola but, beyond that, no real conclusions could be drawn.
Well after yesterday's win, we can start to draw some firm conclusions. First of all, Avram has the team right behind him. There was a worry that the dour Israeli might compare unfavourably with the smiling Italian in the players' eyes. Zola made plebeians feel like senators and so the rude mechanicals may have reacted negatively to a guy who told them the truth and put expediency above individual egos. But that hasn't been the case. The team is playing well and winning. A victory over the Greek champions is actually something to write home about.
It is also pleasing to see Grant giving the kids a chance. Yes we are only playing friendlies but Spence, Montano and Fry must be beginning to feel a part of the first team squad.
The awarding of the number 9 shirt to Cole is also promising in my eyes. Grant has started Carlton in all three games and even given him the captain's arm band. We know Carlton is a confidence player and 2 goals in 3 games suggests he is responding well. Would Grant be making him feel so special if he wants him to go to Stoke? That doesn't add up for me.
Meanwhile, players are being tried out to do specific jobs for the team. It looks as if Grant is going to play 4-3-3, and Boa, Sears, Stanislas, Dyer, Diamanti and Faubert have all been tested out for the wide roles. Of course, Barerra has yet to join in the fun and is clearly earmarked as one of the two wide guys. Meanwhile Tomkins, Spence, Dyer and Faubert have all been tried out at right back. The preferred midfield three seems to be Der Hammer, Noble and Parker, although Collison is injured and, like the other World Cup players, Behrami has not yet kicked a ball in anger. Daprela and Ilunga have both been tested at left back and Fry has been blooded too.
All this experimentation and the team is still winning. We mustn't get carried away but this has been an excellent start to his reign. The Grantazola Index is showing Avram miles ahead of his predecessor at this stage!
27 comments:
Are you feeling OK? I just read your article and you are actually not slagging West Ham or one of our players off! Blimey!
Keep it up and I might start reading again ;)
Good article
It feels so much better if you are winning matches when last season it was nailbiting stuff when we couldn,t even grind out a draw or play better than the opposition
btw HF
It is Avram and not Avam as you mentioned in your title of the article!
Is that so Matt Ryan? Then maybe you should explain this first:
Headmaster:
"There was also a rumour that the other site you frequent was that games gone crazy place. Tell me it ain't so, Matt?!? I just took a look at it - jeeez what a pile of &*&*. Seems to be populated by 2 complete planks who just want to trade insults.
anywaysup, kids / home schooling / whatever - like I said, welcome home!"
MattRyan:
"Thanks mate :)
Actually no, I got the message through the forum I started a while back as an add on to this place that was never used. I got an email through the contact admin bit.
I have however been on to that other site on occasion, but only to show my disgust to the nob that runs it :) :)"
Oh how sweet is revenge?! Goodbye.
Cheers 1318, I've corrected!
Matt, I know you think I'm a knob (needs the k cos I aint posh mate), I mean you started a campaign to get this site closed down on Dale's site didn't you? Good to have you looking in again. I will, of course, be positive when there is reason to be positive and honest when (or if!) the football is shit! Like me, you are entitled to your opinion. If sometimes you think this site is good, then that's fine; if sometimes you think it is shit, then fine too! The interesting thing is how 1350 knew you had left a comment here. He must frequent both sites with incredible frequency to have his finger so on the pulse of both!
Anyway Matt, cheers for looking in!
errrrr 13:50???
Revenge? Hahahaha are yo some kind of twat or something?
Can you please point out where revenge might come into this?
I posted a message to the original article stating that if Hammersfan keeps on making sensible posts, I might read them again!
HammersFan will bethe first to tell you that I occasionally come here to show my disgust to some of the tripe the (in my opinion) he writes! he has actually stated that he thinks that I think he's a nob! Which isn't actually true, I just think hes being a nob when he writes some of the rubbish he does.
So anonymous (I have to call you anonymous because you are too chicken shit to show your REAL name) - I will sign off by saying you have completely epically failed in your little rant there!
Oh and well done for being a big boy and being able to go over to WHTID to dig up a post!
Twat!
Hammersfan! I don't actually think that YOU personally are a (k)nob! I just think that some of the stuff you post is more damaging to West Ham than anything else.
I did indeed initiate a campaign but not to get this place closed down, but to get NewsNow to regulate the posts more closely. A campaign that I never followed through as at the end of the day, life is too short!
The reason I did it was because at the time West Ham were really really struggling with everything from money to players to the press! We didn't need more negativity for them, surely you must unnderstand that?
I do pop in from time to time and if the post is sensible I somethimes remark as I did today.
And then there are people that think they have scored revenge for you because they copy and paste a post I made months ago on another site! A post that you probably saw anyway as I know you pop in there every now and again.
I don't hide anything from you and I will always admit everything I say about you or the site!
I always post using my name and not as anonymous as some chicken shit losers do!
So there you have it :)
Cold bath HF? :)
Maybe Grant's sending a message to the chairmen that he wants to keep Cole? I think he would be a big loss if he is sold. How good would he be in the middle with the wide men?
Matt,
I wouldn't be surprised if that was Dale himself! He seems to have something against you!
Stani, he does doesn't he! lol! Oh well! :)
Not just me though, he's losing loyal members like dead flies! Up to him I guess.
If it was him that postsed the message then he should be ashamed of himself - In fact whoever it was should have the guts to come out and say what they have to say without hiding behind the anonymous mask!
I don't have a problem with you at all Matt, as I hope I've made clear.
I may be wrong but I don't think 13.50 is a friend of this site. I think he is trying to scare you away! I may be wrong though.
There's room for all sorts of West Ham sites on the net and for all shades of opinion on West Ham. I disagree that anything I say could hurt the club. Check back and you will see that I was right in what I was saying! Had more fans woken up earlier to the folly that was Zola, we might not have come so close to relegation last season. My campaign against Duxbury has also been vindicated. What a bloody mess he left behind! I have been balanced in my assessment of Sullivan, Gold and Grant. The jury is out but, so far, I have been impressed.
Hammersfan, As I have said, you as a person, I have no problem with at all! Just maybe some of the posts I disagree with! But as I always say this world would be a boring boring boring place to live if we all agreed on everything!
Unfortunately for whoever the anonymous cockjocky is I don't scare easily and he is wasting his time.
You are correct, there is room for all types of sites (not just West Ham) on t'net! Just that it seems lately there is so much tripe rearing it's ugly head on NewsNow!
The News International decision to charge for access is presenting sites like News Now with a problem. If other papers follow the lead, and broadcasters, then platform sites will be dependent upon quality blog sites. I will be interested to see what the implications of that are for people like myself. Love the site or hate it, TGGC provokes reaction and reguarly features in the "Most visited" list on the News Now board. If News Now want their advertising revenues to be maintained then they need to keep popular sites on board. That's a problem for those who dislike me personally! Just think, if I had been paid at a rate of 1p per visit, I would have made £50,000 this year. Just a thought.
The thing is, what you say is correct! NewsNow will need to make their revenue back from advertising and click throughs! There was a suggestion that they were thinking of charging for site admission! Would YOU pay?
If they want serious companies to advertise with them and pay per click then they will need to get rid of the 2 bob logs out there! As you say love this site or hate it, it does indeed get amongst the top 10 most visited West Ham site regularly and this is whaat they need! But sites like Bubbleview and The Transfer Tavern won't attract anyone!
It would be interested to see who would actually pay to have their site admitted to NewsNow.
There is another scanario, where News Now pay certain blog sites for being able to feature them on the platform, or a percentage of the advertising revenue based on hits. Charging individuals will not work as a commercial model outside of porn. Must stress this is purely for entertainment purposes from my point of view but if revenue could be gleaned from what I enjoy doing, then I would not object!
This place is fun. The banter is incredible! It's fast becoming one of the sites I visit when not working, caring for my family, mowing the lawn, or fixing squeaky doors.
And I have to admit that's because HF had been such a vocal opponent of Zola and pointed out things that in hindsight were 100% spot on that I come back. He was right. Simple as that. I wanted Zola to succeed. I really did.
I like what I see so far. Maybe fortunes will come out of hiding from time to time.
Cheers Dave!
Persoanlly I can't really see companies like NewsNow wnting to go from paying nothing to having to pay for the privelage to to relay publish articles and pay blogs to frequent their site.
But what they could do is have a sub section solely for blogs. This would be tootally free and they could still make revenue from advertising!
Maybe. We will see.
Aaahh, you old sycophant USA Dave! Never mind NewsNow...how much is HF paying you?!! hehehe :)
My thoughts exactly Shaun! So come on, out with it HF...
By the way, you came dangerously close to mixing the word 'porn' and the sentence 'this is purely for entertainment purposes from my point of view but if revenue could be gleaned from what I enjoy doing, then I would not object!'.
:)
If somebody's willing to pay me for that Stani, then I'm in! And out! And in! And out! I'll even shake it all about!
Cool, I'll let Iain know!
:) heeeehahahahaha
Have you been watching the Monty Python film Holy Grail? Seems like you're singing about "the bright side of life" under the new manager. I like that, even if it's out of keeping with your more cloudy overcast side.
This week will be very telling and much more optimistic with new players coming in.
I believe a top ten finish this year is a very reasonable expectation. Avram Grant has been our best signing so far this summer and it shows.
Which brings me to that other song "celebrate good times come on..."
Fingers crossed DC. Of course, this time last season most West Ham fans were confidently expecting a top ten finish!
Any chance you can go a week without mentioning Zola?
Now why did you want to bring him up? Let it rest man, let it rest.
Like a heroin addled smack head you just couldn't do it could you? I guess for you he has been the best thing that ever happened to this blog....
HF, you should probably thank Iain for his mid life crisis. Since he has started pushing away his flock you have definitely seen more traffic :)
Good to see everyone getting along for once.
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