I cannot believe how tolerant the fan base is being about the club's lack of activity in the transfer market this summer. Let's get something straight. Unless we sign two quality strikers before the season kicks off, we are going to be in desperate trouble. Zola is rumoured to be interested in Eider G (I can't spell his surname) but the club apparently can't muster £5m. You what? Are we seriously in a position where we cannot find £5m to buy a player for a key position? We also want Mancini but he is not a forward anyway and appears to be as enthusiastic about joining us as Joey Beauchamp. Look elsewhere I say!
And who have we got exactly? Cole, who I rate as a target man but not as a goalscorer, Jimenez (on loan) who is apparently more a creator than a finisher, and Ashton who seemingly needs the intervention of Jesus Christ himself to get him off his death bed. What happens if Cole and Jimenez pick up injuries exactly? Who is going to play up front? Dixon is still injured and isn't considered part of the first team so who else is there? Have I forgotten somebody? We haven't even got Sears, Di Michele or Tristan waiting in the wings!
I have heard Zola say that he is trying to "spot" where we are short. Bloody hell, Blunkett in a blindfold could spot where we are short. Let's stop the trying to spot the blindingly obvious and do something about it! And fast.
Last season a series of brilliant, backs to the wall, defensive performances kept us out of trouble. However, our goals per game return was appalling. In 38 games, we scored just 42 goals, and 8 of those had been scored in the 4 games before Zola took over. That means that in Zola's 34 games in charge, we mustered 34 goals, exactly one a game. West Brom scored 36 in 38 and Newcastle 40 in 38. Our goals per game return was what you would expect of a relegated team. Incredibly, however, personnel wise, we are in an even worse position than last season. Remember, we had Bellamy for 13 starts and he chipped in 5 goals. Take those out of the equation and we are down to 37 goals in 38 games. Ashton scored 2 in 4 too and, one way or another, I don't expect to see him playing in C&B this season. I know Tristan, Sears and Di Michele were at best ordinary, but at least they were warm live bodies who could run around up front! (OK, running was perhaps beyond Tristan but you know what I mean!)
Now I know this will provoke the "In Zola we can trust" responses but can we? His side did not score enough goals last season and I can see no reason why we would improve on that next season, unless something dramatic happens quickly. Eider and Mancini would be a start but neither are out and out goal scorers, both are creators first and finishers second. Who exactly is going to be in the six yard box tucking away the chances? I can't see anybody either on our books now or who we are being linked with. That spells relegation in my book.
27 comments:
u are a twat we did alright last season without two top class strickers. evey thing u write is sooooo depresing ne1 would think u support spuds u mug!!!fuckin mug
A predictably stupid response. So you are happy going in to the new season with no options up front are you? If that happens, we will go down. Take off the blindfold you fool!
errrr is the transfer window closed or something ? because this post don;t make any sense whatsoever. moan at the end of august. do you expect all transfer dealings to be done in 2-3 weeks , bleedin hell
Even though i do not want eider, he is a fox in the box and does score goals!
Reads more like a dark cloud has gathered overhead or is fanno just playing devil's advocate?
Duxbury promised us three signings "shortly". If we cannot spend £5m, who are we going to get exactly? 'Arry wants £8m for his wife!
OK fair point, but look at Everton, tell me the names of their strikers that wernt injured for most of last season ??
Teams can and do survive in circumstances like this.
Stop the scaremongering.........
The dark cloud is called reality. Unless we strengthen we will struggle. Take that as the start point and I can't see how disagreement is possible. And if we can't afford £5m, how are we going to strengthen exactly?
Everton have goal scoring midfielders, we don't. Unless Dyer recovers full fitness and form - and then stays fit!
So you, honestly, think we're going to do worse than Burnley, Wolves, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Stoke, et al?
Without any fresh blood we'll struggle, there's no denying that, but I'd be astonished if we finsh lower than 14th
Hammersfan you really are a moron. You say these responses are predictable but thats because only 2 of your posts out of every 100 are actually worth reading.
Don't post something for the sake of posting you just make yourself seem like a fool
What a sensationalist, pessimistic, and scare-mongering piece of drivel.
I know not many people are going to pay attention to this.
Laughable.
Calm down mate, it's only the 17th July!
Again, you're being your usual contrary self, at least this is article is less harmful and spiteful as some recent posts of yours - causing good debate for once. Who says we can't afford £5m? You're just projecting, it's not set in stone anywhere that we don't have the funds for Eidur. I agree we desperately need a proven goal scorer like Bent, and as for midfielders who can score - we do have Collison and Stanislas starting to shine in that area, maybe Jiminez will surprise us with a few, Behrami and Noble like to knock them in now and again, (granted Noble's usually arise from penalties, which he is great at, though he did miss an important one last season, what match was that?) and I reckon Cole could improve on his 12/13 a season goal tally - it's not unrealistic to think he could push for 15/16 goals maybe more. and last but not least let's not forget Savio - it's a bit of a prayer, and I'd prefer something more secure than that, but this could, I say, COULD be his season.
My you do have a depressing view of things don't you. I actually agree with you that we are paper thin up front at the moment but the reason I'm not panicing just yet is the transfer window closes on the 31st August (I believe). Also Westham have recently been conducting 'most' of their business in private and they don't mention the players names until we sign them - although the big G has been banded around since last season. Also under Steve Clark our defence has been pretty solid and I see that only getting better. Add to that Zola's flair and attractive football we are a striker short. So Hammerfan, take a chill pill and lets see whom we have on the pitch come 15th August, almost a month is a long time it football!
ARE YOU SERIOUS!!??!!
Oh for fucks sake...
You do know that it is July 17th right?
Deals are under way but with clubs splashing stupid money it's not like we are in the position to say 'Right, I'll have Bojan or whoever - here's the cash' as a result things will take time.
We are not 'going into the new season without two top class strikers' (not that we could boast that last season either) for a month yet.
Be still thy jerking knee and wake up to the fact that we are publically broke and not playing in Europe so hardly an attractive position in a day and age when average players are getting paid a fortune.
If you want to wank over a load of money being thrown about and call it an indication of success I'm sure Arry is about to gear up the Spurs spending machine.
And you accuse 10.19 of a predictably stupid response, where as this is another predictably pathetic post from you to seek attention.
"the club apparently can't muster £5m"
Key word is APPARENTLY, most of the transfer dealings happen in the last 2 weeks or so of the window we still have the best part of a month left. your article is based on nothing more than a rumor.
Hang on tight and see what comes, then say what you like on what dealings have been done.
I actually like that the club seem to be keeping their cards close to their chest rather than the "big clubs" method of going through the media to get their man.
Jesus calm down and quit with the sensationalist headlines. There's a full 6 weeks to go untill the transfer window shuts so there's still pleanty of time for Zola / Nani etc to come good. Even if the start of the season comes and we haven't secured anyone it doesn't mean we wont before 1st september. Ilunga anyone?
If you want people to take your blog seriously try being posative once in a while and stop posting ridiculous headlines just to meake people read the article, you might get a better response once in a while.
There's nothing to stop us rushing in and re-employing Tristan and DM now is there? Is that what you want? There's a slight possiblity (only slight I grant you as Zola and SC are a right pair of muppets ain'they?), that maybe we are looking for a bit more class than that without spending a fortune on wages like a benchwarmer like Gudjohnson would demand. Get real FFS!
I know it is only July 17 guys but, you may have noticed that the club are on a "bonding" exercise in Austria at the moment. Tactics are being worked out and tested and players are learning to play with each other (not in the Bishop and Morley sense hopefully!). Look at the problems Tottenham have created for themselves in recent seasons by signing key players late. It takes a while for a player to settle and you don't want a key man worrying about finding a new home, settling his family into a new location (or country), making new friends etcetera whilst trying to give his all to the team. That is unwise I am sure you will agree. Those suggesting that we should wait until the window closes are very short sighted. What if Cole and Jimenez pick up injuries in the week before the season starts? Are you willing to forfeit the games in August? The "no need to panic" approach is fine if you are talking about squad players where there is already reasonable cover but not where there is no cover whatsoever as in the case of the striker berths and the right back position (unless we are planning to use Faubert at right back!).
As for Stanislas and Collison getting us the goals, I can't see both of them in the side simultaneously unless there are injuries and I would have a lot of money on neither scoring more than 5 goals each next season. Noble has stopped scoring and Parker will get no more than 2 a season.
Let's be honest and look at the goal scoring potential of the team as it would appear if the season started tomorrow.
Green - 0
Faubert - 0
Illunga -2
Upson - 2
Tomkins -2
Parker - 2
Noble -5
Collison - 5
Dyer - 5
Cole - 13
Jimenez - 8
Now I think that is realistic bordering on optimistic and I make that just 44 goals. We need a 14 goal man alongside Cole or another two 8 goal men chipping in from midfield along with Jimenez. And remember, 8 goals is a big return from Jimenez based on his past and that he will be trying to adapt to the Prem.
Now, if Eider and Mancini join and each contribute eight, and if Ashton is retained and scores at a rate of 13 a season, then fine. The trouble is, there are too many ifs. Ashton isn't fit, so what happens if Cole gets injured, where is his understudy?
Villa scored 54 goals last season and that should be our target. To get there, we have to score 12 more goals than we did last season. I can't see us doing that with the present squad. If Cole were to get injured or return to his form of previous years, God help us. Take his contribution down to 6 goals and we are back to 38 goals in 38 games - and that is relegation form.
Strip out the emotion and look at the stats guys.
PS, the breakdown above is based on a 38 game season played by each of the players listed. So, if Stanislas shares the games with Collison, I am predicting 5 goals from the pair of them combined over the 38 games.
you're an idiot
Hooray, you have learnt to spell you're at last!
you should put the 'you're' in inverted commas if you're going to correct someone's grammar.
12:39 chipping in again, just try to be posative once in a while, after all it's only a game ;)
totaly agree with u all the way here..
we are fuked up front..
Ashton a cripple.
Cole a fantastic target man
mancinne. well i got a mate who is a inter season ticket holder and comes to see the hammers and his exact words on him. (WAIST OF SPACE)
eider g...was a great player now in 30's i wouldnt want him...
you will see why chelsea called IDLE G
unless zola can do some magic in the few weeks left i fear trouble for us too....
So based on your theory, all of the teams that finished below us last year (inluding Tottenham) that haven't yet reenforced their squad are suddenly all going to be finishing above us? We have a number of options available, but the #1 targets are still being sought. If Mancini doesn't come, Zola has made clear his 2nd and 3rd choices.
Bojan and Mancini will both be wearing our colours come 15th August. Get yourself a chill pill and stop writing crap stories about absolutely nothing.
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