Ahead of Tuesday night's game at The Hawthorns, we caught up
with Liam from the West Ham blog
Iron Views.
He gives his views on the Hammers' impressive start to the season, Sam Allardyce, the
Baggies
and more. You can follow Liam
and Iron Views on Twitter
@ironviews.
It's been an
excellent first few months of the season for the Hammers, surely far better than
fans expected back in August ?
Not even the most optimistic of
West Ham fan would have predicted this start. The summer signings were
encouraging but after losing to Spurs, Sheffield United and Southampton in 3 out
our first 4 games it looked like another season of suffering. Since then things
have been quite incredible, exceeding all expectations.
How have
performances been in general? Is your current 5th place deserved?
Absolutely. Aside from that
defeat against Southampton our performances have been extremely impressive.
We've deservedly seen off the likes of Liverpool and Man City with battling
displays, and have seen off lower sides like Crystal Palace and Burnley with
class. Sakho and Valencia have been a revelation as a duo upfront, while
Downing's new central role has given our attack real versatility. Defensively we
haven't looked quite so assuring as last season, but our third clean sheet of
the season against Newcastle suggests the new-look back four is starting to
gel.
Sam Allardyce
seems to have split opinion among West Ham supporters for a long long time,
what's the current feeling towards him from the majority of fans?
At the end of last season, and
even the beginning of this one, fan opinion was probably around 70% in the 'Big
Sam out' camp. Now, there's a general consensus that if he keeps the side
playing attractive, attacking football, he deserves a contract extension at the
end of the campaign. The problem with Allardyce was always the style of football
- in the past it really has been turgid to watch. Fast forward to the present
and we're scoring goals and winning matches. It's hard to complain.
What team and
tactics are we likely to see from the Hammers on Tuesday night?
With Sakho and Valencia edging
closer to fitness Allardyce will revert to the 4-4-2 diamond that has served us
so well to date. Mauro Zarate is pushing for a start after two impressive cameos
in successive fixtures, while Andy Carroll will also want to build on his last
two starts. It's hard to name the exact side because of all the knocks the squad
is carrying at the moment.
Any particular
weakness Albion should be looking to exploit?
West Ham are notorious slow
starters. It can often take a while for our players to work out the best way to
deal with the opposition, leading to early indecisiveness. Early goals have
been conceded against
Hull and Stoke this season as West Ham have taken too long
to find their footing. With our starting XI changing a fair bit due to injuries
at the moment this could be the case again on Tuesday night. Other than that
the team is well-rounded in quality, and have largely looked like an impressive
unit as a whole.
Player of the
season so far?
This is a really hard one.
Diafra Sakho is the obvious candidate with 6 goals, but Aaron Cresswell and Alex
Song have been equally influential in their own way. I think given that
Cresswell has played every minute of every game so far I'm going to have to give
it to him. His winning goal at the weekend capped what has been a terrific first
few months in the Premier League for the English left-back.
Anyone been
particularly disappointing?
Only if I'm being hypercritical.
Perhaps you could argue that Adrian, the 'keeper, looked shaky in the early
stages of the campaign, but recently he's been nothing but solid. Cheikhou
Kouyate started life at Upton Park in tremendous fashion, but his form has
dipped since.
Prediction for
West Ham's season?
Another tough one. Definitely a
top ten finish, but it's too early to say whether we can sustain our hunt for
the European spots. Knowing West Ham, we probably won't!
Prediction for
Albion's season?
I watched West Brom's 2-2 draw
against Man United and thought you looked very impressive. Key to your season is
Saido Berahino, as long as he stays out of trouble. Realistically I can't see
much more than a mid-table finish, however.
Premier League
champs?
Chelsea, but Man City will push
them to the final game.
Relegated?
Leicester City, Crystal Palace
and Hull City
Prediction and
thoughts on Tuesday's game?
Unless something goes
drastically wrong I can't see West Ham losing, but I wouldn't bet on a win
either. We rarely win back-to-back and while the quality of our team should see
us through, complacency could kick in. Both sides will score in an open
game...2-2.
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