Transfer Window: Summer 2013

[irving boleyn]

Because Mr Rat's performance in the cup match was not sufficiently eye catching to justify replacing the consistent O'Brian.

[WHID to deserve this?]

Rats just being given time to bed in and JOB is playing well so it would be a bit harsh to mess around with a back 5 that has conceeded 1 goal in 3 games. He will get his chance - its up to him to take it

[_fortunes_]

Would Sam consider moving JOB to the midfield if injuries are keeping Downing & Cole out?

[Ozza]

Would Sam consider moving JOB to the midfield if injuries are keeping Downing & Cole out?

Yeah I've got a feeling he's our cm cover, as well as lb, RB! Gk, cf, cb

[The Old Man of Storr]

This year's Premier League squad lists:

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news ... 01314.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

23 out 25 squad spaces used up

What exactly are the rules for these 25 man squads ?
I see Morrison isn't included in the senior squad in that list , but he has played this season , so according to that list , there's only 1 space left .

So , when do these squads have to be submitted , can they be altered due to injury or are they set in stone ?

[Believer]

What exactly are the rules for these 25 man squads ?
I see Morrison isn't included in the senior squad in that list , but he has played this season , so according to that list , there's only 1 space left .

So , when do these squads have to be submitted , can they be altered due to injury or are they set in stone ?

He doesn't need to be included in the 25 man squad due to his age, likewise Whitehead, Potts etc..

[Ozza]

^^^^^ that's right I forgot about that

[the wren]

Has a tall Romanian been spotted around the training ground/Stadium area yet??

[Doc H Ball]

We might not know exactly how it came about, but we've got one half fit striker that suits our gameplan and 6 full backs. Call me a knickerwetter, but isn't that unbalanced?

Sam's gonna have to change his style. No point with Maiga or Vaz playing a holding role. I think in AC and Joey's absence he has to go:

...................Noble

Downing.....Diame.....Jarvis

............Nolan...........Vaz

or

...........Noble..........Diame

Downing....Morrison.....Jarvis

....................Nolan

[Ozza]

^^^^ whats downings injury looking like?

[Doc H Ball]

Wasn't it 2/3 weeks from last Saturday?

[Ozza]

Wasn't it 2/3 weeks from last Saturday?

Wasn't sure mate, not as bad as I thought then

[The Old Man of Storr]

Has a tall Romanian been spotted around the training ground/Stadium area yet??

This Ciprian Marica bloke seems to have all the qualities that Sam is looking for , tall , can play second striker and on the wing , and apparently only 27 .

Signed for Schalke 04 in 2011 despite interest from Blackburn Rovers [ after Allardyce left ] .

Could do worse .

[Mark32]

Marica's agent has basically been touting his player to every club in the Premier League this summer so I wouldn't be surprised to see us go for him now. Although I remember seeing this from a journalist from The Times when his agent was claiming to the press a deal with Arsenal was close:

@karlsentk Ciprian Marica. West Ham were offered him and said 'no thanks'. Arsenal must have as much sense..

https://twitter.com/garyjacob/status/364674721951920128

[szola]

Non-WHU

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/mp-asks-did-eu-taxpayers-underwrite-bale-s-transfer-1.1514965

Real Madrid’s €100 million largesse is only possible because the club has borrowed heavily from its Spanish bank, Bankia.
The problem is that Bankia is still in existence thanks only to a €19 billion EU bailout.

[Turns to Stone]

The thing that some are forgetting is that a loan striker doesn't need to be a 'big lump', but he needs to be clever in the way he plays. RVP, Torres, Drogba, Suarez and Defoe have all lead the line as a lone striker for very good Premier League teams in the last few years. The difficulty is that it takes time for teams to learn the runs a striker makes, the moves he makes and the style of the play. This was always going to be the case this year, as not only is Maiga a different style of striker to Carroll, but Cole and Downing are different types of players to Vaz Te (who generally started on the right last year).

I think that Vaz Te and Maiga are both good enough to lead the line for us, but it's imperative that the other players around them learn about their movement and the difference. It's not going to happen overnight though. Currently Swansea players are learning to play with Bony and the runs he makes, Norwich are doing the same with Van Wolfswinkel, West Brom are looking at different ways of playing with ANelka as opposed to Lukaku.

Everyone on this site is suggesting that we need to go out and sign a big lump, but actually West Ham will become a much better side if we do evolve into playing with a different type of striker up front. It's the same old story, many on here want us to 'do a Swansea' and change the style and the football, but if our players have an off-game or we lose, they suddenly expect wholesale changes. Maiga is, in my opinion good enough to cover Carroll. I think he's actually a better striker than Carlton Cole. He's different, for sure. But I think he has strengths that can be utilised, but it will take time.

[Hambrosia Stu]

Sam's gonna have to change his style. No point with Maiga or Vaz playing a holding role. I think in AC and Joey's absence he has to go:

I'd beg to differ...
Not sure what you mean about the holding role, but to my mind the side kind of picks itself, due to the limited bodies we have fit in the attacking areas. The main decision, imo, is whether Maiga or Vaz Te lead the line.
With Downing also out, it means if Vaz Te starts as a striker, we only have Jarvis as a regular wide option, and would have to go with someone like Collison, Morrison or Taylor on the opposite flank. If Jack is fit enough for a full 90, that would be my prefered option:-

---------Noble-Diame
Collison - Nolan - Jarvis
------------Vaz Te

I'd pick Vaz Te ahead of Maiga for pretty much every reason you could think of. Vaz Te knows our style, should understand what is expected of him in that role (it was suggested, by McDonald I think, that they are struggling to get Maiga to understand what they want him to do, what runs to make etc), and may be able to give Maiga a few pointers as to how to play that role in our side

The other option is start with Maiga
--------Noble-Diame
Vaz Te - Nolan - Jarvis
------------Maiga

Whichever we start with, I'd expect to see us switch to something like the other at some point when subs are made

[Up the Junction]

As Hambo Stu points out in the following post, we are apparently doing the complete opposite.

[Hambrosia Stu]

The difficulty is that it takes time for teams to learn the runs a striker makes, the moves he makes and the style of the play. This was always going to be the case this year, as not only is Maiga a different style of striker to Carroll, but Cole and Downing are different types of players to Vaz Te (who generally started on the right last year).

I think that Vaz Te and Maiga are both good enough to lead the line for us, but it's imperative that the other players around them learn about their movement and the difference.

Everyone on this site is suggesting that we need to go out and sign a big lump, but actually West Ham will become a much better side if we do evolve into playing with a different type of striker up front.

Maiga is, in my opinion good enough to cover Carroll. I think he's actually a better striker than Carlton Cole. He's different, for sure. But I think he has strengths that can be utilised, but it will take time.

I agree with all the above. I do feel both Maiga and Vaz Te have the talent to make the need to sign another striker not essential. Of course if we can get someone in who will improve us, we should do, but if no one comes in it isn't the end of the world imo

With either Maiga or Vaz Te leading the line we do need to adapt our style. I'm happy for either to do so, but favour Vaz Te of the two at this point.

I'd say it is quite helpful that Vaz & Maiga are fairly similar. Much more similar to each other than either is to Carroll, so we need to adapt our game in a way that plays to the benefit of both their strengths. I guess it's handy that we don't have to come up with 2 different game plans for our 2 back-up options, but should be able to adapt to a system that favours whoever is playing out of those 2

It's a shame we have the injuries to J. Cole & Downing, as I'd imagine both those players, but Cole especially, would work very well in a system set up to favour either Vaz or Maiga leading the line

[kayahammer]

apparently we're having a butchers at Khalid Boulahrouz according to one website

although that website also says we're looking at CC also.