Rise of the Hammers? A West Ham United Story

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Paddyjam

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Overview

Hi everyone, I've been a silent reader on here for a verrrry long time and I thought that it was about time I broke my silence XD I've always wanted to do a story but for whatever reason I haven't ever got round to doing one. Anyway, I wanted to get a mid - lower table team in the prem playing a bit of football and hopefully I can get a bit of success out of it. West Ham seem like the perfect team to takeover after what's gone on this summer managerwise.

Signings

 View attachment 231329

With only 2 million to spend I knew I needed to raise some funds. Shipping off any deadwood proved pretty difficult with only Joey O'Brien leaving, however the big transfer saga of the summer was Winston Reid who refused to sign a new contract so I made it my mission to cash in on him asap so I could bring some players in. I'm really happy with how much I got for him considering no one wanted to offer over 6 mill... It does worry me slightly that he's gone to one of our mid table rivals in Swansea though.

I'm really happy with the transfers in, I feel I've got 2 bargains in Standberg and Sviatchenko, who should both help tighten up the defence and they're both pretty comfrotable on the ball as well which is a bonus! I'm excited to see what Inui and Ibe will bring to the side out wide as well. And before anyone says anything, yes I am that idiot who signs Piotr Trochowski even though you can't play him, I completely forgot in a moment of panic XD

Tactics/First 11

 View attachment 231343 View attachment 231344Tactically I'm going to be quite stubborn and stick with the same shape, definitely for this season and hopefully for the length of the story. I'm going to try and get 3 at the back working, which will probably leave me vulnerable as **** against the big teams but hopefully it should allow me to hold onto the ball a bit better in the middle of the park. Possession isn't exactly a must as long as we're scoring but I would rather us control the ball than the opposition. The first tactic will be the main tactic for this season whilst the second will be used against the bigger teams and to close off games mainly.

Preseason

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Preseason had it's ups and its downs really but I expected that with the team getting used to the new tactics. We looked pretty comfortable with the ball in every game which is all I was looking for really and the the game against Bremen we looked really promising for the season ahead. Exciting times!
 
Will be following mate! Will be interesting to see how 3 at the back works out for you
 
I am definitely keen to see how your tactic does as well, looks to me like any team that plays with width may have a lot of success against you, especially in the more attacking formation. Good luck though, I hope it serves you well!
 
Cheers guys! I do have some faith in it - it's become a bit of an obsession recently trying to get 3 at the back to work but I've never tried it with a weaker team so this could end up quite messy haha I'm hoping that once I'm able to bring in some players who suit the style better it could prove a success, but we'll have to see.
 
August/September Update

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I’m really happy with that start. The Chelsea game was appalling and we got schooled from start to finish which had me really worried for the rest of the season but what a way to bounce back with a win at the Emirates! We were also 5 minutes away from doing a number on Liverpool at Anfield as well until Borini of all people scored a late double. We’ve looked really good on the ball against everyone since the Chelsea game and most importantly we’ve created a tonne of chances which is best shown in the Swansea scoreline. The best bit about that result is that Wiston Reid was left chasing shadows all game after he wanted to more to a so called ‘bigger’ club in the summer.

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6th place and above United and Spurs... I'll take that!

Player of the months

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Enner Valencia is a machine! He's currently top scorer in the league and 2nd in assists behind our very own Morgan Amilfitano who also started the season on fire.

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October Update

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We probably did exactly what was expected of us this month, 2 wins and a loss to City. I'm really impressed with how dominant we've been against other midtable sides, although they were both homes games we always looked comfortable and never looked threatened in either game. I always knew that the City game was going to be tough but I really didn't expect us to be 3-0 within ten minutes! Our defence just couldn't handle Aguero's speed and he ended up with the match ball before the clock hit double figures. City probably would've hit 10+ goals if Fernandinho didn't get sent off for a horrible 2 footer on Valencia just before half time. They were already 5-0 up at this point and didn't look like stopping any time soon. We looked a lot better in the second half, scoring 2 and really taking the game to City but I'd expect no less against ten men who already had the game won.

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No movement from our point of view in the league, we'll do well to hold onto it though with United and Arsenal right behind us. We're definitely the leagues great entertainers at the moment with there being more goals scored in our matches than anyone elses.

Player of the Month

Two words... Enner Valencia. Forgot to tale a screenshot but he's been a nightmare to defend against again this month. He might only have scored 2 goals but he's assisting plenty and he's now just behind Amilfitano in the league's leading assist maker.

Other News

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I actually couldn't believe my eyes when I read this, after such a promising start from both Downing and the team I couldn't believe he'd want to leave us for Everton who are lower than us! His excuse was that he wanted to play European football and even though I promised we could achieve that this year (whether I believed it or not) he was having none of it. I told him to wait until January and we'll see what happens. Downing's been key for us in the AP role so far this year and I don't think we'll be able to replace him until the summer now that the board have further decreased the amount of money we get from sales... I've set a pretty fair but high asking price of about 13 mill to see if it'll scare Everton off so we'll have to wait and see what happens.

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Paddyjam said:
Overview

Hi everyone, I've been a silent reader on here for a verrrry long time and I thought that it was about time I broke my silence XD I've always wanted to do a story but for whatever reason I haven't ever got round to doing one. Anyway, I wanted to get a mid - lower table team in the prem playing a bit of football and hopefully I can get a bit of success out of it. West Ham seem like the perfect team to takeover after what's gone on this summer managerwise.

Signings

 View attachment 938460

With only 2 million to spend I knew I needed to raise some funds. Shipping off any deadwood proved pretty difficult with only Joey O'Brien leaving, however the big transfer saga of the summer was Winston Reid who refused to sign a new contract so I made it my mission to cash in on him asap so I could bring some players in. I'm really happy with how much I got for him considering no one wanted to offer over 6 mill... It does worry me slightly that he's gone to one of our mid table rivals in Swansea though.

I'm really happy with the transfers in, I feel I've got 2 bargains in Standberg and Sviatchenko, who should both help tighten up the defence and they're both pretty comfrotable on the ball as well which is a bonus! I'm excited to see what Inui and Ibe will bring to the side out wide as well. And before anyone says anything, yes I am that idiot who signs Piotr Trochowski even though you can't play him, I completely forgot in a moment of panic XD

Tactics/First 11

 View attachment 938423 View attachment 938421Tactically I'm going to be quite stubborn and stick with the same shape, definitely for this season and hopefully for the length of the story. I'm going to try and get 3 at the back working, which will probably leave me vulnerable as **** against the big teams but hopefully it should allow me to hold onto the ball a bit better in the middle of the park. Possession isn't exactly a must as long as we're scoring but I would rather us control the ball than the opposition. The first tactic will be the main tactic for this season whilst the second will be used against the bigger teams and to close off games mainly.

Preseason

View attachment 938462

Preseason had it's ups and its downs really but I expected that with the team getting used to the new tactics. We looked pretty comfortable with the ball in every game which is all I was looking for really and the the game against Bremen we looked really promising for the season ahead. Exciting times!
Click to expand...


I'll follow, Good luck!
o.png
 
November Update

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A really good month all in all - I was gutted to lose to Spurs, that's the second time this season we've thrown awaay a lead in the last 10 mins! Hopefully Downing will realise what a *** he's been after seeing us take Everton to pieces!

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One place from the CL, I'm starting to get dizzy!!

First team

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I thought it might be interesting to show how my first team has changed every few months, so you can get a better idea of player form. There's been 2 players who've broken into the first team since August. Firstly, Downing found himself sitting on the bench for the month after telling me he wanted to leave... Jordan Ibe has come in on the left as I've pushed Inui into a more central role. Ibe has done okay since coming in but the Inui-Valenica-Sakho triangle has been unstoppable! Also breaking into the side is 18 year old Reece Burke in place of Strandberg. Burke's been really impressive this month being solid in every game and even got his first goal against Spurs!

Player of the month

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Since moving to the middle Inui's been brilliant! Could've been a number of players this month so it shows how good he's been.
 
BREAKING NEWS

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I'm delighted to announce that I've signed a 2 year contract extension with the club. I'm really excited with what the future holds for this team, they've taken to the new system really well so far so I'd say that there is potential for success with it... Just awaiting the inevitable midseason slump now.
 
December Update

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December's always a tough month in this league so I suppose 10 points out of a possible 18 isn't really that bad but I am a bit worried at the min if I'm honest. We were as good as always before xmas, we won every game so comfortably apart from Burnley where they scored with their one shot on goal in comparison to our 30! The worrying part is how badly we fell off after xmas - I didn't really expect much from the United game but the performance against Southampton was shocking! We couldn't seem to string any passes together and we looked completely off the pace when we were defending. Another worry is that Valencia hasn't managed to score at all this month, not only that but he's missed a good few sitters as well. Considering January's probably our toughest month of the season fixture-wise I'm scared that all of our good work at the start of the season could very quickly be thrown away.

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Despite the poor finish to the month we still find ourselves massively overachieving in 6th place so I can hardly complain at the minute.

Player of the Month

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If it wasn't for this man this month could've been so much worse for us. 6 goals in as many games is a fantastic return even though 4 of those were scored against Hull where he was incredible. I'm so lucky that the moment Valencia completely loses his shooting boots Sakho pops up to deliver the goods. If only I could have both of them on top form at the same time, think of the carnage...

Other News

I'm also pleased to say that Inui has won Asian player of the year and Sakho has won African striker of the year to top off his good month. Our players seem to be getting loads of recognition so far and I couldn't be happier!
 
A great first half of the season mate! hope you can break into the top 4 and open up life at the Olympic Stadium with Champions League football!
 
SamPeters said:
A great first half of the season mate! hope you can break into the top 4 and open up life at the Olympic Stadium with Champions League football!
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Thanks mate! I can't believe how well we've started, I would've settled for just staying away from the relegation battle for this season so to be in contention for European football has been a shock. I'm still unsure if we'll keep it up for the second half of the season but if we don't get any injuries to key players then we could have a chance of Europe next year!
 
January Update


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This was a really really tough month in the league, however I was really impressed with our performances despite only picking up 4 points out of 12. We could easily have ended the month with no points at all but we seem to be getting the hang of handling the big teams now with two solid performances against Chelsea and Liverpool. The Chelsea game may not look it but they were only able to score from 2 stupid penalties - they didn't really look like scoring otherwise. The only thing that really separates us from the big boys now is our clear lack of quality so we really need to be smart with our signings this summer so we can hopefully compete with them next year. I'm happy with the 2 wins in the FA cup, I'm really targeting it this year so if we keep getting games like we have been so far we could have a nice cup run.

View attachment 230677

We've seen ourselves drop a place in the league to 7th so February is gonna be a huge month for us. We really need to make sure that we bounce back so Arsenal and Spurs can't pull away from us and so we can get away from the chasing pack of Villa, Stoke and Newcastle who are putting a lot of pressure on us now.

Player of the Month

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Mr Consistent has been fantastic for us this season so it's about time that he gets some recognition. There doesn't seem to be anything he can't do and he really is the glue that holds the side together. I'm going to be doing everything I can to make sure he's with us permanently next season because he's pretty much irreplaceable. My only worry is that I don't think we'll be the only team keen on his signature in the summer so we might get priced out of the race for him.
 
January Transfers

With not enough money to spend to bring in anyone I deemed quality, the transfer window was very very quiet. If I'm honest I never really bring anyone in during January unless I'm desperate because it always seems to disrupt the flow of the team if you bring in 3 or 4 new players midway through the season. The only immediate movement was the cancellation of Carl Jenkinson's loan deal to free up some wages. I did plan on trying Jenkinson as one of the BPDs this year and when he did play he didn't do too bad, but I ever since the emergence of Reece Burke I've had no room for him as I can only really afford to have one development CB in the squad.

The big news is that we've managed to sign Sergio Romero on a free at the end of the season. We've conceded a lot of goals this year which is expected when you play just 3 at the back so I feel that Romero's experience of playing at the very highest level will be invaluable to us next season. This now means that we've also got real competition for the no 1 shirt next season as Adrian's hardly a bad keeper.

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Great start mate! If you an ****** a Europa place that would have to go down as a great season.

Romero is a quality signing, he has always been first class whenever I have signed him.
 
Bullardinho said:
Great start mate! If you an ****** a Europa place that would have to go down as a great season.

Romero is a quality signing, he has always been first class whenever I have signed him.
Click to expand...

I'd be chuffed if we could get a Europa place already! We play Tottenham in March which will probably be our biggest game of the season as long as we don't have a meltdown before then.

I'm really surprised we were able to get Romero so easily, I thought there would've been a few teams in Europe who would've been after him but obviously not. I've never managed him on fm before so I'm really interested to see what he's like, hopefully I'll have the same luck as you've had with him!
 
February Update


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What a great month! 3 away wins and only 2 points dropped out of a possible 15 in the league makes me a very happy man! The Stoke game was pleasing in particular, you don't see many sides going there and coming out with a 3-0 win... We've been really strong at home as well this month, battering Leicester and we were really unlucky not to get the win against City. Like I said in the January update, with a couple of quality signings in the summer we could turn some of these near misses against the top sides into wins... The only disappointment is that our involvement in the FA cup is over for this season, I don't really know what to say, we were 2-0 up and then we just switched off and now we're out the cup... It's as simple as that.

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What a difference a month makes! We're now in prime position for a place in the Europa League and just 4 points off a CL place with 10 games left! Hopefully United will lose their game in hand and the chase really will be on then!!!

First Team

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There's been a few changes since the last time I showed the first team. First Downing's made his way back in the side after he seemed to lose interest in joining Everton. He's been brilliant since his return so his time on the bench probably did him some good. Reece Burke's run of form ended pretty quickly so James Collins has taken his place since and the defence has finally started to look decent. The most impressive new boy has definitely been Diego Poyet who has been one of our best players from the moment I gave him a chance. I'm expecting big things from him in the future.

Player of the Month

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Guess who's back?? Thankfully he ended his drought at the end of January and he's not looked back this month scoring 6 goals in as many games!
 
March Update

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This was a strange month really. I should probably be happy as we took both QPR and Sunderland to pieces but the Spurs game was huge for us a we just didn't turn up at all. On the whole they probably do have the more talented individuals than us so they were expected to beat us I suppose, but we're so much better than the performance that we put in. I just hope that this result doesn't have too much of an effect on our season now, but I am happy with how well we bounced back a week later so the lads have obviously reacted well to the result.

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With just 7 games left the top 4 seem too far away from the chasing pack for anyone else to mount a serious challenge for a CL place but we've still a fantastic chance of a place in the Europa League with just a handful of games to go!

Youth Intake

There's 2 players who I genuinely think could contend for a place in the first team squad in the future if they develop the way I want them to...

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Eric Asamoah is the best of the bunch in my opinion, my assistant seems to think that he could be a good prem player in the future so I'm really going to work hard at developing him, I've got plenty of time with him only being 15! He'll be retrained as a DM because I don't think he's quite got what it takes to be a top AMC.

View attachment 229869

Fabian Grey's another exciting prospect. I was hoping I'd get a few CBs so I can try and develop the exactly the way I want. The way I play makes me really need CBs who are comfortable on the ball so I'm really gonna try and improve his technical stats especially.

Player of the Month

View attachment 229868

I'm so glad that he's back to his best! He's definitely our star man and we're such a better team when he's playing... I am worried that we're going to have a huge fight to keep hold of him in the summer though so I hope we can keep him content by getting into Europe.
 
THE RACE TO EUROPE

With just 7 games to go I thought we'd have a look at our run in compared to our closest rivals... I forgot to take a screenshot of our run in but if I'm honest it should be pretty straightforward for the majority of it. The 3 big games are 2 at on the road against Everton and United and against Southampton at home giving us a chance to et some revenge after they embarrassed us in December.

Man United

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I've included United because all it takes is a couple of slip ups and the rest of us are in with a shout for 4th place. They've a couple of tricky fixtures but if I'm honest I think they're about 90% guaranteed to be playing in the CL next season.

Arsenal

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Arsenal are neck and neck with us at the minute so it's good to see that they've got the tougher run in and we've got a game in hand on them. I'd expect the race between us 2 especially to go right down to the wire.

Tottenham

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Spurs are already a few points off us and Arsenal and they have an awful run in! They've already secured a place in the Europa League for next season by winning the Capital One Cup so I wouldn't expect much from them from now on to be honest. They could have a really big influence on how everyone else at the top finishes though!

In Other News

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It's hardly relevant to this post but I thought it needed to be shared as it could make next season really interesting for us with even more competition now.
 
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