Rise of the Hammers? A West Ham United Story

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Good luck with the Hammers! great story thus far.

Thanks mate! Hopefully I should have the season finished and updated tonight so I can get stuck into some transfers whilst it's deadline day!
 
interesting story mate..i hope you will get some money next season to help you push for Champions League
 
interesting story mate..i hope you will get some money next season to help you push for Champions League

Cheers mate... So do I but if I'm honest I don't have my hopes up, the board haven't wanted to invest in anything I've asked them to this season so I'm a bit worried... hopefully the transfer list will throw up a few gems!
 
April Update

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A pretty solid month all together, I'm happy with the 2 wins this month especially the Palace game where we ran riot! We seem to be scoring for fun against the sides in the bottom half of the table which is really pleasing. I really hope that the Everton game doesn't come back to haunt us but it was never going to be easy and to be honest I'll take the draw considering we were 3-1 down and look defeated at one point.

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We now find ourselves level on points with Arsenal with just 4 games to go. What makes it even more exciting is that City have incredibly fallen out of the title race all together and are now only 3 points ahead of us!! Can we pinch a CL spot against all the odds?? The bad news is that one of us will definitely miss out on Europe this year as Newcastle have madeit to the FA cup final and will be playing United with pretty much guaranteesthem a spot in the Europa League... The pressure really is on next month!! What's good to see is that we're the highest scorers in the league, if we cantighten the defence next season then we could be lethal!

Player of the Month

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I couldn't ask for more from Sakho, every match he seems to get himself in the right places and most importantly come up with the goods. He's been lethal this month scoring another 4 goals.

 
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May Update

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The injuries to key players killed us! We didn't look like the same side at all this month and it's really hurt us. Sadly we just don't have the strength in depth to recover from so many key injuries at the minute so to get 7 points is still quite an achievement. A couple of promising academy lads got a chance in the first team which was nice to see but it effectively ended our chances of European football for next season.

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Unbelievably Chelsea are champions despite City and Liverpool leading the way for pretty much the whole season... We finish in a really really respectable 6th position finishing level on points with Arsenal but missing out on 5th due to our goal difference. I'm gutted but proud at the same time it's such a weird feeling! The worst bit is that Arsenal were saved by a last minute own goal on the last game of the season by Gaston Ramirez, not only did it screw us over but it also relegated Hull so it proved very costly!

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Sakho and Valencia both finished the season on a really impressive 22 goals each with Amilfitano coming second in assists with 15. Something tells me that keeping hold of these 3 is going to be a nightmare this summer!

Other News

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There's a ton of clubs after him and he's refused to have anything to do with the club anymore... He's been superb for us this season so it's a shame that he wants to leave but if he's going to go then someone's going to have to cough up a **** of a lot for him!

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Villa's new owner clearly wasn't joking when he said he wanted to splash the cash! Whether they'll actually put a bid in is the question mind...

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Eric Asamoah - record breaker.
 
End of Season Review 2014/15

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Not too much to say as this sums it up pretty nicely but I can't believe how well we've performed this season. I shouldn't feel as gutted as I do because we really have punched above our weight but it bothers me that missing out on Europe could mean that we'll need a massive rebuild in the summer... hopefully I can hold on to everyone! At least I know that playing with 3 at the back can bring success!

Player and Fans' Player of the Season

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ENNER VALENCIA! It had to be him, when he's on form we win - it's as simple as that. I will be doing everything I possibly can to keep him at the club for next season, I'm still not sure whether I'm going to use him as the forward or keep him as the shadow striker yet, its depends on the Sakho situation. Speaking of Sakho, both him and Inui ran Valencia close but neither of them have had as much of an influence as Enner this season.

Teams of the Season

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3 players in the overall team of the year is really pleasing! Inui must've worked wonders to keep player of the season Hazard out though!!

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Only 2 surprises in the best 11, super sub Kevin Nolan made it into the side which means Downing is in a CDM - a position he's never ever played in! I would've had Poyet in for Nolan personally who I've been really impressed by.

Other News

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This is really worrying, I love developing my own homegrown players and I would've thought the board would as well but they don't seem to care in the slightest! All they're bothered about is money and not football which is really sad.

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Not sure what this means quite yet but it's interesting. We'll have to wait and see what happens at the end of next season...

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This is really disappointing, I've already been scouting for bargains in case this happened but I would've thought that we would've got more than that especially after coming 6th! The worst bit is that we still only get a tiny amount of the money we make from selling players so it could be a difficult summer. It also probably means that Alex Song won't be returning next year which is gutting because he's been superb.
 
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Preseason Update 2015/16

Transfers

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Not a bad haul at all for just a £12 mill budget! Munoz was a player that I'd been watching for pretty much all of last season, I couldn't believe he was available for so cheap and I knew straight away that he was the man to bolster my defence. The biggest signing is probably Lucas Silva, he's my replacement for Song and although he's not as much as a physical presence as Song, he will bring some real creativity to the side. He should shine playing in the heart of our system as I'll be looking to him to control everything. The signings of Bamford and Ocampos could prove to be real pieces of business if they both reach their potentials. Bamford was brought in to replace Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll who we both useless last year, whilst Ocampos is in to battle with Amilfitano on the right. He's not yet a natural there but he should be towards the end of the season. The 2 big departures are Cresswell and Carroll who I couldn't find space in the side as they just didn't fit the system. I'm a bit gutted that I couldn't convert Cresswell into a left mid because he can develop into a really decent player, but I'm dead happy about how much we've got for Carroll considering he played about 3 games last season!

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This was a massive turnaround, it seems like I priced everyone out of the deal... Everyone apart from Villa that is who were willing to pay a massive 50 mill for him!!! The only problem was that I wanted a minimum of 20 mill paid upfront for him so i could bring in a replacement where Villa could only afford 5 mill after spending 24 million on Candreva!!! I know their new owner talks a big game but I didn't think they'd have that much to spend! Surely they've broke FFP?! There was also a lot of interest in Inui, Amilfitano and Sviatchenko but no one was willing to pay anywhere near enough for them.

Matches

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I'm happy that we've come through a pretty challenging set of fixtures unbeaten. All of the new players, Munoz especially, seem to be settling in really well... It's nice to see us look quite solid and assured at the back for once! The only big problem is that it looks like we're going to start this season in the same state as we finished last season as we have loads of injuries - especially in midfield where we only 2 fit players who can play as DMs meaning that I'll have to wait a few weeks to see Lucas Silva in action.

First Team

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This was the planned first team for the start of the season until the injuries took their toll... It's getting me excited about this season the more I look at that team hopefully we can come through the tricky first couple of games against the big spending Villa and last season's runners up, Liverpool.

Other News

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Being a lifelong United fan this was very flattering but the only way I'm leaving West Ham is if I get sacked!
 
That was one **** of a season mate! And you deserved europa league.
I like your tactics, Maybe romero wont let too many goals past him.
Goodluck for this season, will be following :)
 
That was one **** of a season mate! And you deserved europa league.
I like your tactics, Maybe romero wont let too many goals past him.
Goodluck for this season, will be following :)

Thanks mate! I think if it wasn't for those injuries at the end of the season we would've made the Europa. I really hope that Romero does prove the difference because the amount of goals we conceded hurt us last year!
 
August Update

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Not the greatest start but I'm still scratching my head at how we lost to villa - they had 2 scruffy shots all game and ended up scoring with both of them! The Liverpool game doesn't really surprise me, they really are our bogey team and we just don't seem to be able to handle them at all whenever we play them. It was nice to see Bamford get off the mark early to take some pressure off him though. The biggest game of the month and it could potentially be of the season was against Reading in the Capital One Cup though. Morale was low after starting the season with 2 losses and it very quickly got a lot lower after we found ourselves 3-0 down after 50 mins! I'm not gonna lie, I was fuming, I ended walking away from my laptop waiting to be put out of my misery whilst planning how we could somehow stop the rot against Sunderland. I couldn't believe it when I came back to us scoring a third goal to equalise and then a 4th in extra time to win! Definitely my best ever comeback on FM and it was a massive confidence boost to the team as we went to to pull Sunderland apart a few days later.

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Not really where we want to be but hopefully we can make up for it next month... Look at Wigan though! Talk about returning to the league in style!

Player of the Month

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He might only have scored once but he's been outstanding in every game. I can't believe nobody was interested at all in the summer.

Other News

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With only 2 fit DMs in the squad I needed someone else in. I'm happy with Mikel though, I feel he could really bring something to the side.

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Although this is brilliant news it's really annoying that they waited until deadline day to adjust it!

Biggest PL Transfers

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Great story mate! Fortunately you have been able to keep your key pieces (except for Song) and make some really good transfers for another crack at the EC. I will be following closely!
 
Thanks mate! I think if it wasn't for those injuries at the end of the season we would've made the Europa. I really hope that Romero does prove the difference because the amount of goals we conceded hurt us last year!

I really admire your faith of going 3 at the back.. But I just feel the individuals won't increase your level in the 2nd season..

I recommend 2 guys that will really make you a stronger unit and also very affordable (if they are still at their respective teams)..

1. Lucas Romero - available for about 5 million with 50% sell on fee... trust me you wont sell him... he accelerates to a value of 15+m and is such a dynamite DM which will stop the attacks.

2. Ener Balanta - Pretty much the same with 5 million and 50% sell on fee... no need to sell and he also accelerates at an amazing pace in order of ability and value... I think with 3 at the back, u should play him lcb as he has the pace and power to cope with the width.

I buy both players in every sale, whether I am arsenal or aston villa... These 2 become so so good...

I am following and all the luck to you...

P.S. I don't have the balls for 3 at the back lol... I still play my 4-2-1-2-1 formation... check out my threads...
 
Great story mate! Fortunately you have been able to keep your key pieces (except for Song) and make some really good transfers for another crack at the EC. I will be following closely!

Thanks mate! I can't believe that we've managed to keep everyone, there was a lot of interest but no one moaned apart from Sakho and Amalfitano but they're both happy again now. I'm gutted about losing Song but to be honest his wages would've been way too expensive to afford anyway... Silva is a massive leap in creativity and Mikel is a pretty similar player to Song so I've no complaints at all now!
 
I really admire your faith of going 3 at the back.. But I just feel the individuals won't increase your level in the 2nd season..

I recommend 2 guys that will really make you a stronger unit and also very affordable (if they are still at their respective teams)..

1. Lucas Romero - available for about 5 million with 50% sell on fee... trust me you wont sell him... he accelerates to a value of 15+m and is such a dynamite DM which will stop the attacks.

2. Ener Balanta - Pretty much the same with 5 million and 50% sell on fee... no need to sell and he also accelerates at an amazing pace in order of ability and value... I think with 3 at the back, u should play him lcb as he has the pace and power to cope with the width.

I buy both players in every sale, whether I am arsenal or aston villa... These 2 become so so good...

I am following and all the luck to you...

P.S. I don't have the balls for 3 at the back lol... I still play my 4-2-1-2-1 formation... check out my threads...

Both Romero and Balanta are quality and I've had a lot of success with them on other saves but to be honest it's almost too easy when you sign them. It might sound weird but I love a struggle on this game so I never really use plug and play tactics and I try to not sign the easy players... I always find it makes it a bit more interesting, especially with midtable teams! Thanks for following though and I'll definitely give your threads a look!
 
September Update

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Now this is more like it! 100% record in the league this month and we were so unlucky against City in the cup. We're nowhere near our best yet either as we seem to be struggling to create CCCs at the moment which is stopping us from scoring plenty of goals like we did last year... It's still early days though so I wouldn't have expected us to be at our best for a while yet anyway. Still, after a slow start, there are some positive signs again! The big test of how good we are will definitely be next month, honestly it's the month from ****!!!

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We've finally broke the top 4!!! Now we've just got to stay there for the next 32 games!

Player of the Month

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Our captain seems to have finally settled into the new style of play as he's been brilliant so far this year. Selecting the 2 DMs each week is becoming really difficult with both Mikel and Silva settling in very quickly and putting in the performances as well.
 
October Update

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What a frustrating month! I'm still happy with the outcome but we could've had so much more! The Stoke game was a freak result to be fair, neither side deserved to score at all really with both of their goals being from 2 amazing freekicks and ours from a penalty. After that we had the worst run of games possible so to come out of those 3 unbeaten shows how much we've come on. The Chelsea game was a fair result, we defended really really well for the whole game only to be undone by a corner and then we hit them on the break in the last minute. I don't think we deserved to win because it was pretty even but if we just defended that stupid corner then we could've snatched a win. We were 2-0 up against City and 3-0 against Arsenal at the 70 minute mark in both and then we completely switched off at the back. It's really annoying because we were so dominant in both games and then we ended up throwing it all away against City and we very nearly did against Arsenal as well. Anyway, I can't tell you all how relieved am I to get that month out of the way, I've been dreading it since the fixtures were announced!

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10 games down and we're in 6th place with the majority of the big teams already played... Time to really push on now and build up some momentum to take into the new year!

Player of the Month

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It would've been a defender if it wasn't for the 2 mini meltdowns at the end of the month but to be fair Inui has put in some massive performances in some big games and grabbed a couple of vital goals. He was pretty much a nobody when we signed him but he's grown into one of the leagues most dangerous attacking threats... It may be time to give him a more central role soon because he causes havoc every single time he cuts inside.
 
November Update

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Not too bad of a month with 2 wins and a loss... What I've noticed is that the league seems a lot tighter this year with nearly every game being a close encounter. I think don't think we're suffering from second season syndrome too much as we're still winning games and looking quite comfortable on the ball but we really lack a goal scorer, last season both Valencia and Sakho were scoring for fun but this year we seem to struggle to find the net considering the amount of chances we create. The amount of shots off target in games this season has been ridiculous!

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5th place in the league at the moment but with a few teams with a game in hand on us and a hectic December on its way, that could change dramatically if we're not careful!

Player of the Month

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It's been a fantastic month for Munoz, being the only player to get a rating over 7 in every game and also making his Spain debut! He's probably been the signing that's made the biggest impact so far, his rating rarely seems to be below 7 in every game and he really tidies up any mistakes Strandberg and Sviatchenko make.

Other News

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I thought this was quite interesting, it just shows that we're definitely holding onto the ball well and controlling games at the minute but we just aren't putting it into the net as much as we should yet. There's still a lot of games to go so I'm sure it'll all come together eventually... At least we're still grinding out wins!

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I'm getting sick of this now, I was actually looking forward to January and then the board do this again!
 
Still going really well, keep it up! I like your attitude to the wonderkid "certainties" as well - much more interesting without them!
 
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