Ryan Giggs - The next big thing?

What type of save should this be?

  • Journeyman

    Votes: 14 50.0%

  • Alex Ferguson Challenge

    Votes: 5 17.9%

  • Youth Challenge

    Votes: 6 21.4%

  • Champions League Challenge

    Votes: 3 10.7%
  • Total voters
    28
  • Poll closed .
March Review
Not happy, some poor performances here.

View attachment 192844
Tottenham vs West Ham
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Reid, Jenkinson, Obiang, Noble, Payet, Lanzini, Moses, Valencia
View attachment 192807
An excellent performance, with Valencia filling the Sakho sized gap brilliantly.

View attachment 192844
West Ham vs Chelsea
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Reid, Jenkinson, Song, Obiang, Correa, Lanzini, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 192805
Sakho marks his domestic return with a goal as we make Chelsea lose further ground at the summit.

View attachment 192829
Wolfsburg vs West Ham
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Reid, Jenkinson, Song, Noble, Payet, Lanzini, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 192804
A decent draw, we got the away goal.

View attachment 192828
Sunderland vs West Ham
Starting XI: Valdés, O'Brien, Tomkins, Ogbonna, Jenkinson, Song, Noble, Payet, Correa, Valencia, Belic
View attachment 192803
A first start for youth player Luka Belic and he takes his chance with a goal... once we were 3-0 down! The first half was absolutely appalling and we didn't do enough in the second half to earn a draw. An infuriating result!

View attachment 192829
West Ham vs Wolfsburg
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Reid, Jenkinson, Song, Noble, Obiang, Payet, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 192802
In 3 words: Appalling, Lethargic, Depressing

View attachment 192844
Swansea vs West Ham
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Reid, Jenkinson, Obiang, Song, Correa, Payet, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 192801
At least we won this...

Monthly Results
View attachment 192800
A poor month

NEWS
View attachment 192794
My contract gets extended for 3 years!

Hammer of the Month
View attachment 192793
The first repeat winner:
Enner Valencia
Games: 6
Goals: 4
Assists: 0
Avg Rating: 7.57

League Table
View attachment 192795
Scarily close in the middle of the table - 1 right set of results and we could be 6th! Top 4 looks pretty much seperated, except for the order of them.

April Preview
View attachment 192798
Premier League all the way from here on in. Expecting 12-15 points in April.​
 
April Review
This month is all about pushing as far up the league as we can.

View attachment 192664
West Ham vs Bournemouth
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Reid, Ogbonna, Jenkinson, Noble, Song, Obiang, Payet, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 192662
A solid win, even though we didn't turn up until the 2nd half

View attachment 192664
West Ham vs Leicester
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Reid, Ogbonna, Jenkinson, Song, Obiang, Payet, Correa, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 192661
Another good win, again we didn't turn up for the 1st half but Leicesters non-existent discipline helped us out

View attachment 192664
Norwich vs West Ham
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Tomkins, Ogbonna, Jenkinson, Song, Obiang, Moses, Correa, Payet, Sakho
View attachment 192660
A tough game, but we emerged on top in a tight contest.

View attachment 192664
West Ham vs Manchester United

Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Tomkins, Ogbonna, Jenkinson, Obiang, Noble, Moses, Correa, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 192659
A good win even if the goal was from a mistake by Rojo. Schweinsteiger just lost his head after the goal and seemed intent on breaking someone's leg!

View attachment 192664
Sunderland vs West Ham
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Reid, Ogbonna, Jenkinson, Noble, Obiang, Payet, Correa, Valencia, Carroll
View attachment 192658
They give us a tough game again, but this time we emerge on top.

View attachment 192664
West Ham vs Everton
Starting XI: Valdés, Cresswell, Reid, Ogbonna, Jenkinson, Noble, Song, Obiang, Payet, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 192656

A comfortable win, could've been different if Valdés didn't save a penalty at 0-0

Monthly Results
View attachment 192653
A full house of wins

League Table
View attachment 192651
What a rise! We have a great chance to get CL football, although given our and United's respective run-ins it would take a monumental f*ck-up from United to get us CL football. Sunderland relegated, but they will get EL football as they're in the FA Cup final against Arsenal.

Hammer of the Month
View attachment 192649
Carl Jenkinson
Games: 6
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Avg Rating: 8.42
May Preview
View attachment 192652
The final 2 games of the season... Man Utd have Norwich and Bournemouth. And you're going to have to wait until tomorrow for the conclusion!​
 
May Review

So, when I left you we were left something like this:
View attachment 192389


View attachment 192383
Matchday 37
West Brom vs West Ham
View attachment 192388
A shaky win, the nerves are getting to us. Although we clearly hate WBA - after getting Pulis sacked last time out, this win confirms their relegation xD

Man U 3-1 Bournemouth
View attachment 192387
Never really in doubt.


View attachment 192383
Matchday 38
Norwich 0-0 Man Utd
View attachment 192386
They slipped up! They were dominant though, and only had John Ruddy to thank for not making our efforts entirely pointless...

West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
View attachment 192385
Sadly, we were unable to capitalise as Arsenal wrecked our hopes with a win to get their revenge for the 4-2 earlier in the season. A good win for the newly crowned champions :(


Final League Table
View attachment 192381
Arsenal crowned champions after being the only team to keep their nerve at the end. 5 teams qualify for the CL after Spurs win the Europa League final. At the other end, Villa left it a little bit too late to stage their great escape and went down with WBA and Sunderland .


Season Review coming soon!​
 
West Ham 2015/16 Season Review

View attachment 192380

The 2015/16 season was an eventful one for West Ham to say the least.
A terrible start to the season led to the club relieving Slaven Bilic of his duties and replacing him with Ryan Giggs at the start of November. Giggs' first two months were inconsistent and marked with slow progress up the league. The start of 2016 bought about good form - albeit marked with dodgy cup performances - as West Ham climbed the league. As the business end of the season drew near, there was a very real chance that West Ham could claim a European spot. An amazing run of 12 games unbeaten saw them catapulted up to 5th and breathing down Manchester United's neck. Unfortunately, newly crowned champions Arsenal put an end to the dreaming with a victory in the last ever match at Upton Park.

View attachment 192373
Barclays Premier League Awards

Footballer of the Year - Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
View attachment 192379
Chelsea run Arsenal all the way for the title, and Hazard was by far their best player.

Golden Boot - Sergio Aguero (Man City)
View attachment 192378
Another hatful of goals for Aguero.

Golden Glove - Petr Cech (Arsenal)
View attachment 192377
A masterstroke by Wenger as Cech adds that long needed security to the Arsenal

Manager of the Year - Arsène Wenger
View attachment 192376
Wins the award after guiding Arsenal to their first league title in 11 years!

PFA Player of the Year - Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
View attachment 192375
Sanchez was influential in attack for Arsenal and holds off Hazard for this award.

PFA Young Player of the Year - Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
View attachment 192374
Because 24 is clearly young -_- But seriously, he was great since his move from Wolfsburg

Team of the Year
View attachment 192372
Cresswell gets in the team of the year which is dominated by City despite Arsenal winning the league.

View attachment 192367View attachment 192368
A small upgrade to both the training and youth facilities.

View attachment 192369
The board love me :D :D

View attachment 192370
That rise really is something :O The palace defeat was the opening day of the season.

View attachment 192371
Mr West Ham gets player of the year. Personally, I'd have given it to Jenko.
Goal of the season - not really that many good ones to choose from.
Signing - Correa probably edges it due to his upturn in form at the end of the season
Young Player - At least Jenko wins something.

View attachment 192366
Not a bad budget, although some of it will have to be moved to wages as we're only £100k p/w under it.
I have already made the first signing - there will be a post on it soon.

Leagues in focus

Ligue 1
View attachment 192363
Just a small win for PSG... Not an unbeaten season though...

La Liga
View attachment 192364
Atletico hold off the duopoly again! I was watching this title race all season, they were never more than 4 points apart!!

Bundesliga
View attachment 192365
Another comfortable title for Bayern. Wolfsburg again in the EL - potentially for a rematch?
Serie A
View attachment 192362
Fairly comfortable for Juve as well. Lazio sneak the last CL spot.



West Ham Squad Overview​
GK: Valdés, Adrián/Randolph - Solid enough, probably won't change this season.
LB: Cresswell - Realistically need a backup LB
CB: Reid, Ogbonna, Tomkins, Burke, Henry - No need for change here. Oxford will be loaned out, Burke and Henry will be developed
RB: Jenkinson, O'Brien - Jenko doesn't want to extend his loan, Arsenal don't want to sell so a new RB is a priority.
CDM: Poyet, Song, Noble - Poyet will replace Song who won't be returning.
CM: Noble, Obiang - Could probably do with another CM
LM: Payet - need a backup here
CAM: Lanzini - and here
RM: Valencia, Antonio - would prefer a better option than Antonio as backup but this is not a priority
ST: Sakho, Carroll - want a replacement for Carroll.

​Targets - Backup LB, RB, CM, LM, CAM, ST
 
View attachment 192352

View attachment 192351
#WelcomeLanzini

Name: Manuel Lanzini
Old Club: Al-Jazira
Fee: £5m/£62m
Position: CAM
Signing Number #1

Obviously we know Lanzini well, and with no CAM options we were delighted to pick him up permanently for just £5m​
 
View attachment 1007020
West Ham braced for summer bidding war

On the back of an extremely successful season, West Ham are braced for bids on their star players amidst reports that they have already turned down 2 bids believed to be in the region of £17m for Enner Valencia.

There are also reports that the following players have suitors:
Enner Valencia - Man City, Leverkusen and Juventus
Diafra Sakho - Naopli and Spurs
Pedro Obiang - PSG, Monaco, Roma and Chelsea
Aaron Cresswell - Man City and Chelsea
Winston Reid - PSG and Man United
Angelo Ogbonna - Juventus, Lazio and Monaco

This is sure to be an interesting window for West Ham - who can they hold on to, and who will they ultimately be forced to let go?​
 
View attachment 192251
2 in, 1 out at West Ham as summer transfers get underway

IN
View attachment 192250
Name: Angel Correa
Old Club: Atletico Madrid
Fee: Loan
Position: CAM
Signing #2
Total fees: £5m

Wasn't initially planning to keep him, but with the sale of Obiang I decided to keep him on for another year.


View attachment 192249
Name: Sebastien Jung
Old Club: Wolfsburg
Fee: £2.9m
Position: RB
Signing #3
Total Fees: £7.9m

With the depature of Jenkinson, we needed a new RB and saw Jung was transfer listed at Wolfsburg so made our move.

OUT
View attachment 192248
Name: Pedro Obiang
New Club: PSG
Fee: £16.5m, add-ons up to £22m
Position: CM

Probably the one player I was going to let leave, but only on our terms. Leverkusen, Roma and PSG all made offers but only PSG were willing to negotiate to our level. We now realistically need 2 CM's.

We've also discovered the drawbacks of no CL football, having lost out on Demarai Gray (Tottenham, then loaned to Palace...), Aleix Vidal (Man City) and Dimitar Berbatov (Swansea...)

​
 
View attachment 191382

View attachment 191381
Name: James McArthur
Old Club: Crystal Palace
Fee: £8m
Position: CM
Signing #5
Total Fees: £23.4m

McArthur should be able to replace the dynamicness of Obiang, he's homegrown and with decent top flight experience. Failed in contract talks with Kucka, so undecided whether to go for another CM or to give young Joe Powell a rotational spot (Still have £20m in TB)​
 
View attachment 191076
SUMMER TRANSFERS
View attachment 191067

IN
Manuel Lanzini - £5m
Angel Correa - Loan
Sebastien Jung - £2.6m
Danny Ings - £7.5m
James McArthur - £8.25m
Jesse Lingard - £3m

OUT (Major)
Pedro Obiang - £18.25m
Andy Carroll - £7m
Michail Antonio - £2.1m
Darren Randolph - £500k
Luka Belic - Loan
Vashon Neufville - Loan

First time I have some proper money to make the squad my own - mainly just adding that bit of quality and replacing Song and Jenko. Also nice to make a profit, albeit small.

Premier League
View attachment 191065
Some big money being spent here, with Balotelli going for stupid money! United start to flex their financial muscles as they spend a whopping £102m on their own!

Bundesliga
View attachment 191064
The major deals are outwards, while Bayern questionably spend half their budget on Ayoze Perez, who most likely won't get a game...

Eredivisie
View attachment 191063
Definitely confirms that the Eredivisie is on the decline, all 3 major deals are outgoing and the biggest spenders spend practically nothing.

Liga BBVA
View attachment 191062
Atletico spend the most to try and defend their title, while Munain makes his customary big move. Real's latest 'Galactico' is Gabbiadini.

Ligue 1
View attachment 191061
And I thought Man U had money! PSG show they mean business as they shell out a massive £128m on some decent players - and Xhaka, who I believe they overpayed for.

Primera Liga
View attachment 191060
Sporting earn a shed-load of cash, and go and spend it on Tielemans... :/

Serie A
All the major deals have already been covered.

Likely Starting XI:
View attachment 191051View attachment 191052
2 different tactics, mostly the same lineup - but will probably use Ings for home games and Sakho for the away ones.

Also, going to slightly change the way the monthly updates are done - just to speed things up a little bit.​
 
Friendly
Maritimo vs West Ham
View attachment 191047
Silva 71' | Ings 70' 77'

A decent start, just a fitness booster though - I kinda forgot to schedule friendlies until 3 weeks before the season started, so I couldn't get the high profile ones I wanted xD

Friendly
Plymouth vs West Ham
View attachment 191046
Payet 24' Sakho 28'

A solid win, never in any real doubt.

Friendly
Carlisle vs West Ham
View attachment 191045
Poyet 51' Sakho 54' Ogbonna 74'

Well, action packed to say the least! 2 red cards, but just the 1 goal - for us. Both strikers have scored in our rather short pre-season.

EXPECTATIONS
View attachment 191017
I upped the expectation slightly but I still believe that they are all easily achievable.

View attachment 191029
West Ham vs Fulham
View attachment 191044
Ings 51'
Not the action packed start I wanted for the Olympic Stadium, but at least we got 3 points to open it with.

INJURY NEWS
James McArthur (Strained Knee Ligaments) - 6-8 weeks

Swansea vs West Ham
View attachment 191043
Caicedo 9' Wilshere 30'
We huffed and puffed, etc. etc. but couldn't get through and they stunned us twice on the break. Wilshere rejected us in favour of a move to Wales.

West Ham vs Watford
View attachment 191042
Reid 53' Lanzini 56'
Best performance so far. Watford are a dangerous side on the break, hence why Poyet was deployed in a CDM role. Looked like it might have been another of those days until Reid stabbed home from a corner. We swiftly grabbed the second as Watford started to stir into life.


Europa League Draw
View attachment 191024
Could have been easier, although at least we don't have a long trip to Russia - we get Ukraine instead xD
We'll be fighting Napoli for top spot while ensuring we don't let Hoffenheim sneak in.

Capital One Cup Draw
View attachment 191023
My first taste of the Capital One Cup will be a short trip away to QPR. Some of the youngsters will play, but I want to win as it's a London derby.

League Table
View attachment 191020
Early days, but Arsenal look a good shout to retain the title.

Hammer of the Month
View attachment 191016
Sebastien Jung
Games: 3
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Avg Rating: 7.67

A super month for Jung, who has replaced Jenko easily.

September Preview
View attachment 191018
An interesting month. We start the EL group with the hardest game, followed by a trip to the Etihad. We play QPR twice, and have games against Everton and Vorskia to end the month​
 
AW190 said:
December Review

7 games this month, 6 in the league and the showdown against Dortmund. Realistically I would like 12 points from this month and a good performance against Dortmund.

Injury News
View attachment 1005446

View attachment 1005451
West Ham vs Sunderland
Starting XI: Adrian, O'Brien, Tomkins, Ogbonna, Jenkinson, Noble, Song, Obiang, Payet, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 1005452
A shaky performance for sure, but we got the 3 points.

Injury Update
View attachment 1005447
Carroll won't be missed much, Sakho is in fine form

View attachment 1005458
West Ham vs Borussia Dortmund
Starting XI: Adrian, Hendrie, Ogbonna, Tomkins, Jenkinson, Song, Obiang, Payet, Lanzini, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 1005453
We needed a win, we just lacked the clinical edge. We had the better chances - including Moses missing a 1-on-1 in the 93rd minute!
View attachment 1005451
Everton vs West Ham
Starting XI: Adrian, O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Jenkinson, Song, Noble, Payet, Lanzini, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 1005454
After 2 encouraging performances, back to reality. This was just one of those games where it wouldn't go in for us, we had 62% possession!

View attachment 1005451
West Ham vs West Brom
Starting XI: Adrian, Ogbonna, Reid, Henry, Jenkinson, Song, Obiang, Payet, Lanzini, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 1005459
An easy win, one that cost Tony Pulis his job as WBA manager. He got his revenge by injuring Lanzini, Valencia and Ogbonna - thankfully none were serious

Injury Update
View attachment 1005450View attachment 1005449View attachment 1005448

View attachment 1005451
Southampton vs West Ham
Starting XI: Adrian, Cresswell, Tomkins, Henry, Jenkinson, Song, Noble, Moses, Payet, Antonio, Sakho
View attachment 1005461
We played a slightly makeshift team and it showed, but we put in a good fight and came away with a just about deserved 3 points

View attachment 1005451
Arsenal vs West Ham
Starting XI: Adrian, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Reid, O'Brien, Noble, Obiang, Payet, Lanzini, Valencia, Sakho
View attachment 1005460
What. A. Performance. The best since I took over. We were lethal on the counter, and if truth be told we should've scored more. Reid's was a belter - a volley from 25 yards out :O

View attachment 1005451
West Ham vs Southampton
Starting XI:
View attachment 1005491
A dour draw, we really should've won this though - Southampton never threatened

Monthly Results
View attachment 1005493
A good month for us, nearly unbeaten - should've been.

Also, on a staff front:
View attachment 1005492
How could I not bring in Scholesy to help out?!

Hammer of the Month
View attachment 1005527
Manuel Lanzini
Games: 4
Assists: 3
Goals: 1
Avg Rating: 7.60

Cup Draws
Europa League
View attachment 1005471
That's the price you pay for finishing second. Doesn't get any easier if we get through - Wolfsburg or Marseille...

FA Cup
View attachment 1005472
Could've been tougher, could've been easier.

League Table
View attachment 1005497
Pretty tight down there...

Awards
View attachment 1005507
Alex Song came 3rd in African Midfielder of the Year, Diafra Sakho came 3rd in African Attacker of the Year

View attachment 1005508
Messi takes World Player of the Year - No Ronaldo in the top 3!

View attachment 1005510
That is some team - even with Neuer only on the bench!

View attachment 1005511
Messi wins the Golden Ball as well - again no Ronaldo in the top 3!

View attachment 1005512
Bernado Silva claims Golden Boy - some decent stats he has there

View attachment 1005518
Reid claims Oceanian Player of the Year - no offence, but there wasn't much competition for it!

View attachment 1005519
Finally, our form doesn't go unnoticed as I come second in Manager of the Month for December - McClaren probably clinched it with that impressive pair of results against City.

Next month
View attachment 1005494
Much quieter in January, but there is the transfer window... and we have no money to spend.​
Click to expand...

Reid - Player of the year, LOL. It was out of him and 1 other.
 
September Review

3 League games, 2 Europa games and a League Cup tie away at QPR.

View attachment 190540
West Ham 0-0 QPR
View attachment 190537
A frustrating game, we should've won even with the rotated lineup (looking towards the Napoli game). First starts for Reece Burke and Jesse Lingard.

Injury News
Danny Ings (Dislocated shoulder) - 2 months out!
Adrián (Damaged heel) - 10-12 days out

2 blows here, as our first choice striker is out and Sakho is low on confidence after a goalless run - then our backup keeper injures himself the day before the Napoli game.
View attachment 190539
Napoli 0-3 West Ham
Sakho 13' Noble (pen) 28' Lanzini 72'
View attachment 190536
With both Cresswell and Ogbonna suspended (from last season), there were first starts of the season for Hendrie and Tomkins. It was a great away performance from us - another to add to the collection! Napoli managed a whopping 0 shots on target. Sakho's goal was nothing like a man short on confidence, letting a long ball drop over his shoulder before calmly slotting past a stranded Reina. Much better.

Injury News
Dimitri Payet (Strained calf) - 3-4 weeks out
Another blow, chance for Lingard to step up though.

View attachment 190540
Man City 5-0 West Ham
Cuadrado 13' Silva 20' 42' Aguero 22' 26'
View attachment 190535
I stuck with the same tactic albeit with a much weaker 3 behind Sakho. City were absolutely rampant in the first 45 minutes as they tore us to shreds - the 3 goalscorers were on fire! A few harsh words at half time, a triple substitution and City taking their foot off the gas all lead to us dominating the 2nd half - unfortunately we were very wasteful, which combined with Otamendi and Hart's brilliance meant we couldn't even get a consolation where on another day we could've pulled all 5 goals back!

Injury News
Joe Powell (Twisted knee) - 3 weeks out
Frustrating, as I was set to give him his debut against QPR.

View attachment 190538
QPR 1-3 West Ham (AET)
Castaignos 27' | Valencia 22' Jung 99' Correa 101'
View attachment 190532
Profiligancy was again our worst enemy, as we created enough chances to win 3 games, but couldn't do it in 90 minutes! 2 quick goals in ET killed of the game though, and I gave Josh Pask his debut shortly afterwards. Burke was brilliant again - this time stopping Charlie Austin no less! He's really beginning to force his way into my plans for the more competitive games.

View attachment 190540
Everton 0-0 West Ham
View attachment 190527
Profiligancy 3-0 West Ham... Getting ridiculous now as another opposition goalkeeper wins MOTM against us!
There was a substitute debut for Djair Parfitt-Williams.

View attachment 190539
West Ham 6-0 Vorskla
Noble (pen) 5' (pen) 21' Sakho 8' 60' Correa 16' Valencia 56'
View attachment 190528
Well, we were due to find our shooting boots sometime...

League Table
View attachment 190521
As long as we can't score in the league, we're not going to go up it.

Europa League Table
View attachment 190526
2 games against Hoffenheim next, will probably see us through with 4 points.

Capital One Cup Draw
View attachment 190525
Kind of divided over this draw. One hand, I wanted an easier draw. Other hand, good experience for some of the youngsters.

Hammer of the Month
View attachment 190520
Manuel Lanzini
Games: 6
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Avg Rating: 7.95
The young Argentinean is back to his best!

October Preview
View attachment 190519
Opens a brand new stadium - gets hardly any games to play in it -_- At least it gets it first big game, with Spurs making the short trip over. Believe we can get all 12 points if we consistently start scoring. McArthur should return against Spurs and Payet will be back for Southampton. Ings won't be back this month.​
 
October Review

Another load of away games, but hopefully we can push up the table this month.

View attachment 190088
West Ham 2-2 Spurs
Reid 20' Ogbonna 36' Valencia 40' | Eriksen 21' Ben Arfa 78'
View attachment 190084
A big performance from the boys to get a point out of this. Reid was harshly sent off (imo) and Eriksen curled in the resulting free-kick. We rallied and got the 2 goals before half time but ultimately their man advantage paid dividends for them.
View attachment 190088
Southampton 0-3 West Ham
Sakho 11' 48' 87'
View attachment 190082
A good away performance from us - one of our best in the league. Sakho nets a clinical hat trick as he puts the saints to the sword.
View attachment 190087
Hoffenheim 1-1 West Ham
Taggart 39' | Sakho 17'
View attachment 190081
A proper bruising end-to-end European battle, a draw probably a fair result - keeps us top of the group, and 5 points clear of Hoffenheim in 3rd.

View attachment 190088
Brighton 1-5 West Ham
Gonzalez 31' | Sakho 1' 52' Lanzini 6' 81' 83'
View attachment 190080
A great win against one of the newly promoted sides. Things looking up for us.

View attachment 190086
Stoke 1-1 West Ham (AET (Stoke win 4-2 on penalties))
Diouf 39' | Sakho 64'
View attachment 190079
And down to earth again. Stoke just about hung in for 120 minutes, then perfected the art of putting the ball between Adrian's hands from 12 yards (he guessed all their kicks correctly but saved none of them!)

View attachment 190088
West Ham 2-2 Crystal Palace
Sakho 48' Lingard 50' | Bolasie 4' Chamakh 42'
View attachment 190073

Great game. Palace's counter attack was really effective in the first half, but the hairdryer at half time was one straight out of Fergies book. 5 minutes into the 2nd half and it's 2-2. Then it becomes attack vs defence, with the constant threat of Palace's counters. In the end, neither team scored.

Injury Update
Enner Valencia (bruised rib) - 1 week out

League Table
View attachment 190066
Incredibly tight, wouldn't be surprised to see us right up the top at the end of November!

Europa Table
View attachment 190068
A win against Hoffenheim, coupled with Napoli avoiding defeat, sees us through.

Hammer of the Month
View attachment 190072
Diafra Sakho
Games: 6
Goals: 8
Assists: 1
Avg Rating: 8.46

Absolutely incredible month from Sakho, over a goal a game! Ings will struggle to turf him out of the side when he returns.
View attachment 190064
And Sakho gets Player of the Month.
View attachment 190063
And the general inconsistency of the league results in me coming 2nd in Manager of the Month.

November Preview
View attachment 190061
An easy month domestically, a crucial one in Europe.

​
 
Valencia with a hat-trick against my beloved Spurs :(

Apart from that, loving the story! West Ham have a great squad with a lot of potential in their youth. Keep it up! Top 4 this year! :D
 
Disclaimer89 said:
Valencia with a hat-trick against my beloved Spurs :(

Apart from that, loving the story! West Ham have a great squad with a lot of potential in their youth. Keep it up! Top 4 this year! :D
Click to expand...
Sorry, Valencia seems to like scoring against Spurs :p At least you can take comfort from the fact they're 2nd at time of this comment :)
Good to have your support, trying to integrate some of that youth this season which I think is why we're a bit inconsistent. If we nail the consistency (in a good way!) then I share your optimism for the season - would be good to do as well as Fergie did in his first full season, finishing 2nd (that's a little optimistic though :p )
 
November Review
A fairly easy month, we can win our EL group with a game left as well.

View attachment 1010186
West Ham 1-0 Hoffenheim
Sakho 60'
View attachment 189430

A solid win, Sakho scores again. This confirms our qualification, beating Napoli would make us group winners.
View attachment 1010187
Leicester 3-3 West Ham
Babel 8' Roberts 40' 59' | Sakho 10' 32' Correa 90+2'
View attachment 189429

The first Giggsy Time equaliser! Tbf, we robbed them here - first game this season where we've had less possession than the opposition... and we only had 3 shots on target!
View attachment 1010187
West Ham 3-1 Bournemouth
Correa 30' Sakho 45+1' 54'| Hooper 39'
View attachment 189428

An easy win over the leagues bottom side. Another brace for Sakho.
View attachment 1010186
West Ham 3-0 Napoli
Sakho 13' 72' Correa 48'
View attachment 189427

And another brace for Sakho. Group winners, and not a goal conceded against Higuaín, Hamsik and co. What more could I ask for?
View attachment 1010187
Norwich 2-2 West Ham
Borini 14' Brady 67' | Sakho 44' 54'
View attachment 189424

The shootout between the league's 2 top scorers ends equal. Borini ends the game top still as he has played less game time than Sakho.

League Table
View attachment 1010191
Still lovely and tight...

EL Table
View attachment 1010192
With the group sewn up, the youngsters will get a game against Vorskla.

Hammer of the Month
View attachment 1010193
Diafra Sakho
Games: 5
Goals: 9
Assists: 0
Avg Rating: 8.03

How could it be anyone else?! Even better month this month - he's now scored in 10 consecutive games in all competitions!

And...
View attachment 189431
He defends his Player of the Month Award!


December Preview
View attachment 189415
Merry f*cking Christmas :/

​
 
December Review
With the team in good form, could we keep it going in a tough December?

View attachment 188630
Vorskla 2-4 West Ham
Kravchuk 57' Kolomoiskyi 89' | Ings 31' Powell 36' Correa 85' Sakho 90'
View attachment 188623
We play with a seriously rotated side, Joe Powell getting his first start. And he was superb, setting up Ings with a brilliant ball over the top before scoring a marvellous free-kick to double our lead. A good win for the fringe players.

View attachment 188629
West Ham 2-1 Man United
Valencia 35' Sakho 36' | Rooney 52'
View attachment 188622
Another home win over the former employers, and another goal for Sakho. Also, another managerial casualty because of me - Van Gaal getting the chop because of this. The quickfire double was enough to finish off United, even with their fightback.

View attachment 188629
Chelsea 1-2 West Ham
Kenedy 12' | Sakho 21' 71'
View attachment 188620
Another super away win against a big side, albeit with Chelsea a bit light up top. Sakho continues his super run - that's 14 games in a row that he's scored in!

View attachment 188629
Arsenal 0-1 West Ham
Cazorla 15' | Cresswell 40' Valencia 71'
View attachment 188619
After seeing how many goals Arsenal have smashed in so far in the league, I decided it would be a good idea to set up more defensively. It worked a treat in a bad-tempered game, with Valencia getting the winner after we both had a man sent off before half time.

View attachment 188629
West Ham 1-1 Liverpool
Noble (pen) 43' | Nuto 39' Clyne 63'
View attachment 188617
Slightly frustrating after recent performances, although we did do enough to win this game.

View attachment 188629
West Ham 2-0 Stoke
Sakho 52' 55'
View attachment 188615
Sakho ends his mini goal drought in style - really dreading when he leaves for AFCON...

View attachment 188629
Newcastle 2-4 West Ham
Cissé 47' Juanmi 72' | Sakho 22' 79' 82' Valencia 40'
View attachment 188603
Game of the month in terms of overall quality. Sakho with another hattrick - Ings needs to play out of his skin when Sakho leaves for AFCON!

League Table
View attachment 188602
Dare we whisper it yet? Could we go all the way? We are currently 21 games unbeaten in all competitions (!)

EL Draw
View attachment 188611
A rematch with Dortmund. Yay.

FA Cup Draw
View attachment 188610
Sorry, I think I may be forgetting the meaning of magic of the cup...

Hammer of the Month
View attachment 188605
Diafra Sakho - Again!
Games: 7
Goals: 9
Assists: 2
Avg Rating: 7.96

What can I say about this guy? He's been absolutely incredible so far!
And of course:
View attachment 188601
He defends his Player of the Month award again! I've never managed a player who's got 3 Player of the Month's in a row before on any FM (that I remember anyway...) - surely he's a big shout for Player of the Year?

January Preview
View attachment 188608
Two big home games. And we have an unbeaten run to protect.

Window Preview
We're not looking for too much, Adrián and Tomkins have been making a few noises. Several teams interested in Valencia and Sakho as well, but would want in excess of £30m for either.
​
 
January Awards Update - Plus Leagues So Far

Golden Ball - Lionel Messi (Barca)
View attachment 188600
The magician wins it again, Robben a surprise second and Ronaldo wrapping up the top 3.

World Player of the Year - Lionel Messi (Barca)
View attachment 188599
Messi again, Neymar replaces Ronaldo in the top 3.

Golden Boy - Tin Jedvaj (Leverkusen)
View attachment 188598
The young Croat wins it after a stellar year for him with Leverkusen.

World XI
View attachment 188597
No Ronaldo?!

Oceania Player of the Year - Winston Reid (West Ham)
View attachment 188596
It's more of a surprise if he doesn't win it...

African Footballer of the Year - SAKHOOOOOOO!!! (West Ham :p )
View attachment 188595
Wasn't in any doubt was it? Surprisingly close though, considering Touré's done f*ck all.

Broadcasters African Footballer of the Year - SAKHOOOOOOOO!! (West Ham :p )
View attachment 188594
No, I don't know the difference - but it's another award for Sakho!

African XI
View attachment 188593
And a dead-cert inclusion in the African XI

TABLES

Premier League
View attachment 188590
Obviously, we're the big surprise - along with United still struggling. Emery got the job in the end.
Surprise: West Ham
Disappointment: Man Utd

Ligue 1
View attachment 188586
Monaco doing well to just about keep their noses in front of PSG.
Surprise: Lorient
Disappointment: Bordeaux

Bundesliga
View attachment 188585
Nothing to see here. Certainly not a 6 team title race or anything!!!!
Surprise: RB Leipzig
Disappointment: Ultimately, it has to be Bayern for not being top.

Serie A
View attachment 188584
Definitely the most comfortable of all the leagues, looks like Juve have it sewn up already.
Surprise: Lazio
Disappointment: Roma

La Liga
View attachment 188583
Real Madrid just can't shake Sevilla off. Also, Bale is unhappy - who will make the mega money move for him?
Surprise: Sevilla - honorary mention to Eibar though (predicted dead last)
Disappointment: Can't say Barca, as they can go joint top if they win both games in hand. So... Espanyol.

​
 
View attachment 188320
January Transfer Window

OUT

View attachment 188315
Adrián - QPR (£1.3m)

He'd not been getting many games, and not really convinced me when he did play. Youth team keeper Sam Howes will be the backup keeper until the end of the season when we have a replacement coming in.

IN
View attachment 188306
Kristian Holm - FC Copenhagen (£3.5m, rising to £5m potentially)

Tried to get this kid in the summer before going for Correa, but he refused the deal as he wanted to stay at Copenhagen. Half a season later, he's wanted by the worlds top clubs - and us. We made the first move, and got the deal done before anyone else stepped in. Will be Correa's replacement next season.

View attachment 188302
Ron-Robert Zieler - Hannover 96 (End of contract)
As soon as I knew Adrian was going to leave, I looked around for cheap 'keepers and saw this guy was out of contract in the summer. A solid keeper I know well from using on previous FM's, he will be able to challenge Valdés for the No. 1 shirt. Oh, and he's HG :p

So overall, a quiet window for us - with both transfers made with next season in mind. Although, it wasn't so quiet elsewhere...

Transfer Window Overview
Liga BBVA
View attachment 188301
Atletico spend big in their bid to defend their crown. Barcelona forced into late moves for Moura and Vela after I stand firm on our £30m valuation of Valencia. Also going to Barca was one Carl Jenkinson :O

Bundesliga
View attachment 188300
Bayern also spend big as they look to break free of the intense title race in Germany, yet 2 of the big 3 deals are outward deals by them - Højbjerg going to Chelsea, and Ayoze going at a loss to Napoli after becoming frustrated at a lack of games.

Serie A
View attachment 188299
2 big moves here - Higuain finally moving to the BPL, with Arsenal... and Mascherano leaving Barca for Juve.

Barclays Premier League

2 of the 3 big moves had already been shown (Højbjerg and Higuain) with the third one being Liverpool buying André Ayew for £22m and Jon Flanagan.


​
 
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