FM12 - Come On You Irons!

[Grover]

25/08/12 – Premier League Match Day #2
West Ham United 1 – 3 Fulham
Goals: West Ham: Tomkins (63) Fulham: Capoue (8), Ruiz (72), Hangeland (82)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 16/6, Fulham 13/5
Possession: Fulham 54/46
Cautions: West Ham: Demel (Y 46), Cole (Y 68) Fulham: Inkoom (Y 62)
Man of the Match: Bryan Ruiz

Form: Stockdale 6.6, Demel (off 66) 6.8, Friedrich 6.7, Tomkins 7.9, Aldrete 6.0, Noble (off 66) 6.7, Gibson 6.7, Anakoglou 6.9, Acquafresca (off 66) 5.8, Cole 5.6, Piquionne 6.7, De Laet (on 66) 6.3, Nolan (on 66) 6.4, Baldock (on 66) 6.7

Notes:
- Fulham bought a terrific central midfield duo over the summer, Etienne Capoue (£13.5m) and Radja Nainggolan (£7m).
- Frederic Piquionne was called offside after scoring a goal (38), he was off by about a yard.
- Set pieces. James Tomkins' goal came from a near post header on an Anakoglou corner.
- Bryan Ruiz scored his goal when Adrian Aldrete missed a tackle, allowing the right midfielder to make a free run into the box. Stockdale never had a chance.
- Our throw-in takers are absolutely horrid in the attacking third, especially when throwing toward the box, almost always directly to an opponent.

28/08/12 – Awards
Tomkins Named
James Tomkins was named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

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29/08/12 – Carling Cup (second round)
West Ham United 3 – 0 Coventry City
Goals: West Ham: Acquafresca (19, 32), Nolan (39)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 26/7, Coventry 3/0
Possession: West Ham 67/33
Cautions: Coventry: Clingan (Y 18)
Man of the Match: Kevin Nolan

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 8.1, Reid 7.4, De Laet 7.6, Ilunga 7.4, Nolan 8.2, Gibson 7.0, Anakoglou 7.4, Baldock 7.7, Acquafresca 7.7, Sears 6.9

Notes:
- Robert Acquafresca get his first goal for the club, playing poacher after a Nolan effort pinballed around the box.
- After he struggled in the first two matches, I figured I would start Acquafresca in this match to boost his confidence on life in England.
- James McPake pulled Freddie Sears down inside the box on 38', Acquafresca's penalty attempt was saved. Something about Hammers players taking penalties while sitting on a hat trick. Cole was 0/2 on penalties in similar situations last season.
- Again after a hat trick, Acquafresca had a goal pulled back for being offside (57).

[Grover]

01/09/12 – August In Review
Training Report
Among the senior players, Jordan Spence (strength) and Ritchie De Laet (strength) have been impressing Winsper and Lamb on the training field. There have been concerns about the progress of Guy Demel (aerobic) and Jack Collison (aerobic). To be fair, Collison is just now coming back into training after his injury.

There have been no real training problems among the youth players lately and indeed Phil Goodacre (tactics), Daryl Hornby (tactics) and James Atkin (tactics) have been impressing Hendon and Gibson in recent weeks with their progress.

Board Confidence
To summarize, the board is pleased with Otto Kafka's leading of the team. This has been underlined by the fans' joy at West Ham's convincing 3-0 Carling Cup victory over Coventry City. However, they are slightly disappointed with the departure of Pablo Barrera. The club is currently in a financially secure position overall and made a profit of £699K last month.

Clubs have only played two match so far, so I'll refrain from posting any stats / picture of the table until we get to the September review.

We are sitting 16th with 1 point.

[Grover]

01/09/12 – Premier League Match Day #3, news
Stoke City 1 – 3 West Ham United
Goals: Stoke: Crouch (11)West Ham: Piquionne (5, 48), Cole (53)
Shots/On Target: Stoke 9/4, West Ham 9/5
Possession: West Ham 52/48
Cautions: Stoke: Hlousek (Y 45), Wilkinson (Y 78) West Ham: Aldrete (Y 58), Piquionne (Y 58), Anakoglou (Y 90+1)
Man of the Match: Frederic Piquionne

Form: Stockdale 7.0, Demel (off 68) 7.1, Friedrich 7.2, Tomkins 7.3, Aldrete 7.3, Noble (off 68) 6.9, Gibson 7.6, Anakoglou 7.6, Piquionne 8.8, Cole 7.4, Acquafresca 6.9

Notes:
- Excellent goal from Fred Piquionne. Demel slid a pass into the box that was intercepted, but Piquionne fought for it, won the ball and slotted it home. He had gone an incredible 16 hours without a goal.
- The second goal was as good as the first. Great movement, Anakoglou found Piquionne with a slide rule pass into the box and that was that.
- Carlton Cole had been playing without confidence. He latched onto the end of Gibson through ball and got some of that confidence back.
- Momentum is everything. Two wins on the trot has got to build some confidence for this side.

Carling Cup Draw
West Ham will travel to Molineux on 25th September to face Wolves in the third round of the Carling Cup. Wolves won the competition last year after beating Arsenal and along the way beat West Ham 2-0.

Tafer Back
Yannis Tafer has returned to training after being out of contention for two weeks with a damaged foot.

02/09/12 – Internationals
Five players have been recalled for international duty. The matches take place 8th and 12th September.
Mexico: Adrian Aldrete
Belgium: Ritchie De Laet
Rep. Of Ireland: Darron Gibson
Wales: Jack Collison
New Zealand: Winston Reid

Drake Leaves
Everton have appointed West Ham's Peter Drake as a coach. West Ham will receive a compensation fee of £375,000 as part of the deal.

04/09/12 – Awards
One Named
Frederic Piquionne was named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

14/09/12 – FIFA Rankings
FIFA World Top Ten
1. Italy
2. England
3. France
4. Germany
5. Spain
6. Uruguay
7. Paraguay
8. Holland
9. Greece
10. Argentina

[Grover]

15/09/12 – Premier League Match Day #4
West Ham United 3 – 0 Norwich City
Goals: West Ham: Noble (6), Anakoglou (9), Acquafresca (77)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 12/5, Norwich 6/0
Possession: West Ham 56/44
Cautions: West Ham: Friedrich (Y 84)
Man of the Match: Dimitris Anakoglou

Form: Stockdale 7.2, Demel 7.5, Friedrich 7.2, Tomkins 7.3, Aldrete 7.5, Noble 8.3, Gibson (off 62) 6.9, Anakoglou 9.0, Piquionne (off 62) 6.8, Cole 7.4, Acquafresca 8.2, Tafer (on 62) 6.7, Collison (on 62) 6.7

Notes:
- Wanted to get out to a quick start against 20th Norwich and Mark Noble made it so with a fantastic 30 yard blast into the top corner.
- Quick indeed. Dinmitris Anakoglou, not known for his pace, outraced the entire Norwich team on a superb solo effort.
- Anakoglou nearly had a second when he hit the inside of the left upright form distance just before the half.
- Collison and Tafer came on to make their season debuts. With both coming off injury, I wanted to get them some meaningful playing time.

19/09/12 – Awards
Trio Honored
Adrian Aldrete, Dimitris Anakoglou and Mark Noble were selected in the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

22/09/12 – Premier League Match Day #5
Leicester City 0 – 0 West Ham United
Shots/On Target: Leicester 15/9, West Ham 9/1
Possession: Leicester 58/42
Cautions: Leicester: Sutchuin (Y 29), Tunchev (Y 39), Bamba (Y 60) West Ham: Noble (Y 26), Aldrete (Y 71), Anakoglou (Y 87)
Man of the Match: David Stockdale

Form: Stockdale 7.6, Demel 7.6, Friedrich 7.5, Tomkins 7.3, Aldrete 7.3, Gibson 6.6, Noble (off 66) 7.2, Anakoglou 6.5, Piquionne 6.8, Acquafresca 6.4, Cole (off 66) 6.5, Tafer (on 65) 6.5, Collison (on 65) 6.7

Notes:
- Leicester have beefed up for the Premier League season. They added MC Nigel Reo-Coker, AML Scott Sinclair (£5.75m) and ST Hugo Rodallega (£10.5m)
- A very, very hard fought draw. I could consider us quite lucky to get a point out of the encounter. There's something about Leicester that we can't seem to ever break down.
- David Stockdale has won Man of the Match in both of our scoreless draws. He's proving to be an excellent transfer, though it is early days.

Noble Knock
Mark Noble suffered a bruised rib following a strong challenge against Leicester and will miss up to a week with the injury.

[Grover]

25/09/12 – Carling Cup (third round)
Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Wolves: Zohore (7, 11), Spence (o.g. 50) West Ham: Cole (61)
Shots/On Target: Wolves: 12/6, West Ham 15/6
Possession: 50/50
Cautions: Wolves: Edu (Y 34), Zubar (Y 69) West Ham (Y 74)
Man of the Match: Kenneth Zohore

Form: Stockdale 6.5, Spence 6.8, De Laet 7.0, Reid 5.7, Ilunga 5.3, Nolan 6.8, Collison 6.8, Anakoglou 7.0, Tafer 6.8, Cole 7.1, Baldock 6.6

Notes:
- Zohore burns us on a near post header from a corner. Beating us at our own game.
- I went with a weaker lineup than usual with Aston Villa in a couple of days. The league is infinitely more important than the Carling Cup.
- I'd be lying if I said I was terribly disappointed that we lost this match.

[Grover]

01/10/12 – September In Review
Training Report
Among the senior players, Freddie Sears (tactics), Sam Baldock (tactics) and Yannis Tafer (strength) have been impressing Hendon and Gatting on the training field. However, there have been concerns about the progress of Gary O'Neil (tactics), Carlton Cole (aerobic) and Arne Friedrich (aerobic).

Among the youth players, Dylan Tombides (strength), Danny Potts (strength) and Miguel Martin (aerobic) have been impressing McDonald and Lamb, but there have been concerns about the progress of Frazer Shaw (attacking).

Board Confidence
To summarize, the board is very pleased with Kafka's overall leadership of the team. The capture of Arne Friedrich, who the fans to be an extremely good player, has been particularly pleasing. Despite the positives, the 3-1 defeat to Wolves in the Carling Cup cannot be ignored and the fans have voiced their opinion. Although a loss of £1.01m was recorded last month, the club are in a secure financial position overall.

West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

01/10/12 – Premier League Match Day #6
West Ham United 1 – 1 Aston Villa
Goals: West Ham: Acquafresca (61) Villa: Agbonlahor (43)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 14/6, Villa 14/4
Possession: Villa 52/48
Cautions: Villa: S. Petrov (65)
Man of the Match: Ritchie De Laet

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 6.9, De Laet 8.9, Tomkins 7.2, Aldrete 6.7, Gibson 6.6, Collison 6.8, Anakoglou 6.8, Tafer 6.6, Cole 6.6, Acquafreca 7.2

Notes:
- This match had to be replayed due to a brief power outage. The game had been saved on its two week auto-save the day prior.
- This match was nationally televised in prime time.
- A very even match throughout, the point was well deserved for either side.
- West Ham are now unbeaten in four straight Premier League games.

02/10/12 - Awards
Ritchie De Laet has been named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

06/10/12 – Premier League Match Day #7
Tottenham Hotspur 4 – 1 West Ham
Goals: Spurs: Pavyluchenko (12), Bale (23), Jagielka (77), Tomkins (o.g. 89) West Ham: Collison (51)
Shots/On Target: Spurs 11/5, West Ham 11/4
Possession: Spurs 51/49
Cautions: West Ham: Gibson (Y 54), Collison (Y 64)
Man of the Match: Gareth Bale (9.0)

Form: Stockdale 6.1, Spence 5.8, De Laet 6.4, Tomkins 6.4, Aldrete 5.9, Gibson 6.0, Collison 7.7, Anakoglou 6.9, Tafer (off 60) 6.0, Acquafresca 5.6, Piquionne 6.2, Baldock (on 60) 6.1

Notes:
- Roman Pavlyuchenko had a goal ruled offside (11).
- Gareth Bale's goal was a bit ropey, a diving header that was a bit offside.
- Collison's goal was from an Anakoglou corner. Exactly the kind of goals we'll need against superior teams such as Spurs.
- We had started to come back into the game a bit, but Jagielka's header sealed it.
- We could not cope with the pace of Lennon and Bale whatsoever.
- Collison and Anakoglou were the only two Hammers who could leave this match with their heads held high.
- Odds are the supporters will let us know how they felt about this one in October's review.

07/10/12 – Recalls
Four Hammers have been recalled for international matches on 13th and 17th October.
Belgium: Ritchie De Laet
Republic of Ireland: Darron Gibson
Wales: Jack Collison
New Zealand: Winston Reid

17/10/12 – FIFA Rankings
FIFA World Top Ten
1. Italy
2. France
3. Germany
4. England
5. Uruguay
6. Spain
7. Paraguay
8. Denmark
9. Holland
10. Argentina

[Grover]

22/10/12 – Premier League Match Day #8
Sunderland 1 – 4 West Ham United
Goals: Sunderland: Dong-Won (45+1) West Ham: Collison (6), Anakoglou (12), De Laet (54), Piquionne (60)
Shots/On Target: Sunderland: 7/4, West Ham 11/4
Possession: West Ham 51/49
Cautions: Sunderland: Dong-Won (Y 20), Boilesen (Y 42), Eriksen (Y 50), Vass (Y 66), O'Shea (Y 74) West Ham: Spence (Y 78), Collison (Y 79)
Man of the Match: Jack Collison

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 7.6, De Laet 8.4, Tomkins 7.0, Aldrete 6.9, Gibson 7.7, Collison 8.8, Anakoglou 7.7, Piquionne 7.7, Acquafresca 6.8, Cole 6.8

Notes:
- Once again we are televised in prime time on a Monday night.
- What an opening goal. Anakoglou found Collison making a run between defenders, young Jack did the rest.
- Anakoglou continued his torrid start to the match with a brilliant free kick from the right side of the box. The Greek drove it low and near side, beating Craig Gordon.
- Sunderland's stoppage time goal was off a corner, the marker lost Dong-Won who got the ball at his feet inside the six yard box.
- Ritchie De Laet's first goal for the club come on a header from an Anakoglou free kick, beating his marker at the far post.
- After Sunderland's late first half goal I was worried about them leveling the game with momentum coming out of half time.
- This is how we needed to respond after the thwacking by Spurs.
- How awesome is Dimitris Anakoglou? Seriously. A goal and two more assists. What a signing for £240,000 in July 2011.
- Our next three matches? All at The Boleyn Ground. Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

24/10/12 – Awards
Trio Honored
Ritchie De Laet, Jack Collison and Dimitris Anakoglou have been named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

27/10/12 – Premier League Match Day #9
West Ham United 1 – 2 Manchester United
Goals: West Ham: Tomkins (51) Man Utd: Rooney (45+2), Hulk (47)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 9/1, Man Utd 12/6
Possession: Man Utd 59/41
Cautions: West Ham: Collison (Y 74) Man Utd: Rooney (Y 67)
Man of the Match: Hulk

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 6.7, De Laet 6.7, Tomkins 7.8, Aldrete 6.6, Gibson (off 84) 6.7, Collison (off 84) 6.7, Anakoglou 6.8, Piquionne (off 66) 5.7, Acquafresca 5.9, Cole 5.7, Tafer (on 66) 6.5

Notes:
- We are televised as the lunch time kick off on Saturday morning. I hope Ian Darke and Steve McManaman have good things to say about us.
- The ageless Ryan Giggs had a goal ruled offside (13). Replays showed he was onside. Dodged a bullet there.
- I thought we could have made it to the half at nil-nil, but Rooney made a great run that was unopposed by anybody, easy goal.
- With Hulk's goal, I assumed the flood gates would open, but Tomkins was able to pull one back through an Anakoglou corner (how else), which seemed to give the side a little bit of verve and confidence.
- Darron Gibson wanted a goal against his former team bad, making himself wasteful from distance.
- Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan came on (84) but did not play long enough to earn a rating.

Collison Injury
Jack Collison will miss up to three weeks after twisting his knee against Manchester United.

[Grover]

01/11/12 – October In Review
Training Report
Among the senior players, James Tomkins (strength), Marek Stech (strength) and Darron Gibson (tactics) have been impressing Hendon and Gatting, however there have been concerns about the progress of Frederic Piquionne (strength) and Mark Noble (tactics).

Among the youth players, Leo Chambers (strength), Hayri Koybasi (tactics) and James Simpson (aerobic) have impressed in recent weeks with their progress.

Board Confidence
To summarize, the board is very pleased with the overall leadership at the club. The capture of Arne Friedrich, who the fans believe to be an extremely good player, has been particularly pleasing. Despite the positives, the heavy 4-1 defeat to Spurs cannot be ignored and the fans have voiced their discontent. The club is currently in a financially secure position overall and made a profit of £653K last month.

West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

03/11/12 – Premier League Match Day #10
West Ham United 0 – 2 Liverpool
Goals: Liverpool: Adam (34), Doumbia (69)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 7/2, Liverpool 12/3
Possession: Liverpool 53/47
Man of the Match: Charlie Adam

Form: Stockdale 5.8, Demel 6.9, De Laet (off 45) 6.6, Tomkins 6.9, Aldrete 5.9, Noble 6.8, Gibson 6.8, Anakoglou 6.0, Piquionne (off 60) 5.9, Acquafresca 6.1, Cole (off 60) 5.9, Tafer (on 60) 6.7, Baldock (on 60) 6.4

Notes:
- Liverpool put their dominance into a goal as Adam hit a 30 yard goal from open play.
- Ritchie De Laet came off at half time with an injury.
- Two home losses on the trot, but to first and third in the table respectively.
- Yes. We need another forward.

De Laet Injury
Ritchie De Laet has sustained a broken nose following a robust challenge from Liverpool's Sebastian Coates. De Laet will be out between 8-10 days with the injury.

13/11/12 – Injury News
Jack Collison has resumed full training after missing two weeks with a twisted knee.

[Grover]

14/11/12 – Premier League Match Day #11
West Ham United 1 – 3 Chelsea
Goals: West Ham: Tafer (51) Chelsea: Mata (32), Fuchs (45), Torres (46)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 7/3, Chelsea 13/5
Possession: Chelsea 61/39
Cautions: West Ham: Friedrich (Y 40), Tomkins (R 43), Tafer (Y 88) Chelsea: McGeady (Y 63), Fuchs (Y 70), Ramires (Y 76)
Man of the Match: Juan Manuel Mata

Form: Stockdale 6.1, Demel 6.8, Friedrich 6.7, Cole (off 42) 6.5, Aldrete 6.0, Noble 5.8, Gibson 6.1, Anakoglou 6.5, Tafer 7.2, Tomkins (off 42) 6.8, Acquafresca 6.5

Notes:
- In consecutive matches we have faced 1st, 3rd and 2nd in the table respectively.
- James Tomkins was sent off (42) for pulling down Torres. Tomkins was the last man.
- A rough patch of schedule, I didn't expect to take any points from any of the past three matches. I can only hope the club's confidence hasn't been shot.
- Tafer's goal was an early consolation, stealing the ball from Mata at midfield, dribbling through the defense and slotting past Cech. It was also his first as a Hammer.

Tomkins Suspended
James Tomkins has been given an automatic one match suspension after being sent off for a professional foul against Chelsea.

[Grover]

25/11/12 – Premier League Match Day #12
West Ham United 2 – 0 Reading
Goals: West Ham: Noble (68, 83)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 15/3, Reading 8/4
Possession: West Ham 55/45
Cautions: West Ham: De Laet (Y 1), Piquionne (Y 35), Noble (Y 62) Reading: Sigurdarson (Y 24), Leigertwood (Y 26), McAnuff (Y 32), Pearce (Y 79)
Man of the Match: Mark Noble

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Demel 6.9, Friedrich 8.0, De Laet 7.0, Aldrete 7.4, Noble 8.8, Collison 7.0, Anakoglou 6.9, Tafer 6.9, Acquafresca 6.9, Piquionne 6.9

Notes:
- This match is televised, a Sunday afternoon match.
- Mark Noble breaks the deadlock with a 25 yard special into the bottom left corner.
- Noble's second was an even more spectacular 30 yard free kick.

27/11/12 – Awards
Mark Noble was selected in the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

28/11/12 – Premier League Match Day #13
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Wolves: Doyle (34) West Ham: Tafer (77)
Shots/On Target: Wolves 8/2, West Ham 9/5
Possession: Wolves 54/46
Cautions: Wolves: van Bommel (Y 77) West Ham: Collison (Y 24), Aldrete (Y 71)
Man of the Match: Martin Olsson

Form: Stockdale 6.7, Spence 6.2, Friedrich 7.0, De Laet 7.2, Aldrete 6.8, Noble 6.8, Collison 7.1, Anakoglou 6.8, Tafer 7.2, Acquafresca 5.9, Piquionne 6.8

Notes:
- We got even through Piquionne picking out a pass to Tafer at the back corner. Very nice goal.
- Acquafresca got through on goal and hit the upright (88)

[Grover]

01/12/12 – November In Review
Training Report
Among the senior players, Jordan Spence (aerobics), David Stockdale (tactics) and Sam Cowler (GK – handling) have been impressing Margetson and Gatting, however there have been concerns about the progress of Herita Ilunga (tactics).

Among the youth players, Frazer Shaw (ball control), Joshua Siafa (aerobic) and James Simpson (aerobic) have impressed Murtough and Carr with their progression in recent weeks.

Board Confidence
The board is very pleased with the overall leadership of the team. The capture of Arne Friedrich is still particularly pleasing. Though they are still feeling a bit of disappointment with the departure of Pablo Barrera. Although a loss of £330K was recorded last month, the club are in a secure financial position overall.

West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

01/12/12 – Premier League Match Day #14
Queens Park Rangers 1 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: QPR: Ninis (25) West Ham: Acquafresca (pen 16)
Shots/On Target: QPR 6/5, West Ham 12/5
Possession: West Ham 56/44
Cautions: QPR: Barton (R 30), Bangura (Y 30), Ferdinand (Y 36) West Ham: Demel (Y 1), Ilunga (Y 64), Anakoglou (Y 65), Acquafresca Y 66)
Man of the Match: Sotiris Ninis

Form: Stockdale 6.8, Demel 7.1, Friedrich 7.0, Tomkins 6.9, Ilunga 5.9, Nolan 6.7, Gibson 6.8, Anakoglou 6.8, Tafer (off 77) 6.8, Acquafresca 6.7, Piquionne (off 60) 6.7, Cole (on 60) 6.3

Notes:
- Anton Ferdinand pulled down Darron Gibson in the box. Acquafresca converted the penalty.
- We were caught napping on Ninis' goal. Only two defenders back against four attackers.
- Joey Barton was given a straight red after tackling and injuring Darron Gibson.
- Sam Baldock came on (77) but did not earn a rating.

Tafer Injured
Yannis Tafer is set to spend 3 weeks out while recovering from a pulled hamstring suffered against QPR.

08/12/12 – Injury
Sam Baldock is suffering from a sports hernia and will be out for 4-5 weeks while undergoing treatment.

[Grover]

10/12/12 – Premier League Match Day #15
West Ham United 2 – 2 Blackburn Rovers
Goals: West Ham: Friedrich (5), Piquionne (21) Blackburn: Diane (33), Ortigoza (pen 86)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 13/5, Blackburn 18/9
Possession: West Ham 52/48
Cautions: West Ham: Noble (Y 73)
Man of the Match: Arne Friedrich

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Demel 6.9, Friedrich 8.0, Tomkins 5.7, Aldrete 6.7, Noble 6.7, Collison 6.8, Anakoglou 7.4, Acquafresca 6.9, Cole 5.7, Piquionne 7.2

Notes:
- On television, Monday evening prime time match.
- Arne Friedrich's goal was his first as a Hammer.
- James Tomkins concedes on a foul in the box during a free kick. We had this match won.

[Grover]

15/12/12 – Premier League Match Day #16
Arsenal 3 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Arsenal: van Persie (4, 10), Mertesacker (89) West Ham: Cole (7)
Shots/On Target: Arsenal 19/8, West Ham 14/9
Possession: Arsenal 59/41
Cautions: West Ham: Noble (Y 36), De Laet (Y 64), Friedrich (Y 77), Demel (Y 85)
Man of the Match: Robin van Persie

Form: Stockdale 6.4, Demel 6.8, Friedrich 6.9, De Laet 6.8, Aldrete 5.5, Noble 6.8, Collison (off 60) 6.7, Anakoglou 7.1, Acquafresca (off 60) 6.6, Cole 7.3, Piquionne 6.9, Sears (on 60) 6.4, Gibson (on 60) 6.3

Notes:
- We are the evening kick-off and on prime time television.
- Not the start we wanted. Arteta's corner finds an unmarked van Persie and it was gravy from there for the Dutch striker.
- Huge early equalizer and confidence booster for Carlton Cole. Anakoglou had a shot saves by Szczesny and it wa an easy tap in for Cole.
- Van Persie from the top of the box, no chance for Stockdale.

[Grover]

22/12/12 – Premier League Match Day #17
Newcastle United 4 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Newcastle: Ba (29, 48), Jonas (36), Obertan (72) West Ham: Acquafresca (69)
Shots/On Target: Newcastle 15/8, West Ham 11/2
Possession: Newcastle 54/46
Cautions: Newcastle: Heinze (Y 23), Taylor (Y 85) West Ham: Friedrich (Y 53), Aldrete (Y 80), Collison (Y 85), Acquafresca (Y 90+1)
Man of the Match: Demba Ba

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Demel 5.8, Friedrich 5.8, De Laet 6.3, Aldrete 5.7, Noble 6.6, Collison 5.7, Anakoglou 5.7, Acquafresca 7.2, Cole 5.6, Piquionne 7.0

Notes:
- Newcastle sit 13th in the table, one point behind us coming in.
- Completely outplayed. Every phase of the game. Our attack is putrid.
- Not even scoring a goal can give us any hope when we give one up three minutes later.
- I may be in the market for a left back. Aldrete has been terrible.

Collison Suspended
Jack Collison has picked up an automatic one match suspension after collecting five yellow cards.

[Grover]

26/12/12 – Premier League Match Day #18
West Ham United 1 – 2 Manchester City
Goals: West Ham: Piquionne (74) City: Silva (30), Toure (45)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 8/1, City 26/9
Possession: City 54/46
Cautions: City: Clichy (Y 13)
Man of the Match: David Silva

Form: Stockdale 7.2, Demel 5.7, Friedrich 6.0, Tomkins 6.0, Aldrete 5.9, Noble 6.7, Anakoglou 6.6, Gibson (off 60) 5.9, Tafer 6.8, Acquafresca (off 60) 5.8, Piquionne 7.3, Cole (on 60) 6.9, Nolan (on 60) 6.9

Notes:
- Lucky goal for us, ball pinged around the box a bit and Piq was able to get his head onto it and past a diving Pantimilion.
- Marked improvement over the previous two losses. We're getting closer, but we're still not showing enough at the back or up top. The midfield has been solid.

[Grover]

29/12/12 – Premier League Match Day #19
West Ham United 2 – 1 Everton
Goals: West Ham: Cole (24), Collison (76) Everton: Cisse (82)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 19/7, Everton 12/7
Possession: West Ham 52/48
Cautions: Everton: Cisse (Y 67)
Man of the Match: Ritchie De Laet

Form: Stockdale 7.2, Spence 7.0, Reid 7.0, De Laet 7.6, Aldrete 6.8, Noble 6.9, Collison 7.4, Gibson 7.1, Acquafresca 7.0, Cole 7.3, Piquionne 6.9

Notes:
- The halfway point of the season.
- Hey, we opened the scoring through Carlton Cole! Very nice goal after receiving a long ball from the defence.
- I was a little worried was Cisse got his goal late, but we held on and I'm very pleased with the win.
- The win was our first in seven matches.

[Grover]

31/12/12 – Premier League Match Day #20
West Ham United 1 – 0 West Brom Albion
Goals: West Ham: Nolan (12)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 12/4, WBA 7/2
Possession: West Ham 55/45
Cautions: West Ham: Demel (Y 2), Tomkins (Y 36), Collison (Y 40), Anakoglou (Y 83), Nolan (Y 90+3) WBA: Olsson (Y 18), Long (Y 59), Reid (Y 79)
Man of the Match: Guy Demel

Form: Stockdale 7.5, Demel 7.8, Friedrich 7.1, Tomkins 7.1, De Laet 7.3, Nolan 7.3, Collison 6.8, Anakoglou 6.9, Acquafresca 5.5, Cole 6.8, Tafer 6.9

Notes:
- Nolan, who hasn't found much playing time this year, hits an absolute belter from 20 yards out.
- Two on the trot, another big, big win!

Reid Signs New Deal
Winston Reid has signed a lucrative 4 year deal worth £3m to stay with the club.

[Grover]

01/01/13 – December In Review
Awards
Balon d'Or: Leo Messi
World Player of the Year: David Villa
African Footballer of the Year: Jon Obi Mikel
Asian Player of the Year: Tim Cahill
Young Asian Player of the Year: Ji Dong-Won
French Player of the Year: Samir Nasri

Training Report
Among the senior players, Jack Collison (aerobic), Marek Stech (strength) and Dimitris Anakoglou (strength) have impressed Winsper and Lamb on the training pitch. However, there have been concerns about Frederic Piquionne (strength), Ritchie De Laet (aerobic) and Yannis Tafer (aerobic).

Among the youth players, Danny Potts (strength), George Lansbury (tactics) and Steve Holland (tactics) have impressed.

Board Confidence
Nothing new in board confidence. Still pleased, still happy with Friedrich, still disappointed with the departure of Barrera. The club made a profit of £466K last month.

West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

05/01/13 – FA Cup (third round)
West Ham United 4 – 0 Bristol Rovers
Goals: West Ham: Gibson (9), Piquionne (14, 25, 45+1)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 25/6, Bristol 2/0
Possession: West Ham 69/31
Man of the Match: Frederique Piquionne

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 9.0, Friedrich 7.5, Reid 7.8, Ilunga 7.6, Nolan 7.1, Gibson 8.9, Anakoglou 9.0, Acquafresca 7.0, Cole 6.9, Piquionne 9.6

Notes:
- Piquionne has a goal disallowed for a push in the back. (3)
- Darron Gibson scores his first ever goal for West Ham.
- Hell of a first half from Piquionne.
- We have been awarded £68,650 for winning.

06/01/13 – Injury
Baldock has returned to full training after missing four weeks with a sports hernia.

07/01/13 – FA Cup Draw
West Ham United will host Cardiff City at The Boleyn Ground on 2nd February in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

[Grover]

12/01/13 – Premier League Match Day #21
Fulham 1 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Fulham: Davies (12) West Ham: Acquafresca (5)
Shots/On Target: Fulham 14/7, West Ham 10/4
Possession: West Ham 55/45
Cautions: Fulham: Grygera (Y 44) West Ham: Nolan (Y 45+1), Friedrich (Y 60), Collison (Y 70)
Man of the Match: Simon Davies

Form: Stockdale 7.0, Spence 7.0, Friedrich 6.8, Tomkins 7.1, Aldrete 6.9, Nolan 6.0, Collison 6.0, Anakoglou 6.9, Acquafresca 7.2, Cole 6.8, Piquionne 6.6

Notes:
- Early goals are always good, especially when worked from back to front. All three strikers touched it and Cole found Acquafresca making a run.
- Davies' goal was from an acute angle, ridiculous shot.
- Another game we take points from. Four straight matches in all competitions with a win or draw.

[Grover]

19/01/13 – Premier League Match Day #22
West Ham United 2 – 1 Stoke City
Goals: West Ham: Noble (37), Tomkins (54) Stoke: Falk (84)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 17/7, Stoke 6/3
Possession: West Ham 55/45
Cautions: West Ham: Cole (Y 42), Collison (Y 89) Stoke: Hlousek (Y 74)
Man of the Match: James Tomkins

Form: Stockdale 6.8, Spence 7.4, Friedrich 6.9, Tomkins 7.8, Aldrete 7.1, Noble 6.8, Collison 6.9, Anakoglou 7.7, Cole (off 61) 5.8, Acquafresca 6.9, Piquionne 6.8, Tafer (on 61) 6.7

Notes:
- Dean Whitehead fouled Mark Noble going for a loose ball in the box. Noble had the penalty saved, but the rebound was directly to him.
- Tomkins doubles the West Ham lead from an Anakoglou corner, heading it home with authority.
- We love to give up late goals so I can sweat it out.
- That's now five results on the trot. Building confidence.

20/01/13 – News
Apparently we're still making money from Brescia for Fabio Daprela. We've been given another £50,000 after he has no played in 25 league matches.

22/01/13 – Injury
Ritchie De Laet has returned to full training following his damaged foot.

24/01/13 – Signing
West Ham United have announced the loan signing of Liverpool fullback Jack Robinson. The 19 year old will join the Hammers for the rest of the season for a fee of £975k. West Ham can make the loan deal a permanent deal for £3m at any time during the loan.

[Grover]

26/01/13 – Premier League Match Day #23
Norwich City 1 – 4 West Ham United
Goals: Norwich: Ayala (70) West Ham: Tomkins (42), Tafer (52), Piquionne (68), Acquafresca (72)
Shots/On Target: Norwich 6/1, West Ham 13/7
Possession: Norwich 54/46
Cautions: West Ham: Collison (Y 45), Noble (Y 45), Piquionne (Y 82)
Man of the Match: James Tomkins

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 7.5, Friedrich 7.0, Tomkins 8.3, Robinson 7.9, Noble (off 45) 6.1, Collison 7.3, Anakoglou 7.1, Cole (off 45) 6.0, Acquafresca 7.7, Piquionne 7.7, Tafer (on 45) 8.2, Gibson (on 45) 6.9

Notes:
- Jack Robinson being thrown into the fire, I'm giving him every chance to earn a permanent deal here.
- Robinson assists with a wonderful cross on Yannis Tafer's goal.
- Tafer provides a sublime assist on Acquafresca's goal.
- That's six results on the trot in all competitions.

29/01/13 – Awards
James Tomkins was named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

[Grover]

01/02/13 – January In Review
Training Report
Among the senior players, James Tomkins (strength) and Dimitris Anakoglou (strength) have impressed Lamb on the training pitch, though there have been concerns about the progress of Arne Friedrich (strength).

Among the youth players, Nick Stacey (strength), Peter Bodie (tactics) and Miguel Martin (tactics) have been impressing Hendon and Gatting, though there have been concerns about the progress of Steve Holland (tactics)

Board Confidence
To summarize, the board is very pleased with the overall leadership of the team. The capture of Ritchie De Laet, who the fans believe to be a very good signing, has been particularly pleasing. However, they are slightly disappointed with the departure of Pablo Barrera. The club recorded a loss of £1.79m last month.

West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

02/02/13 – FA Cup (fourth round)
West Ham United 0 – 1 Cardiff City
Goals: Cardiff: Miller (pen 47)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 15/6, Cardiff 12/3
Possession: Cardiff 52/48
Cautions: West Ham: Baldock (Y 79)
Man of the Match: Mark Noble

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 6.6, De Laet 6.8, Reid 6.9, Robinson 5.3, Nolan 6.7, Gibson 6.8, Noble 7.5, Tafer 6.5, Acquafresca 6.1, Baldock 6.4

Notes:
- Acquafresca had a goal ruled offside (16).
- Jack Robinson concedes a penalty (47).
- Disappointing exit and an end to our unbeaten run in all competitions, but we can fully focus on the league now.

[Grover]

06/02/13 – Premier League Match Day #24
West Ham United 2 – 5 Leicester City
Goals: West Ham: Piquionne (71), Tafer (87) Leicester: Noble (o.g. 14), Demidov (25), Sinclair (29), Goossens (67), Rodallega (pen 90+4)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 17/5, Leicester 9/6
Possession: West Ham 56/44
Cautions: West Ham: Tomkins (Y 32), Noble (Y 64) Leicester: Briggs (Y 39), Rodallega (Y 58), Hermach (Y 74)
Man of the Match:Vadim Demidov

Form: Stockdale 5.9, Spence 5.6, Friedrich 5.7, Tomkins (off 60) 6.7, Robinson 5.5, Noble 6.3, Collison (off 60) 6.5, Anakoglou 6.7, Tafer 7.8, Aquafresca 5.3, Piquionne 7.1, Gibson (on 60) 6.7, De Laet (on 60) 6.1

Notes:
- Mark Noble heads home a Hugo Rodallega corner, unfortunately into the wrong goal.
- Noble also concedes a penalty after the game is long over (90+4)
- What an unbelievably bad performance.
- Our first Premier League loss in six matches.

Collison Knock
Jack Collison sustained a twisted knee (again) and will miss up to two weeks.

[Grover]

09/02/13 – Premier League Match Day #25
West Ham United 2 – 4 Tottenham Hotspur
Goals: West Ham: Acquafresca (11, 20) Spurs: Rondon (33, 44, 46), Stockdale (o.g. 88)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 13/5, Spurs 7/4
Possession: West Ham 53/47
Cautions: West Ham: Gibson (Y 16), Anakoglou (Y 84), Aldrete (Y 87) Spurs: King (Y 14), Bale (Y 45+2), Danny (Y 62)
Man of the Match: Salomon Rondon

Form: Stockdale 6.3, Demel 6.3, Friedrich 6.4, Tomkins 6.2, Aldrete 6.4, Noble 6.1, Gibson 6.6, Anakoglou 6.8, Tafer 6.9, Acquafresca 8.8, Piquionne 6.8

Notes:
- Saturday lunch time televised kick-off.
- Killer to lose a two goal lead and lose 4-2.
- Spurs go top of the table with their win over us.

14/02/13 – Injury
Guy Demel is suffering from a sports hernia and is expected to miss 4-5 weeks with the injury.

[Grover]

16/02/13 – Premier League Match Day #26
Aston Villa 0 – 0 West Ham United
Shots/On Target: Villa: 4/1, West Ham 12/5
Possession: West Ham 60/4
Cautions: Villa: Beye (Y 50), Stevens (Y 58), Fellah (Y 87), Delfouneso (Y 90+5) West Ham: Noble (Y 45+2, Y/R 76), Spence (Y 52), Tomkins (Y 84)
Man of the Match: James Tomkins

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 7.2, Friedrich 6.9, Tomkins 7.3, De Laet 7.1, Gibson (off 38) 6.9, Noble (off 76) 6.0, Anakoglou 7.1, Tafer 6.9, Acquafresca 6.8, Piquionne 7.1, Nolan (on 38) 6.8

Noble Suspended
Mark Noble has been given a one match suspension after being sent off against Aston Villa.

20/02/13 – Injury
Sam Baldock will miss two weeks after twisting his knee.

Jack Collison has returned from his twisted knee and is back in training.

[Grover]

01/03/13 – February In Review
Training Report
Among the senior players, Yannis Tafer (strength), Jack Robinson (aerobic) and Callum Driver (aerobic) have impressed. However, Kevin Nolan (aerobic) and Arne Friedrich (strength) struggled.

Board Confidence
The board is pleased with the leading of the team. The club's increase in stature has been a contributing factory. The fans have voiced their displeasure over the 4-2 loss to Spurs. The club recorded a loss of £33,770 last month.

West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

03/03/13 – Premier League Match Day #27
Manchester United 3 – 0 West Ham United
Goals: United: Vidic (32), Hulk (40), Berbatov (90+4)
Shots/On Target: United 19/8, West Ham 7/3
Possession: United 58/42
Cautions: United: Fletcher (Y 87), Rooney (Y 87)
Man of the Match: Nemanja Vidic

Form: Stockdale 6.0, Spence 6.8, Friedrich 5.8, Tomkins 6.8, De Laet 5.9, Gibson 6.7, Collison 6.5, Anakoglou 6.1, Tafer 6.8, Acquafresca 6.7, Piquionne (off 15) 6.9, Sears (on 15, off 42) 6.6, Cole (on 42) 6.9

Notes:
- Sunday afternoon televised match.

Arsenal Win
Arsenal have won the Carling Cup, defeating Stoke 2-0 in the final.

08/03/13 – Injury
Sam Baldock has returned to training following his injury with a twisted knee.

[Grover]

09/03/13 – Premier League Match Day #28
West Ham United 3 – 1 Sunderland
Goals: West Ham: Cole (70), Acquafresca (76), Tomkins (81) Sunderland: Wickham (90)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 16/7, Sunderland 13/6
Possession: West Ham 59/41
Cautions: West Ham: Noble (Y 40)
Man of the Match: Dimitris Anakoglou

Form: Stockdale 7.1, Spence 7.9, De Laet 6.9, Tomkins 8.0, Robinson 7.1, Noble 6.9, Collison 6.9, Anakoglou 8.6, Cole 7.4, Acquafresca 7.4, Tafer 6.9

Notes:
- This was a win we desperately needed, especially against a team in a relegation dogfight. I was worried through the first half, but we came good late in the second.
- And now we're off until 31st March. Should give everyone a good rest going into the last 9 matches.

12/03/13 – Awards
Duo Named
Jordan Spence and Dimitris Anakoglou have been named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

13/03/13 – News
Everton have signed West Ham's Alex Gibson as a coach. The Hammers will receive £325,000 in compensation.

16/03/13 – Injury
Guy Demel has returned to full training following his sports hernia.

[Grover]

31/03/13 – Premier League Match Day #29
West Ham United 2 – 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Goals: West Ham: Acquafresca (10, 65) Wolves: Doyle (62)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 10/4, Wolves 15/7
Possession: West Ham 51/49
Cautions: West Ham: Noble (& 90+1) Wolves: Berra (Y 74), Fletcher (Y 88)
Man of the Match: Ritchie De Laet

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 7.7, De Laet 9.0, Tomkins 7.1, Robinson 7.0, Noble 6.9, Collison 6.8, Anakoglou 7.5, Tafer 5.9, Acquafresca 8.8, Piquionne 6.8

Notes:
- A match against another team we generally seem to struggle with, here's hoping we can get three points as they're behind us in the table.
- Acquafresca was brilliant with his goals. Well taken, I think next season will be a much better one for him.

[Grover]

01/04/13 – March In Review
Training Report
Among the senior players, Frederic Piquionne (tactics), Marek Stech (strength) and Darron Gibson (attacking) have been impressing on the training field. However, there have been concerns about the progress of David Stockdale (strength).

Board Confidence
To summarize, the board is very pleased with the overall leadership of the club. The team's excellent overall performance in the Premier League has been a particular highlight. However, the board are slightly disappointed with the team's performance in the FA Cup. The club recorded a loss of £300k last month.

West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

07/04/13 – Premier League Match Day #30
Chelsea 3 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: Chelsea: Fuchs (20), Torres (42, 73) West Ham: Spence (87), Acquafresca (90+1)
Shots/On Target: Chelsea 19/9, West Ham 12/5
Possession: Chelsea 56/44
Cautions: Chelsea: Lampard (Y 9) West Ham: Tomkins (Y 16), Robinson (R 35), Collison (Y 82)
Man of the Match: Juan Manuel Mata

Form: Stockdale 5.8, De Laet 6.9, Spence 7.4, Tomkins 5.8, Robinson (off 35) 5.1, Noble 7.0, Collison 7.0, Gibson (off 70) 6.9, Tafer 6.9, Acquafresca 7.2, Piquionne 5.7, Nolan (on 70) 6.9

Notes:
- Sunday evening televised match.
- We nearly bagged one within 20 seconds. Tafer was released down the right and his shot just fizzed past the left post. So close.
- Jack Robinson was sent off for a professional foul. I don't believe we will be signing him long term. A bit of a failed experiment, but I wanted to see how he would work out.
- Tomkins was called for a push in the box as a cross came in (85). Stockdale saved Fernando Torres' ensuing penalty attempt. Something about penalties and hat tricks, I'm telling you.
- Yes, it was merely consolation, but Jordan's Spence's goal felt damn good.
- And so did Acquafresca's.

Bans
Jack Robinson has been given an automatic two match ban for his sending off against Chelsea.

Jack Collison has picked up an automatic two game suspension after picking up his 10th yellow card of the season.

Summer Signing
West Ham United have agreed their first summer signing, agreeing on a pre-contract with French defender Benajmin Stambouli. The 22 year old revealed that he was impressed with the club's league standing and will join West Ham from Montpellier Herault SC when his contract expires on 30th June.

[Grover]

10/04/13 – Premier League Match Day #31
Liverpool 5 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Liverpool: Yarmolenko (77, 80), Suarez (82), Skrtel (89). Gerrard (90+2) West Ham: Cole (66)
Shots/On Target: Liverpool 17/6, West Ham 9/4
Possession: West Ham 53/47
Cautions: Liverpool: Johnson (Y 84) West Ham: Noble (Y 21), O'Neil (Y 31), Tafer (Y 80), Tomkins (Y 90+1)
Man of the Match: Andriy Yarmolenko

Form: Stockdale 6.1, Spence 5.4, De Laet 6.4, Tomkins 5.2, Aldrete 4.7, Noble 5.6, Nolan 5.6, O'Neil 6.8, Tafer 6.8, Acquafresca (off 43) 6.2, Piquionne 6.8, Cole (on 43) 7.1

Notes:
- Acquafresca had to come off injured (43).
- I know not to trust us with a lead against a top five side. A triple salvo in five minutes sunk our battleship.
- Skrtel's goal from Landon Donovan's corner just served to embarrass us.
- We'll be looking to upgrade pieces of the defense in the summer, particularly a pair of fullbacks.

Acquafresca Injury
Huge blow for the remainder of the season, Robert Acquafresca suffered strained ankle ligaments and will be out 3-4 weeks.

[Grover]

13/04/13 – Premier League Match Day #32
West Ham United 2 – 1 Queens Park Rangers
Goals: West Ham: Friedrich (16), Tafer (30) QPR: Bangura (58)
Shots/On Target: West ham 15/5, QPR 9/4
Possession: West Ham 46/54
Cautions: West Ham: Demel (Y 66)
Man of the Match: Arne Friedrich

Form: Stockdale 7.0, Demel 6.9, Friedrich 8.0, Tomkins 7.4, Ilunga 6.8, Gibson 6.9, Nolan 6.9, O'Neil 7.5, Tafer 7.3, Cole 6.7, Baldock 6.9

Notes:
- Great headed goal from Friedrich. Got us off to the start we absolutely needed.
- The win temporarily puts us 9th in the table.

16/04/13 – Awards
Arne Friedrich was named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

17/04/13 – News
Aston Villa have appointed West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald to the same position at their club. West Ham will receive a compensation fee of £55,000 as part of the deal.

18/04/13 – News
Not wasting any time, Otto Kafka has moved to appoint Edward Sturing as his new assistant manager.

Some numbers for Sturing:
Man Management: 13
Working With Youngsters: 14
Adaptability: 15
Determination: 12
Judging Player Ability: 18
Judging Player Potential: 16
Level of Discipline: 13
Motivating: 18

[Grover]

20/04/13 – Premier League Match Day #33
Reading 2 – 2 West Ham United
Goals: Reading: Efraim (7, 80) West Ham: Cole (48, 70)
Shots/On Target: Reading 9/3, West Ham 15/6
Possession: Reading 54/46
Cautions: Reading: Obita (Y 5), Hunt (Y 37), Griffin (Y 55), Nuytinck (Y 75) West Ham: Ilunga (Y 68)
Man of the Match: Giorgos Efraim

Form: Stockdale 6.7, Spence 7.0, De Laet 6.6, Tomkins 6.8, Ilunga 5.8, Noble 6.9, Collison 6.8, Anakoglou 6.8, Tafer 6.8, Tafer 6.8, Cole 8.8, Piquionne 6.6

Notes:
- Is Carlton Cole finally coming alive at the end of the term?
- Piq had a goal taken away for pushing a defender in the back.

[Grover]

26/04/13 – Premier League Match Day #34
Blackburn Rovers 2 – 0 West Ham United
Goals: Blackburn: Bresciano (13), Diane (51)
Shots/On Target: Blackburn 15/4, West Ham 10/3
Possession: Blackburn 54/46
Cautions: West Ham: Noble (Y 66)
Man of the Match: Amara Diane

Form: Stockdale 6.5, Spence 6.6, De Laet 6.9, Tomkins 6.0, Aldrete 5.8, Noble 6.7, Collison 6.7, Anakoglou 6.0, Tafer 6.9, Cole 6.3, Piquionne 6.5

Notes:
- To say we were toothless in attack for this one would be a gross understatement.
- I need a left back badly. I have played three players here and their average form is a 6.48.

[Grover]

01/05/13 – April In Review
Training Report
Among the senior players, David Stockdale (tactics), Yannis Tafer (tactics) and Peter Kurucz (GK – handling) have impressed on the training field. There have been concerns about the progress of Frederic Piquionne (tactics)

Board Confidence
To summarize, the board is very pleased with the overall leadership of the team. The club's increase in stature since Kafka's appointment has been a contributing factor. However, some of the fans have voiced their concerns over James Tomkins' performances and that is something to be considered. The club recorded a loss of £831k last month.

West Ham Player Stats


Premier League Player Stats


Premier League Table

[Grover]

06/05/13 – Premier League Match Day #35
West Ham United 2 – 2 Arsenal
Goals: West Ham: Collison (58), Cole (73) Arsenal: Mertesacker (37), Arteta (90+1)
Shots/On Target: West ham 13/5, Arsenal 17/5
Possession: West Ham 51/49
Cautions: Arsenal: Sagna (Y 44)
Man of the Match: Yannis Tafer

Form: Stockdale 6.9, Spence 6.8, De Laet 6.9, Tomkins 6.9, Robinson 6.8, Noble 6.7, Collison 7.5, Anakoglou 6.9, Tafer 8.5, Cole 7.3, Piquionne 5.9

Notes:
- Monday evening in prime time on the television.
- I thought this match was over at half time, we hadn't done anything of note, but leave it to a set piece for us to find a way back in.
- Direct passing pays off with Carlton Cole's goal, rounding Szczesny and beating him from there.
- Our frailties at left back are exposed late and Robinson is beat by Arteta, Stockdale had no chance to save.

07/05/13 – Awards
Yannis Tafer was named to the Premier League Team of the Week first eleven.

08/05/13 – Reid Wants Out, Tafer In
Winston Reid has requested a transfer. We have acquiesced this request.

Yannis Tafer will be joining the club on a permanent deal after we reached a £2m agreement on a transfer with Olympique Lyonnais. Tafer started slow, but has been playing strong toward the end of the season and at this price will be a fine full time addition to the club.

[Grover]

11/05/13 – Premier League Match Day #36
Manchester City 5 – 3 West Ham United
Goals: City: Badelj (4), K. Toure (19), Nasri (39, 40), Dzeko (73) West Ham: K. Toure (o.g. 11), Piquionne (16), Tafer (56)
Shots/On Target: City 29/15, West Ham 12/5
Possession: City 52/48
Cautions: City: Bocchetti (Y 75), Kompany (Y 89)
Man of the Match: Samir Nasri

Form: Stockdale 8.1, Spence 5.3, Friedrich 5.7, Tomkins 5.8, De Laet 6.6, Noble 6.7, Collison 6.1, Anakoglou 5.9, Tafer 7.2, Cole 6.7, Piquionne 8.3

Notes:
- The first own goal to benefit us all season.
- Our lead was short lived as Kolo Toure made up for the gaffe in his own end.
- City has far too much skill on the ball for us to be able to cope in any manner.
- Nasri scoring two goals in two minutes absolutely killed us.

[Grover]

18/05/13 – Premier League Match Day #37
West Ham United 1 – 2 Newcastle United
Goals: West Ham: Tomkins (74) Newcastle: Ben Arfa (2), Krohn-Dehli (19)
Shots/On Target: West Ham 14/6, Newcastle 12/6
Possession: 50/50
Cautions: West Ham: De Laet (Y 38), Newcastle: Ba (Y 82)
Man of the Match: Tim Krul

Form: Stockdale 7.5, Spence 7.1, Tomkins 7.3, De Laet 7.0, Noble 6.9, Collison 6.5, Anakoglou ( off 51) 6.6, Tafer 6.5, Cole 6.6, Piquionne 6.7, Reid (on 18) 6.7, Gibson (on 51) 6.9

Notes:
- Two goals conceded in the first twenty minutes, Friedrich got injured and from that point on we looked out of sorts at the back.
- Leave it to James Tomkins to get home a header from a corner to try and pull us back.

Injuries
Dimitris Anakoglou suffered a torn calf muscle, ending the player's season. He will be out 3-4 months. The Greek midfielder finished the season with 36 appearances, 2 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.

Arne Friedrich suffered a broken jaw and will miss the rest of the season. His contract is up on 30th June and he will most likely not be retained.

[Grover]

26/05/13 – Premier League Match Day #38
Everton 1 – 1 West Ham United
Goals: Everton: Cisse (81) West Ham: Collison (75)
Shots/On Target: Everton 16/4, West ham 12/4
Possession: Everton 52/48
Man of the Match: Jack Rodwell

Form: Stockdale 6.7, Spence 7.1, De Laet 6.9, Tomkins 7.2, Robinson 6.9, Noble 6.9, Collison 7.3, Gibson 6.8, Tafer 6.9, Acquafresca 6.8, Piquionne 6.8

Notes:
- We finish the season with a draw against a very good Everton team. We'll take it. Lots of work to be done now...

Relegated
Queens Park Rangers, Sunderland and Reading have been relegated to the npower Championship.

Money
West Ham have been given £7.36m for their final position in the Premier League.

The club has paid out £475k among the squad to be shared on a pro-rata basis after the 13th placed finish.

Awards
English Footballer of the Year: Fernando Torres
English Players' Player of the Year: Gareth Bale
Top Goalscorer: Fernando Torres
English Players' Young Player of the Year: Andriy Yarmolenko
English Golden Gloves: Pepe Reina

Yearly Training Summary
The following players have trained well and shown signs of progression over the past season:
James Tomkins, Marek Stech and Yannis Tafer have improved well as players.
Jordan Spence and Sam Cowler have improved significantly as footballers.

The following players have failed to impress in training during the season:
Gary O'Neil, Herita Ilunga and Frederic Piquionne have declined slightly as players.
Guy Demel and Arne Friedrich have shown early signs that they may be on the decline as players.

Vacation
The squad is now on vacation until pre-season begins. Players will report back for training on 8th July.

Contract News
The following first team players have their contracts expiring on 30th June. It is likely that none of them will be renwed:
Guy Demel £15k/wk
Herita Ilunga £25k/wk (yes, he makes that much)
Arne Friedrich £10.75k/wk
Freddie Sears £7.5k/wk
Marek Stech £2.3k/wk