I’ve put together a slightly different comparison this time around, highlighting how we fared in the exact same fixtures played this year compared to last:

So from that, a quick few summary points:

- We have scored 9 more goals compared to last year
- But, conceded 6 more

- We earned 5 more points in the corresponding fixtures last year.
- We have seen the same results against Spurs, Blackburn, Liverpool, Man City and Everton
- Last year we beat Wigan, Fulham, Stoke and Sunderland, whereas this year we only managed 2 points from the same fixtures.
- We have improved on the Arsenal, Villa and Hull results compared to last year.

I produce these stats table to simply put the data out there and hopefully make it easier to interpret. My opinion on the whole lot is quite simply this…our urgency to secure the services of a new striker during the summer has clearly paid off. We’ve scored significantly more goals. However…it is obviously been at detriment to our defence (selling Collins was a massive mistake).

I am however confident that once our defence settles into the same four each week for the best part, we will soon see a climb up the table. Although our goal difference is actually better this year we are shipping goals like there’s no tomorrow. Sort that, and we’ve got the makings of a side that can still achieve something this year.

Love too know your comments

IRONS

Sam

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Clarke was spot on with what he said and somehow it’s managed to instill a sense of confidence in me for tonight – COYI!

You may have been reading some comments from a blog called Salut!Sunderland over the past few days regarding the whole Ilunga affair – I’ve been following the comments closely too. Salut!Sunderland are part of the same football blog network as myself, FootballUnited, so I was able to phone him to discuss his views on Ilunga, our Academy and why exactly he disagrees with “choreographed songs” at football grounds.

He was in the middle of cooking his dinner – hence the reference to onions at the beginning.

Just press play…

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However, and this applies to Sunderland fans who have defended Jones and their side, you are not squeaky clean. Steve Bruce is not a manager who gets his teams playing attractive, flowing football – you are notoriously physical and with the like of Cattermole and Cana in the side it’s not going to get any prettier. Cana himself was just as sinful as Sunderland were sinned against at the weekend. Equally, Jones being sent of was entirely the correct decision – no matter how Ilunga reacted. Arguably, it was because of his sending off that you managed to muster enough team spirit to leave the Stadium of Light with a draw, so perhaps you should infact be grateful that he reacted petulantly.

Another incident that appears to have been filtered from the ‘everything is rosy at Sunderland because Newcastle got relegated’ tinted glasses is that as much as you lot think that Ilunga should have seen red for acting like a moron, Kovac should not have seen red for what happened between him and Bent (to say ‘his challenge on Bent’ would have been wrong, because it wasn’t a challenge at all). That, along with the following list from ‘Steve Clark’ on this post from SalutSunderland.com:

- Cana’s two 2-footed tackles (potential career enders)
- Cana’s disrespect and swearing towards officials
- Malbranque’s dive for Reid’s free-kick
- Nosworthy’s professional foul at 2-0 down
- Malbranque feigning an injury when Upson won the ball clearly
- Bent “screaming” in pain to get Kovac sent off for nothing

Back to Ilunga

Now that rant is out of the way, back to why I started this post. I don’t like the fact that Ilunga reacted like that, hopefully that is clear. But is does beg the question, had Upson reacted the same way against Stoke when he was no less than physically punched in the face, would Huth have been sent off? There is a strong argument that he would have been – it would have changed the game entirely and there is every change we’d have gone on to take all three points.

But Upson didn’t react – and neither did the referee.

I think the problem with what Ilunga did at the weekend actually stems from completely inept and arrogant referees. Ilunga probably thought to himself that what Jones did was a sending off offence, but if I don’t react in an over-the-top way then it’s highly unlikely that the referee will actually punish justly against Jones (or something along those lines).

I do want to stress again though that there is no place for play-acting like that at West Ham and I would encourage Zola to stamp it out. It was never in Zola’s character and it’s never been in West Ham’s.

IRONS

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Now, I’m going to take Curbishley by his word. He said earlier in the window that we have to judge him by the end of the window But if he does not provide us with a replacement left-back, who is an actual real left-back…not Lucas Neill or Louis Boa Morte or Jonathon Spector, I will be furious.

I will post back at the end of the window.

(We have also been linked with Joey Barton (erm no thanks) and Henrik Larsson has denied reports linking him to West Ham…I am not happy, but we will see)

Sam

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It’s not as if we have an abundance of fit centre halves…in fact only two, Davenport and Upson, are match fit.

In all fairness though, Curbishley is a genius and I suppose that he knows that when Linda is fit again, then thanks to his pace and ability on the ball, Lucas Neill will be a perfect replacement (if not first choice) centre back.

It just doesn’t make sense.

I have always said that I won’t judge Curbishley on transfers until the end of the transfer window, that is only fair. But at the minute, this is how I see it:

-We had 4 senior first team strikers, we sold one, and two are now injured. We need to bring in another.
- We had 6 (Faubert, Ljungberg, Solano, Paintsil, Neill, Dyer) right sided midfielders/defenders. We got rid of 3. One is permanently injured. We brought in one more.
- We have needed a back-up left back since the beginning of last season. That left back has been injured throughout pre-season. We haven’t brought anyone in.
- We currently have two match fit centre halves. One is not first choice. We have accepted a bid for our remaining first choice centre back.
- There is still an abundance of dead wood in our ranks who have yet to be released/sold/kicked-out/abandoned.

I don’t think Anton is a world-beater. He seems to have some sort of attitude problem. And £8m is good money for him.

Like I said, we can’t judge Curbs until the window closes, but we all know what our injury problems are like. So unless he has a replacement who costs £8m lined up, don’t sell Anton.

Unless he has a left back and a centre back lined up and we need the money for them, don’t sell Anton.

Unless we have a left back, a centre back and a forward lined up and we need the money for them, don’t sell Anton.

Am interested in where other people stand on this one…

Sam

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…then again, maybe not.

We will see:

[poll id="12"]

I also ran another poll last week opening up the question as to who you thought should be West Ham captain if Lucas Neill was to move on (or even if he wasn’t)

[poll id="11"]

Personally I agree with what this one spurned out (just about!), Parker has been our engine during the pre-season. Very good player and would be a very good captain.

Sam

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I’ve thought long and hard about this post and it won’t be simply a slanging match against LBM.

Simply put, the guy isn’t good enough. I don’t want to sound over the top with this one, but it has been clear to me by just watching him shoot or cross that he doesn’t cut it in the Premiership. It is frustrating to watch.

One of the most frustrating things about this guy is that he cost us £5m.

One more time….£5m. That’s a lot of money for somebody who essentially has brought really not much to the team.

But we know all this right? We go through this every week when we see him pull on a West Ham shirt.

May I be as bold to say that I don’t think the problem surrounding LBM lies with LBM. We are all as fans aware of his frailties. We have been from day one. Unfortunately, it is not the fans who need to know…it is Curbishley.

It seemed last year (yes I know we had a lot of injuries) that whether he played well or badly, Curbishley felt it necessary to keep him in the team. As fans this is so frustrating to have to endure. I feel that our frustrations were unduly dished out onto LBM most of the time.

What Curbs in my opinion essentially was last year was exceptionally stubborn…..his system was right and LBM was part of his system. Even though it was clear that he really wasn’t good enough, even for all his running.

We knew that we had players like Kyel Reid out on loan for the majority of the season….he may not have been good enough at the time but why wasn’t he brought in to give LBM a break…to see if he could cut it?

It seemed to me that Curbishley has some sort of love affair with LBM….almost reminiscent of the time we endured some very poor performances from Lampard, leaving the game convinced he wouldn’t get a start  the following week….but he did. It was this love affair in my opinion that aided the turning of the fans backs on LBM.

So I suppose, I feel that Curbishley should take far more responsibility for the way LBM was treated sometimes at Upton Park. I feel that his persistence with a clearly under-performing, £5m blunder caused the fans to become frustrated….not only the performances themselves.

I feel sorry for Boa Morte and for his sake I hope he moves to Sunderland….where his style of play can really be appreciated.

Sam

EDIT: If I may just clarify one thing….I am 100% not a boo boy. 100%.

People who boo at games get on my nerves as much as the net person and I agree it should stop. To summarise this post so there is no confusion, I completely agree that the booing of LBM for his performances is completely unjustified and instead more questions should be being asked about why Curbishley persised with playing him. I DO NOT CONDONE THE HATRED OF ANY PLAYER OR INDIVIDAL AT THE CLUB.

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Personally I rate this guy very highly. Although not technically the best player since sliced bread, his work rate and work ethic is second to none…certainly somebody worth keeping hold of.

Due to injury, McCartney is not currently with the rest of the squad as they prepare for their match on Thursday against the MLS All-Star XI.

If you was the boss, who would you play?

Sam

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I’m not sure how much of this is just speculation, but it is being considered that as Nicky Shorey’s name is being banded about (once again) that Macartney would all of a sudden become surplus to requirements.

I thought it was worth mentioning but I think it would serve a complete injustice to the service he has provided us this year and I think the least he deserves is to be considered (even if we do sign Shorey) as a starter next year.

Would people be happy if he was made ’surplus to requirements’?

Sam

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