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18th November 2011
Apologies to my OzHammers members as I have been horribly slack and over committed these last 3 months and have simply not had time to write a review of all things West Ham.

Over this time there have been highs and lows and the latter has often resulted in my lack of motivation to report. I've been to quite a few matches and they have been a mixed bag to be honest.

Watford v West Ham United, Vicarage Road Tuesday 16 August was one of the high notes:

It's only taken 21 months of my two-year London residence to deliver the type of WHU performance I have dreamed of and what a night that was!

I was initially devastated that the "Totteridge Hammers", the guys I have been honoured to join during my 2 year Upton Park pilgrimage, Mike Karp, Steven Woolf and Michael Molem, were not available to attend the match as this meant that I was without a ticket. Frantic last minute attempts to obtain one were dashed as the Away allocation was sold out and even though Watford FC had spare capacity, they would only sell to registered fans with a purchasing history. Quite absurd as post match all fans in colours mingled in perfect behaviour on the surrounding roads and with good camaraderie. (More on this later).

Then I approached Mr Ticket, Barrie Abrahams, and he came through as always and I enjoyed a wonderful night with members of his family.
West Ham was superb and I highly recommend an away game experience as it is quite different from the 'stress' of playing at home. In fact one of the best songs of the night by the almost 4,000 travelling WHU fans as we led 3-0 was: "We're winning away, we're winning away! How shit must you be, we're winning away!"
Classic!

And there was so much more. We bossed the Hornets all over the pitch, Scotty scored what was to be his last goal for us and Nolan harried and upset the opposition all night.

Since that game we have been up and down with our form yet after Saturday's nervy win over Leicester, we sit 2nd in the League and well placed to push on. Last minute goals have plagued us again and we have exhibited some naïve play in this respect. Silly failures in defence against Leeds, Cardiff and Ipswich, all at home, have cost us 3 points that should never have occurred.

At least the Cardiff result condemned Ilunga to a loan deal away from WHU and assisted "Big" Sam to determine who should and should not play in the 1st eleven.

The Ipswich match (Tuesday 27 September) was one of the lows. Former WHU trainee and comedy man, Jimmy Bullard, ran the midfield all afternoon and they were deserved albeit last minute winners. It was a pathetic display and poor OzHammers member Roger Engel endured a miserable afternoon watching his first match since the 2006 FA Cup Final loss against Liverpool.

The 1-0 win Away at Brighton was a welcome 3 points but the performance was anything but entertaining! I had intended to travel to Brighton for the match however the late switch to a Monday night meant that I could not go. Lucky for that as it was one of those hard fought, grinding results that merely cheer the bean counters needing that return to the PL for financial reasons. Of course I want that too yet need entertainment in the process.

Leicester City, Upton Park, Saturday 29 October
I was there with David Bernstein, right on half way in the West stand plus the Totteridge Hammers in what was to be my last match before returning to OZ in a few weeks time.

We started well and really got going after 10 minutes and the following 15 minutes were our best of the match. Carew is huge and he has allegedly been coaching young Baldock and where to run and be to benefit from his holding of the ball and crosses. In the 21st minute John Carew's far post cross found Baldock and he cleverly headed the ball home. Not one minute later and the inconsistent Julian Faubert thundered in a right-footed blast from 20 plus metres that sent him and the home fans delirious. I remained incredulous! After that he made a few good runs but mostly got in the way of the other players.

Some have criticised Sam's substitution of John Carew in the 30th minute.
I think Sam got it right with the subs - especially taking Carew off. JC had committed at least 5 fouls by the time he was booked after he was warned by the referee. JC made it VERY easy for the Ref with these fouls all being so obvious and clear by using outstretched arms and pulling down of players with clear and unnecessary fouls!

He was booked in about the 20th minute for (IMHO) persistent breach of the LOTG and he had warning. He set up our first goal but would have been a passenger for the rest of the match due to his failings NOT the referee. It was all so unnecessary. The Ref had him in his sights and there was a real risk that we would be down to 10 men and that alone would have rejuvenated Leicester. Sam was right! This was a clever and well thought out tactical substitution.

Piquionne, whilst lazy and largely ineffective, did set up our 3rd goal with an excellent flick. He was however offside late on, gifting Leicester a free kick just over half way and that was very poor and did not have a good game. That was still better than being down to 10 men.

As for Faubert, I just can't stand him as a player. Yes he scored an excellent goal but the rest was largely poor.

On the other hand, Noble had an OUTSTANDING match passing superbly and putting in an all-round performance of note. Faye too was excellent before substitution by Tompkins, who was at fault for their 2nd goal. Faye came off with a bit of a limp so do hope he is OK as our injury list is growing. His contribution so far this season deserves mention, as he is a rock in central defence, a seasoned pro with all the experience, and size, to shine in this division. I am impressed.

We miss Taylor badly for set plays and I hope he is back soon. Greeno was excellent as was George at left back. Nolan remains an enigma for me. He should be the holding midfielder but goes missing so often? He points, directs players and at times frightens the opposition defence but we are not holding the midfield correctly and that needs fixing. Diop is perhaps the answer and I think our midfield needs to include him whenever he is available as none of the other players have that ability.

Collison was poor first half but improved in the 2nd albeit slightly. He needs more pitch time to get anywhere near his past best.

We have had quite a few players out injured and as they return we will improve. We are 2nd and whilst we only played well in the first 25 minutes in this game, we can do so much better and we will.

The Bristol City mid week encounter on Tuesday 1 November sounded like one to miss as well as we ground out a 0-0 draw at home against one of the bottom dwellers. Injuries forced us to rest several players however from reports we had much of the game but failed to put it away.

At Hull City on Saturday 5 November we returned to our usual away form with an excellent win. After a goalless first half thanks to the heroics of Greeno, Carlton came off the bench for the ineffectual Carew to create early second half goals for Baldock and Collison.

Apparently we then soaked up loads of pressure from Hull and it was Greeno once more who saved us. Apparently we had not won at Hull since 1954. I love these statistics, as obviously our mutual absence from the same division is the cause of such a number!

By all accounts our defence all round was superb, including Faubert! Of great concern is the continuing very average form of Kevin Nolan. He is generally absent in most games playing cameo roles at best. There are those who claim that he is playing a captain's role and that is what we are lacking. However, we need him to play a role in midfield and he has been completely anonymous in recent matches. Something is wrong?

We need that defensive midfield role filled and Nolan just isn't doing that. Our midfield balance is wrong no doubt due to our injury to key players.

Season 2011/12 Scorers and Bookings
The following record of our season to date makes interesting reading. Nolan is one booking away from a suspension and that may be a match to observe as I doubt we will miss him! His goal scoring though is impressive from midfield.

Sam Baldock - 5 (5 League)
Carlton Cole - 4 (4 League)
Kevin Nolan - 4 (4 League)
John Carew - 2 (2 League)
Mark Noble - 2 (2 League)
Jack Collison - 2 (2 League)
Own Goal - 2 (2 League)
James Tomkins - 1 (1 League)
Joey O'Brien - 1 (1 League)
Scott Parker - 1 (1 League)
Winston Reid - 1 (1 League)
Matthew Taylor - 1 (1 League)
Henri Lansbury - 1 (1 League)
Julien Faubert - 1 (1 League)
Junior Stanislas - 1 (1 Cup)

Yellow Cards
Kevin Nolan - 4
Mark Noble - 3
Julien Faubert - 3
Henri Lansbury - 2
Joey O'Brien - 2
James Tomkins - 2
Carlton Cole - 1
Matthew Taylor - 1
George McCartney - 1
Sam Baldock -1
Winston Reid - 1
Abdoulaye Faye - 1
John Carew - 1

Red Cards
Callum McNaughton - 1 (vs Aldershot home)
Frederique Piquionne - 1 (vs Portsmouth home)

Transfers & Injury News
Against Leicester City Greeno & James Tompkins were playing their first matches for several weeks and as noted above, the latter will take some time to build up his confidence. John Carew picked up a knee injury in that match apparently whilst New Zealand international Winston Reid dislocated his shoulder very early on in the Bristol City match and he may be out for a while. After struggling last season her really has played well in this. As a result Big Sam is on record chasing several PL centre back loan options.

Carlton Cole only made his return against Hull City after a long-standing knee ligament issue that saw him miss the club's October matches. Matt Taylor has a small calf strain, not a tear, is hoping to be back after the international break, however Arsenal loanee Henri Lansbury is definitely out for several weeks with a knee injury. This is quite a blow as he has been terrific.

Guy Demel is still being treated for a hamstring injury that has delayed his debut. I saw him in the car park after the Leicester match and he is huge and looked very fit with no obvious physical impediments so hopefully it wont be long. He played mid-week so perhaps a cameo appearance is not far away.

Gary O'Neil (ankle) is out with long-term ankle injury although there have been reports that he is back running after a terrible broken ankle inflicted in a challenge by former WHU captain Nigel Reo Coker last season against Aston Villa.

Tottenham loanee David Bently has returned to Spurs with a serious knee injury that will keep him out for at least 6 months. I had high hopes for him and whilst he did not contribute much, in all honesty this is due to the fact that he was frozen out at Spurs for so long with little or no team action.

There has been speculation that we might be signing the clubless El Hadji Diouf. This player spat at West Ham supporters back in 2002 whilst a Liverpool player, was the subject of great debate amongst WHU fans, all negative. I am delighted to report that the deal is off.

It has been reported that we are attempting to sign former Real Madrid centre-back Francisco Pavon as cover at centre back. He is a free agent at the moment and therefore can be signed outside of the transfer window.

Loanee latest: Hall the hero
WHUFC.com
This is tough info to find for overseas Hammers so I thought it worthwhile to reproduce the following article from the WHU website:
"West Ham United have allowed England Under-19 forward Rob Hall to rejoin League Two promotion chasers Oxford United on loan until Saturday 17 December 2011. Hall was in outstanding goal scoring form for Oxford, netting six goals in ten appearances for the U's earlier this season before being recalled and being named as an unused substitute for the Hammers' npower Championship meeting with Bristol City on 1 November. The youngster, who celebrated his 18th birthday on 20 October, has helped Oxford climb into League Two Play-Off places and will hope to make his second 'debut' for the club in Saturday's visit to second-placed Crawley Town. Since Hall's return to the Boleyn Ground, Oxford have lost all three matches they have contested, being knocked out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and the FA Cup. He could potentially make another three league appearances during this loan spell, with the U's hosting Cheltenham, travelling to Morecambe and welcoming Northampton Town to the Kassam Stadium over the coming month. Aside from his fine club form, the teenager has also shone for his country, netting the winner as England defeated Denmark 1-0 at Brighton & Hove Albion's American Express Community Stadium on 10 November.

Hall is one of seven players out on loan at present, with Herita Ilunga (Doncaster Rovers), Ahmed Abdulla (Swindon Town), Frank Nouble (Gillingham) and Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon) away on a short-term basis and Pablo Barrera (Real Zaragoza) and Jordan Spence (Bristol City) away for the remainder of the 2011/12 season. Marek Stech, Olly Lee, Cristian Montano, Jordan Brown and Dominic Vose have also been out on loan to Football League and Blue Square Premier clubs this term."

Next Few Games
This weekend we travel to Coventry City and we are told that over 6,000 travelling Hammers will be there too. The Away support has been fantastic and I assure you it makes a big difference to the players. Our Away form is testament to that! This is a match we must and should win.

Then we have Derby County at home the following Saturday 26 November and then Away to Middlesbrough on Tuesday 29 November.

Both these matches will provide a stern test of just how good we are and how much the players want to win this League. Both are reasonable sides and we must win at home and not lose away. The Home form has not been good enough and Sam must address this and ensure that we attack more effectively.

Olympic Stadium Update
On the 28th October The Club reported as follows:
We still await further information regarding the Government's plans for the Olympic Stadium post Games. These plans have always involved a tenancy of some nature. This type of arrangement has proved successful elsewhere and brings with it potential new benefits for the club.

Until we are fully informed of the proposed process going forward, we are unable to share further information. We are closely monitoring the feedback we sought following our recent statements. As the process moves on there will never be a better time for consultation to help inform our decisions going forward.

West Ham United with our partners the London Borough of Newham, great diligence and a lot of hard work were able to deliver a robust bid to occupy the Stadium from 2014/15.

Our bid was unanimously endorsed back in February. We re-state our belief that our stadium works for football. It would be a world-class venue to rival all others - a fitting stage for our proud club. Rest assured, it has to work for you to work for us. We would never act in isolation and, as we know more, so will you.

Please continue to provide us with your feedback via olympicproject@westhamunited.co.uk

Louise Mazzarolli

I am greatly saddened to report that dear friend and fellow OzHammer, Louise Mazzarolli, has died in Sydney on 11 November. She was a mere 62 years old.

Louise was amazing. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in mid 2008 and finally succumbed after the past three years of treatment.

Louise was a pioneer of women's football, one who relentlessly campaigned for equality of treatment and thoroughly enjoyed playing in masters football for several years. Unlike the UK, there are many women's leagues in Australia and even several over 35 and 45 leagues. They will now be all the poorer given Lou's absence.

Lou was also a qualified referee and I had the privilege to serve with her on the inaugural board of the ESFA Referees Standing Committee. Lou was a mentor extraordinaire and spent as much of her weekend as possible working with and assisting junior referees.

Louise held a PhD from UNSW in history by writing a thesis on the Social and Cultural Aspects of the Irish in NSW, 1884-1914. Humble as ever, she would never tell you about her achievements.

Sadly Lou never got to Upton Park. Every time I was there I would think of her and recently say a few prayers. At half time in the Bristol City game on Tuesday 1st November, ground announcer Jeremy Nicholas read out Lou's name and wished her well. Unfortunately this was to be as close as Lou would get.

FNSW has made an announcement honouring Lou on their website here.

I will miss Lou SO much!