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| Future Ballon D'Or Winner Kylian Mbappé |
The Home Run Derby is going to be BORING as hell
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| Who is this man? |
The England team has 2 World Class Players
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| It's Coming Home (2022 edition) - Raz ft. Harry Kane |
Friday, 13 July 2018
Fresh Baked Takes - Week 4
Kylian Mbappé has been the Best Young Player and it's not even close
Kylian Mbappé is already the most expensive teenager in football history, and after a season waltzing to the title in France with PSG, he's showing his worth on a worldwide scale. I don't say this lightly, but the French national football team need to build around him for the foreseeable future. He's the most important player in that side. Not Griezmann, not Pogba, not even Kanté, although he's probably second. Mbappé's blistering pace has struck fear into defences all tournament, coupled with the passing range of Paul Pogba has been one of the more terrifying prospects to gameplan against. Mbappé running in behind defences, even when he doesn't receive the ball, opens up space for the more intricate play between the likes of Giroud, Pogba, and Griezmann to take place in front of the opposition, with the flying teenager always looking to get in behind or isolate his man in a one-on-one situation, where he is absolutely deadly. France need to make sure that this youngster doesn't lose his love of running at defenders at pace. And as much as he might prefer to play through the middle, his place on the wing in this system for France has been a stroke of genius from Deschamps, and it is where he should stay until such a time that the national team can accommodate his skillset through the middle.
The Home Run Derby is going to be BORING as hell
Here's the names of the eight players competing in the Home Run Derby at this year's All-Star Event in Washington DC; Jesus Aguilar, Bryce Harper, Max Muncy, Alex Bregman, Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez, Freddie Freeman, Rhys Hoskins. 4 of the competitors have fewer than 20 home runs through the first half of the season, with Hoskins not even in the top 50 in the league with just 14. 5 of the seeds have fewer than 50 career home runs, which is no real measure of ability as Aaron Judge hit 44 in last year's competition, but the only real recognised slugger in the field is Bryce Harper. There's no sign of league leader JD Martinez, or famed sluggers Giancarlo Stanton (22HR this year), Mike Trout and Judge (25), and Nolan Arenado (23). The best matchup in the first round is #2 Bryce Harper vs #7 Freddie Freeman, which doesn't come close to last year's #1 v #8 of Stanton v Sanchez. I'd even go so far as to say that only Bryce Harper would even have made it into last year's contest on name alone. I mean, I'm obviously going to watch the Derby, because I love watching dingers fly in all directions, but I don't think it's going to be nearly as jaw-dropping as last year.
The England team has 2 World Class Players
Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling. That's it. No arguments please. Sterling has been roundly criticised by the media and fans for his performances at the World Cup, often ranking among the lowest rated England players on the BBC Player Rater (which is a dumb metric because generally people watching the games want tangible results [tackles, goals, assists]). Sterling does more than that. Sure, he was incredible for Man City this season with 18 goals and 11 assists in 29 starts, but in the system employed by Gareth Southgate, Sterling has been so much more than goals and assists. The best way to explain it can be found here, and verbalises everything I'm trying to say. Sterling is England's best player, and the fact that he hasn't scored for the national team since October 2015 shouldn't be a point of criticism for a player whose cerebral abilities very nearly match his physical ones. The next world class player hurts for me to admit, but Harry Kane's all-round play for club and country has pushed him into the top tier of striking talent in the world alongside the likes of Lewandowski and Agüero (Ronaldo is a different level, he doesn't count here). Kane's ability to do anything asked of him makes him the ultimate Swiss Army Knife striker. If you need him to hold the ball up, he'll boss centre backs physically. If you need him to pull away and create space inside for midfielders, he'll pull off a perfectly weighted one-two to help out. I genuinely just had a vision of Kane playing for Manchester City with Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling, and Sané and as a fan of not Man City it was not pleasant. That would be scary shit. But above all, Kane's ability to find the back of the net in any way possible is his biggest asset. If there was one player in the Premier League that you had to back to score a penalty to save your life, mine would be Kane, and that's saying something when Mark Noble is the captain of my club.
The Home Run Derby is going to be BORING as hell
The England team has 2 World Class Players
Friday, 6 July 2018
Fresh Baked Takes - Week 3
What should Germany do?
Well I think we can all agree that nobody envisioned the Germans, the reigning world champions, going out of the World Cup as early as the group stage. Hell, I predicted them to repeat as champs with Timo Werner winning the golden boot. Obviously that never happened. Joachim Löw has already confirmed he will not be stepping down as head coach, and as such he must learn from his mistakes, most notable of which was the emission of Leroy Sané from the final 23-man squad. Germany lacked a cutting edge which Sané would lend in abundance with his pace and dribbling skills, not to mention learning from Pep Guardiola for a couple of years, which has done both he and Raheem Sterling the world of good. As well as including their best players in the squad, which kind of seems like an obvious move to me, Germany needs to improve significantly in a few areas of the squad, most notably central midfield and full-back. Whilst Toni Kroos is comfortably one of the best central midfielders in the world, Germany lack an N'Golo Kanté-type player who hustles around in front of the back four, harassing opposing attackers and freeing up space for the more attack minded players in front of him. Moving Joshua Kimmich into central midfield seems like the obvious choice, but with so many top international teams employing the skills of wingers like Neymar and Eden Hazard, the full-backs really need to be able to compete at the top level, and as good as Germany are, they don't have that quality in those positions. Whilst the rebuild looks on the surface to be simple enough, Löw will also apparently have to work to heal a rift in the squad that derailed their World Cup defence, with player factions led by Kroos and the flashy Jérôme Boateng clashing in the lead up to the tournament. However, Germany are too good to be held down for long, and will no doubt be back in contention come 2020.
Run the damn score up!
Another week, another unwritten baseball rule that makes no sense to me. The average salary in MLB is $4m. Four million dollars to be paid to play baseball. Throw, catch, hit, run. That's it, essentially. And if you make it to the very highest level, you'll be paid an average of four million dollars. Of course, some are paid more and some are paid less, but if you underperform on a certain day, you should expect to be punished. Baseball players have long been known as slightly petulant, retaliatory, and really really bad losers (case in point Hunter Strickland and Sergio Romo both being dickheads in the past couple of weeks, and their teams weren't even losing/losing badly). Here's my thought: If you are paid these amounts of money to play baseball, you should be able to suck it up and strap on a pair when you have an off day and get tattooed all over the park by the opposition, rather than what seems to be the MLB default of crying foul when down by more than 6 runs and drilling any player who dares try to score against you. Last night the Washington Nationals went 9 runs down in the second inning, and instead of rolling over and having their bellies rubbed, they cracked on, and came back to win 14-12. Do more of that, baseball. Make the game interesting all the way through, rather than checking out midway through the fifth. Nobody wants to see that.
Return of the (French)man?
If the rumours are true, and they're coming from a pretty reliable source (@ExWHUEmployee on Twitter), Manuel Pellegrini has been in talks to bring Dimitri Payet back to West Ham (I almost wrote Upton Park there, how sad.) The deal is apparently worth more than what we sold him for 18 months ago, and he's now 31 years of age, but would bringing him back be worth the hassle that inevitably comes with Payet in claret and blue? You cannot deny the man's talent. He is the most talented and exciting attacking player I have ever seen in a West Ham shirt, and would undoubtedly fill the hole in the team left by Manuel Lanzini's horror knee injury. But the relationship with some of the fans would need patching. The majority of the younger generation that I have seen on Twitter would take him back in a heartbeat, and the same goes for a lot of friends I talk to, but I fear that the older generation would get on his back from the very first day and immediately expect the same results that he delivered in his first spell. All I would say is that the circumstances surrounding his departure from the club were somewhat cloudy, and apparently the players are keen on having him back in the squad, so if we can get the transfer over the line, why not? It will only take three or four classy performances that we saw in 2015/16 to turn the tide and get the crowd singing his name again. Bring it on, I say.
Well I think we can all agree that nobody envisioned the Germans, the reigning world champions, going out of the World Cup as early as the group stage. Hell, I predicted them to repeat as champs with Timo Werner winning the golden boot. Obviously that never happened. Joachim Löw has already confirmed he will not be stepping down as head coach, and as such he must learn from his mistakes, most notable of which was the emission of Leroy Sané from the final 23-man squad. Germany lacked a cutting edge which Sané would lend in abundance with his pace and dribbling skills, not to mention learning from Pep Guardiola for a couple of years, which has done both he and Raheem Sterling the world of good. As well as including their best players in the squad, which kind of seems like an obvious move to me, Germany needs to improve significantly in a few areas of the squad, most notably central midfield and full-back. Whilst Toni Kroos is comfortably one of the best central midfielders in the world, Germany lack an N'Golo Kanté-type player who hustles around in front of the back four, harassing opposing attackers and freeing up space for the more attack minded players in front of him. Moving Joshua Kimmich into central midfield seems like the obvious choice, but with so many top international teams employing the skills of wingers like Neymar and Eden Hazard, the full-backs really need to be able to compete at the top level, and as good as Germany are, they don't have that quality in those positions. Whilst the rebuild looks on the surface to be simple enough, Löw will also apparently have to work to heal a rift in the squad that derailed their World Cup defence, with player factions led by Kroos and the flashy Jérôme Boateng clashing in the lead up to the tournament. However, Germany are too good to be held down for long, and will no doubt be back in contention come 2020.
Run the damn score up!
Another week, another unwritten baseball rule that makes no sense to me. The average salary in MLB is $4m. Four million dollars to be paid to play baseball. Throw, catch, hit, run. That's it, essentially. And if you make it to the very highest level, you'll be paid an average of four million dollars. Of course, some are paid more and some are paid less, but if you underperform on a certain day, you should expect to be punished. Baseball players have long been known as slightly petulant, retaliatory, and really really bad losers (case in point Hunter Strickland and Sergio Romo both being dickheads in the past couple of weeks, and their teams weren't even losing/losing badly). Here's my thought: If you are paid these amounts of money to play baseball, you should be able to suck it up and strap on a pair when you have an off day and get tattooed all over the park by the opposition, rather than what seems to be the MLB default of crying foul when down by more than 6 runs and drilling any player who dares try to score against you. Last night the Washington Nationals went 9 runs down in the second inning, and instead of rolling over and having their bellies rubbed, they cracked on, and came back to win 14-12. Do more of that, baseball. Make the game interesting all the way through, rather than checking out midway through the fifth. Nobody wants to see that.
Return of the (French)man?
If the rumours are true, and they're coming from a pretty reliable source (@ExWHUEmployee on Twitter), Manuel Pellegrini has been in talks to bring Dimitri Payet back to West Ham (I almost wrote Upton Park there, how sad.) The deal is apparently worth more than what we sold him for 18 months ago, and he's now 31 years of age, but would bringing him back be worth the hassle that inevitably comes with Payet in claret and blue? You cannot deny the man's talent. He is the most talented and exciting attacking player I have ever seen in a West Ham shirt, and would undoubtedly fill the hole in the team left by Manuel Lanzini's horror knee injury. But the relationship with some of the fans would need patching. The majority of the younger generation that I have seen on Twitter would take him back in a heartbeat, and the same goes for a lot of friends I talk to, but I fear that the older generation would get on his back from the very first day and immediately expect the same results that he delivered in his first spell. All I would say is that the circumstances surrounding his departure from the club were somewhat cloudy, and apparently the players are keen on having him back in the squad, so if we can get the transfer over the line, why not? It will only take three or four classy performances that we saw in 2015/16 to turn the tide and get the crowd singing his name again. Bring it on, I say.
Sunday, 24 June 2018
Fresh Baked Takes - Week 2
Following last week's entry, I had a few good suggestions from people on Facebook, which I have decided to provide my takes on this week. Hopefully that will happen more as the weeks go on because a lot of the topics were those that I hadn't considered writing. Anyway, let's get on with the show.
Refereeing at the World Cup
I think we can all agree (even me, as someone with a 'longstanding and admirable disdain' for the England team) that England didn't exactly get the rub of the green with penalty decisions in their first group game against Tunisia, but generally speaking the refereeing at the World Cup, and the introduction of VAR for the first time, has overall been a success. The issue with VAR as a system is not the fact that it stops the game, but the decision making process in and of itself. If we assume that a referee misses a decision, it is then sent immediately to the VAR truck for referral. Should the officials in the truck decide that the decision needs looking at, they then tell the referee, who has the final say on whether he reviews it. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but letting a man who gets one viewing, in real time, at full speed, have the final decision as to whether to bruise his ego on an international stage is a bit of a daft choice. The four officials in the truck, with the multiple replays and angles, should be able to be insistent upon a review, even if it turns out to be wrong. Serbia would have salvaged a draw from the Switzerland game if that had been the case, and if it had been the process during the England game, then maybe the media and Twitter wouldn't have gone into total meltdown as well.
The Plight of the Colorado Rockies
I think it goes without saying that it takes more than two superstars to create a contender in baseball, and although Colorado has those in Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon, their roster pales in comparison to the best in the game. I don't think I could name you a single starter from the Rockies (I just checked, I couldn't), and the bullpen isn't strong enough to be able to carry a team to the offseason. As much as the infield has quality at each position, with Story and Desmond in particular playing above themselves this year, there isn't enough there to justify a playoff push. But if they're to do it any time, they'll have to do it soon. Arenado is a free agent at the end of next season, and he will have plenty of interest in his services as a Gold Glove winner at 3B and a demon at the plate, the likes of which are coveted by just about every team in the big leagues, and I'm not sure the Rockies will have the capital to be able to re-sign him after spending big on Charlie Blackmon this year. The blend of youth and experience that the Rockies have isn't quite right yet, which is why their push for a playoff place this year will ultimately be fruitless, although it doesn't help that the National League is looking like a pretty even playing field this year, with a number of contenders for the two Wildcard spots.
LeBron to LA?
Now, my basketball knowledge isn't massively up to snuff, and it never has been, but I've been picking up knowledge in the office, and I reckon I can give this one a good crack. If LeBron goes to the Lakers, he will have as good a shot to make it to the NBA Finals as he did this year with Cleveland. Maybe they'll even win a game. The Lakers have spent the past couple of years jettisoning big contracts and bringing in young players through the draft and trades. Lonzo Ball, despite his absolutely mental father, managed to put up strong numbers in his first season in the league, and will only get better, especially if LA surround him with a talent like LeBron. We've already seen what LBJ can do almost single-handedly (and no thanks to JR Smith), but in LA, James would be able to take the reigns and let loose with a much more talented team at his disposal. For much of the back end of the regular season, he was without Kevin Love, and even when Love came back from injury, he didn't quite look like he had fully healed. Consider also that LeBron was the best player for the Cavs despite having a broken hand after Game 1 of the Finals and you start to see just how talented this man is. In LA, I have no doubt he would be able to take the Lakers to the Playoffs, but in the Western Conference, would he want to play the Warriors before the Finals? My head says no. Golden State at the moment are like watching Space Jam, and they're the Monstars. Ultimately, as long as that team is together, and even 70% healthy, I don't think there's anything that LeBron and whatever Tune Squad he decides to sign with can do to stop GSW winning yet another title.
Refereeing at the World Cup
I think we can all agree (even me, as someone with a 'longstanding and admirable disdain' for the England team) that England didn't exactly get the rub of the green with penalty decisions in their first group game against Tunisia, but generally speaking the refereeing at the World Cup, and the introduction of VAR for the first time, has overall been a success. The issue with VAR as a system is not the fact that it stops the game, but the decision making process in and of itself. If we assume that a referee misses a decision, it is then sent immediately to the VAR truck for referral. Should the officials in the truck decide that the decision needs looking at, they then tell the referee, who has the final say on whether he reviews it. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but letting a man who gets one viewing, in real time, at full speed, have the final decision as to whether to bruise his ego on an international stage is a bit of a daft choice. The four officials in the truck, with the multiple replays and angles, should be able to be insistent upon a review, even if it turns out to be wrong. Serbia would have salvaged a draw from the Switzerland game if that had been the case, and if it had been the process during the England game, then maybe the media and Twitter wouldn't have gone into total meltdown as well.The Plight of the Colorado Rockies
I think it goes without saying that it takes more than two superstars to create a contender in baseball, and although Colorado has those in Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon, their roster pales in comparison to the best in the game. I don't think I could name you a single starter from the Rockies (I just checked, I couldn't), and the bullpen isn't strong enough to be able to carry a team to the offseason. As much as the infield has quality at each position, with Story and Desmond in particular playing above themselves this year, there isn't enough there to justify a playoff push. But if they're to do it any time, they'll have to do it soon. Arenado is a free agent at the end of next season, and he will have plenty of interest in his services as a Gold Glove winner at 3B and a demon at the plate, the likes of which are coveted by just about every team in the big leagues, and I'm not sure the Rockies will have the capital to be able to re-sign him after spending big on Charlie Blackmon this year. The blend of youth and experience that the Rockies have isn't quite right yet, which is why their push for a playoff place this year will ultimately be fruitless, although it doesn't help that the National League is looking like a pretty even playing field this year, with a number of contenders for the two Wildcard spots.LeBron to LA?
Now, my basketball knowledge isn't massively up to snuff, and it never has been, but I've been picking up knowledge in the office, and I reckon I can give this one a good crack. If LeBron goes to the Lakers, he will have as good a shot to make it to the NBA Finals as he did this year with Cleveland. Maybe they'll even win a game. The Lakers have spent the past couple of years jettisoning big contracts and bringing in young players through the draft and trades. Lonzo Ball, despite his absolutely mental father, managed to put up strong numbers in his first season in the league, and will only get better, especially if LA surround him with a talent like LeBron. We've already seen what LBJ can do almost single-handedly (and no thanks to JR Smith), but in LA, James would be able to take the reigns and let loose with a much more talented team at his disposal. For much of the back end of the regular season, he was without Kevin Love, and even when Love came back from injury, he didn't quite look like he had fully healed. Consider also that LeBron was the best player for the Cavs despite having a broken hand after Game 1 of the Finals and you start to see just how talented this man is. In LA, I have no doubt he would be able to take the Lakers to the Playoffs, but in the Western Conference, would he want to play the Warriors before the Finals? My head says no. Golden State at the moment are like watching Space Jam, and they're the Monstars. Ultimately, as long as that team is together, and even 70% healthy, I don't think there's anything that LeBron and whatever Tune Squad he decides to sign with can do to stop GSW winning yet another title.
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
Fresh Baked Takes - Week 1
Welcome to the first instalment of what I hope will be a weekly blog where I give my takes on some topics which may or may not be burning at that moment in the world of sport. Some you will probably have an opinion on, some you might not, but either way I'd love to hear what you think, as well as any suggestions for future takes you want to hear about.
Without further ado, let's get on to the first week:
Minnows at the World Cup
I understand that the World Cup only comes around once every 4 years, but there are people out there complaining about the inclusion of teams like Panama and Saudi Arabia, especially after the pasting handed out to the latter by the hosts Russia, who themselves aren't even that good. But to suggest that those teams don't deserve to be there completely disregards the qualification process that all teams have to go through, which is already weighted heavily in favour of the confederations where the vast
majority of the main contenders lie (UEFA and CONMEBOL). It is absolutely not the fault of the likes of Saudi Arabia, Panama and Peru that they managed to beat the teams in front of them, while Italy couldn't force their way past an Ibrahimovic-less Sweden, or the Netherlands couldn't beat Bulgaria to even reach the playoffs. The David v Goliath matchups at the major tournaments are some of the most fun to watch (Iceland v England, anyone?), and in a similar vein to the FA Cup, I love watching a minnow outkick their coverage, although by the time we get to the quarters or semis, I'm always wanting the best teams to come out on top. But during the group stage and early knockout rounds, let's give it up for the smaller teams and celebrate football throughout the world. And anyway, even if the Saudi Arabians do end up getting battered every game, they might not make it to another World Cup for ages.
Unwritten Rules in Baseball
If you watch baseball, then you will know that there are a number of unwritten rules that the sport seems to abide by. I'm going to cover different unwritten rules each time I write about baseball in this column, but this week I'm going to talk about 'not bunting away from the shift'. To quickly explain 'shifting', if a right-handed batter tends to pull the ball to the left side of the ballpark, the opposition will set up as such, leaving a gaping hole to the right side of second base, and vice-versa for lefties. For some reason, there is an unspoken bond between most players, managers, pitchers etc. that dictates that players don't use the vast expanses of land available to them. Were I a major league manager, I would tell every single player of mine 'if they show shift, bunt and get to first base'. There are many reasons for this, chief among which is that the more baserunners you have, the more chance you have of winning the game. But equally, if you bunt away from the shift, the opposition are less likely to set up in the shift the next time up and you can go back to hitting to your preferred part of the field, with less chance of finding a shifted fielder. In an era of baseball where power is becoming the most important element of the batting game, and pitchers and fielders are becoming more savvy with their positioning and ability to work around the strengths of a hitter, why not fight fire with fire and expose their shortcomings in exactly the same way?
There are only two things wrong at West Ham (for now)
Obviously this won't last, I'm not daft. But for the moment, there only seem to be two things holding West Ham back, and they are the two members of the board not named David Gold. His co-chairman/woman seem to be the two barriers standing between the club and progress. For Karren Brady, a lot of the obstacles she seems to put up are off-the-pitch issues regarding the fan experience, and making it accessible for all. Of course, with the price of season tickets at the London Stadium being relatively low, single game tickets will fetch more on account of not wanting to price out 'loyal fans' and make it more cost-effective to just buy tickets on a weekly basis, but there were times last season when a Tier 5 Junior ticket was something extortionate like £60. How many under-16s do you know that have that kind of money to spend going to watch their football team play Manchester United or Chelsea. Similarly, a lot of the on-field issues seem to be sparked by David Sullivan. His insistence on being the head of recruitment (until the appointment of Mario Husillos last week) has led to a well-documented lack of improvement in the playing squad, and I daresay that had Manuel Pellegrini not come out and vocalised the struggles he was having with Sullivan in just his first week in the job, that process would have continued long into the summer. West Ham need reinforcements and they need them soon, especially with the transfer window closing early this year, so Sullivan needs to pull his chequebook out and start actually paying for players rather than subsisting on loans with options to buy and free transfers.
I think that's quite enough for week one, but I'll be back with more hot takes on hopefully developing/new topics next week.
Without further ado, let's get on to the first week:
Minnows at the World Cup
I understand that the World Cup only comes around once every 4 years, but there are people out there complaining about the inclusion of teams like Panama and Saudi Arabia, especially after the pasting handed out to the latter by the hosts Russia, who themselves aren't even that good. But to suggest that those teams don't deserve to be there completely disregards the qualification process that all teams have to go through, which is already weighted heavily in favour of the confederations where the vast majority of the main contenders lie (UEFA and CONMEBOL). It is absolutely not the fault of the likes of Saudi Arabia, Panama and Peru that they managed to beat the teams in front of them, while Italy couldn't force their way past an Ibrahimovic-less Sweden, or the Netherlands couldn't beat Bulgaria to even reach the playoffs. The David v Goliath matchups at the major tournaments are some of the most fun to watch (Iceland v England, anyone?), and in a similar vein to the FA Cup, I love watching a minnow outkick their coverage, although by the time we get to the quarters or semis, I'm always wanting the best teams to come out on top. But during the group stage and early knockout rounds, let's give it up for the smaller teams and celebrate football throughout the world. And anyway, even if the Saudi Arabians do end up getting battered every game, they might not make it to another World Cup for ages.
Unwritten Rules in Baseball
If you watch baseball, then you will know that there are a number of unwritten rules that the sport seems to abide by. I'm going to cover different unwritten rules each time I write about baseball in this column, but this week I'm going to talk about 'not bunting away from the shift'. To quickly explain 'shifting', if a right-handed batter tends to pull the ball to the left side of the ballpark, the opposition will set up as such, leaving a gaping hole to the right side of second base, and vice-versa for lefties. For some reason, there is an unspoken bond between most players, managers, pitchers etc. that dictates that players don't use the vast expanses of land available to them. Were I a major league manager, I would tell every single player of mine 'if they show shift, bunt and get to first base'. There are many reasons for this, chief among which is that the more baserunners you have, the more chance you have of winning the game. But equally, if you bunt away from the shift, the opposition are less likely to set up in the shift the next time up and you can go back to hitting to your preferred part of the field, with less chance of finding a shifted fielder. In an era of baseball where power is becoming the most important element of the batting game, and pitchers and fielders are becoming more savvy with their positioning and ability to work around the strengths of a hitter, why not fight fire with fire and expose their shortcomings in exactly the same way?
There are only two things wrong at West Ham (for now)
Obviously this won't last, I'm not daft. But for the moment, there only seem to be two things holding West Ham back, and they are the two members of the board not named David Gold. His co-chairman/woman seem to be the two barriers standing between the club and progress. For Karren Brady, a lot of the obstacles she seems to put up are off-the-pitch issues regarding the fan experience, and making it accessible for all. Of course, with the price of season tickets at the London Stadium being relatively low, single game tickets will fetch more on account of not wanting to price out 'loyal fans' and make it more cost-effective to just buy tickets on a weekly basis, but there were times last season when a Tier 5 Junior ticket was something extortionate like £60. How many under-16s do you know that have that kind of money to spend going to watch their football team play Manchester United or Chelsea. Similarly, a lot of the on-field issues seem to be sparked by David Sullivan. His insistence on being the head of recruitment (until the appointment of Mario Husillos last week) has led to a well-documented lack of improvement in the playing squad, and I daresay that had Manuel Pellegrini not come out and vocalised the struggles he was having with Sullivan in just his first week in the job, that process would have continued long into the summer. West Ham need reinforcements and they need them soon, especially with the transfer window closing early this year, so Sullivan needs to pull his chequebook out and start actually paying for players rather than subsisting on loans with options to buy and free transfers.
I think that's quite enough for week one, but I'll be back with more hot takes on hopefully developing/new topics next week.
Monday, 7 May 2018
Two Years On - The West Ham Story
Generally speaking, two years after moving to a new house, you've settled in and got the place looking roughly how you'd like it to. Maybe the kitchen still needs a lick of paint, or the garage still has a few unopened boxes of miscellaneous artefacts from the move, but you're more or less there. Try telling that to West Ham United Football Club, whose new home at the London Stadium has been more like moving into a botch-job by a bunch of cowboy builders than a sleek new-build that looks as good on the inside as it does from the outside.
There has been a number of high-profile mishaps since the move from E13, most notably the shambles of the stadium seating, the departures of both Slaven Bilic and Dimitri Payet, and the now infamous 'dildo brothers' comment following the failed transfer of William Carvalho and subsequent lies from the board. But in the two years since that unforgettable night at Upton Park, has the club made any progress at all?
Firstly, a quick look at the playing squad shows the emergence of youngster Declan Rice, as well as the undeniable influence players like Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic have had in claret and blue. Of course, Lanzini was there in 15/16, but the purchase of Arnautovic showed a willingness to play football 'The West Ham Way' (which incidentally doesn't exist, but that's for another article). However, having lost Payet and the likes of Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho, Jose Fonte, and Robert Snodgrass (who is definitely not going to want to play under the current board after they described his signing as a mistake), can anybody really say that the team taking the pitch every week is any stronger than that which finished 7th in the Premier League in 2015/16? I would argue not. The squad is paper thin, and ravaged by injury more often than not, with key players such as Winston Reid and Michail Antonio unavailable for large chunks of the season. Add into this the fact that the club is without a bona fide first choice goalkeeper, and the issues grow ever more.
So the squad isn't as good as it was two years ago, but are they at least playing good football? In a word, no. At Upton Park, West Ham were generally a threat to score. In fact, they scored in all but one of their home games in the league in 15/16, and managed 13 goals and 14 points against the 'Top 6'. This season, those numbers drop to 5 goals and 4 points, with Manchester United still to come to London. Depressing at best, you'd have to agree. Bilic's insistence to put square pegs in round holes, like Antonio at LWB, and Moyes' defensive approach, like playing 5-4-1 at home against teams like already-relegated Stoke City, makes for dismal viewing, and the fans have had a lot of that to put up with this season.
Speaking of the fans, nobody can deny the influence that the atmosphere had on the club at Upton Park. Right on the touchlines, the fans were inseparable from the action, and many argue that they were often the difference between a defeat and a draw. Contrast this to the toxic atmosphere present at games not just this season, but last season as well, and you start to see a club heading for turmoil.The off-field issues have been discussed at length in the media, and the decisions being made at board level are affecting fans at an unprecedented rate. Look at the badge, the seating arrangements, the lack of investment in the squad, and the poor standard of football, and you can see why the fans are coming to the end of their tether and turning their backs on the club they love. There have been a number of fans posting on social media about their stories and how they have fallen out of love with West Ham after being turned into a corporate machine by Gold, Sullivan, and Brady, and who can blame them? The atmosphere is bland, the football is insipid, and there is no reason that people should be expected to pay up to £1100 for a season ticket to watch what is being put on at the London Stadium week in, week out.
Of course, the investment in the summer needs to be thorough and well-researched, not just for players, but for a new manager as well. But to bring the analogy full circle, West Ham United's new home needs more than just a lick of paint. The walls need tearing down and rebuilding so it feels like a proper home, and the landlords need to have a good think about how they are treating their tenants, or they will walk away and not come back.
There has been a number of high-profile mishaps since the move from E13, most notably the shambles of the stadium seating, the departures of both Slaven Bilic and Dimitri Payet, and the now infamous 'dildo brothers' comment following the failed transfer of William Carvalho and subsequent lies from the board. But in the two years since that unforgettable night at Upton Park, has the club made any progress at all?
Firstly, a quick look at the playing squad shows the emergence of youngster Declan Rice, as well as the undeniable influence players like Manuel Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic have had in claret and blue. Of course, Lanzini was there in 15/16, but the purchase of Arnautovic showed a willingness to play football 'The West Ham Way' (which incidentally doesn't exist, but that's for another article). However, having lost Payet and the likes of Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho, Jose Fonte, and Robert Snodgrass (who is definitely not going to want to play under the current board after they described his signing as a mistake), can anybody really say that the team taking the pitch every week is any stronger than that which finished 7th in the Premier League in 2015/16? I would argue not. The squad is paper thin, and ravaged by injury more often than not, with key players such as Winston Reid and Michail Antonio unavailable for large chunks of the season. Add into this the fact that the club is without a bona fide first choice goalkeeper, and the issues grow ever more.
Speaking of the fans, nobody can deny the influence that the atmosphere had on the club at Upton Park. Right on the touchlines, the fans were inseparable from the action, and many argue that they were often the difference between a defeat and a draw. Contrast this to the toxic atmosphere present at games not just this season, but last season as well, and you start to see a club heading for turmoil.The off-field issues have been discussed at length in the media, and the decisions being made at board level are affecting fans at an unprecedented rate. Look at the badge, the seating arrangements, the lack of investment in the squad, and the poor standard of football, and you can see why the fans are coming to the end of their tether and turning their backs on the club they love. There have been a number of fans posting on social media about their stories and how they have fallen out of love with West Ham after being turned into a corporate machine by Gold, Sullivan, and Brady, and who can blame them? The atmosphere is bland, the football is insipid, and there is no reason that people should be expected to pay up to £1100 for a season ticket to watch what is being put on at the London Stadium week in, week out.
Of course, the investment in the summer needs to be thorough and well-researched, not just for players, but for a new manager as well. But to bring the analogy full circle, West Ham United's new home needs more than just a lick of paint. The walls need tearing down and rebuilding so it feels like a proper home, and the landlords need to have a good think about how they are treating their tenants, or they will walk away and not come back.
Wednesday, 25 April 2018
How The Teams Stand - AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs
2017 Record: 10-6 (Lost to Titans in AFC Wild Card game)
Free Agents Signed: WR Sammy Watkins, ILB Anthony Hitchens
Cap Space Remaining: Around $7m
Draft Needs: CB, DL, OL
Having sent star cornerback Marcus Peters to the free-spending LA Rams for a fraction of his worth, and put all their eggs in Patrick Mahomes' basket, it could be argued that the Kansas City Chiefs have the most rebuilding to do out of any of the four franchises in this division. Losing Alex Smith to Washington and signing Chad Henne as a backup is all well and good, but Mahomes is yet to win a regular season game and Henne is not good. Add to that the fact that Kansas has limited remaining spending money, and you might think that this is a team destined to struggle. However, the signing of Sammy Watkins gives Mahomes arguably one of the most explosive offenses in the league. And, with Andy Reid still in place as head coach and chief play-caller, you can expect them to barely miss a beat. I would expect that the Chiefs select a cornerback early in the draft, and then set the rest of the team up to be able to beat teams in offensive shootouts throughout the season.
Los Angeles Chargers (yes, I wrote San Diego and had to correct myself)
2017 Record: 9-7 (Missed out on the playoffs by thiiiiiiiis much)
Free Agents Signed: C Mike Pouncey
Cap Space Remaining: Around $12m
Draft Needs: ILB, DT, OL
The LA Chargers just barely missed out on the playoffs by virtue of bottling it the same way they manage to every season, and surely this season they are built to get there. But then we say that every year, too. Philip Rivers has seemingly been given the cast around him that he needs to succeed, with Melvin Gordon turning into a top 15 RB, and Keenan Allen as reliable at WR as he was before all his injuries. The potential loss of Antonio Gates (although still a free agent) could prove costly, although in Hunter Henry, the Chargers have a ready-made replacement for the future Hall of Famer. The defense is where the Chargers will surely continue to shine, as the pass rush duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram continue to terrify opposing O-Lines, it would seem sensible to upgrade at DT through the draft, which seems most likely in order to get the Chargers back to the post-season.
Oakland Raiders
2017 Record: 6-10
Free Agents Signed: OLB Tahir Whitehead, WR Jordy Nelson
Cap Space Remaining: Around $3m
Draft Needs: CB, S, ILB
Under the leadership of once-again-Oakland Head Coach Jon Gruden, the Raiders seem to have reverted to a team of the mid-1990s, with Gruden proclaiming such things as not believing in data analysis, and getting rid of anyone who isn't considered a good, pure, football man. This included the cutting of arguably the best (and most entertaining) punter in the league, Marquette King. For the sake of $3m, Gruden has lost his best field position asset to a division rival. However, that is going to be the least of his worries when he realises that not a single player on this team managed to nab more than 2 interceptions last season. To put that into perspective, all six Jags players who registered an interception managed at least 3. The Raiders are straight up garbage on the back end, and should take a cornerback or safety in the first round if they don't want to be humiliated by every team they play next season.
Denver Broncos
2017 Record: 5-11
Free Agents Signed: QB Case Keenum, P Marquette King
Cap Space Remaining: Around $15m
Draft Needs: OL, CB, RB
Despite signing a QB who made it to the NFC Championship Game last season, the Broncos still have question marks over that position, especially when it comes to having a backup. In an ideal world, Case Keenum will be able to steer the Broncos back to mediocrity over the course of his contract, allowing the Broncos to set the table around him for a new rookie to come in in the future and take the reigns. This year, I envisage the Broncos drafting Quenton Nelson with the 5th overall pick, and using a number of later round picks to secure the secondary following the departure of Aqib Talib to the Rams. Under the watchful eye of Keenum, and hopefully with someone behind him who can carry the rock successfully, the Broncos should be able to become competitive within the AFC West once more.
2017 Record: 10-6 (Lost to Titans in AFC Wild Card game)
Free Agents Signed: WR Sammy Watkins, ILB Anthony Hitchens
Cap Space Remaining: Around $7m
Draft Needs: CB, DL, OL
Having sent star cornerback Marcus Peters to the free-spending LA Rams for a fraction of his worth, and put all their eggs in Patrick Mahomes' basket, it could be argued that the Kansas City Chiefs have the most rebuilding to do out of any of the four franchises in this division. Losing Alex Smith to Washington and signing Chad Henne as a backup is all well and good, but Mahomes is yet to win a regular season game and Henne is not good. Add to that the fact that Kansas has limited remaining spending money, and you might think that this is a team destined to struggle. However, the signing of Sammy Watkins gives Mahomes arguably one of the most explosive offenses in the league. And, with Andy Reid still in place as head coach and chief play-caller, you can expect them to barely miss a beat. I would expect that the Chiefs select a cornerback early in the draft, and then set the rest of the team up to be able to beat teams in offensive shootouts throughout the season.
Los Angeles Chargers (yes, I wrote San Diego and had to correct myself)
2017 Record: 9-7 (Missed out on the playoffs by thiiiiiiiis much)
Free Agents Signed: C Mike Pouncey
Cap Space Remaining: Around $12m
Draft Needs: ILB, DT, OL
The LA Chargers just barely missed out on the playoffs by virtue of bottling it the same way they manage to every season, and surely this season they are built to get there. But then we say that every year, too. Philip Rivers has seemingly been given the cast around him that he needs to succeed, with Melvin Gordon turning into a top 15 RB, and Keenan Allen as reliable at WR as he was before all his injuries. The potential loss of Antonio Gates (although still a free agent) could prove costly, although in Hunter Henry, the Chargers have a ready-made replacement for the future Hall of Famer. The defense is where the Chargers will surely continue to shine, as the pass rush duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram continue to terrify opposing O-Lines, it would seem sensible to upgrade at DT through the draft, which seems most likely in order to get the Chargers back to the post-season.
Oakland Raiders
2017 Record: 6-10
Free Agents Signed: OLB Tahir Whitehead, WR Jordy Nelson
Cap Space Remaining: Around $3m
Draft Needs: CB, S, ILB
Under the leadership of once-again-Oakland Head Coach Jon Gruden, the Raiders seem to have reverted to a team of the mid-1990s, with Gruden proclaiming such things as not believing in data analysis, and getting rid of anyone who isn't considered a good, pure, football man. This included the cutting of arguably the best (and most entertaining) punter in the league, Marquette King. For the sake of $3m, Gruden has lost his best field position asset to a division rival. However, that is going to be the least of his worries when he realises that not a single player on this team managed to nab more than 2 interceptions last season. To put that into perspective, all six Jags players who registered an interception managed at least 3. The Raiders are straight up garbage on the back end, and should take a cornerback or safety in the first round if they don't want to be humiliated by every team they play next season.
Denver Broncos
2017 Record: 5-11
Free Agents Signed: QB Case Keenum, P Marquette King
Cap Space Remaining: Around $15m
Draft Needs: OL, CB, RB
Despite signing a QB who made it to the NFC Championship Game last season, the Broncos still have question marks over that position, especially when it comes to having a backup. In an ideal world, Case Keenum will be able to steer the Broncos back to mediocrity over the course of his contract, allowing the Broncos to set the table around him for a new rookie to come in in the future and take the reigns. This year, I envisage the Broncos drafting Quenton Nelson with the 5th overall pick, and using a number of later round picks to secure the secondary following the departure of Aqib Talib to the Rams. Under the watchful eye of Keenum, and hopefully with someone behind him who can carry the rock successfully, the Broncos should be able to become competitive within the AFC West once more.
Thursday, 8 February 2018
How The Teams Stand: AFC East
After one of the more offense-driven Super Bowls in history (it broke a fair few records), I can finally write my piece on the AFC East, including Super Bowl runners-up the New England Patriots. Imagine being a Patriots fan born in 2017, you still haven't seen your team win a Super Bowl, hahahahahaaaa! Anyway, without further ado...
New England Patriots
2017 Record: 13-3 (Lost in Super Bowl LII)
Key Free Agents: CB Malcolm Butler, LT Nate Solder, ST Matthew Slater, WR Danny Amendola
Cap Space: Around $14m
Draft Needs: CB, QB, Edge
New England traded away backup QB (and now future Hall of Famer) Jimmy Garoppolo midseason last year, and will have to look to the future at some point. A 2nd or 3rd round pick on a QB would not only be shrewd, but the other 31 teams around the league would sit up and take notice: quarterbacks in New England command a premium price. Malcolm Butler almost certainly won't re-sign this offseason following his benching in the Super Bowl, where Bill Belichick essentially cut off his nose to spite his face. There may well be a low-rent cornerback on the free agent market that the Pats pick up off the street and turn into an All-Pro, but the more likely scenario remains the draft, where New England are renowned for moving around within the first round.
Buffalo Bills
2017 Record: 9-7 (2nd in AFC East, gained the 6th seed)
Key Free Agents: DT Kyle Williams, WR Jordan Matthews, CB Shareece Wright
Cap Space: Around $30m
Draft Needs: QB, LB, DT
Despite snapping their playoff drought, it was more by luck than judgement (see; Peterman, Nathan and Dalton, Andy) and the Bills front office will have a fair amount of rebuilding to do if they are to become consistent postseason contenders. Trading Marcell Dareus was the strangest decision of the season, followed closely by benching and subsequently unbenching Tyrod Taylor, who only turned
the ball over 6 times all year, compared to 5 times in one half by his understudy Peterman. The need to rebuild on the defensive line is strong, but if the Bills brass aren't convinced by the skills of Taylor, then QB need to be the letters written largest on April's draft board. That said, the state of the run defense last year was no laughing matter, and as a result, any run-stopping interior D-Linemen or linebackers would be happily welcomed by coordinator and teammates alike.
Miami Dolphins
2017 Record: 6-10 (Third in AFC East)
Key Free Agents: QB Jay Cutler(!), DE William Hayes, WR Jarvis Landry, OG Jermon Bushrod
Cap Space: Around $7.5m
Draft Needs: OG, ILB, RB
The Dolphins will definitely need a new QB this offseason in addition to the above positions, but don't expect them to spend big with such a tight cap situation. More likely is the scenario where they add a signal caller late in the second day of the draft, leaving free agency open for shrewd spending, which the Dolphins haven't exactly excelled at recently. That said, some contract restructuring and a
few low-end signings could push this team from 6-10 to 9-7 and in the hunt for a wildcard spot, not to mention the fact that their starting QB should be fully healthy by the start of training camp. Fins fans should be wary of the fact that their defense wasn't as good as it may have appeared in spots last year, so the need for a commanding presence in the middle, or an effective edge rusher alongside Cameron Wake (when William Hayes inevitably gets overpaid in free agency), becomes greater than the need for a good interior O-Lineman.
New York Jets
2017 Record: 5-11 (Last in AFC East)
Key Free Agents: QB Josh McCown, DE Kony Ealy, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Cap Space: Around $73m
Draft Needs: QB, RB, WR, TE, OL
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Josh McCown isn't getting any younger, and coincidentally almost certainly won't be getting any better, Robby Anderson needs a running mate, Their TE1 isn't good enough to command TE1 money so might get re-signed, and I can't remember the last RB the Jets had that didn't make a name for himself before moving to the Big Apple (Tomlinson and Forte spring to mind immediately). That said, as much as the Jets need help on offense, the defense could also use some new pieces. Last year's first round pick Jamal Adams can't do it on his own, even if tackling machine Darron Lee is roaming the field in front of him. However, their cap situation leaves them with the ability to sign at least one marquee player, and I have heard lots of people projecting New York as a landing spot for Kirk Cousins after they traded for Alex Smith, and they could do worse. Come draft day, the Jets will most likely have their pick of the crop at no. 6, so don't be surprised to see them pull the trigger on a huge name capable of making blockbuster plays in the big city.
New England Patriots
2017 Record: 13-3 (Lost in Super Bowl LII)
Key Free Agents: CB Malcolm Butler, LT Nate Solder, ST Matthew Slater, WR Danny Amendola
Cap Space: Around $14m
Draft Needs: CB, QB, Edge
Buffalo Bills
2017 Record: 9-7 (2nd in AFC East, gained the 6th seed)
Key Free Agents: DT Kyle Williams, WR Jordan Matthews, CB Shareece Wright
Cap Space: Around $30m
Draft Needs: QB, LB, DT
Despite snapping their playoff drought, it was more by luck than judgement (see; Peterman, Nathan and Dalton, Andy) and the Bills front office will have a fair amount of rebuilding to do if they are to become consistent postseason contenders. Trading Marcell Dareus was the strangest decision of the season, followed closely by benching and subsequently unbenching Tyrod Taylor, who only turned
Miami Dolphins
2017 Record: 6-10 (Third in AFC East)
Key Free Agents: QB Jay Cutler(!), DE William Hayes, WR Jarvis Landry, OG Jermon Bushrod
Cap Space: Around $7.5m
Draft Needs: OG, ILB, RB
The Dolphins will definitely need a new QB this offseason in addition to the above positions, but don't expect them to spend big with such a tight cap situation. More likely is the scenario where they add a signal caller late in the second day of the draft, leaving free agency open for shrewd spending, which the Dolphins haven't exactly excelled at recently. That said, some contract restructuring and a
New York Jets
2017 Record: 5-11 (Last in AFC East)
Key Free Agents: QB Josh McCown, DE Kony Ealy, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Cap Space: Around $73m
Draft Needs: QB, RB, WR, TE, OL
Josh McCown isn't getting any younger, and coincidentally almost certainly won't be getting any better, Robby Anderson needs a running mate, Their TE1 isn't good enough to command TE1 money so might get re-signed, and I can't remember the last RB the Jets had that didn't make a name for himself before moving to the Big Apple (Tomlinson and Forte spring to mind immediately). That said, as much as the Jets need help on offense, the defense could also use some new pieces. Last year's first round pick Jamal Adams can't do it on his own, even if tackling machine Darron Lee is roaming the field in front of him. However, their cap situation leaves them with the ability to sign at least one marquee player, and I have heard lots of people projecting New York as a landing spot for Kirk Cousins after they traded for Alex Smith, and they could do worse. Come draft day, the Jets will most likely have their pick of the crop at no. 6, so don't be surprised to see them pull the trigger on a huge name capable of making blockbuster plays in the big city.
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