Best Excellent Content
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Bournemouth Vs West Ham - Sat 17th 3pm
It somehow feels we are fighting a relegation battle in November because I feel there are not many among us who feel we are too good to go down this year, as may have been the case even when skirting around the danger zone in previous seasons. So this match, as the last one, and the next one, will feel huge. We have put in two very good performances and achieved two good results after an abysmal opening few matches but I feel we are not convinced yet that we can turn this around, if we can get a result here I think that may begin to change.
Bournemouth had a good last season and took themselves from most peoples idea of relegation candidates to a top half finish, and have started this season in the same form. It will be very tough but I feel we are showing fight now and Nuno has got his selection eccentricities under control it seems and so a point is not out of the question, and who knows if lady luck is shining maybe even more. As forest and Burnley are playing Liverpool and Chelsea even a point could be enough to lift us out of the bottom three.
My prediction 1-1, and I'd happily take that. -
Other matches
Our ladies had their first win of the season today, a 3-1 home victory over Everton which has moved them off the bottom. -
World Cup qualifiers November
Ireland 2-0 up against Portugal and Christiano Ronaldo has been sent off
Hungary beat Armenia 1-0 so Ireland will need a win in Budapest -
Academy & PL2 2025/26
Loan Update
It seems that Gideon Kodua is having a good time at Luton Town. He's made 16 appearances, scored 3 goals and got two assists. He mostly seems to be playing as a right wing back, as Luton regularly play a 3-4-2-1 system. Luton are doing alright in League One, and currently sit in 9th with a game in hand on their playoff rivals.
Someone else having a good time out on loan is Michael Forbes, down at Northampton Town. He's made 14 appearances at centre back so far - and has captained Northern Ireland U21s three times in Euros qualifying. Northampton are having a slightly less good season in League One, sitting in 13th. They also play with a back three, and Forbes seems to be playing on the right of that three.
Mason Terry is in the National League at Braintree Town. He's a 20 year old goalkeeper, who has been with Concord Rangers and Hornchurch over the past two years. He started as Braintree's number 1 keeper this season, and started 15 games in a row. He has missed the last four matches, though, including the 4-1 defeat away to the mighty Chelmsford City 11 days ago. Not sure if he's injured or been usurped.
Stepping up into the Championship, Kaelan Casey has recently started to make his way into the Swansea City team. He didn't make it off the bench for the first couple of months, but he played 90 minutes against Charlton, and has started all of their EFL Cup matches - including a game against Man City. Swansea have mostly played a back 4 this season, but when he's recently been in the side it's when they have switched to a back 3. Seemingly, he's currently 3rd or 4th choice, so hopefully they stick with a back 3 for the foreseeable so he can get some appearances under his belt.
Finlay Herrick appears to have become #1 keeper at Boreham Wood this season, and has started the last 10 games. Boreham Wood are flying at the moment, up in 2nd place in the National League, so it's great that he's nailed the spot down.
Sadly, there are a couple of loanees that don't seem to be having the impact they would have hoped. Junior Robinson, at 21 year old right back, went up to Scotland to play for Livingstone this season in the Scottish Premiership. He's not yet made an appearance, and seems to just be warming the bench. Livingston are dead last, so not a great endorsement of Robinson's skills. It seems that he can't dislodge Danny Finlayson at right back, and Josh Brenet seems to be ahead of him in the pecking order too. I'd hope the club are considering a change in approach in January.
And lastly, Lewis Orford is down in League One with Stevenage. He's only managed three appearances so far, with only one in the league. The silver lining, though, is that that appearance was in Stevenage's last match against Reading, where Orford came off the bench for a 16 minute cameo, having also come off the bench the match prior against Chesterfield in the cup. Stevenage are playing a pretty rigid 4-2-3-1 system, and seem to have a really settled side. Jordan Houghton and Harvey White have played pretty much every game as the two in the middle, and former West Ham youth product Dan Kemp has is the first choice #10. Stevenage are having a good season - up in 5th - which may be why they aren't giving a young loanee much of a look in. -
January Transfer speculation, (it will be here before you know it)
Adama Traore is one of the exclusive club of people who are linked with us every year but never turn up. I'm thinking: Youssef En-Nesyri, William Carvalho, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Samuel Inkoom.
But it does feel plausible this year. There were rumours that one of the reasons Nuno fell out with Marinakis at Forest was because he wanted Traore and was told no. And, Traore made 131 appearances under Nuno at Wolves, which is comfortably more than any other coach he's had. Clearly, Nuno likes and rates the guy, so if he wants him, it's coming from actual experience of working with him. -
Other matches
Letβs make it five! -
MOTM vs Burnley
Or you just count really, really slowly ππ€£π.
Weirdly, Kuchings message hadn't loaded for me. I must have had the page open for ages.As it stands, I make it 11 for Fernandes, 4 for Summerville and 3 for Soucek
I make it 12 for Fernandes so far. -
West Ham Vs Burnley - Sat 8th, 3pm
Wow - I was there that day and for a long time held that tackle against him - so blatant and against Paul who was so young and clearly through, it seemed doubly unjust and calculated.
That being said, those were the times and he did what he felt he had to do, I truly feel that the high profile nature of both the game and incident was the catalyst towards changing the rules so that in the future a more robust penalty is the inevitable result of such actions.
At the end of the day, it is just football and nowadays 73 is no age so I wish him and his family peace and all the best -
West Ham Vs Burnley - Sat 8th, 3pm
I'm still waiting for that yellow card to be upgraded to a red for that foul by Willie Young on Paul Allen. -
West Ham Vs Burnley - Sat 8th, 3pm
I said Big Tom to score as the corner was taken.
