Guess I need a new cat.

Schrödinger's cat, or soccer match as the case may be

West Ham has won.
West Ham has lost.

Both events are equally likely at this point. I was in a seminar during the match yesterday and had no access to the internet. Afterwards, I headed out to the Wednesday night poker game. While waiting for the South Carolina/Kentucky basketball game to start, I browsed through the Fox Soccer Channel listings and saw the match would be replayed at 3:00 a.m. E.S.T. Bingo! Now, I just have to make it through the day without going to the WHU website, any England news outlet, or this blog. I know if I do, that most of you have published recaps already and I would know the fate of the cat before I wanted to.

I am content to let the cat sit in its box a little longer, unknowing of its fate. I will work the day, head home with a stop at the grocery, enjoy my family's company for dinner, and help with a little homework. Then, I will head downstairs, sit in my favorite chair, and thumb the button that will let me know the fate of the FA Cup run for our beloved. I might even let the cat, Sally, sit on my lap.

C'mon!

An Important Stretch

Alright boy, let's get those hammies loose, make those quads relax, stretch those neck muscles. The next six of seven league matches feature opponents currently below us in the standings. The lone exceptions sits just above us. A string of wins here are vital to hopes beyond mere safety from relegation. Some of these matches went against the hammers in the first go-round so it is vital to make up for those losses with wins. It will be especially difficult without Cole or Behrami for part of this run, but this team has overcome so much adversity this year so far, what's a little more? Seriously, have any of you long-time WHU fans ever been more happy with the direction of the club?

The Wanderers are on the table next. Let's get this one over early. Who will be up front? Sears? Tristan? I am betting on Tristan with Sears early in the second. I think Freddie will start at the 'boro next week and am looking for a goal. I expect Savio to make his appearance as well in both matches, maybe starting one. It is obvious Zola wants him in there learning the game. I am going to wear my #33 this weekend just in case. As all the Arsenal fans are at the main bar watching their team and being entirely too loud, I'll be sitting over in the corner, fixated on the Irons. Let's get this one done to start this run right.

Is the Transfer Window closed yet?

I took a little break from blogging and reading after the transfer window closed as I was exhausted. One could not read an article without a sense of doom about the departures of the bulk of the team and the sure fall to lower leagues. As we all know, the only notable departure was motormouth with a number of seemingly promising arrivals. Of course, only time will tell if the little German (Ode to Top Secret) will pan out for us or some other club, or at all and if the Rooney look-a-like can get his knee in shape well enough to terrorize opposing fullbacks. For now, we have an in-form Cole, an intriguing Di Michele and a host of solid, if a bit slow, mid-field and back line players. Oh yeah, there is an England goalie as well. I have seen the word “Europe” being bandied about as the club has re-risen to striking distance of qualification. Just as December was too soon to worry about relegation, February is too soon to worry about Europe. Let us concentrate on the next four league matches and then see where we are.

I was coming back from a camping trip while the Irons were playing a solid match against Manchester United. As soon as I got the boys cleaned up and the truck unpacked, I turned on the DVR and got down to the serious business of watching. It was obvious the team had worked on the back-heel pass all week wasn’t it. There were more little flicks off Achilles in the first thirty minutes than there had been all year. It was pretty football but ultimately unproductive as the first half remained scoreless. As I watched though, I could not help but feel we were attacking them and not just sitting back trying to keep the match respectable. While there were no real threat to the goal until Berbatov tackled our man Cole in the box, there was the threat of a threat. Against the speed and skill of our opponent, it was exhilarating to watch.

As for our defense, Neill and Behrami attempted to smother Ronaldo who had been placed on the left to take advantage of their lack of speed. You think Ilunga saw Ronaldo walk to the other side to start the match and said to himself, “That’s right, I’m bad.” They kept him in check pretty well and Neill got in a good forearm shiver that sent the adams apple to the ground where he lay motionless until he realized there was nobody paying attention. It was a solid performance by those two and good coaching by all involved.

As for my main man, Ironhead Collins, his little head flick on a ball going out soon led to the Giggs goal. It can’t be complained about as he made his decision based on what he knew at the time. It is easy for me to complain, but you should tell me to stop. He is a rock and without him, we wouldn’t be speaking of Europe, but rather sweating results of those below us to make sure they aren’t rising too fast. I just want to know if walkers are legal on the pitch and how did Giggs get one with flames on the side. (it is fun to speak of those younger than me as ancient).

Middlesbrough this week and the Quarters to go after that hopefully, Then, there are a number of matches that are in the “should win” column. Eighth place is the not highest potential for this team, but as I said, it is too early to speak of that now.

I did not get a chance to see the England-Spain match but it appears the Hammers acquitted themselves well. The U.S. team had a good result against Mexico, but it was not a comfortable win as Mexico had a number of nice opportunities that could have made the match much more interesting. It is going to be fun during the run-up to 2010.

West Ham 2-Hull City and Arsenal 0; Why did we only get four points

I think the Irons looked slow against Arsenal. That may be due to the fact Arsenal is just faster through the midfield. Neill is definitely amongst the slowest on the field on any particular night, but Behrami is sufficient cover most of the time. Three games in seven days culminating with a trip to Big Four land and I have to be happy with the results. Sure, it would have been nice to slip one in, but we were lucky on an Arsenal shot that could have easily squirmed over Green's fingers. With a full week's preparation, my anticipation for the northern team is high. Of course, I will be watching it after the fact as usual so none of you text me the results, alright?

The score should have been 5-0 versus Hull. Otherwise, it was a great result versus a team that looked to have it going on the first half and is now in potentially serious trouble. I hope they pull it together but still finish well below WHU.

Has the transfer window closed yet? I am looking forward to seeing Savio and Sears run out together one of these days. I am also extremely happy with the Ilunga signing as I view him as vital. What will the papers write about now?





Rare photos of James Collins in training.