West Ham plagued by injuries
At the beginning of this season West Ham started without Carlos Tevez, Yossi Benayoun and Marlon Harewood. This earned West Ham around €28 million; they used about €22 million to get new transfers. These include 20 year old French International Julien Faubert who was signed for €6.1 million from Bordeaux. Faubert would have been a great transfer this season if he hadn’t had his Achilles tendon injured during the pre-season only getting the opportunity to make 4 appearances.
West Ham also signed on 28 year old Craig Bellamy on a 5 year contract for €7.5 million from Liverpool; “I wanted to make sure that, if I left Liverpool, it would be to a club that is going to be pushing for Europe. I want to play in Europe, it’s important to me, and I felt that same drive and ambition here at West Ham… It was important for me to start playing regular football. I could sit at Liverpool as a squad player all day long, picking up my money, playing every now and then, but I’d be cheating myself and my personality.” However, the Welsh striker suffered a crippling groin injury at the beginning of the season having made only 8 appearances and 2 goals.
West Ham also signed on midfielder Scott Parker who suffered knee problems and Kieron Dyer who obtained a broken leg during the Carling Cup.
Alan Curbishley described the situation well: “Players left and they were replaced, but unfortunately for us the players who came in have not played enough football. In the first two weeks of pre-season last summer we had a training game with Parker, Faubert and Bellamy all in the same team. It looked quick, exciting and sharp. Then within a week or two, all three of them had gone. If they all get themselves back and fit, then we have got four or five new players already.”
As a result, Curbishley remains unsure about what type of transactions will be forthcoming during the summer. “If they all get themselves back and fit, then we have got four or five new players already. The big thing for me is hopefully we can get the guys fit for pre-season, so that I have got it in my mind the best squad when we start up again. That will obviously affect if we do anything in the summer.”
Recently, Curbishley has been starting 18 year old Freddie Sears. The young striker scored in his first game for West Ham; he brought Blackburn down in the 81st minute with an assist from Ashton. Sears also showed promise during his second game for West Ham as they played Everton. His speed and quick reactions produced chaos throughout Everton’s usually stout defense. We can expect Sears to only get better (though he could improve on his finishing) and to work well with Ashton.
considering all this they will probably be much better next season