Tottenham 2 – 2 West Ham

This was ultimately a waste of a game. For all the excitement and drama this 2 – 2 draw brought fans of the Premier League across the board, it was decided by a last minute dive from England’s proposed future hero, Harry Kane. Whilst it would be unfair to single out him alone as a cheat, because of the many others that make up the so called sensation of European football, this big, strong unit of a striker simply went down too easily in the box for it to be considered a legitimate penalty.

If people want to watch netball or basketball where absolutely zero contact is allowed then that is fine, but this is meant to be football right? It’s time pundits on the BBC, BT Sport and wherever else took some responsibility and stopped advocating the contact-less nature of today’s modern game.

Other than Kane’s last minute finish, which also should have been cancelled out due to the five minutes of injury time clearly being up, goals came through a well taken Cheikhou Kouyate header, an against all odds of an angle finish from Diafra Sakho (which incidentally perhaps should have been ruled out for offside in the build up), as well as a lucky Danny Rose effort in the final ten minutes.

To the widespread bitterness and frustration of West Ham fans throughout the nation, football is rapidly losing the dignity and fairness that it once had. It’s going to be tough supporting an England team full of such characters without the aforementioned qualities.

Adrian – His behaviour in the lead up to Danny Rose’s goal was simply all over the place, but as the finish was born out of luck more than anything else, the Spaniard can be forgiven. Adrian had a fine match discounting that incident, saving several well struck Tottenham efforts, as well as Harry Kane’s ill-fated penalty in the dying moments.

Carl Jenkinson – A solid if not spectacular display from the Arsenal loanee. Carl Jenkinson has nevertheless proved his worth for West Ham this season and suits this current team down to the ground.

Winston Reid – It really was great to have our best defender back among the action. Reid put in a flawless performance and should have been part of the winning team for his contribution.

James Tomkins – Whilst Tomo was caught napping on a few isolated incidents, he along with Winston Reid ultimately proved a great asset for West Ham at the back.

Aaron Cresswell – A great showing from the former Ipswich Town man. His assist was just perfect for Kouyate to fire the ball in the back of the net, and goes down of one of many already recorded by Cresswell in 2014/15.

Alex Song – The Barcelona loanee may not be in his very best form of late, as dwindling too long on the ball has been a distinct hallmark of his most recent performances in particular, but Song nevertheless done well once again and helped West Ham boss midfield proceedings for large parts of the game.

Mark Noble – Nobes was in contention for a man of the match award before being taken off early in the second half. The booking he picked up for an innocuous shirt pull ultimately cost him the rest of the match, with Big Sam believing that his substitution was the only way to avoid another frustrating sending off. Carlton Cole surprisingly came on to replace Mark Noble, but as he literally had zero impact on the match yet somehow got injured for his efforts, the former Hammers no.9 had to be taken off for James Collins, who done his best to sure up the defence in the dying moments.

Cheikhou Kouyate – Where Mark Noble missed out on the man of the match award, Kouyate justly received it. Whether playing in centre defence or centre midfield, the Senegalese enforcer really has been a joy to behold this season.

Stewart Downing – This was definitely not a vintage Downing performance by any means, but despite being somewhat indifferent this Sunday, the former Aston Villa and Liverpool man nevertheless gave his team a good route in attack against Spurs.

Enner Valencia – Enner, work on your touch mate! From now till next weekend when the Hammers face Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace, the Ecuadorian striker must work on the major aspect of his game that has been holding back his season so far…his touch. Valencia was replaced in the second half by Matt Jarvis, who once again sadly failed to influence the match in any way.

Diafra Sakho – Whilst his failure to set up Enner Valencia in the second half was somewhat unforgivable, the in-form man from Senegal made up for his mistake with yet another well taken goal. He really has been the surprise hit of Big Sam’s season, and justly deserves all the praise that he has so far received.

Sam Allardyce – Big Sam’s substitutions were baffling to say the least this weekend. Yes – injuries and suspensions have somewhat restricted our squad in recent outings, but putting on the likes of Cole and Jarvis just made no sense, with the team playing worse as a result of the changes. That said, West Ham were ultimately robbed by Harry Kane’s dive and the referee’s belief that football should be a no contact sport, not by Sam Allardyce.

Hammers survive Sakho suspension

In true reminiscent style of Carlos Tevez and his notoriously controversial stint at Upton Park, Diafra Sakho last week became the latest West Ham player to face an inquiry over their right to play in a Hammers shirt, which almost landed the club in a whole world of trouble.

Problems occurred initially when the Senegalese striker returned from international duty with a back injury that was thought to be induced by his own national team’s physio. Whether or not these stories hold any basis in the truth, West Ham have since given Senegal the cold shoulder and tried to keeps tabs on Diafra Sakho as best as possible. As the no. 15 came off injured against West Brom with a re-occurrence of this very same back injury, it was therefore believed that Sakho would be sidelined for a good while, ruling him out of any role within this season’s African Cup of Nations.

Since Sakho made an appearance and scored the winner against Bristol City in the FA Cup however, which just so happened to be midway through Senegal’s group stage campaign in the AFCON, African tempers weren’t too happy with West Ham and the way the club had dealt with the whole situation. Senegalese officials felt that the club’s advisories had misled them showed a distinct lack of respect regarding their cause.

Although the Hammers claimed no wrong doing throughout the whole affair, Sakho subsequently had to sit out of last week’s match with Liverpool, which saw his side simply fail to perform without his influence on proceedings.

West Ham have now escaped with a minimal 70k fine however, which looks particularly small considering how the club are said to receive 90k for simply making it to the next round in the FA Cup. It seems this was one of the lighter punishments the Premier League club could have been given. Being kicked out of the cup, or even having Sakho miss out on a large part of the remaining season would have been a great deal worse, but as it seems this situation has now blown over, perhaps it’s time for all parties to move on with their own fortunes.

Whoever is to blame in this whole debacle, it seems Diafra Sakho’s reputation has sadly taken a hit in his native Senegal. But as the in-form striker will seemingly stop for no one in his path, expect this to be no more than a minor bump in the Upton Park hero’s future international career. The Senegalese star is now thought to be in contention for a starting place against Manchester United tomorrow, in the absence of injured Andy Carroll.

Can West Ham hold onto their new-found hero?

When the Hammers announced the signing of Diafra Sakho, a relatively unknown striker from France’s Ligue 2, midway through the summer transfer window, there wasn’t exactly a great deal of hype surrounding his arrival at Upton Park.

Talk began to circulate suggesting that Sam Allardyce had not been the man to pick out Sakho, but rather West Ham’s co-chairman, David Sullivan, believed that the former Metz forward deserved a gamble for his goal-scoring exploits in France. West Ham’s new no. 15 scored 39 goals across two seasons in Ligue 2, yet if it wasn’t for Sunderland overvaluing Connor Wickham at around £8 million, West Ham’s new Senegalese star may never have made it to the East end.

Regardless if such stories are actually true, Big Sam has certainly been a big fan of Diafra Sakho so far this season, as with 10 goals scored in all competition for the man who cost the Hammers £3.5 million in the summer, West Ham have seemingly found themselves a new hero.

In light of such developments, can the East end club keep hold of their new found fan-favourite, or will Diafra Sakho soon be on his way out of Upton Park?

Whilst the Senegalese striker may be making huge strides in the Premier League so far this campaign, he still remains a player who hasn’t been tested at the top level for a consistent period of time. There are plenty of other star names out there who have led the front-line for their clubs at Champions League level, and on the international scene, who would likely prove a more sensible buy for the Europe’s top clubs.

For that reason, it seems highly unlikely that Diafra Sakho will be on his way out of Upton Park anytime soon. Even if a big offer does come in for the in-form 25-year-old, Sakho has already displayed a certain connection with the West Ham fans that has been somewhat missing among previous new signings at the club. ‘The Sak’ boldly presents the crossed-hammers arm gesture to the Upton Park faithful whenever he nets a goal, and as he has proved that goals are his specialty so far this campaign, the West Ham fans have had a great deal of time to soak in the celebratory atmosphere created by Diafra Sakho.

He may not be the most gifted player with the ball at his feet, and he may not even be 100% reliable in one-on-one situations with the keeper, but as has been present for the striker so far this season, Sakho has the uncanny knack of simply being in the right place at the right time. West Ham’s no. 15 has movement that causes havoc with defenders, and either alongside fellow new-boy Enner Valencia or the injury returning Andy Carroll, Sakho can produce results and put the ball in the back of the net pretty consistently.

The former Metz man is therefore likely to stay with West Ham at least for the foreseeable future. If he did make a shock move this season however, it seems Liverpool, with their current crisis in front of goal, have reportedly expressed an interest in landing the new Hammers star.

Mario Balotelli’s current lack of form is believed to be a major issue at Anfield right now, and if the enigmatic Italian doesn’t find his scoring boots sooner or later, the £16 million man could soon find himself on his way out of Liverpool almost as soon as he arrived. The likes of Rickie Lambert and Fabio Borini have also seemingly been unable to make the grade with Brendan Rodgers’ side, but seeing as West Ham’s Diafra Sakho will likely cost a great deal for not much top-flight experience, do Liverpool really want to take another risk in their striking department?

The prospect of Sakho signing for the Reds this January just seems too unlikely. West Ham are still higher than Liverpool in the league, and as the Senegalese star has reportedly been in further talks with West Ham for an improvement on his current contract, perhaps Diafra Sakho will be a Hammers star for a long while to come.

Bristol City 0 – 1 West Ham – FA Cup 4th Round

Whilst it wasn’t the most straight forward cup win West Ham have ever had, Big Sam’s boys have eventually made it to the 5th round of the FA Cup after beating Bristol City 1-0 at Ashton Gate last Sunday. The match saw the Hammers get off to a slow start once more, in very similar fashion to the victory against Hull in the Premier League this month, but manage to scrape a win through a well taken Diafra Sakho header, after the likes of Matt Smith and Luke Freeman caused untold problems in the first half. The Hammers now go on to face Tony Pulis’ West Brom away in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

A quick shout out goes to Bristol City however, who put in a more than spirited performance and didn’t deserve to be on the losing end of this result.

Adrian – Whilst he faced a slight onslaught from the Bristol City attack for parts of the match, Adrian wasn’t actually tested too much in saving the opposition’s shots. The Spaniard did have to be helped out by his own teammates on a couple of occasions however, as both Mark Noble and Andy Carroll were forced into making goal-line saves with their heads.

Carl Jenkinson – Jenko had another strong match against Bristol, looking competent in every aspect of his game. His progress in a West Ham shirt has ultimately been very steady to say the least.

Winston Reid – Although the New Zealander came off second best to Matt Smith several times throughout the match, Winston Reid turned on the style in the second half and picked up, a perhaps questionable, man of the match award.

James Tomkins – As he wasn’t expected to be fit for today’s match after coming off with an injury concern against Hull, it was great to see Tomo back, even if he wasn’t at his very best.

Aaron Cresswell – Another strong display from Cresswell, both in defence and on the attack.

Alex Song – Perhaps this was Alex’s worst performance in a West Ham shirt to date, but even under such circumstances, the Cameroonian would have likely found his pace if he were left on the pitch for that little bit longer. Song was replaced by Morgan Amalfitano in the second half, who despite a few promising glimpses, didn’t really get into the game.

Mark Noble – As was the case with Song, Nobes was once again not in the greatest form against Bristol, but he eventually managed to up his standards as the game progressed.

Kevin Nolan – As is always the situation with our club captain, even on his better days such as this one, he just doesn’t contribute enough to the team. Unfortunately, it really is as simple as that. Nolan was replaced in the 88th minute by Guy Demel, whose appearances have been a big rarity so far this season.

Stewart Downing – When Big Sam started the match with Downing as a winger, things just weren’t happening for the recalled England international. As more freedom developed for him in the centre of the park however, Downing started to get into the match and somewhat boss proceedings for West Ham coming forward. West Ham should therefore no longer waste the opening stages of their matches with the wrong formation.

Enner Valencia – Enner was equally played out wide during his time on the pitch, and as has been the case for the Ecuadorian in similar situations this season, the tricky striker just couldn’t find his feet and looked somewhat lost. Big Sam should only play Valencia as a striker for the remainder of this season in light of such clear developments. Diafra Sakho eventually came on to replace Valencia, and thrived out there as a result. His goal was well taken, but moments before the Senegalese striker struck the bar from what would have been a very well worked individual finsih. The Senegalese national set up and fans alike have come down hard on Sakho for not being available to play in this season’s AFCON however. Whatever has gone on here behind the scenes does seem a bit suspicious, as Diaf was meant to be out of action for this particular fixture, but the 25-year-old still has plenty of time to make a name for himself on the international scene as well as with West Ham.

Andy Carroll – Another stand-out performance from the big man, despite the fact that Carroll hardly won anything in the air for once. His assist for Diafra Sakho in the second half has continued his strong nature in front of goal and ability to supply for his team mates. This kind of form just hadn’t been apparent in Andy Carroll for West Ham before this season, so it is great so see what a run of games has done for his confidence.

Sam Allardyce – If West Ham had not won this game, Big Sam would have had a lot of explaining to do. The Upton Park faithful are all too aware that the 4-5-1 formation doesn’t work for us, no matter how the management dress it up and disguise it. 4-3-1-2 is the clear way forward and it remains annoying to see the likes of Morgan Amalfitano, who has deserved a starting place from his recent performances, left on the bench time after time. This didn’t end well in regards to Mauro Zarate, so Allardyce has to make sure he doesn’t alienate anymore good players. All and all though ,a win is a win, and West Ham march on in the FA Cup.

Hammers sign Diafra Sakho

Diafra Sakho arrives at Upton Park after signing a four year deal at the club for a reported €4.5 million. The finalization of the signing comes as somewhat of a surprise as the deal looked to be dead in the water just a couple of days ago. F.C. Metz (Sakho’s former employees) were apparently distraught with the way West Ham done business after the Hammers apparently backed out on the negotiations they had previously agreed upon. It was thought that interest in Sakho had cooled after Sunderland’s Conor Wickham became available. As a result, Metz even threatened to report West Ham to the footballing authorities for their shady dealings.

All of this seems to be in the past now however, as Diafra Sakho becomes West Ham’s seventh signing of the summer. The 24 year old Senegalese striker arrives in the East end after a prolific season with Metz in the French Ligue 2 last season. He won player of the season and finished as his club’s top goalscorer. Although many of us can’t claim to have seen Sakho play, the Hammers have done well in finding an adequate replacement for Andy Carroll in time for Saturday’s opening fixture against Tottenham. The player seems happy, hungry, and ready to hit the ground running!