Antonio woe

Interesting interview with Michail Antonio in the Sun a few weeks ago. Micky might seem a happy-go-lucky character, but he's been seeing a therapist after his divorce, injury problems and at times falling out of love with football after a tough upbringing in south London. Most revealing is the fact he couldn't celebrate with the rest of the squad after the Europa Conference League win but collapsed exhausted in his hotel room. There are lots of social media managers out there, but we don't always know what is happening behind the scenes. The players are human beings who have the same problems as the rest of us. Michail seems to be getting his mental health issues resolved and good luck to him. He had a great end to last season and can still play a big role in the West Ham squad.

Is Antonio the best striker in the Premier League?

Interesting piece in Saturday's Times by James Gheerbrant, pointing out that on stats Antonio is the best striker in the Premier League in 2021. He topped the list for expected goals and expected assists, while this season only Mo Salah has scored more non-penalty goals. He also makes the point that because Antonio didn't break into the Premier League until he was 25 and has been used as a utility player he is never taken as seriously as Kane, Salah, Mane or Ronaldo. 

Gheerbrant writes: "When I think about Antonio, I know that he’s a great player, but on some instantaneous, subconscious level, my mind also computes: “West Ham utility man uncapped by England, Nottingham Forest workhorse, no major trophies, pace and power, Sheffield Wednesday.” The lucidity of data has a way of melting all of this away. By any objective measure, Antonio has been one of the best players in football over the past ten months. Is that really so impossible?"

Much of football is about perception but the data suggests that Michail, at the age of 31, is up there with the best. 

We're top of the league!

West Ham 4 (four) Leicester City 1

After 18 months we're all back in the London Stadium feeling childishly excited, having arrived an hour before kick-off. Nigel is wearing his vintage Deep Purple t-shirt to add some colour for the blog, Matt and Lisa have left the Best Cafe early to be here and Private Fraser is saying he never doubted Captain Moyes for a moment. 

Meanwhile Scott is behind us with Steve the Cornish Postie, up on a delayed train from Poldark-land that took a mere eight hours, plus Joe, who is carrying a bag containing a book of Basque recipes and a Dictionary, as you do. We're minus foul weather fan Alison and Michael the Whovian is also absent, as he has a play to run, though he will have been gutted to miss Ricardo Vaz Te on the big screen. Matt dispenses copies of When Saturday Comes plus footie and Wainwright paperbacks, while Nigel tempts fate by saying that if we win 4-0 we go top. 

THEY FLY SO HIGH

Bubbles is rousing after all this time as the team come on accompanied by flame throwers (best kept away from Bobby Moore's pubs) and there's a carnival atmosphere among the fans. Benrahma has an early sighter, but the first half an hour is fairly equal. But it's West Ham who take the lead with a marvellously incisive goal. Rice picks up Vardy's loose ball and finds Bowen who feeds Fornals. Pablo lets the ball run across his body in Brooking-esque fashion, plays a one two with Benrahma and strokes home the return with a cleverly weighted shot. The new squared-off ends ensure a much more fervent celebration as the stadium goes effing mental. 

It gets better for WHU as Fornals goes down after a challenge from Perez, VAR gets involved and the Leicester forward is red-carded for a clumsy forward's challenge. Soucek and Ogbonna go close with headers as the Hammers go in at the break winning one-nil. At half-time Nigel is discouraged from eating his lucky banana as we struggle to find something to complain about. 

It's the best atmosphere we've had at the London Stadium and the intensity of the crowd appears to unsettle ten-man Leicester. Soyuncu plays a blind back-pass to Schmeichel that Antonio intercepts and coolly plays in Benrahma for Said to tap home his second of the season.

The Irons look certain to score a third. Fornals whips in a great cross and Antonio has a header well saved by Schmeichel. If he'd headed it downwards he would have scored. Creswell then volleys just over from the edge of the box.

Only suddenly Leicester are back in it. Maddison crosses and Tielemans' shot rebounds off Cresswell and rather luckily falls straight back to him, ready for the Leicester man to poke home. Encouragingly the home crowd respond positively and roar the lads forward. 

TAKING THE MICHAIL

Antonio's long range effort is tipped round the post by Schmeichel and Dawson heads wide. Finally the game is put to bed in the 80th minute. The indefatigable Rice gets down the left, aided by a clever return pass from Cresswell, and crosses in to the box. Antonio has his back to goal but holds off Soyuncu to swivel and shoot home. Having broken Paolo Di Canio's record to become West Ham's top PL scorer, he races to the dug out to re-enact a scene from Dirty Dancing with a giant cut-out of himself. 

Four minutes later he's at it again, taking a great touch from Coufal's cross to bamboozle the Foxes' defence and poke home. What a night. "Antonio!! Antonio!!" echoes around the stadium. They'll be dancing in the streets of Crantock tonight.

Perhaps this is the game where the London Stadium finally started to feel like home.Even better Mystic Morris wasn't quite accurate with his 4-0 prediction — 4-1 is enough to take us top on goals scored. Stop the season now!

We retreat to the Refreshment Rooms for a couple of pints of Meantime as Nigel finally eats his lucky banana before dashing for the last train to Felixstowe. What a start to the season it's been, though Nigel does point out that Carlisle were once top after three games. We still need to sign some players, but we'll take this. All we have to do is keep Antonio fir for 60-odd games. Irons!

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Coufal 7, Dawson 7, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7; Rice 8, Soucek 7, Benrahma 8 (Noble n/a), Fornals 8, Bowen 7; Antonio 9 (Yarmolenko n/a).

Striker light

Interesting to watch Sebastien Haller playing in his first two games for Ajax. His body language certainly looked very different. When he made a goal he wheeled away with his arm in the air and when he scored he looked delighted. None of which happened at West Ham, where he always looked disgruntled even when scoring, suggesting he regretted his move to the Irons. There's no doubt he has talent and he'll be good for a team dominating possession and challenging at the top of the league. But Haller really didn't suit playing for a team like WHU that plays on the break.

Without Haller we're down to one fit striker in Antonio. We really shouldn't be asking Michail and his dodgy hamstrings to complete three games in eight days tonight. The only alternative is 18-year-old Mipo Odubeko who came on for four minutes at Stockport. He might be promising but is he ready for a run in the Premier League?

It was bad planning to start the season with only two strikers in Antonio and Haller. Now Haller has gone it's essential to get another striker in as Antonio surely won't be fit for all the remaining 20 games. Bids for Sevilla striker En-Nesri and Montpellier's Laborde have already reportedly failed. Moyes can claim that he will work with what he's got if nothing comes off, but it would be unprofessional to try to get through half a season with just one striker. Even if it's a loan we have to get another body in the box.

Back of the net!

Just watched the West Ham website's video of all the WHU goals of 2020. Technically Sebastian Haller's overhead kick against Palace is the best, followed by Antonio's overhead against City. Though in terms of timing and who it's against my favourite is Lanzini's screamer in added time against Mourinho's Spurs. Another goal with brilliant timing was Yarmolenko's late winner against Chelsea. While I also enjoyed Declan Rice's rocket against Watford and then his run to David Moyes. 

For a team goal it's hard to beat the second against Wolves where Antonio bulldozes down the left and crosses for Fornals to hit the post and Bowen to net the rebound. Best header is Soucek's bullet against Watford and best control is Fornals' goal against Leicester. And spare a thought for Robert Snodgrass who has got a couple of cracking goals in the Carabao Cup without getting a run in the side. While the best thing about watching the video is that seemingly no-one ever scores against us...

A mistake to play Antonio against Villa

So Antonio is out of today's match after picking up another hamstring injury against Aston Villa. David Moyes says it's a different part of his hamstring to the old injury, but even so it now looks like big mistake to have rushed Antonio back. Particularly as Haller had scored in the previous match at Sheffield United and was looking more confident. Any fan who has watched West Ham for the last few years knows that Antonio needs to be eased back into action gently — but it seems our medical team don't.

So it's back to Seb up front tonight. He'll probably be looking even angrier now and if he scores might even do a Ketsbaia (the Newcastle player was infamous for his legendary kicking of hoardings after scoring, younger fans check it out on YouTube). Still, at least we'll have 2000 fans inside the London Stadium. Will someone plant a corner flag in the centre circle just for old time's sake? It will be good to have even that number singing along to Bubbles come kick-off time.

More Antonio woe

The euphoria of the victory over Southampton has rather eclipsed the bad news that Michail Antonio is out for the rest of the season. He's having another hamstring operation after shooting against the Saints and pulling up after nine minutes. Michail's injury record is starting to look very worrying. He was West Ham's best player last season, scoring nine goals and getting picked in the England squad. But after getting injured against Leicester (and being kept on for 90 minutes) with nine games to go, he was rushed back against Arsenal at the Emirates, injured again, and has never fully recovered. 

This season he has also had rib and knee injuries. Antonio was starting to show some of his old sharpness again having scored at Anfield and Swansea, but now he's effectively lost a whole season. His injuries have been unlucky for both Slaven Bilic and David Moyes, as a fit Antonio might have seen West Ham up in the top half where Newcastle are now. Antonio relies on pace and the worry is that if this continues he won't ever be the same player again. At least the close season will soon be here and with it a chance to rest him fully and try to get Michail back to full fitness for next season.

Is this the Daggers which I see before me?

Dagenham 1 WestHam 3
Mystic Matt reports on his trip to Dagenham…

Fraser, Lisa and I head to the Victoria Ground (now officially the Chigwell Construction Stadium) to help #SavetheDaggers — our neighbours Dagenham & Redbridge are in financial difficulties. 

More than 4,500 attend, many of them Hammers fans keen to see the likes of Adrian, Noble, Zabaleta and Collins without having to use binoculars. In fact, we are so close I make sure I shout only positive comments about Patrice Evra, just to be on the safe side. 

This is the first time many Hammers fans have supported the team standing on the terraces for years; sadly, a few Herberts decide to underline how not everything was better in the olden days by singing the vile anti-Semitic Spurs song, along with references to the Pope and the IRA. 

On the pitch, the EastEnders start brightly, with fast one-touch football creating several chances ruined by careless finishing. In contrast, West Ham struggle, managing to get their injury crisis in early with Collins soon limping off. For the Daggers, forward Chike Kandi showed some sweet touches, while Mason Bloomfield was a powerful presence and Dan Sparkes looked bright. Bloomfield headed over, and Kandi shot just wide after a fine run. Masuaki, now described by the West Ham website as a winger, smashed a long-range shot that was tipped round the post, and hit the bar with a miscued cross, on his return from his spitting ban. 

Alfie Lewis, who at 18 is too young to have played much for the under-23s at this stadium, looked as bright as anyone, passing well and making some confident runs. Up front Jordan Hugill, on his first start, tried hard, but gave the ball away too much, and perhaps showed a lack of confidence when he passed to Lewis when he should have shot, although he was denied at close range by an outstanding block.

ONE TREVOR BROOKING

It was rather against the run of play when just before half time an attempted Daggers clearance rebounded to Antonio, and he confidently dinked the ball over the keeper. At half time Sir Trevor Brooking drew the raffle, and some dancing girls battled against a broken sound system, before play restarted with a host of Daggers subs, including former West Ham player Bondz Ngala, who was outfoxed by Antonio who confidently slotted his second. On 59 minutes, there was a humungous goalmouth scramble with West Ham clearing three chances off the line, before Bloomfield finally pulled one back.

Moyes then subbed off Zabaleta, Noble and Cresswell, with youngsters Joe Powell and Ben Johnson going on along with under-18 player Mason Barrett. There was a strange moment when Antonio suddenly ran off the pitch and down the tunnel, emerging a few minutes later. He could and probably should have completed his hat-trick when set up by Tony Scully, another young player who was excellent in the 13 minutes he was given. 

HUGILL GETS OFF THE MARK
The crowd were willing Hugill on, but he was adjudged offside after a one-two with Scully, and it seemed he would never get off the mark for the Hammers. Fortunately, in a Mystic Matt moment, I pronounced he would never score for West Ham, and soon after an excellent run by right-back Johnson allowed him to prove me wrong. 

Two more youngsters made the shortest of debuts, with Tunji Akinola coming on in the 89th minute to replace Evra, who had played centre back throughout, despite his lack of inches. Bernarda Rosa, a teenage Brazilian also appeared, although the Daggers website confused him with Manuel Da Costa. 

SPOTTED DOG

Afterwards we went to the Spotted Dog in Barking, where we went after the last time we played Millwall at Upton Park, when it was the nearest pub the police allowed to open. Fraser refused to sit under a framed England shirt signed by John Terry, and declared himself disappointed that Brooking hadn't played. Moyes will have been pleased to give his squad some playing time, though so many senior players are on international duty or injured that he won't have learned too much. 

The controversial Florida holiday/intensive training regime didn't particularly seem to have benefitted the senior players, but Lewis, especially, Josh Pask, Johnson, Brown and Scully will all have enjoyed the occasion. It was a shame Nathan Holland is still coming back from serious injury, as he's a highly promising winger, but didn't get to show his talents this time. The best under-23 player, the captain Marcus Browne, was also missing, oddly, along with Vashon Neuville, a promising left back, and attacking midfielder Grady Diangana, while midfielder Dan Kemp is injured.

It was worth going along to support the Daggers, and see football close-up at a proper stadium with no running track. The Daggers are struggling after former director Glyn Hopkin resigned last month, a year after his consortium purchased 74 per cent of the club. Food for thought for those of us keen to see the back of our owners.

Did Antonio return too quickly?

So now Byram has been injured in training and the Evening Standard reports that Antonio has had a recurrence of his rib injury, though Slaven Bilic says in his press conference that it is a muscle injury. The only good news is that Reid and Cresswell might be fit. 

Antonio didn't look right after he got a painful whack in the ribs against Brighton and it was a mystery why he was kept on for the rest of the game. If there was any doubt about his recovery then it would surely have been safer to not bring him on against Palace. You suspect he's the sort who is always eager to play and might sometimes need holding back. Antonio was rushed back too quickly last season after a hamstring pull and it seems he needs a decent period to recover or he picks up more injuries. 

Yes it's a results business and he's a match winner, but we're not going to get results unless we have one hundred per cent fit players. 

Antonio to go?

Rather a worrying piece in the Times today saying that Michail Antonio is refusing to sign his new contract and wants to join Chelsea. The Times claims that he's unhappy to be receiving less than new signings Fonte and Snodgrass and is also not happy with the board or the way his hamstring injury has been treated. 

This could all be a ruse to get his wages upped of course, but it's clear on this season's performances that we need to pay top wages to keep Antonio. And if he is unhappy with being rushed back too soon after injury then the club need to look at upgrading their medical team, as many of us have suggested. The other argument Slaven should be using is that he won't be a regular in the Chelsea side. 

Losing Antonio as well as Payet really would start to look like the break-up of the side that finished events last season.

Antonio: workaholic winger with a touch of class

If Dimitri Payet wasn't certain to win the Hammer of the Year contest, then Michail Antonio would be making himself a prime contender. You can feel the hunger of  Antonio every time he plays; he chases back to surge into tackles and celebrates goals like they're still a novelty. 

Born in Wandsworth, he's certainly had to work for his career, starting off at Tooting and Mitcham, then signing for Reading, where he had loan spells at Toooting again, Cheltenham, Southampton and Colchester. After signing for Sheffield Wednesday, he then moved on to Nottingham Forest where he scored 16 goals in 50 appearances and became a big hit with the fans before moving to the Hammers for £7 million. 

At West Ham he didn't complain when he wasn't in the team and since breaking into the side has shown an ability to play as emergency right-back, wing back, winger and striker. But beyond the workrate and his ability in the air, there's been real skill, such as the cushioned volley against Liverpool and that mazy dribble and curled finish against Sunderland. He's still just 25 and Antionio is surely a player who can only get better.