Hey Micky! Antonio signing at the Newham Booksop

Michail Antonio will be signing copies of his new book Humans Not Robots at the Newham Bookshop, on Sunday May 31 from 2-4pm. We've seen Antonio play as a winger, an emergency right back, a midfielder and a striker during his time at West Ham and he's always been a real character as well as a handful up front. 

His goal celebrations were brilliant, including that Simpsons one where he lay down and tried to run in a circle on the ground, and of course his kissing of the plastic carpet at the London Stadium. It was brilliant to see him finally get a medal in Prague at the Europa Conference League Final.

Yet he also had his problems with mental health off the pitch and Humans Not Robots reveals the strains of being an elite sportsman. Michail's thankfully recovering after the car accident that nearly killed him and probably has a good career as a pundit and podcaster ahead of him. He'll always be welcome at West Ham. You can pre-order copies of his book from the Newham Bookshop via the link above.

Micky on the way back

Good to hear Michail Antonio's first interview since the car crash in which he almost died. Talking to The One Show's Helen Skelton he revealed that he can't remember anything about the accident until he woke up in hospital. Antonio broke his femur in four places and had to have the shattered thigh bone held together with bolts and pins.

He had doubts about his new Ferrari, saying: "The back of the car kept swinging out on me, so I didn't feel safe. I had had it for three weeks and I was already thinking about giving it back." Micky is giving up sports cars "for now", which seems wise. "I've always been a fan and friend of sports cars and old classics, but I can't lie to you, sports cars are not my friends," he says. It's always been something of a mystery why clubs allow valuable footballers to buy really fast cars. Best stick to his current sensible people carrier and using his bother as a driver.

Micky's recovery is ahead of schedule though it may take a year for his leg to fully heal. He is "100 per cent sure" he will play again though whether that will be in the Premier League must be in doubt. He'll be 35 when fit again and you wonder if his pace and mobility will still be there after such a serious injury. But let's hope he makes it.

Michail also spoke about how useful he has found having therapy after struggling with the death of his father and the break-up of his marriage (he has six children). He thinks everyone could benefit from therapy, which is certainly true for most West Ham fans who have suffered enough on-pitch traumas to keep a therapists' convention fully occupied. 

Antonio is an articulate media performer and he might certainly have a future as a pundit or TV presenter once he retires. It's nice to know that the club has treated him really well and funded his rehabilitation and had him salute the crowd before the Newcastle game. Antonio says that although he never supported anyone as a kid he is now a West Ham fan as well as a player. We all wish him the best of luck with his recovery.

Thinking of Micky

Every West Ham will be hoping Michail Antonio recovers fully after his horrific car crash in Theydon Bois. He's stable but in a serious condition in hospital and has had surgery for a "lower limb fracture". He was trapped in his car for 40 minutes and had to be cut out by the emergency services. Antonio will be 35 next March and it's going to be a long road back to fitness. He has been a fixture at West Ham since the days of Slaven Bilic and has always played with the enthusiasm of someone who's come up from non-league football. As a lone striker he was sometimes unstoppable and an integral part of the Moyes years. Despite mental health problems in his later years he's always seemed to play with a smile on his face and we all loved those goal celebrations such as stroking the London Stadium carpet and wielding a cardboard cutout of himself against Leicester. Get well soon, Micky.

Antonio woe

Well, international duty went well. Antonio is out for two to three weeks, Jarrod Bowen left England duty with an unspecified knee injury and Vladimir Coufal was sent home by the Czech Republic after being pictured in a nightclub on the eve of a game. You suspect Vlad might have got a taste for clubbing after the lads' night out in Prague on June 7; he plays a bit like a Seventies footballer and it's a reassuringly Seventies-style misdemeanour, at least.

There are also rumours Kudus has a knock from playing for Ghana, so we could be well short up front at Burnley. I'd stick in Divin Mubama who deserves a chance and bring on former Claret Danny Ings in the second half to offer him some support. We know Ings can't play the solo striker role but he might yet prosper alongside a target man. Burnley have a terrible home record and WHU have to find a way of being ruthless, injuries or not.

The miracle of Antonio's hamstrings

One of the biggest surprises of the season has been the fact that Antonio has stayed fit for most of it. It's a testament to the work the club has put in on his diet, training and lifestyle. Michail gave an informative interview to the Evening Standard recently, in which he revealed that eating more vegetables had resulted in fewer injuries. He used to eat what he wanted but now he's given up red meat in favour of chicken and fish and eats lots of vegetables. Michail says, "Veg is an alkaline and it helps to combat inflammation in the muscles." 

West Ham have also designed a gym routine tailored around his hamstrings, while Antonio himself realises that he is no longer "a young pup". A lot of incremental changes appear to have worked. Michail has appeared in 35 out of 37 league games so far, plus nine Europa League games and two FA Cup ties, plus several games for Jamaica. West Ham still need to sign another striker this summer to take some of the weight off Antonio, but even at 32 the new fitter Antonio should have a couple of seasons left at the top.

Antonio woe

The Guardian is reporting that Michail Antonio could miss the rest of the season with his hamstring problem. It was a disaster that was always likely to happen and it still seems short-sighted not to have at least loaned a striker as cover. We have to hope that Jarrod Bowen steps up to the role — he did come on and score against Wolves and also had a chance well-saved by Rui Patricio. Though he doesn't look a natural in the role and certainly can't bully defenders like Antonio.

There's also the option of playing Jesse Lingard as a false nine, but he's surely better running at defences rather than playing with his back to goal. Could Benrahma chip in with some goals? Other than that the options are down to a possibly soon to be fit Yarmolenko or the untried Odubeko. To be more positive Masuaku is back and Ogbonna will soon be fit which at least improves things defensively.

It seems very unlikely that we can make the Champions League without both Rice and Antonio. What's important is that the season doesn't end with a whimper. I'd say that three wins and a couple of draws out of the final eight games would get WHU in the top seven and the Europa League. After last season that would be a massive success.

Oggy out and Antonio back?

Losing Angelo Ogbonna for an unspecified period is undoubtedly a blow as he's been magnificent this season. But our new defensive leader appears to be Craig Dawson who had a great game after Oggy went off at Old Trafford. Judging by Moyes' substitutions Issa Diop will come in now he's recovered from a bump on the head. 

Diop's big problem has been concentration but he's undoubtedly good in the air when he's on his game and a threat at set-pieces. Got to feel a bit sorry for Fabian Balbuena though, who was playing really well and a big part of the side's revival until Dawson came in away to Southampton. According to The Athletic Stuart Pearce has done a lot of work with Oggy and the defence, so he deserves some credit for West Ham's new solidity.

Meanwhile it's looking hopeful that Michail Antonio will be fit for Sheffield United tonight. Moyes says Antonio's been training "on the grass", which sounds a bit unusual, but we'll try anything to preserve his hamstrings. Michail's certainly feeling quite chipper to judge by the almost Shakespearean romantic banter of his Valentine's Day tweet (best not repeated on a family blog). Let's hope he saves some of his energy for blunting the Blades tonight.

Meanwhile David Moyes is talking about having a go at qualifying for Europe now West Ham are only playing once a week. What could possibly go wrong?

Who will replace Antonio?

Losing Michail Antonio is a big blow and he could be out for two to four weeks with his usual hamstring problem. It would be a snub not to select Haller, and bringing on Yarmolenko and moving Bowen to a striking role didn't work against Man City. Haller deserves a chance after scoring five times this season, but from what we know from last season he can't play without support. Bowen and possibly Fornals have to get a lot closer to the big man, who also needs to look like he wants to put in a shift. A possible wildcard might be to rest Fornals and bring in Benrahma to run at a makeshift Liverpool defence — though Moyes is more likely to go for the cautious approach. It won't be easy, but without Van Dijk and their home crowd WHU should definitely try to get something at Liverpool. We played well at Anfield last season and came close so let's hope for a repeat performance without the defensive errors.

Should Pellegrini persevere with Antonio?

Michail Antonio's decline has been sad to see since a series of injuries saw him rushed back too soon and seemingly always one stretch away from another twang. Where is the player who was great in the last season at the Boleyn under Bilic and scored eight times in the first half of the 2016-17 season? 

I left the City game thinking he'd had a bad game, having missed West Ham's two best chances, but looking back at it he did some good work as well, finding Arnautovic for a good chance in the first half and then sending over a great cross that Arnie headed over in the second half. And there was no denying that he kept trying throughout. He's also created a couple of goals recently, chesting it down for Hernandez to score against Burnley and firing in a shot that rebounded to Anderson for the equaliser at Huddersfield. 

On the negative side, once Antonio scored regularly with his head but he seems to have stopped getting his headers in now. While there's also the debate about whether he will ever get back his full pace. Would a goal make all the difference? Had his effort that hit the post against City gone in he might have regained his confidence. Pellegrini clearly sees something in him, but if Palace come in with a bid in January he will have to decide if Antonio is simply lacking in confidence and worth persevering with.