A tale of two strikers

So while one striker Difara Sakho was taking himself to Rennes for an unauthorised medical and then turning up at Chelmsford Races, the other striker Andy Carroll was in court seeing a geezer from Romford jailed for six years for pursuing him on a motor bike with an accomplice and appearing to point a gun at him as they attempted to steal his £22,000 wrist watch. Just another day at West Ham… 

Time for two strikers?

The other week Sam Allardyce was saying in his Standard column that he has five strikers fit and can't play them all. Surely a sensible solution would be to try two up front? One of the things I like about Harry Redknapp as a manager is that he fits his tactical system around the players he has, rather than vice versa. At QPR he's now playing Zamora and Remy together up front and results have improved in recent weeks. He's not the only Premier League manager to play two strikers together; Man United have Van Persie and Rooney (or Welbeck and Hernandez), Man City two from Aguero, Dzeko and Tevez most matches, Liverpool now play Suarez and Sturridge, Villa have Benteke and Weimann, Sunderland Graham and Flectcher, and Stoke Crouch and Walters.

Big Sam may argue that two strikers up front is antiquated, but good players should make any system work. Andy Carroll is knocking the ball down for midfielders who aren't getting into the box at the moment. Nolan is meant to do that job but has been playing with a toe injury most of the season. We have a £4 million striker in Maiga who's only started two games, Carlton Cole could play alongside Carroll and frighten defences, and there's also Chamakh and Wellington Paulista. Perhaps Sam is a little too rigid in his thinking and should give another system a go?

Should we play two up front?

Five goals away all season is a pretty terrible return and after defeat at Old Trafford you wonder if we should try to vary the formula of one central striker and two wider midfielders/strikers by playing two conventional strikers with Jarvis pinging in crosses. Cole and Carroll have appeared isolated for most of the season. At least it might surprise opposition teams who are used to the way West Ham play. One option would be to play Carlton Cole and Chamakh together or even give the spledidly-named Wellington Paulista a chance at some stage. Another option would be Joe Cole as second striker just behind the main striker and to rest Nolan or play him deeper. His ball skills would surely win some penalties and free-kicks. Call me Tinkerman but it's surely time to try something a bit different.