View from the opposition – West Ham United
A bit about you
Name: Paul Turner
Current home town: Dagenham, Essex
Birthplace: Dagenham, Essex (really interesting answers so far, huh?)
How long have you supported your team? Life Sentence so far.
Overview of your club:
Favourite thing about your home ground: You can leave at some point? If I had to pick one thing I actually do like, rather than being facetious, then I would chose the friends and family I attend the matches with.
Favourite match played by your team & why: Good question. One of my favourite matches that I have attended myself in recent years would be the Europa League first round qualifying match against Lusitanos in Andorra in July 2015. Went on my own but had such a laugh with those I travelled with through the Pyrenees, the drinking in the capital’s city centre, Andorra la Vella and being part of 500 fans vastly outnumbering the home fans on a blazingly hot day. Picturesque surroundings and guys using the running track to hold their own impromptu athletics meet (gave us an idea of what was to come). All finished off by watching a Cirque du Soleil performance in an amphitheatre.
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: My childhood hero was Tony Cottee. Always thought of myself as a striker in the Cottee mould who was wasted playing in goal. I played in goal for a reason……
About our forthcoming match against you:
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? Declan Rice. Easy to say a youngster that comes through the youth ranks into the first team environment but I always want the club to promote from within and be given a chance. Declan has made a couple of errors recently but all professional footballers regardless of their age will.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? Depends on the formation and the way we set up, Manuel Lanzini. We have played incredibly defensively recently which has stifled out attacking intent. If we play Lanzini behind a striker and allow him to be the link man between midfield and our attacking options, we might be able to dictate the play. He is technically very gifted and at times is way too good for a club of our stature. Sometimes it’s a lack of consistency of performance that does for him.
Player in our squad you most fear and why? Riyad Mahrez. Kind of footballer (on the field) any team would want. Vision, ability to pick the right ball, bit of pace.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? Apart from Rice, Nathan Trott is being touted for big things. Switched allegiances from Bermuda to England and has kept goal for England Under 20’s this season. Already our third choice goalkeeper which I think is a shame as it stands as I am a great believer that nothing can replicate competitive, senior football. A loan deal, even if he played in the 5th tier or lower is a much better prospect then having shots taken against you as the starting line-up warm up on a match day and you then go sit in the stands.
How do you think you'll do against us? Lose. 2-0.
General Questions:
Where do you now think you'll finish this season? Honestly do not know. I do not think we will win another game this season and seem to be praying that other teams are more rubbish then us.
Which 3 teams do you now think will go down and how has that altered from the start of the season? If I had to pick three then West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Huddersfield Town. Start of the season I thought Huddersfield Town, Newcastle United and Bournemouth
Describe your season in less than 15 words? “We are not a circus anymore” – Mark Noble
At the start of the season did you think Man City would win the league and if not who did you think would? I told people before the season started that if one of the two Manchester clubs did not win the league then something was seriously wrong.
If you could change 3 things at your club what would they be? The owners, the stadium, the mentality that cup competitions are a “distraction” and Premier League survival was the be all and end all.
Not much then.
Any other comments?
Please don’t hurt our goal difference too much.
West Ham United Independent Supporters Association (WHUISA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation run by the fans for fans. We believe that by coming together under a single banner, the myriad of opinion / views from all our fan base, especially at this crucial time in our history, we can move forward together as a strong group with a real mandate from the fans to have a pivotal influence through frank and open channels of communication, based on mutual respect and accountability, with our Club, its owners, the board and Stadium / 3rd party operators. We aim to work tirelessly to achieve this.
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