In today’s West Ham United roundup, we take a look at what news has been making the headlines for the Hammers. Gary Neville believes the Hammers have a good chance of making the top six after defeating Manchester United, chairman David Gold questions VAR, and Arsenal are willing to let Stan Flaherty undergo a trial at West Ham.
Gold questions VAR
Report: West Ham chairman David Gold has taken to Twitter to call for a rule change in red card situations now that we have the addition of VAR. Gold believes teams should be able to appeal the second yellow card, after Arthur Masuaku’s double yellow against Aston Villa.
He tweeted: “Would it be fairer to be able to appeal a red card following two yellows after all he and the club could be punished twice, once for the sending off and two for the ban from the next game when on reviewing the incidents one of them was not worthy of a yellow.”
Verdict: Whether you love it or hate it, VAR is here to stay and will seemingly split opinions for the foreseeable future. Although, what has been one of it’s biggest flaws is not necessarily the decisions, but the manner in which it is used and what it is used for. For example, referee’s can overturn a straight red card if deemed an incorrect decision. However, officials cannot overturn the decision of a second yellow card, despite the outcome of the player leaving the pitch still the same as a straight red.
Quite frankly, as Gold alluded to, it doesn’t make sense to have VAR help straight red cards, but not a second yellow – the player will still leave the pitch and a ban will still take place. Truthfully, if we have the technology to right a wrong, it should be used to correct every bad decision and not just pick and choose what can and can’t be helped.
West Ham have a ‘really good chance’ of top six, says Neville
Report: Ex-Manchester United man Gary Neville believes West Ham could make the top six this campaign. He said on his podcast: “If West Ham and Leicester keep their squads fit, they have got a really good chance of getting into that sixth or fifth position.
“I looked at Manchester United’s team for instance on Sunday compared to West Ham and you would probably swap quite a few players into it.
“It’s the same with Leicester for the likes of (James) Maddison, (Youri) Tielemans, (Jamie) Vardy, Demarai Gray and others. They would get into this Manchester United team or bench.”
Verdict: It can be argued that this West Ham side has the best chance of cracking to top six since the club finished seventh in 2015-16 under Slaven Bilic. Back then, the club was led by stars such as Dimitri Payet, who scored nine goals in that year. Now, the likes of Sebastian Haller already has three goals, whilst Andriy Yarmolenko has two this season.
In midfield, Mark Noble continues to impress after his Man of the Match for his display against United, alongside Declan Rice who has so far averaged a performance rating of 7.05. Indeed, this West Ham side has massively improved it’s attacking options now and with Manuel Pellegrini at the helm, the club continues to get better.
It is, of course, still early days. Although, based on the poor start to the campaign from the usual top six contenders, the Hammers do have a great chance at finally breaking that top six barrier. It may take a bit of luck and hope of little injuries, but as of now, West Ham fans have a right to be excited.
Flaherty set for trial
Report: According to Football Insider, Arsenal youngster Stan Flaherty is set to undergo a trial at West Ham. The report suggests that the 17-year-old is hoping of transferring from the Gunners to a fellow Premier League club after been given the green light by the club.
Verdict: Flaherty is able to play in various positions on the wing and through the middle, and after scoring two goals and providing an assist in 11 games for Arsenal’s U18’s, the Englishman has seemingly caught the eye of West Ham.
The Hammers would also be bagging a man inform, after Flaherty scored with his first touch last weekend and netted a free-kick towards the end of Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Norwich, as per the report from Football Insider.
It is often good news if West Ham are planning on investing in youth talent, as they have such a positive track record throughout their history in bringing through some incredible players. This transfer could only be good news for both Flaherty and West Ham.
