Since Avram Grant took over from Gianfranco Zola as manager of the Hammers, everyone is hoping for a calmer season
Guardian writers’ prediction: 14th (NB: this is not necessarily Jamie’s prediction, but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 17th
Odds to win the league: 1,250-1
Compared to last season’s incessant lurch between farce and fire-fight at Fratton Park, Avram Grant is right to expect a calmer year in charge of West Ham as he takes charge of his first competitive game on Saturday at Aston Villa.
But any serenity drawn from having escaped the madness of Portsmouth will not extend to the expectations of David Gold and David Sullivan, the co-owners, and fans after West Ham finished a place above the relegation zone in May.
This is how Grant wants it. All he desires is to be able to concentrate on football matters and be judged on them. The Israeli was frustrated and ended his tenure on the south coast exhausted by the constant demands of non-playing issues.
So far Grant has only been a success at Upton Park. Appointed by the two Davids in June, the 55-year-old has yet to be beaten as West Ham manager, closing a seven-match pre-season streak on Saturday by winning something named the SBOBET Cup at Upton Park 5-3 on penalties against Deportivo La Coruña.
He then discussed his side’s form. He told the club’s website: “This was my first trophy as West Ham manager and of course I hope to win more. It was a good game but we must remember it was a friendly and the last game of preparation for the season. We saw good things and some things we could improve. We defend well and as a team but the attacking side can be better.
“We needed to play more quickly. The first half we weren’t very quick but it was not a typical English opponent. They passed the ball a lot but not in our area. We couldn’t press them. We are improving all the time. The players are in better condition. It is OK for this period for the team but the most important thing is we need to improve for the first [league] game.”
Grant has recruited the New Zealand defender Winston Reid, Tal Ben Haim (on loan) and Frédéric Piquionne, both of whom he managed at Portsmouth, Pablo Barrera, a £4m Mexico forward, and Thomas Hitzlsperger, the German midfielder with 51 caps who is still only 28 and spent five years playing at Aston Villa.
Yet, like all managers, Grant is keen to strengthen his squad further. “I don’t know if there will be new signings before the first game but there is time in the transfer window,” he said. “We have signed good players and we want to change the mentality of the team. We want to do different things. We want to bring more players in, we want the squad to be stronger.”
Neither Piquionne, who is 31, nor the 23-year-old Barerra are prolific scorers and despite being a regular in the England squad Carlton Cole managed only 10 goals last season, so Grant’s reported interest in Everton’s Yakubu Aiyegbeni illustrates he is searching for a reliable finisher.
Expectations in east London will be high this year. But that 17th-place finish means there is ample scope for improvement. And Grant’s experience at Portsmouth and with Chelsea, plus his devotion to detail, suggests West Ham can hope to finish at least five or six places higher by the end of the season.
“The problem is that to deal with football you need to deal with many things,” he told the Observer earlier this year. “In football I like to plan – long term, short term. At end of day, you know there are many problems, injuries, red, yellow cards, players not in good shape, players better than you expect. For a manager this is a good thing because you always need to think – you can never be happy. If you win you need to win the next game. And if you lose you need to recover.”
Grant has his first chance to impress on Saturday.
West Ham UnitedAvram GrantPremier LeagueJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk
