Solving West Ham’s attacking woes

Article by e-West Ham's Brandon Freeman

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In the course of the 2013/14 Premier League season West Ham averaged just 1.05 goals per game, worse than that of relegated Fulham as well as West Brom who finished 17th, demonstrating not only West Ham’s lack of a consistent goal scoring forward but also poor chance creation which hindered Sam Allardyce’s side for most of last season. So where do West Ham‘s attacking problems really lie and what is the key to solving them?

Although many may believe that West Ham’s attacking problems have been solved by the recent arrival of Argentinean striker Mauro Zarate and former hammers striker Teddy Sheringham as an attacking coach, for me these changes have not gone far enough. Sam Allardyce has promised at least five more signings this summer and stated that "We particularly want a left-back, ideally another centre-back, a midfielder and at least two more for the front line." Although another left-back and midfielder will provide adequate strength in depth for the squad the most important area that Big Sam is targeting is the front line. However another new striker seems unlikely given the arrival of Mauro Zarate and the fact that West Ham have not released striker Carlton Cole, so we can infer that Sam Allardyce is most probably looking to strengthen the wide areas, which in my opinion are the key to improving our fortunes in front of goal.

Matt Jarvis arrived at Upton Park in 2012 for a record fee of £10.75M and seemed to be the perfect player to provide the necessary ammunition for Andy Carroll, however since arriving at West Ham Jarvis has provided just 4 goals and 3 assists in the Premier League. Although Jarvis’ pace and crossing abilities often cause problems for opposition defenders, his lack of assists is an obvious problem which has contributed to a lack of goals since West Ham’s return to the premier league. Stewart Downing has also failed to impress during his first season at Upton Park and has struggled to recapture the form which earned him a dream move to Liverpool. During the 2013/14 season Downing provided just 1 goal and 2 assists in 32 Premier League appearances and although it may be harsh to judge a player solely on their first season, Downing arrived at West Ham for a fee of £5M and was given plenty of opportunities to impress on the pitch but failed to provide the necessary assists to be judged a success last season. In my opinion poor performances from West Ham’s wingers explain the clubs attacking problems and if Sam Allardyce is to improve West Ham’s style of play and performances he needs to make improvements in this area, adding not only flair but proven Premier League ability.

West Ham have long been linked with players such as AC Milan’s M’Baye Niang who spent last season on loan at Montpellier, and although it seems as though the owners are keen to add flair players like Niang to the squad at the age of just 19 Niang may lack the necessary experience to make a significant impact and provide the goals and assists needed to propel West Ham up the table. Shouldn’t the owners be looking to experienced Premier League attacking players who have proven records rather than just looking to add flair players, who lack a proven track record? The lack of chances created by West Ham’s wide men also goes some way to explain the lack of goals scored by West Ham’s forwards. Although injury has disrupted Andy Carroll’s time at West Ham, when Carroll has played service into the 6ft 4in target man hasn’t been representative of the price the hammers spent on players such as Matt Jarvis and Stewart Downing, and although we may see better performances from Downing in his second season, Matt Jarvis also needs to begin improving his record if he is to stay part of Sam Allardyce’s plans.

What do you believe is the key to solving West Ham’s problems upfront? Is another striker needed or do wide men Jarvis and Downing need more serious competition to improve their form on the pitch? Leave your comments bellow and follow our Twitter page @e_westham for the latest news and views, all things West Ham.

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