Winston Reid, now the Hammers third choice captain, and new
captain of the New Zealand national side. Reid had a terrible start to his West
Ham career in 2010, and his first season was not a memorable one. He started to
show great promise during the 2011/2012 promotion season in the championship
and was probably over shone by James Tomkins. Last season, Reid went on leaps
and bounds to show why Avram Grant did pay £4 million for his services. Reid
has show great potential, and now needs to keep up his great performances last
season, and display them on a regular basis next season. He is a contender for
player of the season, due to his last ditch tackling, tenacity and overall
influence on the side when the Hammers needed stability. He did peak off in
some games, but not everyone is perfect. The only learning point for the
defender is his ability to keep focus, as sometimes in games his concentration
is poor and makes amends through last ditch tackling.
Momo Diame, he must have had a good season when teams like
Arsenal and Manchester United come knocking six months into his West Ham
career. Luckily for the Hammers, the Senegalese midfielder looks likely to stay
at Upton Park and is looking to sign a new contract to up his minimum fee
release clause. Diame was exceptional, and a breath of fresh air in most games
with his endless running and dribbling. He is exactly what West Ham need in a
slow central midfielder, as Noble and Nolan have good abilities but are not the
most agile players in the world. Diame will be most remembered for his great
performance against Chelsea in the 3-1 win at Upton Park. Diame only just beats
Andy Carroll for signing of the season, and for a free transfer, he was what
Harry Redknapp would call a 'bargain.' Diame does have something to work on in
the summer, passing, he does not know how to, he runs off into blind alleys,
losing the ball too often sometimes. However, his dribbling does help the
Hammers ease the pressure defensively and gives West Ham the ability to break
quickly. He did rarely contribute during the second half of the season due to
the speculation of him leaving, but his amazing performances before January
earn him his candidacy for Player of the Season.Andy Carroll, for a player who only played 23 times last season, he made a big contribution. Carroll scored seven times, with most of his goals coming in the last few months of the season. He became a fans favourite rather quickly, and showed his partnership with Kevin Nolan still works as it did at Newcastle. Two injuries hindered the big man's season last year, and if he had been fit all season, no one knows where the Hammers might have ended up in the table. Sadly, as a contender for Player of the season goes, he was the best player but did not play the whole season missing large chunks of it. West Ham fans got their wish, as Carroll was signed permanently for a club record fee of £15.5 million. Hopefully Carroll will not have such a injury prone season and lead the club to stability.
Another new signing who impressed was James Collins. Many fans before the season were pleased with the signing of 'Ginge' even though many Villa supporters were happy to see the back of him. Hammers fans changed their opinion, three months into the season as Collins was making too many mistakes such as in games against Swansea and Sunderland. Collins got injured during the season, and then West Ham started to show weakness in defence during the Welshman's absence showing how maybe he not Reid was the reason for the good start to the season. Collins came back and showed why the Hammers had missed him especially in his man of the match performance in the 0-0 draw against Liverpool, where the defender kept Suarez in his pocket. Collins showed in that game Reid was not needed and the partnership between Ginge and Tomkins was sufficient enough to deal with the Reds. Collins was very under-rated last season, he was probably the main reason for why Reid looked so good, as Collins did the dirty work and Reid picked up the pieces. However, for Collins' poor start, he is not the strongest candidate.
Lastly, Jussi Jaaskelainen signed on a free transfer from Bolton, and was not seen as an inspired signing by Hammers fans. Many people suggested the Finnish goalkeeper was finished, and could not perform at a Premier League standard. For the first few months, it appeared so, as Jussi looked uncomfortable, nervous and shaky. However, he settled in and grew with confidence to guide the Hammers to a comfortable tenth place. Many times, West Ham had Jaaskelainen to thank for his impressive performances which kept them in the game, including his man of the match performance against Tottenham which was over shadowed by Gareth Bale' wonder strike. Jussi saved 78% of shots he faced, and faced the most shots in the division with 215. The former Finland international was ever-present last year, and he may not be this season with new arrival Adrian looking to steal the goalkeeper spot.
Overall, a comfortable yet sometimes nervy season meant there were many candidates to stand out for player of the season. However, one player did stand out more, and it was a tough decision but Winston Reid just wins with Andy Carroll behind. Carroll may have played on 23 times but his impressive performances most of the times he played deserved second place. Diame finished in third, only because of his poor second half to the season, as Jussi and Ginge finish on joint fourth. Winston Reid has improved rapidly in the last two seasons, and deserves his success he had in the 2012/2013 season.
Come On You Irons!
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