Julian Dicks blogs on West Ham United's season so far, Aaron Cresswell and the flourishing Ladies section
Hello everyone,
I was asked recently for my thoughts on how the men’s first team has performed this season and the word that sprung to mind was ‘progression’.
Everything is about progression and for me and they’ve played well this season, but then they’ve got some good players.
It’s not about half a season or three-quarters of a season, though, it’s about the whole season. So, at the end of it, if we are eighth then we’ve had a good season. Then, it’s about the season after it and making more progression.
I think the fans are happy with the majority of the season. Obviously the FA Cup defeat at West Brom was a bit of a sour point, but if you had said to them we’d be in the top half at this time of the season, I think they’d be happy.
When things are going well, things become easy, but it’s about how you respond when things aren’t going so well.
West Ham fans demand players who give everything they have got and they deserve that, because they travel a long way and spend a lot of money to support their team. Every team cannot win every game, which we all accept, but the minimum we expect is that the players give everything they have got.
I say to the Ladies team that you win more games by hard work than you do through ability, but if you’ve got both that’s a bonus. There is plenty of ability in the side, so now hopefully the hard work is coming through.
One player who I have been impressed with is the lad who is filling my old position at left-back, Aaron Cresswell.
He is a good player. When he first came along, I watched him at Ipswich Town and he likes to get forward on the overlap and join the attack and that’s what we had been missing.
No disrespect to the left-backs we’ve had before, but you need your left-backs to go on the overlap and help your strikers and your wide players and midfield players.
Hopefully he will keep improving and be here for a while, despite what some newspapers might be suggesting.
Let’s got to Arsenal on Saturday and give our all and see where it gets us. I remember going there in the League Cup and the Premier League and winning as a player, so while they are in good form there is nothing that says we can’t win there again.
I was asked recently for my thoughts on how the men’s first team has performed this season and the word that sprung to mind was ‘progression’.
Everything is about progression and for me and they’ve played well this season, but then they’ve got some good players.
It’s not about half a season or three-quarters of a season, though, it’s about the whole season. So, at the end of it, if we are eighth then we’ve had a good season. Then, it’s about the season after it and making more progression.
I think the fans are happy with the majority of the season. Obviously the FA Cup defeat at West Brom was a bit of a sour point, but if you had said to them we’d be in the top half at this time of the season, I think they’d be happy.
When things are going well, things become easy, but it’s about how you respond when things aren’t going so well.
West Ham fans demand players who give everything they have got and they deserve that, because they travel a long way and spend a lot of money to support their team. Every team cannot win every game, which we all accept, but the minimum we expect is that the players give everything they have got.
I say to the Ladies team that you win more games by hard work than you do through ability, but if you’ve got both that’s a bonus. There is plenty of ability in the side, so now hopefully the hard work is coming through.
One player who I have been impressed with is the lad who is filling my old position at left-back, Aaron Cresswell.
He is a good player. When he first came along, I watched him at Ipswich Town and he likes to get forward on the overlap and join the attack and that’s what we had been missing.
No disrespect to the left-backs we’ve had before, but you need your left-backs to go on the overlap and help your strikers and your wide players and midfield players.
Hopefully he will keep improving and be here for a while, despite what some newspapers might be suggesting.
Let’s got to Arsenal on Saturday and give our all and see where it gets us. I remember going there in the League Cup and the Premier League and winning as a player, so while they are in good form there is nothing that says we can’t win there again.
One player who I have been impressed with is the lad who is filling my old position at left-back, Aaron Cresswell
The Ladies have a home game against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division this Sunday afternoon.
The girls have already reached one cup final this season and the commitment they are showing is being rewarded with improved results. We were
We won at QPR in the London FA Capital Cup semi-finals recently, so please come down to AFC Hornchurch’s Bridge Avenue stadium for a 2pm kick-off and give the girls some support as they try to repeat the trick.
We have recently appointed two new Joint-Chairmen of the Ladies section in John and Stephen Hunt and I had my first meeting with them recently to discuss our plans for the future.
It is definitely an exciting time to be part of the Club.
Come on you Irons!
Julian Dicks
Manager, West Ham United Ladies
The girls have already reached one cup final this season and the commitment they are showing is being rewarded with improved results. We were
We won at QPR in the London FA Capital Cup semi-finals recently, so please come down to AFC Hornchurch’s Bridge Avenue stadium for a 2pm kick-off and give the girls some support as they try to repeat the trick.
We have recently appointed two new Joint-Chairmen of the Ladies section in John and Stephen Hunt and I had my first meeting with them recently to discuss our plans for the future.
It is definitely an exciting time to be part of the Club.
Come on you Irons!
Julian Dicks
Manager, West Ham United Ladies