I think they played a very good first half after having a bad start. In the second half they lacked a bit of physical condition but were very unlucky to lose to the final goal

My first target will be to establish positive thinking. In football as in life you have to stay positive and think only of the good things that can happen to you

These are the words of new boss Gianfranco Zola in the wake of our 3-2 defeat to West Brom. I have stressed many times on this blog the importance of sports science at West Ham (and in football in general), but often people ask me how can a sports scientist influence a club? It is a common misconception that a sports scientist is simply a physio with a fancy title.

It’s science

I’m going to get a little bit ‘sciency’ for a paragraph or so, but I hope it will help to define better the role of a scientist at a football club…bare with me!

You see it’s pretty obvious that footballers need energy to perform. Because football is essentially an interval sport (ie a player may be sprinting at times, walking at times, playing a gentle pass or striking a volley), playing it utilises many different sources of energy, known as energy pathways. All energy pathways are used by all players, but in different ratios. For example, Bellamy will rely heavily on ‘explosive’ sources of energy when he sprints like a mad-man to chase down the keeper, whereas Hayden Mullins will use a source that is less ‘instant’ and more sustained. Maybe this all goes without saying, but it introduces the next paragraph quite well!

The role of a sports scientist in these situations would be to see in what ways  he/she can utilise best the energy sources that Bellamy and Mullins would be using. This may include changes to diet and training schedule. By making simple changes like this, we could get extra playing time out of both of these players.

The major player in energy these days according to studies is something known as ATP. People refer to it as the fundamental beginning or energy if you like, almost like a building block. It is responsible for allowing Bellars to sprint like he does…the source doesn’t last long, maybe a few seconds, but it is always being replenished. Changes to Bellamy’s diet in favour of the production of this ATP malarkey will allow him to full on sprint 10 times in a match instead of 4, as an example. Am considering revising this paragraph after reading a couple of comments below. Try and find a more accurate way of simplifying what I mean!!

Some people are genetically more able to perform like Bellamy and other like Dean Ashton. Deano’s genetic make-up will never allow him to sprint like Bellars, whether he is super-fit or super fat, he will always hit a proverbial ‘roof’ when it comes to running fast. A roof that mean he wont. Ever.

Injuries and Keiron Dyer. Duck to water

As I said earlier, people often confuse sports scientists for physios, but the two are infact pretty different. In terms of injuries and an injury list at a club, for a sports scientist the main thing to try and achieve is working out the best ways to prevent injuries and maybe design better more efficient ways to treat them, based on research. For a physio however their main focus is the treatment of already injured players. It is important that the two work closely together, and if they do, they should be able to design/create a specialised rmethodology for the analysis and correct diagnosis of injuries, the most effective treatment of the injuries and finally and most importantly, the prevention of recurring injuries.

I have seen it far too many times at West Ham these last couple of years, players getting the same injury over and over and seemingly nothing being done about it. They just keep getting injured…and as far as I am concerned most injuries other than fractures are preventable. So why weren’t West Ham doing more about them? Instead of just using them as an excuse for our poor form. So frustrating.

Or the time Anton had to be substituted after 3 minutes because he had pulled his hamstring….seriously.

Old School Managers, New School Science

After the repsective departures of Alan Curbishley and Kevin Keegen, many people in the media were trying to whip up a sensation that the breed of these so called ‘old school’ managers was being killed off.

I’m sorry, but this does not rub well with me at all. I don’t care if they are old school or pre-school, their attitude to the demands of today’s game should be new school. Curbishley and his old school style only has one rightful place, before 1990. His methods were outdated and that showed in our injury record alone.

With the money that is banded about football and the requirements of players to be at their very best each week, it is only right that the science behind the game is taken seriously. Not just a case of destroy everything that was in place and then bring in all your mates because the training ground was feeling a bit empty like it seemed Curbs did.

Invest in technology, invest in staff, invest in science. Wouldn’t it be quality if we had the backroom facilities that matched the quality of our Academy. What an amazing prospect.

New School Football

Zola is a new breed of manager. I know he doesn’t have much experience, but let’s give him a go. He wants to freshen up the way we play football and introduce new methods. No more “20 laps round the top two pitches, last one back does 10 press-ups”.

His statement to improve fitness and get the ball played around on the floor is the injection of excitment, ambition and intent that West Ham United Football Club needed. I just hope it can be matched by the board.

Nigel Quashie has also fully recovered from his foot injury, which is unfortunate because I personally think he was a better player when he was on the bench.

John Spector has received treatment for his hip-labrum injury and is now going to be out for a reported  further six months.

It is very encouraging to see all these players returning, let’s just hope that we have sorted out the back room problems that were leading to so many completely unnecessary and preventable injuries. I await in anticipation….

Sam

It is bad that Spector is now going to have to miss his country’s Olympic bid, but at least it might encourage Curbs to consider investing in a replacement because, sorry John, I think we need one!

Sam

The build up to the year was full of promise and with the Tevez saga behind us (almost) I think it’s fair to say the the general consensus amongst the fans was a positive one. The team and backroom staff had undergone a restructure and generally I think I was optimistic about what we could achieve. The board and manager were cetainly making all the right noises.

But I guess what we forgot is that exactly. The manager.

Now, don’t get me wrong, i’m not writing this to lay into Curb’s….I still think that he deserves another half a season to try and prove himself. But this season just gone was a very Curbishly kind of year.

I’ve mentioned to people that when Curbs takes over a club, they should offer a 2/3 season ticket because it would seem that with Curbishly, that is what you get. I’d buy one.

We started fairly brightly but slipped quite appalligly into mid-table obscurity, and I think appalling could quite possibly be too weak a word. But let’s not be harsh, we had injuries.

For 20 weeks we heard that excuse…..if your kids keep falling out of bed during the night, you put a barrier up. Or at very least a big cushion on the floor. It will stop them falling out of bed and injuring themselves. Falling out of bed is preventable, and therefore so are the subsequent injuries. If you don’t take any action and your kids get badly injured, it is your fault and you take responsibility. Especially if it has been happening for 20 weeks.

Curbishly never once took responsibility for any of the preventable injuries….he just used them as excuses. I think during one game (not sure what one exactly), Anton limped off after 3mins. Why did he limp off?…….because he didn’t warm up properly. Quick rain check Curbs, you cannot blame injuries for results if they are preventable.

(as a quick aside, Davenport’s injury is a good example of an unpreventable injuriy and therefore Curbs has every right to blame it if it had led to a bad result)

I think that’s enough complaining about Curb’s for now. Poor little guy – will do nothing for his PR. On that note and before I finish this pararaph, Curbs’ PR is rubbish. He needs to employ somebody to help him out here because if he carries on like he is, he will add to the pressure he is getting from the fans.

Enough!

It’s fair to say that I was, everything considered, very dissapointed with our season. It is not acceptable in my opinion to ever ever ever settle for 10th place. And as much as it was nice to finish above Spurs, lets not give them the glory of us thinking that that was what our entire season hinged around. That only counts for something when we finish 5th and they finish anywhere from 6th – 20th. Particularly 20th. We can then take pride in that.

We need to see a lot more from the team next year, and I honestly think we will. Wholesale backroom staff changes are needed in my opinion, the injury situation this year was shambolic. Curb’s will truly earn my respect if he ditched all his old mates from Charlton who were kicking about working at Sainsburys waiting for him to be employed again.

There is a lot more to see from this West Ham side, but I guess only time will tell

God Bless, Sam