It is barely two months since Lucas Paqueta’s superb through ball in the ninetieth minute put Jarrod Bowen clear on goal for a winner that produced our greatest moment since 1980 when we lifted the Europa Conference League trophy. Surely that should have been a catalyst for the club to build upon? But what has happened since has induced the biggest bout of pessimism amongst most West Ham fans before a ball has been kicked in anger that I can remember. And my memories go back to the late 1950s.
Of course we didn’t have the internet at that time but even then you could sense that there was optimism amongst supporters as a new season dawned that this was going to be “our year”. It’s something that I haven’t recognised at all this time as I scoured the West Ham groups for a sense of current feelings. These groups have always had their fair share of moaners even in the good times, but these were balanced by alternative (positive / optimistic) views. I have found very few who seem to believe that we are in a good place at the start of this campaign.
It didn’t take long for everything to begin to unravel as the players headed for their holidays after the euphoria of the European success. Within days we lost two first team coaches in Mark Warburton and the highly rated Paul Nevin. A clash of footballing philosophies with David Moyes? Not a good start to the summer.
Never mind, by early July Tim Steidten joined the club as technical director. Our chairman David Sullivan believed that this would drive the football strategy of the club in a forward direction. I cannot see any evidence of this yet. To me the club has engaged reverse gear. Of course, you never know what to believe when you read social media or the press, but one view is that Moyes and Steidten are at loggerheads. Moyes, whose future relies largely on short term results apparently wants to buy tried British players first before spending any surplus on longer term, perhaps younger prospects from abroad. Steidten on the other hand has the opposite view and some have claimed he has blocked Moyes attempted buys. Alternatively, some reports claim that he and Moyes are best buddies in full agreement as to how to take the club forward. Who knows? I do wonder how the types of players Steidten has in mind would fit with the Moyes way of playing?
Within a couple of weeks of Steidten’s appointment the long running saga of Rice to Arsenal was finally over. Surely nobody believed he would be staying? Surely the club would have a plan in place to replace him and all would become evident as soon as the transfer was completed, and in good time before the new season began? This is West Ham remember!
With just seven days to go before the serious business of the Premier League began we faced Bayer Leverkusen in the final pre-season warm up game. The Germans, managed by Xabi Alonso, finished sixth in the Bundesliga last season (level on points with Eintracht Frankfurt – remember them?) and qualified for the Europa League (like ourselves). This would surely be a good test to see how ready we were for the new season. We were comprehensively outplayed and lost 4-0, sending West Ham fans on social media into overdrive.
By Monday afternoon, just five days before kick-off I looked on NewsNow (always good for entertainment!) to see if there were any transfer developments on any of the 88 players that we have been supposedly interested in this window. You know the ones, the ‘incredible’ 29yo, the ‘exceptional’ magician, the ‘unbelievable’ powerhouse, the ‘monster’, the ‘brilliant’ midfielder. It seems that Edson Alvarez is close at this time, and Ward-Prowse, Maguire and McTominay continually feature but I don’t believe anything I read until the West Ham website shows a new recruit with crossed arms in a claret and blue shirt.
Saturday’s Daily Mail quoted a tweet (or is it now an X?) from Domino’s Pizza – ‘Just Had West Ham come in again …. and not buy anything’
It seems hard to believe that anybody new will be here in time to feature on Saturday. The window continues for a while yet but how much better would it be to get our business done before the season begins? Remember the start we had last season? Three losses in the first three games, bottom of the pile and playing catch up for months while our new players were slowly integrated into the team. Some of the football was awful to watch and we were still in the bottom three with 15 games to go. Of course, all’s well that ends well, and the season certainly ended well with our European success. And Bournemouth for the first game is a more hopeful opener than Manchester City was last time. Can we repeat 4-0? You can get around 50/1 or 60/1 from the bookmakers if you think so. Not particularly generous odds for such a big away win. We are marginal favourites to win the game.
Traditionally I make a prediction before the season gets underway as to the final league positions. So here goes – Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Brighton, Tottenham, West Ham, Brentford, Burnley, Everton, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Wolves, Forest, Bournemouth, Sheffield United, Luton.
Tenth for West Ham. That’s about as optimistic as I can get!
Under The Hammers 
Richard, as one of the pessimists, I think you have tapped into what the trendies call the zeitgeist, or spirit of the times, around our great club perfectly. What is there to be optimistic about? Same old backward- thinking Manager, no doubt as committed as ever to playing eight at the back and hoping to counter attack. So same old tactics. Same ( mainly old) players with one notable absentee. No obvious plan to strengthen the side. Still no signings and we play on Saturday, so even if Alvarez were to join Moyse is unlikely to play him before Christmas as he undergoes his “ integration” into the squad ( I notice Harvey Barnes scored twice at the weekend with no integration at all! ). What is there to be optimistic about other than Steidten delivering what he is paid to deliver over the next two or three years. COYI
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Hi Mike
I really try to be optimistic but this time I really fear for us. The lack of any sort of planning and the scattergun approach to recruitment has been a feature of our club for years.
I give the manager credit for saving us from relegation and then two good seasons and a European trophy. But,
most managers have a shelf life at a club unless they can adapt and reinvent. I don’t believe that our manager can. But the problem is much greater than that, it goes right to the top.
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I must have missed at least one of those two good seasons! The football we have been playing since about November 2021 has been absolutely dire most of the time. Our inability to prevent crosses coming in and repeated failure to deal with them has been the outstanding feature of our game ( that and the unmarked player on the edge of the area). This seem unlikely to change without new players coming in.
I suppose the real problem so far as I am concerned is that I, like you, grew up watching some of the best players ever to pull on a shirt playing for West Ham. Oh my Moore , Brooking, Devonshire and Byrne of long ago!
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Hi Mike
I was referring to the 6th and 7th placed finishes as two good seasons – results and final position wise, not a view on the football played – you are right – it was not good from the latter stages of 2021 onwards!
For quality of football and entertainment it’s hard to beat the late 1960s when we didn’t win anything – one of my favourites is 1968-69 – some classic games.
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hi richard, where are all the young, upcoming, fast, gifted players, that moyes promised us, i thought that was going to happen when steiden came. i think we might buy 4 or 5 players, last knockings of the window, when every other club have had their pick, leaving us with who ever is left, is this seriously the red bull model, prowse and mcguire, haaha, god help us.
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Hi Paul
I suppose the young, upcoming, fast, gifted player we’ll sign next could well be Harry Maguire! He wouldn’t be my choice.
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Not so much the red bull model as the knackered cart horse template.
Honestly, it is funny and Paul and yourself have made it funny, but in reality it’s a complete and unforgivable shambles. We all knew Rice was going at the end of last season. Where was the plan to restructure our midfield? Every fan knows that Antonio and Ings were never going to get us through the upcoming season and that Scamacca was likely to go. Where was the plan to recruit a top striker ( even one forced to play alone up front chasing hopeful punts most of the time).? Our weakness at LB was known to every team we played against, but not,it seems, to us. Why?
What wouldn’t I give to be able to talk to Sullivan, Newman ( remember him?) and Moyse and ask them these questions face to face.
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Mike
To use a headline I used in an article last season – an Elton John song – Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word – It’s a sad sad situation and it’s getting more and more absurd.
I think one of the lines from the lyrics says why can’t we talk it over.
Afraid you’d never get the chance to talk it over with Sullivan, Newman or Moyes.
Tuesday evening – still no sign of Alvarez or anyone else!
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