I Got Them Same Old Claret And Blues: Another Season Of Moyesball Is A Joyless Prospect

Here we are then. A mere 76 days since the last misplaced pass rolled into touch, the 32^nd Premier League season is set to kick-off with its opening round of matches. Usually, one of the most eagerly awaited days of the sporting calendar, this year’s buzz is distinctly lacking in optimism in the neighbourhood of E15. For many West Ham fans, the expectancy is on a par with a visit to the dentist.

It is accepted that posterity will present the dramatic last-minute Europa Conference win as the highlight from last season. It will be forever etched in the memory for those who saw it, and in the history books for those who didn’t. But we should not be distracted by one night in Prague in the context of a dreadful Premier League season. It would be the equivalent of enjoying the orchestra playing while the boat is sinking.

Anyone sifting through the wreckage of last season’s league campaign would find little encouragement. Losing 20 games and scoring only 42 goals are among our worst ever returns from a 38-match top flight season. Ironic that a coach who primarily sets up not to lose managed to notch up so many defeats. And of those 42 goals, just 23 came from open play – and only one from a counterattack. The remainder from set pieces and the penalty spot.

Away from home, the team invariably returned home empty handed. Only 12 points won from the 57 available and 70% of games ending in defeat.

Elsewhere, Moyes’ West Ham side often look beaten before a ball is kicked. Nowhere is this more evident than in the continuing dire record against top level opponents. A meagre 2022/23 tally of five points were earned from twelve games against the sides finishing in the top six. And the 16 point total from 20 games against the ten top half teams only looks as flattering as it does courtesy of a double over Fulham and an early season win against a struggling Aston Villa.

But more, much more than this, it is the dismal, dull, depressing, dispiriting football being served up that has alienated a huge proportion of the fan base. What worked well for Moyes a few seasons back when his team briefly operated as an exciting and effective counter attacking unit, was found out once opponents got the measure of how to nullify the threat by pressing high. The manager not having the imagination or flexibility to adapt his game or try something new. If only he could have signed Jesse Lingard!

Claims that a more expansive style of play was attempted at the beginning of last season were never convincing to me. If it was tried, the difference in approach was marginal at best. The promised Red Bull model turned out to be Old Bull. The struggle to integrate new signings put down to individual players failure to adapt rather than poor coaching or stubborn tactics. Bizarrely, dithering due diligence Dave seemed unaware what position Lucas Paqueta played and was surprised it would prove impossible to fit Gianluca Scamacca into his system of play.

What we ended up with was a return to classic Moyesball. Defend deep, get as many bodies behind the ball as possible and never commit too many players forward – the lack of movement and reluctance to create space is at the heart of our poor possession and passing statistics in my opinion. The attacking masterplan revolves around long hopeful balls for Michail Antonio to chase, long cross-field passes, pumping as many crosses into the box as possible (even if there is no-one to receive them), optimistic long range shots and .……. set pieces! The fans hate it, the players are said to be dissatisfied, and members of the coaching staff have left because of it. Unfortunately, those in the Boardroom appear to view things very differently.

Preparation for the new season has been way less than perfect. As expected Declan Rice left the club – after 250 appearances – to pursue his dreams of glory in north London. It would be foolish not to recognise the importance of Rice in a team that barely escaped relegation in May. His contribution was far greater than defensive midfielder and he outperformed his colleagues on distance covered, carries, shot creation, tackles, and interceptions. This will be a difficult act to follow.

The quagmire of West Ham’s recruitment strategy has already been widely documented – and soundly ridiculed. The standoff between Moyes and Tim Steidten was finally broken yesterday with the signing of Mexican international, Edson Alvarez. This looks to be a good (even exciting) addition to the squad if deployed correctly. The assumption is that Alvarez is a Steidten choice, so how Moyes uses him will be illuminating.

The two other transfers that may or may not be edging towards completion are a closer fit to the solid, dependable proven Premier League player criteria favoured by David Moyes. These are Harry Maguire and James Ward Prowse. Neither particularly excites me. It’s not that they are bad players, rather that they represent the promise of more of the same, old-school, tedious tactics from Moyes. At £30 million apiece (plus wages) they may keep the manager in a job for a while longer, but do they offer long-term value for the club? West Ham already had one of the oldest and slowest squads in the league and these two do nothing to address those shortcomings. It’s no surprise no other clubs appear to be interested at those prices.

Leaving the bulk of your transfer activity to after the season has started is an absurdity. It serves to reinforce the amateur nature of the club’s operation. The squad is now so thin that it needs a minimum four or five new recruits to bring it up to competitive strength – and that’s without any allowances for further potential exits, such as Paqueta, Antonio and Aaron Cresswell. If that level of recruitment cannot happen we will be left with an inadequate headcount for the first half of the season.

We are short at full-back where no-one has the requisite pace, energy or delivery to get forward on the right, and where all options are defensively suspect on the left. We are short in the attacking areas of midfield with no-one capable of carrying the ball or beating an opponent, there will be an absence of flair and the ability to pick a pass if we lose Paqueta, and are lacking pace on the left-hand side. But most importantly, we are woefully short upfront. True, the striker problem has been a perennial issue at West Ham for all the Premier League era but it’s goals that win matches, and where are they going to come from in the current squad? Antonio has had his day at West Ham, Danny Ings is not suited to the Moyes style of play, and Divin Mubama is unproven and without experience. Can the chestnut be really ignored for another season?

Tomorrow’s match against Bournemouth is almost an afterthought with all the commotion surrounding transfers, or lack thereof. It sees the Hammers return to scene of their very last away win in April 2023 when they breezed to a comfortable 4-0 victory on the south coast. It was the last point won on the road.

This time around, Bournemouth will be something of an unknown quantity. Demonstrating that football is no place for sentiment when you have a specific goal in mind, the new Bournemouth Chairman relieved saviour Gary O’Neil of his duties and replaced him with Andoni Iraola. Iraola had seen success with unfashionable Rayo Vallecano, winning promotion to La Liga followed by two commendable mid-table finishes. He is seen as a young, progressive, attack-minded manager.

The Cherries have been busy in transfer market bringing in half a dozen new players including two who had previously been linked with the Hammers – Alex Scott from Bristol City and Max Aarons from Norwich. They have also signed Hungarian left back Milos Kerkez who played against West Ham for Alkmaar and who I hoped we might have been in for. The one significant outgoing is Jefferson Lerma to Crystal Palace.

Many unknowns regarding how the Hammers might line up. The assumption is that Alvarez is the only new signing registered in time, but it would be very un-Moyes-like to throw him in straight away. If the Paqueta to Manchester City rumours have any foundation, is he in the right frame of mind to be included? Similarly for Antonio and Cresswell who may also be on their way. If the performance is anything like the last two friendlies at Rennes and Leverkusen, it will be a very anxious afternoon. The only chink of light is that Bournemouth have done little to tighten a very leaky defence.

For what it’s worth, below is my final Premier League table prediction. The rationale for putting West Ham as high as 12th is that there will be a change of manager before the end of the year. I can’t see past a very slow start, starting tomorrow. COYI!

1 Manchester City, 2 Arsenal, 3 Chelsea, 4 Manchester United, 5 Newcastle United, 6 Aston Villa, 7 Liverpool, 8 Brighton & Hove Albion, 9 Tottenham Hotspur, 10 Brentford, 11 Crystal Palace, 12 West Ham United, 13 Fulham, 14 Everton, 15 Bournemouth, 16 Burnley, 17 Wolverhampton Wanderers, 18 Nottingham Forest, 19 Sheffield United, 20 Luton Town