It has been a decent start to the season hasn’t it? Who would have predicted that after the first six games we would be sitting in seventh place in the Premier League table having won three, drawn one and lost two, securing ten points. We’ve scored 11 goals in those games and conceded 10. The fixtures computer didn’t do us any favours in that just two of the six games have been at home with four away. That will be rectified with two home games in the next week.
In those six games we’ve faced the champions Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton, Chelsea, Bournemouth and Luton. Hand on heart did you think we would have 10 points at this stage? We also won our first group game in the Europa League (comfortably in the end). General consensus is that the transfer window was a good one too, with the loss of Rice, balanced by the acquisition of Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Kudus and Mavropanos. We could have done with another goalscorer though.
The manager is still under fire in some quarters despite our relatively impressive start. So why is this? If you delve deeper into the statistics of the six league games played a potentially worrying trend emerges in respect of the goals we are conceding. Our first half defensive performances reveal that we have conceded just twice in the opening 45 minutes. On the other hand our opponents have found the net eight times in the second period.
In many ways last week’s performance at Liverpool seemed to me to be very similar to the Manchester City game the week before. In both games we matched our illustrious opponents in the first half playing a more aggressive game before retreating deeper and deeper in typical Moyes fashion as the game progressed.
Our game plan seemed to invite more pressure in the second half. Do we do this on purpose (on manager’s orders) or do we run out of steam? The Bournemouth, Brighton and Luton games had some similarities with the concession of late goals too.
I read that the Liverpool defeat took David Moyes tally up to 72 games without a win in away games against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United combined. Are there any other managers out there who have failed to beat those four teams in as many games as that on their travels? OK they are or have been top teams in recent times, but really you would have expected a win or two wouldn’t you? Nevertheless the season has begun relatively well and if we kick on in similar fashion then we will be looking towards the top half of the table.
After Sheffield United’s capitulation at home to Newcastle last week many of our fans writing on social media are expecting a straightforward win for us when the Blades come to town. Football often doesn’t work like that and I expect them to be more resilient at the London Stadium. They had done well in their previous game at Tottenham holding a 1-0 lead until the referee added 16 minutes to the second half. However I will be disappointed if we don’t take our points tally up to 13 this weekend.
Have you noticed that, including the Europa League game, five of our seven games this season have finished with a 3-1 scoreline (three in our favour and two against)? I’ll forecast that it will become six out of eight when we cut through the Blades defence to win the game 3-1. What are the chances?
Under The Hammers 
Richard, I agree that it hasn’t been too bad a start to the season. Certainly, I didn’t see wins against Brighton or Chelsea coming, and neither did many others to be fair. It could though have been even better if Moyse had used the transfer window properly and bought the striker and the LB we so badly need. You can argue about the LB if you wish, but it was nothing less than criminal neglect to go right through the transfer window without, it seems, coming close to filling the one position we HAD to fill.
Aguerd has made mistakes and will be dropped for them,if not this weekend then soon. Benrahma will pay for his poor judgment of when to shoot, pass or dribble, and poor Fornals can’t get a sniff now because he isn’t good enough, often enough. And yet Antonio is picked week after week, despite missing golden chances week after week, simply because Moyse failed to buy an alternative. Relying on Bowen/ Kudu/ Cornet/Ings to play the “ Antonio role” is clearly nonsense, and yet that role is VITAL if we are to play Moyzball and rely on counters.
So why didn’t the bloke do what had to be done when he had the chance? Does he actually prefer to moan on camera game after game about missed chances?
What about the chance HE missed? The chance to sign a decent striker.
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Hi Richard, that’s a terrible away stat. Even against top teams you’d expect the odd flukey win. The strange thing is, I remember recent games against Chelsea and Liverpool where we’ve played well, and could have won. Is it all in the mind??
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Hi Mike – the failure to invest in a striker or two defies all logic. It goes back before Moyes too. How many mistakes have been made in the recruitment of goalscorers in the past? Ings just does not suit our style and Mubama doesn’t get a look in.
Perhaps Moyes believes Kudus or Bowen can become out and out strikers in the team?
Perhaps Mr Steidten will concentrate on this area in the next window after the midfield in the last?
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Hi John
Does the manager instil thoughts of inferiority in the players when playing top teams away from home? It’s an amazing record!
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Hard not to reach this conclusion. I know the Man U players were surprised at how much he focussed on countering the opposition. They were were used to hearing from Fergie about what THEY were going to do, not the opposition…Picking up also on Mike’s point: they surely now must next get in a much needed specialist striker. But on the whole the last window was excellent. All four (?) look good. And Soucek looks up for it again. I think he could well go into double figures courtesy of JWP.
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You have to wonder if they didn’t identify anyone suitable, or if nobody wanted to come to play in the lone striker role that Moyes wants, or if they spent so much time concentrating on the midfield replacements for Rice?
We can only hope that we are working on the striker recruitment now in readiness for a quick swoop at the outset of the next window. It’s not the usual West Ham way of doing it to plan ahead, we are usually reactive not proactive but we can hope!
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Steidten did fly to Brazil, apparently in search of strikers, but it was late in the window and nothing came of it. Then there was talk of Ekitike at PSG. Of course we never know what’s really going on (even from the ex-employee ;). I’m just hoping he’ll try Kudus up front.
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