Author: Geoff Hopkins

Hammers Set To Jingle All The Way From Tottenham To Craven Cottage

Oh what fun it is to see West Ham win away! This weekend’s special glass half-full edition looks forward to Sunday’s cross-town trip to Fulham

For your love, natural born bugie, Tottenham 1 West Ham 2. That’s enough humble pie for now as we take the opportunity to bask in the glow of a rare and unexpected victory at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Thursday evening. What a delightful treat to find behind door number 7 on this year’s advent calendar.

Wins against our pretentious North London neighbours are guaranteed to put a smile on the face of all but the most curmudgeonly West Ham supporter, no matter what the circumstances. Coming back from the dead – a goal down in a one-sided first half – made the win even sweeter. Direct evidence as to who had been naughty and who had been nice. For masterminding the victory, David Moyes is firmly in the driving seat for the Hammer’s December Employee of the Month award.

The post-match comments of the two managers highlighted the contrasting perspectives of style. Having lost his early season midas touch, Postecoglou had come under media scrutiny for the first time in the wake of five games where his team scored first but failed to win – losing four of them. His magical powers seemingly overhyped by observers, he claimed his priority was to win games rather than simply to entertain. He had been let down by his team who were not clinical enough in their finishing. In truth, Spurs had few ideas and lacked a cutting edge in the face of the massed West Ham defence. They rarely turned superior possession into genuine goal scoring opportunities and without Maddison looked quite ordinary – reminiscent of Bilic’s West Ham during the period Payet was missing through injury.

Moyes on the other hand reiterated (as if we didn’t know) that his plan was to set up not to lose. Perhaps it was the right tactic for this game. In hindsight it is difficult to argue the approach wasn’t the right one, although the binary nature of Moyesball continues to frustrate a large number of fans. With so many players behind the ball in the deepest of low blocks during the first half, it proved impossible to retain possession if and when the ball was won. Moyes observation on the first half performance included the now mandatory “we didn’t play as well as we would have liked!”

The second half transformation offered glimpses of what a decent footballing side West Ham can be when let off the leash. Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus, and Lucas Paqueta each have creative potential to spare and with able assistance from James Ward Prowse and Emerson can cause problems for any opponent. When deployed further forward, JWP is a far more effective player than when marooned as a defensive midfield pivot. The one-two with the goalpost for the winner was classic showboating.

I read somewhere that West Ham’s haul of 24 points from their opening 15 games is a best ever for a Premier League season. I don’t know if that is true, but it is certainly beats (by two points) the position at the comparative stage of 2020/21, when they went on to amass a record 65 points. So, if we can sign Jesse Lingard in January, European qualification might be a possibility after all.

It has only been fleeting but a degree of positional fluidity has occasionally been observed in games of late. Bowen and Kudus switching roles, Paqueta doing a turn as the furthest player forward, JWP or Edson Alvarez popping up on the left wing, Emerson making surging runs into midfield. Are these planned moves or simply the result of independent player decisions? Are we seeing the influence from assistant manager, John Heitinga. While the other coaches at West Ham look best suited to putting out the cones or cutting the half-time oranges, the Dutchman might perhaps be experimenting with a touch of progressive continental flair – a peculiar Moyesball hybrid of sub-total football, perhaps.

Fulham will be West Ham’s third London opponents of the week when the teams meet at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon. The home side have suddenly found their scoring boots after a mostly unconvincing start to the current campaign. Having relied heavily of Mitrovic’s goals for the past few seasons they had struggled to find the net following his departure in the summer. But a run of 11 goals from the last three games will have given them added confidence – even if one of those games ended in a 4-3 defeat at Anfield.

Fulham manager, Marco Silva’s career has alternated between someone destined for great managerial things and one struggling to maintain momentum against the odds. Given the resources available, it is difficult to see anything better for his Fulham team than mid-table obscurity. It may be good enough to meet expectations but may not enhance Silva’s prospects.

West Ham have won three and drawn one of their last four encounters with Fulham. They were one of just two teams who the Hammers did the double over last season – an own goal from Harrison Reed settling the equivalent fixture in West Ham’s favour.  

With the Europa League group decider against Freiburg coming up next Thursday, will Moyes be tempted to rest any key players from tomorrow’s selection? It feels unlikely and barring any last-minute injuries it will be the same eleven that started at Tottenham. The fitness and restricted mobility of Kurt Zouma is particularly worrying but the defence looks a good deal more solid when he is at its middle.

We are used to cagey openings to almost every West Ham game these days, and this weekend will doubtless be much the same. We should expect a game decided by the odd goal with Fulham bossing possession around 60-40. If West Ham take the lead, then one eye will be on Thursday’s game, and they will drop deep to defend it. It would be great to follow up the Spurs win with another one at Fulham – and for Bowen to maintain his on-the-road goalscoring form. It would be better still to see even more of what the players an do with the ball at their feet. The bubbles are flying high after Thursday night and putting in a top performance will provide the measure of our dreams. COYI!

West Ham Travel To Tottenham In Episode Two Of Their London Trilogy

It was another disappointingly dull display from the Hammers on Sunday. What can we expect from the daunting trip to rejuvenated Tottenham? It’s a game that rarely ends in success!

It seems particularly cruel for fans who have had to put up with Thursday-Sunday football due to the scheduling of European matches to suffer the same fate in a rare midweek set of Premier League fixtures. The manager will now be in two minds whether the long trip to N17 can be used as an excuse for a poor performance at Fulham next Sunday.

The opening instalment of the London trilogy was an unspectacular draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon. On a day of thrilling, high-scoring fixtures whoever picked the game between the league’s two most boring sides for live TV won’t be getting a Christmas bonus this year. It must be close to the point where TV executives will do anything possible to avoid broadcasting a West Ham game. The biggest post-match talking point was whether dishwater or ditchwater was the correct way to describe the level of dullness.

The quality and incisiveness of the Hammer’s goal was teasingly out of keeping with anything that came after it. A delightful pass from James Ward-Prowse to Vladimir Coufal on the right wing, the Czech laying a precise ball into the path of Mohammed Kudus who swept the ball into the net. If anyone had hoped that the goal would prompt an attacking masterclass, they were to be sadly disappointed. True to form the tactics reverted to game management mode. The visitors were equally inept but were able to rely on West Ham’s habit of falling asleep in the minutes immediately after the motivational half-time team talk. The culprit on this occasion was Konstantinos Mavropanos whose inexplicable attempt at a blind pass close to his own goal set up the equaliser. Nothing of real significance happened in the time remaining and the Premier League’s two oldest managers could go home happy with the point they had each saved.

It has become increasingly difficult not to covet your neighbour’s football philosophy. There has often been solace in the fact that whatever blunders and disappointments occurred at West Ham, Tottenham would invariably go one better. Their perennial ability to stumble at the vital moment just as their fans were on the cusp of celebration was a seasonal delight. Having missed out on European qualification and then losing their talisman striker to Bayern Munich, everything pointed to a season of struggle for Spurs. But the appointment of Ange Postecoglou has been a breath of fresh air for a club bogged down by a run of negatively minded managers that followed the sacking of Pochettino.

It’s not that Tottenham are realistic title contenders, despite their fine start, but they are playing football in a way that excites supporters – gets them off their seats and looking forward to the next game. Having the mindset that allows them to go to Manchester City and give it a go right until the end is a wonder we can only dream of. It is painful to have to say this in the light of the dross we have to sit through each week.

There is a real danger West Ham will be annihilated on Thursday night, just as they did in the equivalent type of game at Villa Park. They will struggle to cope with the speed and variety of the home attacks and while Tottenham high defensive line can look vulnerable, it is unlikely that the Hammers will be set up to exploit it. It is suggested that the form book is often ripped to pieces in local derbies but recent history offers little encouragement.

Since David Moyes return to West Ham at the end of December 2019, the Hammers London derby record is less than impressive. They have won 10 and lost 19 of 38 Premier League matches against London rivals. Away from home, they have won just three (lost 14) out of 19. In 14 away visits to Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham they have earned only a single point – the 3-3 draw at Tottenham in October 2020.

In the absence of any recent fond memories, we should spend a few moments reminiscing about historic away wins at Spurs – I counted five since the start of the Premier League: a 4-1 win in April 1994, Steve Jones scoring the first, two from Trevor Morley and one from Mike Marsh; Dani heading home the only goal of the game in February 1996; Ian Wright and Mark Keller scoring (and an old school red card for John Moncur) in April 1999 to secure a fine 2-1 win; the Ravel Morrison inspired 3-0 rout in October 2013 with goals from Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te, and Morrison; and finally Michail Antonio scoring the first goal by an opposition player in April 2019 at Tottenham’s new stadium to record a 1-0 victory.

Trying to find positives from the current situation at West Ham is not easy. OK, so there is not going to be a relegation battle but then pushing for European qualification is equally improbable. Without an acceptable level of entertainment on the pitch, the obvious question is what is the point? There is zero chance of Moyes making meaningful changes to his playing style. The gap between his overly cautious safety-first approach and the expansive, passing game fans want to see cannot be bridged by a few tweaks. It requires a whole new footballing philosophy. Moyes could no more change that than the other defensively minded coaches who went before him.

But even looking at his preferred group of players, Moyes has clear structural problems fitting them into his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. The long-term striker problem is well known and has been well documented. Perhaps it will be addressed in January but don’t hold your breath. In the interim Jarrod Bowen may be the best bet to fill the gap – but can anyone make a success of the role when the front man is so isolated from the rest of the team?

In getting the right level of support to the striker and being able to play creatively through the midfield has obvious shortcomings. It can be argued that Edson Alvarez deserves his place for his defensive cover, JWP for his set piece deliveries, and Tomas Soucek for his goals from midfield. But their combined overall contribution in possession is below average – and less than the sum of their parts. A high performing team wanting to move the ball quickly and decisively cannot carry all three. It also forces Lucas Paqueta to be parked out on the left wing when it is obvious he would be more effective deployed centrally. But then what is the alternative option on the left hand side apart from the repeatedly disappointing Said Benrahma – a player who has seemingly completely lost his mojo.

The performances of Kudus have been encouraging so far, but where is his best position? And how does he fit in with Bowen and Paqueta assuming the striker shortfall is addressed. That’s potentially a lot of attacking talent available but how do they slot together in the same side? Does anyone have a plan to match the players available and the manager’s formation?

There are very few straws to be clutched at for tomorrow’s game. With the home side’s newfound verve it is hard not to look at the game with trepidation. I fear a sound thrashing but will nevertheless hope that something unexpected can happen. COYI!  

Results Or Performances: Why Can’t We Have Them Both At West Ham

If West Ham beat Crystal Palace today it would make it five wins in a row. But only the most optimistic spectator could take any pleasure from recent performances.

Looking through a very distant lens you might conclude that West Ham and their supporters are enjoying a decent season. In the top half of the Premier League, into the 5th round of the EFL Cup, looking for a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions, qualified from their Europa League group with a game to go, and apparently second only to Real Madrid in the number of European victories over the last two season. But the reality is very different.

It is a rosy picture painted from carefully selected data. And is surely only a perspective shared by pundits and others whose only exposure is watching highlights or checking the results – but who rarely sit through a whole 90 minutes. Is it possible that anyone who regularly watches West Ham games intently finds the football served up to be enjoyable? That scraping home against teams you are expected to beat is enough to excuse the negative approach shown in every game? Isn’t there a responsibility to entertain in return for the devotion.

I have read in previews for today’s game that the Hammers recent form is impressive. But do those last four performances against Olympiacos, Nottingham Forest, Burnley, and Backa Topola deserve to be represented as good form? Games where the manager trots out the inevitable “we didn’t play as well as we would have liked” in the post-match interview. Well, why was that, David?

Has there been any match this year where West Ham have dominated throughout 90 minutes? If they manage to get ahead, it is a case of shutting up shop in the interests of management. Otherwise, it seems the team has little attacking ambition until they fall a goal behind and there is ten minutes remaining. As supporters, we spend the whole week looking forward to games and this is what we get for our patience!

The last three victories have all arrived in the closing minutes courtesy of goals from Tomas Soucek and his whirling dervish goal celebration. It is great that Soucek has started to score again and there is a delicious irony in David Moyes comment that Soucek’s goal contribution was adversely affected by the role given to Declan Rice. If only there was someone tactically aware in the manager’s seat who could have spotted that during those last two seasons.

Last weekend’s game at Burnley showed how much the current system relies on Jarrod Bowen as an attacking threat and outlet. Without him there is no movement and no penetration. It is painful to watch Danny Ings these days regardless of whether it’s the system or his legs that are letting him down. At least the introduction of Divin Mubama injected some much needed energy that was instrumental in fashioning the equalising goal. It is early days for the youngster, but it looks like his close control needs to improve if he is going to be effective at the top level. His lack of game time plus the fact that the successful Hammers youth side he comes from play a totally different system, cannot have helped his development.

Ultimately, the West Ham fight back at Turf Moor was inspired by Mohammed Kudus. Kudus still needs time to fully adapt to the Premier League, but he is making useful contributions, even if he does tend to drift out of games for lengthy periods. The quirk of the assist rule that he did not get credit for the first goal is peculiar.

Without something drastic happening in the January transfer window – I am resigned to Moyes staying until the end of the season – West Ham’s current 9th place looks to be as good as it can possibly get. There is little chance of catching any of the clubs above us, and a good chance that one or two below will put good runs together. Any hopes of further European qualification from league position are a very long shot indeed. Equally, the odds of winning the Europa League are increasingly small with the likes of Liverpool, Brighton, and Leverkusen already in the draw – and the possibility of clubs such as Manchester United, Newcastle or PSG joining them. The three year run of Euro campaigns appears to be hitting the buffers and without that the club becomes a less desirable destination.

The immediate Euro challenge is to top the group and avoid an extra qualifying round in February. No prizes for guessing how we might approach the game against Freiburg where the sole objective is to avoid defeat.

All fingers are firmly crossed that Bowen will return to lead the attack for today’s game against Crystal Palace. Apart from that we should expect no deviation away from Moyes preferred starting eleven – unless reports of sickness in the camp dictate otherwise. None of the fringe players who were given a run out against Topola made a strong argument for a Premier League return and the likes of Aaron Cresswell, Ben Johnson, Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma are now designated as ‘for emergency use only’. If Bowen is absent, the manager will be faced with an Ings versus Mubama conundrum – with Moyes almost certainly opting for Ings.

Of course, there is always an outside chance for a rare sighting of the lesser spotted Maxwell Cornet. Cornet has seen just one minute of Premier League action this term to add to his 245 minutes from last season. Since his signing from Burnley on a five year contract in the summer of 2022 he has played fewer minutes than the equivalent of three full games. As one of the small number of players in the squad with genuine pace it is an odd situation.  

Visitors, Crystal Palace have won just two of their last ten games before today. In all they have won just four times this season, three of which were away from home at Sheffield United, Manchester United and Burnley. There last two outings ended in defeats to Everton and Luton. Only Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than them in league games. Palace have also won just two of their last 16 London derbies, although both of those were against the Hammers. The Eagles triumphing 2-1 at the London Stadium last November and 4-3 at Selhurst Park in April.

This season’s campaign has been hampered by long-term absences of their two flair players, Eze and Olise. Both played last weekend, but Eze limped off last week and will probably miss today’s game and the opportunity to dive around in the penalty area. Olise is a fine player and will make it an uncomfortable afternoon for Emerson. We should also look out for the always snarling Ayew who regularly saves his better performances for games against West Ham.

Sunday afternoon following the Thursday before rarely proves to be to the Hammers liking and hopes are not high for a barnstorming affair. In theory West Ham have the stronger side but how that materialises under the manager’s cautious tactics is the cause of much agonising. It’s not going to be a thriller and may well be settled by an individual moment of brilliance from one team or the other. COYI!

Will Moyes Be Tasting Victory In The Kompany Of Clarets

Another Premier League reset after an international break. A routine West Ham victory or will they be hapless victims in the hosts quest to end their pointless home run?

The fixtures computer has celebrated the passing of the last international break of the year with a set of blockbuster matches for Saturday afternoon including Sheffield United – Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest – Brighton, Luton – Crystal Palace, and of course West Ham’s visit to Burnley. It promises to be an inspiring weekend of elite level football.

The Hammers have been uncharacteristically lucky with injuries so far this season. But, as news filtered back from the international camps, it looked like that was about to change . Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus all picking up worrying injuries – and Vladimir Coufal mixing up the moves to the Macarena in a Czech nightclub. Coufal reprising the famous Moore and Greaves Blackpool nightclub incident of 1971. Let’s hope that doesn’t turn out to be this season’s 3rd round draw.

Fortunately, the injuries to Bowen and Kudus do not appear to be as bad as first feared, and both should be available this afternoon. Antonio, however, is likely to be side-lined for some time. This should mean that the Hammers will start today with the same eleven that took the field against Nottingham Forest.

The injury scares have brought the ludicrous striker situation back into sharp focus. The negligence of starting a Premier League season with only Antonio and Danny Ings as your recognised strikers is truly astounding. And considering that both are well towards the sunset of their careers, it is doubly baffling. Thankfully, Bowen’s goal-scoring form has offered some compensation. If he can maintain the current rate of return he is on track to set a West Ham Premier League record for goals scored in a season – Paolo Di Canio’s 16 goals in 1999/2000 is the target to beat.

There has already been a slew of striker transfer stories online in advance of the January window – and as usual they range from the mundane to the ridiculous. However, the club’s room for manoeuvre may well be limited by the dreaded Financial Fair Play, which popped up in the week to bite Everton on the bottom. Perhaps FFP provides a blessing in disguise and forces the club to abandon its policy of buying expensive flops and selling them at a loss and rely instead on discovering young unknown talent. Over to you, Tim!

Everton’s ten-point deduction (should it stand on appeal) would seem to make it almost impossible for the Hammers to become embroiled in a relegation battle this season. With all three of the promoted sides struggling for points, the only team now below the Toffees are today’s opponents, Burnley.

Having romped away with last season’s Championship, Burnley’s return to the Premier League has proved to be a rude awakening. All four of their points have been won away from Turf Moor and defeat today would make it seven in a row at home. Of course, the patron saint of lost causes is always happy to serve up a game against West Ham in such desperate circumstances: “You haven’t scored in in a season and a half, Neal Maupay, let me see what I can do!”   

The Hammers have saved up some of their worst ever recent performances for games against the Clarets. A humiliating 3-0 thrashing in November 2019 and a home defeat by the same score in March 2018 – the game that prompted the London Stadium pitch invasion – spring to mind. Burnley are a very different proposition under the guidance of Vincent Kompany, but the omens are ominous.

The Clarets are one of only three teams in the Premier League to have conceded more goals than West Ham to date. The other two are Bournemouth and Sheffield United. That must be an uncomfortable statistic for the resilient defence obsessed David Moyes. It is interesting to compare our position after the opening 12 games of the current campaign against 2022/23. Last season a win against Bournemouth in Matchweek 12 took us up to 10th place – it would be our highest position all season – having scored 11 and conceded 12. This term, there are three more points on the board, while the team have scored 21 and conceded 22. So, has something changed in the Moyesball bag of tricks? Or can the differences be explained by individual performances?

It is difficult to put a finger on any drastic tactical change as it still comes across as the usual cautious and unadventurous fare. But if there is anyvariation, it is that the ‘low block’ of ten men behind the ball at all times has become more relaxed. More players are allowed to stay forward to assist with counter attacks. But the slightly higher press that has replaced the low block appears to be a haphazard, half-hearted affair. Despite the valiant efforts of Edson Alvarez in patrolling in front of the back four, opponents have been able to muster many more goalscoring opportunities.

At the other end of the pitch, West Ham are close to claiming back their crown as set piece supremo’s. Much of that is down to the extraordinary delivery from James Ward-Prowse plus the return to goalscoring form of Tomas Soucek. There is a trade-off from having JWP and Soucek in the side in that both have limitations in open play. If the two must play together, it works better when JWP has greater freedom in a more advanced role – not as part of a defensive midfield pivot.

The Hammers are now blessed with more creativity than they have for some time in the form of Kudus and Lucas Paqueta. Kudus is clearly still getting used to football in England and apart from a few special moments is more about potential than being a consistent performer. Paqueta is always looking for the unexpected and at times this can be frustrating when first time flicks go astray. Personally, he is the type if player I love to watch but would prefer him to keep his tricks to the attacking half of the pitch.

So, what to make of today’s game. The combination of Burnley’s shocking home run and the historic obliging nature of West Ham is a concern. On the other hand, from what I have seen of Burnley they are very vulnerable in the air at set pieces – a weakness that should tip the scales in the Hammers favour. No doubt Moyes will allow the home side most of the possession and it might just pay off on this occasion. COYI!        

Moyes Not-So-Merry Men Must Raise Their Game To Fend Off Forest Fire

With just four points from the last seven league games, West Ham need new ideas and fresh impetus to avoid entering into the international break as a bottom six club.

If I could turn back time, I might choose to spend the evening listening to a 1970s supermarket music playlist on Spotify rather than watching West Ham take on Olympiacos in the Europa League. Even allowing for the low expectations set for a good many of the European group games, this was especially dire. Ninety minutes of forgettable mediocrity.

The post-match baloney from David Moyes featured his greatest hits of well-worn, trite excuses. “We didn’t play as well as we had hoped”. “The opposition have years of European experience”. “Coming away with the three points was the most important thing”.  “They were defensively well organised and stopped us getting our crosses in” – if only there were alternative routes to goal, David.

There is a generally accepted rule that all successful sides will need to win ugly from time to time, but lately West Ham know no other way. Supporters should always want their team to win but don’t we also want to be entertained while they’re at it? Is there any lasting pride or pleasure to be had when resilience and organisation are valued above everything else?

In the end the Hammers wreaked their much-wanted revenge over their Greek opponents who had ended their unbeaten streak two weeks earlier. But it came from the game’s single moment of genuine quality rather than as the result of sustained assault. The presence of a simple yet beautifully crafted goal was incongruous in such a drab match. A sumptuous, chipped pass by James Ward-Prowse perfectly placed for Lucas Paqueta well-timed run into the box to volley home. The on-field decision to flag for offside was representative of the shocking officiating on show all night. Replays clearly showing that Paqueta’s faultless calculation of the angles would have made even Pythagoras proud. Good old VAR!

In one of those quirks of the fixture list, West Ham now find themselves facing two teams owned by the same shady Greek mogul, Evangelos Marinakis, within the space of three days. Despite serial accusations of match fixing and other nefarious activities, Marinakis was considered fit and proper enough to become the majority shareholder of Nottingham Forest in 2017.  His tenure has seen the former European champions return to the top tier of English football following promotion to the Premier League in May 2022.

Forest have made an acceptable start to the new season having accumulated one less point than the Hammers from their opening 11 games. They were very poor travellers throughout last season, and although their struggles on the road have largely persisted they have tasted victory at Chelsea and secured a goalless draw at Palace, where they were easily the better team. Should they win today they would leapfrog West Ham and potentially enter the international break sitting in the top half. The same outcome could see ourselves, the one-time league leaders, drop down into the bottom six.

Today’s game is the last of seven played by West Ham since the last blank international weekend. In that time, there have been two cup wins but not a single league point – having lost all three games to Aston Villa, Everton, and Brentford. It is a tough schedule but still a terribly poor return for a team that sets up not to lose. Since the start of last season, Moyes team have lost 25 and won just 15 of 49 games. This leaves a triple whammy where the club has spent bags of money on transfers, where the football remains tedious, and is not yielding results.

During his time as West Ham boss, Moyes has spoken about instilling a big club, winning mentality to the club. Just as he has talked about Red Bull models. Recently, he has again claimed to have made changes in approach to make us more expansive. This has completely passed me by. As they used to say in banking: “the words and numbers do not match!”

The squad may now contain additional flair players, but the underlying fundamentals have not changed. The overwhelming focus on compact defence and denying space to opponents means that when we eventually win the ball there are too few passing options available. Players are bunched together, are not able to create space and switch play, and become easy prey to the opposition press. Or else it results in hopeful blind first-time flicks to no-one in particular. I have to believe it is coaching rather than individual technical ability that is causing the problem, otherwise a change of manager would make no difference. Sure, upgrades are needed in certain positions, but we have seen how progressive managers have breathed new life into previously dispirited squads.

West Ham will need to up their game from midweek if they are to win today. Forest are one of a small group of teams who boast less possession than the Hammers and they will be happy to sit back and play on the break. They will have done their homework and be fully aware of the Hammer’s creative limitations when allowed the lion’s share of the ball. A ponderous build up ending with hopeful crosses into the box. Or is today the day that Moyes finally reveals a cunning new plan from his dusty box of managerial tricks? Probably not!

Kurt Zouma continues to struggle with his various injuries so it will be as you are at the back except for a return between the sticks for Alphonse Areola. There was a pyrrhic victory for Areola in the week when he picked up the Premier League save of the month award – a shame it came in a 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa.

If Moyes is considering changes it will be possible recalls for stalwarts Michail Antonio and Thomas Soucek. The unintended consequence of leaving Soucek on the bench is that Ward-Prowse is consigned to a far deeper defensive position where he is way less effective. He started his West Ham career at a blistering pace in a more advanced role but perhaps this was creating to much excitement. In midweek he was deployed even deeper than Edson Alvarez. The sublime assist apart, his contribution was mainly backwards and sideways passing reminiscent of a late career Mark Noble tribute act.

I pray to the footballing gods that Moyes again leaves Michail Antonio on the bench and sticks with Jarrod Bowen up top. But equally he needs to realise that Bowen isn’t a straight replacement for Antonio. Other changes to shape are necessary to provide the support required to make this work effectively. Bowen offers greater control and finesse plus the opportunity for interplay and darting runs that can be key in unlocking packed defences. Bowen is not the long term answer to the Hammer’s striking woes but he is the best we have for now.

A memory will have popped up on Danny Ings Facebook page during the week to remind him of his solitary West Ham league goals in this corresponding fixture last season. Ings scoring twice in an unusually comfortable 4-0 win. Divin Mubama, on the other hand, will need a rest following his midweek run-out – the one-minute manager having chosen to bring him on in the 89th minute to show what he can do.

Quite what has become of Said Benrahma in his three years at the London Stadium is beyond all comprehension. His confidence levels appear to have been shattered to the point where every move he attempts is the wrong one. If footballing decisions were a multiple-choice paper, he would regularly be scoring 0%.

I long for the days when I looked forward to West Ham games with anticipation. I find myself conflicted between wanting the team to win against the desire for much-needed change in the way they are managed. Unless Moyes pulls off a shock cup-winning treble, there can be no way he will get a new contract in the summer. With the board reluctant to act before that I fear we will limp along as we are until May. Seeing out the season will be like watching a goldfish that has jumped out of its bowl and is flapping around on the carpet until it slowly dies – and being unable to do anything about it.

We might possibly win today. But it’s not going to be pretty. If West Ham are winning at the break can we ask Kevin Nolan to lock Moyes in the toilet and prevent him sucking all the energy out of the half-time dressing room? COYI!

David Moyes Olympiacos Word Salad Is All Greek To Me

Moyes was getting his excuses in early in the build up to tonight’s pivotal Europa League group revenge encounter with Olympiacos. The beleaguered manager is under intense pressure to find positive results today and at the weekend.

If David Moyes half-time team talks are as uninspiring as his pre-match press conferences, then it is no wonder his team regularly concedes shortly after the re-start. There must be a strong case for keeping him out of the dressing room during the break. Indeed, once the match has started, he is largely surplus to requirements – incapable of making in-game tactical adjustments or introducing imaginative substitutions who can offer something different. You can set your watch by the timing of the Danny Ings for Michail Antonio switch.

It was deja-vu all over again at Brentford last weekend when a typically timid second half performance snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The highlight of the first half was a magnificent strike from Mohammed Kudus, the lowlight the sight of Antonio and Said Benrahma teaming up for the miss of the century.

The writing was on the wall as to how things might pan out towards the end of the opening period. After Emerson’s yellow card, Mbeumo was given increasingly more space out on the right to direct operations . Whereas Thomas Frank made adjustments in formation to negate the first-half threat from Mohammed Kudus, it was more of the same from the Hammers. While all three goals conceded were the result of school-boy defensive blunders that shouldn’t deflect from the woeful lack of ambition to build on the half-time lead.

Although my most significant gripe with Moyes is playing style, recent results have also been abysmal. After an impressive start, it is now just four points from the last seven games. A rate of return, which if continued to the end of the season, would result in a meagre total of 30 points from 38 games played. Having slipped into the bottom half of the table a final league position similar to last season is looking to be the likely outcome. Another season of treading water in the shallows while the more talented players instruct their agent to find something better.

Last season, the European campaign was the manager’s get out of jail card. And credit where it is due, winning any sort of silverware is a massive bonus for a club and fans starved for success. But it would foolish not to acknowledge the nature of the competition had always meant we were among the red hot favourites to win. This year’s Europa League will be a far harder nut to crack. With the potential for Newcastle and Manchester United to join Liverpool and Brighton in the knock-out stages, the Hammer’s history against those sides suggests a negligible chance of going all the way.

I had mentioned previously that the easiest route to a fourth season in Europe would by dropping down to the Conference. It was meant as a whimsical aside, but Moyes even slipped it in as a possibility in his press conference. He also talked up how three seasons of European games after Christmas would represent a major achievement for him and the players. Frankly, if he missed out on that (by finishing bottom of the group) surely he must fall on his sword.

The poor run of results now see Moyes backed into a corner for the two remaining games before the next international break kicks in. With his job again in jeopardy he has little option but to field strong sides in both games. That should mean no place for Antonio or Ings and a risky recall for Kurt Zouma to replace a shell-shocked Nayef Aguerd. A more enlightened manager would be looking to make selected use of what appears to be a very talented group in the U21s, but let’s not hold our breath on that one – unless it’s to wind the clock down in added time.

Judging just how strong an opponent Olympiacos will be is difficult. They remain second in the Greek Super League despite a devastating 2-4 home defeat at the hands of PAOK last Sunday. Apart from their Europa League victory (over a very poor West Ham side), their other results have been a home defeat to Freiburg and an away draw with Topola – throwing away a two-goal lead and going down to ten men. They are no strangers to European competition and will be looking for a third successive win in London having twice come away victorious against Arsenal in this same competition (2020 & 2021).

What usually happens when the pressure is mounting on the manager is that the team respond with a scruffy one-nil win. Taking an early lead and spending the rest of the night defending it. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if that happened again today. What the fans deserve though is an electric performance under the London Stadium lights to reward them for their devotion and loyalty. It’s high time there was a performance to fill up this half-empty glass. COYI!

Fifth Time Lucky: Does Moyes Have A Bee In His Bonnet About Not Beating Brentford?

An unexpected and upbeat midweek win in the EFL Cup halted the West Ham slide. Can they maintain momentum over the bogeymen of Brentford?

We are treated to a rare Saturday afternoon kick-off this weekend as West Ham set off across London hoping to bring a first ever Premier League point back from Brentford. Thomas Frank’s Bees have run out comfortable winners in each of the previous four encounters in which David Moyes men were as startled as a deer caught in the headlights in the face of the Brentford onslaught.

Following a poor run of results which saw West Ham pick up just four points from six league games – and lose for the first time in Europe in over a year – some credibility was restored by the midweek Carabao cup win over Arsenal. EFL cup games are not always a great barometer of league prospects and perhaps the lower stakes involved allowed the Hammers to express themselves more freely than is typically the case.  In Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta Moyes now has two players capable of getting fans off their seats, and their second half performances were teasing glimpses of what could be possible in the right tactical setup.

Since the early days of the season, I had advocated for Jarrod Bowen to replace Michael Antonio further forward and for Kudus to slot in wide on the right. It seemed the logical and most sensible solution given that Antonio rarely scores and does not have the engine to last a whole game these days. It was satisfying to finally see it in action.

Experience warns us not to get carried away by the occasional stunning cup victory. The cup runs during Avram Grant’s ill-fated season provide the ultimate cautionary tale in that respect. But any victory over Arsenal deserves celebration and it was a joy to witness Arteta’s dismay in losing the game. His team selection, however, gave a clear indication that commitment to this competition was not his top priority. A message that clearly got through to the players. The Gunners are not blessed with quality in depth and the hapless Kai Havertz continues to push claims as the most expensive transfer disaster of all time.

It wasn’t only the final scoreline on Wednesday that triggered parallels with the early season wins over Chelsea and Brighton. In each of those games against sides who love to dominate the ball, the Hammers combined determined and resolute defending with ruthless counter-attacking efficiency. If only there was a plan of what to do in games where opponents want to play on the break as well.

The victory added further fuel for the Moyes In/ Moyes Out debate. A dispute which is becoming increasingly polarised and promises to twist and turn as each game unfolds. If we are to believe what we read, the win serves to reset the Moyes Doomsday clock and gives him another six lifelines to play with. In the real world it would seem ludicrous to think that a Club would base its managerial hire and fire policy on ‘a six consecutive defeats and you’re out’ ultimatum – but this is West Ham, so rule nothing out.

Moyes has overwhelming support from the punditerati. What they usually overlook watching highlights from a comfy chair the hospitality box is that the debate centres more on style of play than results. West Ham is not a newly promoted club looking to scrap for the odd point here and there and most supporters want (I think) to see a team prepared to approach every game without fear – where every opponent knows they have been in a game. It’s not too much to ask.

I am not anti-Moyes as a principle and if he chose to spend the next international break on a road trip to Damascus or undergoing spot changing therapy in Leopardstown then I would be happy to support a new improved, less cautious playing style. It’s not that counterattacking football can’t be exciting or produce magic moments – the superb finishes by Bowen at Brighton and Kudus against Arsenal are prime examples – but they come along way too infrequently when the first concern is bodies behind the ball.

Brentford are another side who do not prioritise possession, but no-one could accuse them of being a negative side. The difference is that they press higher up the pitch, leave more players forward, play with twin strikers, and get wide men forward quickly in support. They were under the cosh in the first half against Chelsea last week but came away with a fine win courtesy of two second half goals. The Bees early season results stuttered in the absence of Ivan Toney but the recent form of Mbeumo and Wissa has gone some way to filling the void. Fancy having more than one striker in your squad!

Moyes has been routinely outthought by Frank in previous encounters. His opportunity to even things up won’t helped by the combined suspensions of Paqueta and Edson Alvarez. The absence of Paqueta will mean either a recall for Antonio or a start for Said Benrahma against his old club. Covering for Alvarez is a thornier issue now that he is the only specialist defensive midfielder in the squad – if only a West Ham owned player wasn’t putting in man-of-the-match performances at Southampton. The fudge will likely be a combination of Thomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse sitting in front of the back four. I really don’t fancy Ward-Prowse in a deeper defensive role.

Emerson will return to the defence after his own one-match ban. He has been a standout performer this season and I have certainly changed my mind about him, especially as an attacking option. The centre back partnership of Nayef Aguerd and Konstantinos Mavropanos had a steady look about it and it would be good to stick with it given how fragile Kurt Zouma’s fitness appears. But can someone tell Aguerd and Dinos to cut down on the automatic hands-behind-the-backs pose. It might be OK for performing a highland reel or dancing to Come On Eileen, but not when defending in the box, please. I know there’s a risk of handball but surely doing it limits the ability of a defender to move forward and block an opponent’s shot.  

The Hammers game plan has failed miserably against Brentford in the past. Thoughts that a better outcome can be achieved by doing exactly the same again would be madness. If Moyes has a cunning plan then now is the time to use it. Else we may need another moment of Kudus magic to lift the spirits. A draw may well be the best we can hope for. COYI!

Dyche Outwits Moyes In Brothers Grimm Horror Story: Here Are Five Fairy Tale Takeaways

Another dull, low quality and instantly forgettable encounter between the Premier League’s two Cinderella clubs where nobody is interested in going for the ball.

Entertainment Goes Missing In Action

What a sorry excuse for an elite level football match that was. A tumultuous battle of trench warfare between two sides equally determined not to lose. A game as grey as the Everton shirts where nothing exceptional occurred during the entire ninety minutes. It was so grim even VAR fell asleep and couldn’t be bothered to intervene. Was this entertainment worthy of the extravagant ticket prices charged? Are dour, old-school managers like Moyes and Dyche, who got left behind by the game some years ago, really the best that clubs like West Ham and Everton can find? In the end, Everton deserved their win by default, scoring with the type of goal that the Hammers concede all too frequently. Along with Areola’s fine save to prevent an even more embarrassing defeat it was a brief flicker in an otherwise dull afternoon. If Dyche can be cut some slack some slack because a) his brief is probably survival at all costs in perilous circumstances; and b) because his side were playing away, what is the excuse for Moyes? Into his fourth straight season at West Ham, having spent hundreds of millions to shape a side in his own image and what we get is a run of shambolic, disjointed displays explained away by a barrel load of implausible excuses. Nice work if you can get it!

Team Selection and Its Unintended Consequences

The West Ham team selection may well have raised a few eyebrows when it was first announced. The replacement of the suspended Emerson with the ageing Aaron Cresswell was expected, but Mohammed Kudus starting in place of the hitherto undroppable Thomas Soucek came out of the blue. It was high time Kudus was given a start, but had expected it to be as replacement for goal shy Michail Antonio. Kudus began full of promise, his energy and neat footwork threatening to give the crowd something to cheer but then faded as the game progressed. The omission of Soucek required James Ward-Prowse to drop deeper and he rarely impresses there – his passing laboured, his lack of pace apparent. His best work is done further forward where opponents are required to keep a careful watch, providing others with space. It was no shock when he was taken off. Cresswell did nothing particularly wrong but equally he didn’t do much right – at least creatively. Emerson is the only full-back at the club who supplies width and offers invention going forward – he was sorely missed yesterday.

The 21 Day David Moyes Low Intensity Workout Plan

Having to play seven matches in 21 days must always be a challenge. But that is not a reason to approach each game with such low levels if intensity. West Ham have now played three of those games and in each they have been weary and woeful. Even making wholesale personnel changes for the Europa League didn’t change the lacklustre, half-hearted attitude that has ben seen on the pitch. Unless it is a case of getting back quickly into their defensive shape, the team appears to have no apparent plan. Pre and post-match, Moyes claims he knew what to expect from a Dyche Everton team. Yet he was seemingly clueless on how to combat it. His hangdog caution and negativity must surely transfer to the players taking the field? Last season it fell to Declan Rice to galvanise and inspire through words and example. Kurt Zouma isn’t that guy. In the early exchanges there was hope that Kudus and Lucas Paqueta might have the tricks to unlock the visitors defence, but as Kudus faded, Paqueta became frustrated and increasingly over-egged the showboating. In the final knockings when we should have expected everything but the kitchen sink to be thrown at Everton, the game petered out with a whimper.

David, You Have Three Games To Save Your Job

The clocks have gone back and the nights are drawing in – so it must be time for a brand new season of You’ve Got Three Games To Save Your Job. We already know the script for episode one. Routine defeats to Arsenal in Wednesday’s EFL Cup tie and at Brentford in the League will be be followed by a scruffy victory over Olympiacos in the Europa League. The clock is reset and off it goes again. Rinse and repeat until we are mathematically safe from relegation. Must we live through the same charade again? Can’t those in the boardroom not see that Moyes is Yesterday’s Man? That his continued presence is doing nothing more than sucking any remaining joy out of the club. I have to believe that the squad of expensively assembled players are more talented than they look most weekends. That with a more enlightened coach they would prosper and be viewed in the same positive light as Tottenham, Villa, and Brighton. Thanks for the Conference cup win and a top six finish, Dave, but that was then, and this is now. Time for a change before the season becomes a meaningless slog.

Down With The Halloween Decorations

Ten points from the first four games and then a mere four from the next six. It is common to look at form over the last six games and just one win against the hapless Blades is poor in anyone’s book. With Edson Alvarez and Paqueta now suspended for the visit to Brentford, the Oracle Cloud Computer will struggle to calculate a positive West Ham win probability for that one. It is becoming more apparent that the early season wins were a quirk, and that the trajectory is downwards – and at speed. It can now safely be seen as a poor start to the season.

Fast Fading Hammers Must Get Stuck Into The Toffees Or Risk London Stadium Meltdown

Dreams are starting to fade and die at West Ham as consecutive defeats in League and Europe suggest the promising start might have been another false dawn. Can they bounce back in style against a stubborn Everton side?

West Ham’s bright start to the season has officially been downgraded to mediocre after the Hammers began their demanding schedule of seven games in 21 days with two well-deserved defeats. Disappointingly poor performances in Birmingham and Athens putting prior victories against Brighton and Chelsea in the category of freak early season anomalies.

The two lame losses have switched the focus back to future of David Moyes, whose contract expires at the end of this season. Humiliation at Villa Park was especially exasperating and made worse by the manager’s post-match comments which suggested the hosts were well-ahead of his own side in their development. An analysis that conveniently overlooks the respectively tenures of the two managers. Moyes is no new boss on the block having been in charge at the London Stadium for almost four years now while Unai Emery is only just celebrating his first anniversary at Villa Park.

For a veteran of over 1100 games as manager, Moyes is remarkably thin-skinned and tetchy at press conferences on the rare occasions questions stray from the banal. He reverts to a dour and uninspiring demeanour that would make Dad’s Army’s Private Frazer look like an optimist. The worry is that this is how he comes across in the dressing room pre-match and at half-time – talking up the opposition and fixating on how to stop them rather than on how to beat them.

The current West Ham side are with no shadow of doubt a team that Moyes built. Its shortcomings – whether in personnel or tactics – fall squarely on his slippery shoulders. It can surely no surprise to even the most casual observer that failure to bring in additional striker resources in the summer would prove to be a disastrous decision. Michail Antonio has form for fading away after a bright start and who could have imagined Danny Ings playing as an isolated lone striker when he was scouted. Unai Emery must be having a good chuckle about that one!

Perversely, the Hammers goalscoring form this season has been surprisingly decent, despite it needing a huge slice of luck to to keep the run of scoring in every game going last weekend. Rather it is in defence where the team have been exposed, conceding 16 goals in the first nine games. This is by far the worst defensive start to a season under Moyes. The compact and narrow defensive ploy of inviting long shots and crosses has come unstuck as players endeavour to push forward more quickly. A central defence recruited to head away crosses all afternoon are dangerously vulnerable to opponents attacking them with pace. The historic solution for a leaky defence will be to pack it even tighter.

Not much can be read into the result at Olympiacos. Moyes gambled with a clutch of second-string players who quite frankly are either past it or not very good. Was that because he underestimated the Greek league leaders or was willing to write-off the game with more important fixtures coming up? It must have occurred to others that the Hammers best chance of more silverware (and a fourth consecutive Europe campaign) would be to drop down into the Conference. A Europa League knock-out stage that could potentially include Manchester United and Newcastle as well as Liverpool and Brighton would be formidable – can anyone see West Ham beating any of these over two legs?

Tomorrow, the London Stadium visitors are founding members of the Premier League Calamity Club, Everton. Already embroiled in what has become an annual relegation battle, the Toffees are also facing sanctions as a result an FA investigation into their finances. It was reported this week that the penalty could be as harsh as a deduction of 12 Premier League points. If that happened it would be a massive blow to survival hopes even allowing for the other hopeless cases likely to be fighting the drop.

Everton now have the look of a typical Sean Dyche team. They work hard, are difficult to break down, and share Moyes infatuation with resilience. The two managers are cut from the same old piece of cloth that should have been thrown out years ago. Unfortunately for them, the Toffees score very few goals. Leave aside the graft and there is little to get the fans off their seats in what will be a desperate campaign for them. The biggest threat tomorrow will come from Doucoure who managed to pop up to score important goals at just the right moment last season. Or perhaps Calvert-Lewin will finally recover the goalscoring form that made him such a hot property three or four years ago.

The challenge for Moyes will be to put out a team capable of breaking through a rugged Everton rear-guard. Faced with an organised defence the Hammers attacking efforts can lack creativity and urgency and another insipid display is not going to go down well with supporters. Everton will be well aware that frustrating the home side will get the fans on their backs.

After the Villa game it was expected changes would be necessary but having seen the potential replacements struggle to make an impact in Athens nothing is now certain. There will be at least one enforced change, however, due to the suspension of Emerson, plus there are also concerns over Vladimir Coufal’s fitness.

It is difficult to imagine Moyes making radical selection changes, just as it is unlikely that he will make early switches if it looks like things are not working out. We can expect the standard pre-planned substitutions around the 75 minute mark – Ings on for Antonio, Said Benrahma replacing Lucas Paqueta or Thomas Soucek. It begs the question as to why Divin Mubama is left on the bench as an unused substitute each week – or getting a 2 minute cameo deep into injury time if he is lucky? Young players need a 20 – 25 minute run-out to make it a worthwhile experience. But with Moyes approach to game management not allowing matches to be killed off when on top, that luxury is never available.

Having seen what a breath of fresh air can do at clubs like Tottenham, Brighton and Villa it is dispiriting to have to plod along under the dark cloud of a cautious and unadventurous manager. The mood isn’t helped by talk of Mourinho as a replacement next summer. Surely that is just media tittle-tattle and aspirations at the club go beyond another tactical has-been. COYI!

Czech Complete: Moyes Certain To Give Soucek The Nod For West Ham Trip To Aston Villa

Waking from the slumbers of another international break, West Ham’s good recent record at Villa Park takes on Aston Villa’s phenomenal run of straight home wins.

It was sad to hear the news that Manchester United and England legend Bobby Charlton had died. He was undoubtedly one of the greatest and best-known English footballers of all time who stood alongside Bobby Moore and Gordon Banks as the truly outstanding players from England’s 1966 World Cup winning team. A sign of time’s relentless passage is that Sir Geoff Hurst is now the sole survivor from the eleven that took the field for England in July 1966. Out of interest, their West German opponents have fared rather better as far as longevity is concerned with six out of the eleven still with us.

Much has changed in football since 1966 when international games were few and far between. There were, of course, the hotly contested Home Internationals but opportunities for a glimpse of more exotic players such as Pele, Eusebio, Yashin, and Beckenbauer were rare. Now we can see most of the world’s top stars in our own league on a weekly basis – at least when it isn’t being interrupted by bothersome international breaks. Surely, there must be a less disruptive way of scheduling the growing number of often pointless qualifying matches. Perhaps others are more excited by international games than I am.

The absence of any domestic action has not meant any let up in the stream of West Ham related news from the pesky clickbait sites who provide a daily blast of latest tittle-tattle allegedly emanating from sources close to the Chairman, reliable journalists, and rent-a-quote pundits. The internet abhors a vacuum and although the head is telling you the story will be a load of old of hogwash, the fingers can’t resist clicking anyway.

As a public service – in case you missed any of it – the summary of the highlights is as follows: West Ham are either in pole position to sign any number of new players in the January transfer window, or the kitty is empty and there are no further funds to spend until the summer; David Moyes must drop Vladimir Coufal due to his poor pass completion rate for the Czech Republic against Albania while Tomas Soucek was either their best or worst player on the pitch when the Czechs saw off the mighty Faroes courtesy of his second half penalty; the Hammers are enjoying an excellent start to the season or else they are in a false position due to an eXpected Goals anomaly (as Richard reported here yesterday); and the West Ham Board will or won’t be offering David Moyes a new contract at the end of the season.

There’s a strong chance that the manager situation will rumble on right until the end of the season. The unexpectedly positive start to the campaign has seen Moyes recover from everyone’s favourite for the sack to become the holder of one of the safer seats. Which way the dust finally settles on his West Ham career may well depend on what happens between now and May. With a better squad of players available his team are looking far more assured, but as someone commented on a previous article here, “Moyes will always be Moyes”. His unshakeable caution constraining momentum by having one foot touching the brake at all times. The question is not whether Moyes is doing OK but is there someone out there who can achieve more with the same resources.

Today the Hammers begin a run of seven games in 21 days (less an hour for when the clocks go back) with a visit to Aston Villa. At the end of that phrenetic sequence comes yet another International Break.

Villa Park has been something of a happy hunting ground for West Ham in recent years and a win today would make it four on the trot. Yet the hosts are now a very different proposition today to Steven Gerrard’s erratic team who gifted the Hammers their first win last season.

Villa’s home form has been particularly strong since Unai Emery’s appointment in November 2022. They go into today’s match on a ten game Villa Park winning streak in the league. But all records come to an end eventually and it may as well be today. Hopefully, the Villains will put in a performance closer to what was on show at Newcastle and Liverpool earlier in the campaign. Here they were more like Dick than Unai Emery – they really were that awful. On both occasions the tactics were naïve, allowing their opponents far too much space between the lines and with a suicidal high defensive line that was forever vulnerable to balls over the top. They do seem to have plenty of goals in them this season though and both Watkins and Diaby are likely to be a handful.

The big debating point for the Hammers is whether Mohammed Kudus gets a start today or not? Spoiler alert – the answer is not! His introduction for the last 15 minutes of the 2-2 draw with Newcastle was mesmerising. Great touch, control, flair, confidence, and a goal were all packaged into a quarter of an hour cameo. Moyes has said that he is close to a start which is not so subtle code for him being on the bench. A long round trip to North America will serve as convenient justification. Personally, I can’t wait to see a few games with Kudus and Lucas Paqueta weaving unorthodox magic in the claret and blue, but it probably makes the manager dizzy just thinking about it.

Reading and listening to the thoughts of fans on who Kudus might replace in the starting lineup is fascinating. There are two main schools of thought. One that he should replace Thomas Soucek, the other that he should replace Michail Antonio. The idea that Moyes will disrupt his defensive shape and leave out Soucek seems fanciful to me, especially now that he is back in his old role, looking more motivated, and scoring goals again. He is the complete Moyes type player and I’m convinced he remains one of the first names on the team sheet where the manager is beguiled by defensive headers, interceptions and aerial threat at set pieces.

Kudus as a replacement for Antonio sounds more credible. Not as a direct replacement but requiring juggling in other positions. I had fancied Jarrod Bowen moving to the centre and Kudus playing wide right, but during games when Antonio has been subbed it is Paqueta who has been pushed further forward. Can Kudus and Paqueta playing as a pair of false nines be the Moyesiah’s great innovation? There is an irony that Kudus may finally get his chance if/ when Paqueta receives a one math ban for picking up his fifth yellow card.  Whichever way this pans out, the clear inference is that Danny Ings doesn’t look to feature in any plans for Premier League football.

This is another tough game to call between two teams who will be competing in Europe in midweek. Victory for either side will leave them in the top six and there are sure to be goals in this game. Emery’s Villa don’t really do draws so I will go for 2-2. COYI!