Report – Page 3 – Under The Hammers

The Quick Bowen Prod Bumps Over The Lazy Fox

West Ham make it back-to-back Premier League wins and clean sheets in what must be a candidate for the most uneventful game of the year. Not even a single yellow card.

It turned out to be a good week for West Ham and Graham Potter as the Hammers followed Saturday’s heroic victory at the Emirates with a stroll past relegation bound Leicester City at the London Stadium. Back-to-back wins and clean sheets are a rarity for the club, even at the best of times.

The two opponents presented very different challenges for the coach, and he elected to face them with an identical setup and personnel. Following a brief period of experimentation and a good look at what is available, Potter may now have settled for the time being on the 3-5-2 formation that has seen his personal points return boosted to ten from seven games.

The principal takeaway from those last two games is that he has settled on a system that plays to the strength of the players involved. An encouraging change following an era of square pegs and round holes. Max Kilman looks more comfortable in a three, the returning Jean-Clair Todibo looks a class act, and even old-man Aaron Cresswell has looked fit and assured. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Oliver Scarles have looked the part and excelled in their respective wingback roles. The midfield three work hard, look compact and have complemented each other despite an underlying absence of pace and guile. Up front, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus have demonstrated great movement and energy; and are a threat to any defence. It is a setup better suited to counterattacking than breaking down opponents but that’s where we are at moment – until the deficiencies can be addressed in the summer.

The display at Arsenal had been a masterclass in frustrating the hosts with the type of hardworking, low defensive block that we have become to know and love. But unlike late period Moyes it retained the ability to launch rapid counterattacks through the pace and industry of Wan-Bissaka, Bowen and Kudus. With the Hammers defending in numbers and providing outstanding support and backup to each other, the hosts had run out of ideas well before the end. Not even two minutes of added time at the end of eight minutes of added time could produce a worthwhile attempt to alarm Alphonse Areola. If anything, it was the visitors who created to the more clear cut opportunities to add to the goal tally.

In contrast to the lung-busing efforts at the Emirates, last night’s encounter with Leicester was something of a stroll from start to finish. The visitors offered no clues to suggest they were a team fighting for their Premier League lives. They were low on quality, fight and spirit; and look doomed to a quick return to the Championship next season. The Hammers needed only to be competent to earn the three points, knowing that sooner or later the Foxes would gift them a couple of goals.

A kind man might give Cresswell the benefit of the doubt that his was a clinical pinpoint pass to set up the first goal. But it really looked like a shot to me. The move had started with good interplay bewteen by Bowen and Tomas Soucek on the right. Leicester failed to take several opportunities to clear their lines before Cresswell’s shot, the keeper’s save from Kudus, and Soucek arriving on the scene to claim a birthday goal – his sixth of the season.

The second goal just before half-time realistically ended the game as a contest. A mis-hit James Ward-Prowse corner (which should probably not have been given) was bungled by the visitor’s rearguard allowing Bowen to nip in smartly between three defenders – his shot from a tight angle hitting Vestergaard on its way into the net.

The second half was as drab as anything. The inoffensiveness of the match was underlined by the absence of a single yellow card award – a great disappointment for the residents of Paqueta Island. When was the last time that happened? As Potter said after the game this was not champagne football. In the circumstances we must simply take the win and focus on the positives in the knowledge that stability has returned to the playing side of the club. The players look far happier than in the early part of the season, and a sense of structure, organisation and movement has returned to the pitch.

It was surprising that the second half wasn’t seen as an ideal opportunity to take a better look at Luis Guilherme. He looks fully involved and engaged in the training session videos posted regularly by the club, so a bit of a mystery why he wasn’t given a 30-minute run out last night free from any pressure. Surely, it would have added a modicum of interest to the evening’s ‘entertainment’.

Meanwhile, the Evan Ferguson situation continues to bemuse. He looks as rusty as anything and is going to need a lot more time than is available to get up to speed. Without knowing how the situation might eventually pan out, it looks the most peculiar loan arrangement for West Ham.

The Hammers are now in a weird situation where they play just two games in the next 32 days. In all, there are 11 Premier League games left to play – at home to Newcastle, Bournemouth, Southampton, Tottenham, and Nottingham Forest; and away to Everton, Wolves, Liverpool, Brighton, Manchester United and Ipswich. A chance then to improve our league standing although a 4-way battle for 13^th place with Tottenham, Manchester United and Everton might be as good as it gets. At least its in our own hands.

Ironically for the end of February, the Premier League season is effectively done and dusted as far as the major issues are concerned. Liverpool will almost certainly be champions, and it will take a huge turnaround in fortunes if any of Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester are to avoid the drop – none of them is on course to break the 30 point barrier. And what are the odds that Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea finally nab the remaining Champions League spots away from the plucky challengers. A Super Sunday Damp Squib beckons for the end of May.

Next up for West Ham is yet another exile to the Monday night graveyard slot (on March 11) against a Newcastle side who may well have one eye on the EFL Cup Final which takes place on the following Sunday. We can hope for another win – and a little more entertainment, perhaps. COYI!

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Potter

The Hammers are once again utterly beatable as Brentford slice through their defences like a hot knife. Has the chronic West Ham self-harm syndrome spread too widely for a simple cure?

Two brain teasers for you to start the day.

Question 1. If Team B (let’s call them Brentford) are adept at scoring early goals and Team A (West Ham, say) are prone to conceding them, what do you think might happen? Could it be that Team B race into an early lead which they are then easily able to defend?

Question 2. If Team B are known for playing on the front foot, with a high press and fast, direct attacks, how should Team A lineup against them? Would it be by deploying a slow as molasses double pivot and with no discernible attacking creativity or focus? Answers please on a post card.

The early FA Cup elimination had given the Hammers coaching staff just short of two weeks to prepare for Saturday’s game. A set of circumstances that makes their attempts at finding a solution all the more baffling. I would love to have a look at their workings. Even if the Rush Green VHS recorder had been on the blink, it is easy enough to google how Brentford setup to play every week.

Graham Potter still has a healthy balance of goodwill in the bank. He is personable, articulate, prepared to give young players an opportunity – and he is not Julen Lopetegui. Most supporters have been positive about his impact on and off the pitch although much of that is a sense of relief over what had been endured before. While it is still early days, the improvement in optics has yet to manifest itself as better results on the pitch. In fact, the opposite is true as a quick glance at the Under The Hammers New-Gafferometer (league games only) clearly demonstrates.

The Potter reign got off to a spirited, yet rather fortunate winning Premier League start with a victory over Fulham. Since then, the better, more committed, performances have been on the road. The last two home games – London derbys againsy Crystal Palace and Brentford – have been especially disappointing; and for large parts, no better than what had been witnessed earlier in the season. The first half on Saturday could easily have been mistaken for the typical chaotic Lopetegui lineup and performance.

I can’t be the only one who finds the Evan Ferguson situation a little weird. An emergency loan who apparently will need careful handling due to past injuries when there are only 14 games of the season left to play. He did show several decent touches when he came on at half-time and his first significant contribution really should have been an assist for a Mohammed Kudus equaliser had the opportunity not been squandered through a rush of blood to the head. I don’t doubt Ferguson’s potential but a ‘dry’ loan for an injured player is just so West Ham.

The half time change of shape allowed West Ham to dominate the ball for much of the second period. James Ward-Prowse provided the control and direction in a way that the excruciatingly slow Tomas Soucek is never able to. Take away his goal threat and the big Czech is largely anonymous. Yet, not quite as anonymous as Carlos Soler on the left wing who would have been more gainfully employed if given a flag and asked to run the line.

The Brentford goal illustrated perfectly why West Ham have one of the worst defensive records in the league. It all began from a West Ham corner on the right. Emerson went across to take, with the big men coming into the box as targets. The corner came to nothing. Brentford cleared to Damsgaard; Edson Alvarez attempted to close him down, but he was able to play a simple pass to Wissa whose run had not been tracked by Soucek. Even at that point though, West Ham had five players (Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Max Kilman, Dinos Mavropanos, Emerson and Jarrod Bowen) between ball and goal to Brentford’s two (Mbeumo and Schade.)

Wissa’s pass over the top was simple, Wan-Bissaka and Bowen stood and watched, Dinos was slow getting back in position, with Kilman the wrong side of Mbeumo. Emerson’s aerial challenge with Mbeumo was not strong enough leaving Schade unmarked to pick up the loose ball and score at the second attempt. A collective Sunday league failure to deal with a sraightforward counterattack.

The visitors dominated the remainder of the first half and there could have been no complaints had they gone into the break with a two or three goal cushion. The two ‘goals’ were rightly disallowed for offside but at least one of them might have stood had it been scored in the VAR-less FA Cup the previous weekend.

Although, the improved second half performance boosted the numbers for the unimportant statistics (possession, pass accuracy, number of corners) West Ham created few clear goalscoring opportunities. The glaring miss by Kudus and a blocked goal-bound effort from Ollie Scarles being the most notable. Flekken in the Brentford goal – who has been the Premier Leagues most overworked keeper all season – is unlikely to have enjoyed a more comfortable ninety minutes. The Hammers doing nothing to dispel the shot-shy reputation that Potter brings with him from Brighton and Chelsea.

It’s tempting to simply write the season off with a shrug – “we are where we are, and it is what it is” – but that risks throwing away a significant portion of the campaign. It is so very dispiriting. It’s not Potter’s fault that he has inherited a slow, ageing, unbalanced squad but he needs to find a way of at least creating some interest in the final months of the season – a reason to look forward to matchdays – or else it’s all just a waste of time and effort. If the players are incapable of playing the way the coach wants them to, then he needs to find a system that does suit. Surely, there is some way of harnessing the potential attacking talent available. Without that all that’s left is a team that appears to be going through the motions. Defeat we can live with; limp and effortless displays are unacceptable.

Next up is Arsenal. Hopefully, it won’t turn out to be as painful as I fear. COYI!

I’ve Got Those Lost Season and Blank Weekend West Ham Blues

Despite an uplift from the new manager appointment, the low key, lacklustre season will be one that is easily forgotten at West Ham. With little to play for the end of May can’t come soon enough.

So, here we go. Not in the Fabrizio Romano sense of the phrase to announce an imminent incoming transfer; but rather in resigned contemplation of yet another blank weekend of West Ham football. Early cup exits, international breaks and routinely exiled to the graveyard Monday night slot due to the absence of European competition, the Hammers will feature on a maximum of 29 of the season’s 41 weekends. They will play just twice in the whole of March, with those two games – at home to Newcastle and away at Everton – coming just four days apart.

It’s been a good many years now that TV has called all the shots on scheduling with little concern for the inconvenience to the matchday supporters who create the atmosphere for their product. More and more of Saturday afternoons are now 100% football free for the typical Premier club. Free from a lunchtime pint or two in the Central or Boleyn, a burger in a bun (no onions for me, mate) from the sizzling food stand, Percy Dalton’s peanuts (tanner a bag), golden goals ticket, the brass band playing on the half-way line, and half-time scores hung on the alphabetical grid behind the goals (that’s enough misty-eyed nostalgia for now – Ed!)

During the course of this season, West Ham will play a total of just 41 revenue generating games, compared to 53 last term and 57 in 2022/23. Where Aston Villa have already earned an estimated €71m from their Champion’s League group games – and fellow strugglers Manchester United and Tottenham have pocketed €20m+ from the Europa League equivalent – the Hammers are poised to fall ever further behind in the rich league stakes.

And with little left to play for, apart from avoiding the highly remote possibility of being dragged into the relegation dogfight, it promises to be an underwhelming four months until the end of May. Less of a problem when football was an affordable, Saturday afternoon ritual with fellow supporters, friends and family; but less appealing now that we are customers with membership schemes and high ticket prices. As the old Queen might have said as she tucked into a portion of pre-match pie and mash, it has been a ‘seasannus horribilis’ at the London Stadium.

Last Monday’s match at Chelsea reached its inevitable conclusion when the hosts came from behind to claim their customary victory. If you read Richard’s preview you would have been aware how rare West Ham wins have been at Stamford Bridge in the recent past.

The West Ham versus Chelsea rivalry perfectly encapsulates the influence of money in football today. In the Football League, the Hammers statistically held the upper hand. Even in the early days of the Premier League – before the arrival of dirty Russian money in 2003 and the new low bar for football club ownership – the Hammers led the Blues with nine victories to eight. Since then, Chelsea have won 24 of the 38 league encounters. Of West Ham’s seven wins, one was at Stamford Bridge, two at Upton Park, and four at the London Stadium.

The game itself saw another patched up Hammer’s side put in a committed but ultimately fruitless performance. It was reminiscent of the Aston Villa cup game with West Ham’s holding a slender but comfortable lead, but losing the faith once the scores were levelled. Graham Potter gave an honest assessment after the game highlighting the effort, shape and application of his players but accepting they had not done enough with the ball themselves.

There was a welcome return for Jarrod Bowen but injuries to Lucas Paqueta and Edson Alvarez required adjustments to the starting eleven – the underused and undervalued Andy Irving putting in a mature performance for his first league start. While Bowen had made a text-book recovery from his fractured foot, Crysencio Summerville has joined Jean-Clair Todibo in the Rush Green treatment triangle where precautionary substitutions have mysteriously developed week by week into extended long-term injury absences.

Potter’s honeymoon at West Ham continues to hold good despite results not yet picking up. The massive turnaround in attitude and atmosphere since he replaced Lopetegui is clear to all, and we now see a team not resigned to its fate before a ball has been kicked. There have been extenuating circumstances with injuries but at some point, positivity needs to be converted into points. The six Premier League clubs who have sacked their managers since the start of the season comprise six of the bottom seven clubs in the current standings. The bounce isn’t always obvious and here is how they have performed pre and post the change in terms of points per game.

Monday evening also saw the slamming shut of the January transfer window. As usual, very little happened despite the daily speculation peddled on the made-up rumour sites – which have already turned their goldfish like attention to potential summer signings.

I’m in two minds about the straight loan signing of Evan Ferguson. A potentially excellent striker if he can rediscover his fitness and the form of two seasons ago; but without any option to buy, the deal surely favours the player and Brighton more than it does West Ham. If we get him fit and he starts to knock in the goals, then great for time being but bigger clubs with bigger budgets will then be chasing for his signature. If he’s a flop, then it will all have been a waste of time.

Also making a comeback at the London Stadium is James Ward-Prowse following a mostly unsuccessful loan period at Champion’s League chasing Nottingham Forest. No surprise he didn’t get much of a look-in at a team based on rapid transition and fast counterattacking. He joins a pool of older, slower, unadventurous midfield players – but at least he can take a decent corner. And perhaps he will finally equal that Beckham direct free-kick record. Despite any reservations I may have, I wish both players well whenever they turn out in the claret and blue.

The final expected news of the week was the announcement that Tim Stediten has left his role as Technical Director. It is not clear whether any replacement is anticipated or whether the entirety of the role is viewed as a failure. A clear vindication in the eyes of the Board for reverting to the shambolic system of boardroom meddling, agent influence and short-term thinking that has held the club back for the last 15 years. Lasting improvement is impossible until the club addresses its inability to adopt a long-term strategy and direction.

It is fascinating how widely repeated the narrative has spread that West Ham’s current woes are all down to Steidten’s recruitment. Not just from in-the-knows with cosy relationships at the club but also from the supposedly more thoughtful and balanced reporters at the Athletic and Guardian who have given a free pass to the most significant mistake of all – the disastrous appointment of Lopetegui by David Sullivan. The flaw of modern journalism where if you want access to the inside track, you mustn’t say anything bad about the source.

I’ve no idea if Steidten is difficult to work with or not, but he was set up to fail and was clearly not in full control of recruitment. He might have believed he was driving the transfer bus but in reality, he was the kid in the front seat on the upper deck imagining it to be true – until it hit the low bridge of the club’s ambition. The ironic thing about football transfers is that the number of people claiming responsibility is inversely proportional to how badly they work out.

Enjoy your free weekend. COYI!

Graham Potter and the Labyrinth of Sullivanity

What level of wizardry is required by West Ham’s new coach to negotiate the tightrope of fan expectation, sporting success and boardroom meddling?

Looking back at the opening exchanges of last weekend’s visit to Villa Park and it had all the hallmarks of a Super Sunday evening to forget. Only ten minutes had passed, and I was already watching the game through my fingers. With a patched-up defence, the back three/ five formation that had failed to impress against Crystal Palace, and still not a striker in sight, a severe mauling was on the cards.

Villa were carving through the Hammer’s rearguard at will and when Ramsey breezed past Tomas Soucek’s lack of mobility in midfield to open the scoring on eight minutes, it threatened to be the first of many. But gradually the complexion of the game changed. Did the hosts become complacent, believing this was going to be all too easy, and with one eye on their midweek Champions League fixture with Celtic? Or was it down to the visitors eventually settling into their unfamiliar formation? Either way the remainder of the first half was a more balanced affair, even if it was largely scrappy and lacking in technical quality.

No-one has conceded more goals in the opening ten minutes of Premier League games than West Ham this season – and they would be a bottom three team in a table based on first half performances alone. True to form though, the second half Hammers were a very different proposition to what had gone before. They were well worth the point earned thanks to Emerson’s fine header from Edson Alvarez’s wonderful cross; and looked the far likelier of the two teams to grab a winner in the closing stages.

The second half was an excellent all-round team performance which may well reflect the result of a solid week’s work on the training ground under Graham Potter. The standout performers may have been Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Lucas Paqueta but all of those involved looked up for the challenge and put in a decent shift. We can ask for no more.

There was also an underlying feistiness to the game thanks largely to the wayward officiating of the consistently inconsistent Peter Bankes. Alongside death and taxes, baffling refereeing decisions are just as inevitable these days it seems. Officials have created their own self-important world where they randomly choose to either exercise discretion or apply the letter of the law depending how the fancy takes them.

For example, a case for common sense could be made in stopping the game when Mings went down with what looked to be a serious injury (even though it wasn’t a head injury) – and also in not booking the same player when he caught the ball having felt a recurrence of the injury. But no such discretion was available when Max Killman was forced to leave the field after receiving treatment, even though it was patently obvious that no pretence was involved. A goalkeeper can stay on but not a central defender despite being equally critical in defending set plays.

Not that West Ham were not also recipients of Bankes’ unpredictable largesse. Notably when he failed to act upon two attempts by Alvarez to secure a second yellow card. It is probable that I am in a minority believing the Mexican to be a fine player who will likley improve under Potter once freed from the obligation of “tackling for two” in the defensive midfield double pivot. But his commitment had for some reason boiled over into recklessness in the lead up to his late sensible substitution.

The other big news of the week was the apparent departure of Tim Steidten from his role as Technical Director. I say apparent because I have yet to see (or have missed) any official confirmation of his dismissal. Potter’s buddy Kyle Macaulay has been appointed Head of Recruitment but that is a different role from the one that Steidten left. Does that mean the Technical Director role has been demised to allow Sullivan free rein in doing deals with his favourite agent mates?

One can rightly question how well the transfer funds were spent in the summer but even a cursory examination reveals too many fingers in the pie with no coherent strategy in place. It was never made clear who was responsible for which signings, while most of what we heard on shortcomings the result of intentional leaks from the Boardroom to useful in-the-know reporters. Some of the criticism of Steidten may well be justified, but was the club’s transfer business any worse than any of the other 14 years under Sullivan’s stewardship? For me, Steidten was setup as the fall-guy to distract attention from the major recruitment blunder of the summer – the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as coach – against the advice of the Technical Director. In a hotly contested competition, it was up there with the most disastrous managerial appointments in West Ham’s recent history.

None of the current debacle should really come as any surprise. It has been Sullivan’s MO since his days at Birmingham City. It’s not that he refuses to invest – far from it – but he has rarely spent wisely or with the future in mind. Deep down he may even mean well, but any benevolence is overshadowed by an overwhelming preference for self-promotion; a desire that manifests itself in the fruitless pursuit and occasional purchase of what he sees as showbiz signings. As one Birmingham City fan summed it up (speaking of Gold and Sullivan): “While I’ve always quite admired Sullivan’s bluntness, I would have to admit that I’m one of those who are sceptical of his and David Gold’s motives. If you want a steady club, with a chairman who likes interviews with helicopters in the background, they’re the men for you. If you want a bit more substance to the words, maybe not.”

The essence of football club ownership has been a contradiction ever since the ne’er-do-wells in N17 created a holding company in the 1980s to circumvent the FA rule that had previously protected the game from undue commercialisation. It has been downhill ever since as business priorities has eaten away at the sporting and community roots of football; and where supporters are now regarded as customers to be milked for replica kits, exhorbitant matchday pint and programme prices, and other assorted paraphenalia. The media hype machine will have us believe the game is better for it, but I am not convinced the overall entertainment and experience has improved.

The corporatisation of football was reinforced by the publication of the annual Deloitte Football Money League which was published this week. On the surface, it is satisfying to see West Ham ranked as the 17^th richest in the world by revenues. But look into the detail and it becomes apparent how huge the gulf is between clubs such West Ham, Newcastle, and Aston Villa and the so-called Big 6.

West Ham’s Matchday and Commercial income is tiny compared to those generated Tottenham and Chelsea. Where the Hammers rely on Broadcasting for 60% of their revenues this reduces to 32% and 35% respectively at the Tottenham Stadium and Stamford Bridge. With squad costs becoming increasingly tied to a percentage of revenues there seems little hope of closing the gap.

The London Stadium is a conundrum for West Ham. Seen by some as the “deal of the century” when the tenancy was first agreed, it is apparent that it also imposes severe limitations on the club’s ability to pursue some of the more lucrative retail and sponsorship revenue opportunities.

If West Ham are to punch above their weight on a regular basis, then adopting the smart recruitment strategies practised by clubs like Brighton, Brentford, and Bournemouth has to be the way forward. Identify emerging talent from lower leagues, recruit for the future and succession, improve through coaching, and sell at a profit. It is the very antithesis of the traditional West Ham Transfer Way where players have been regularly sold at a significant loss. It is a strategy that should have been apparent for many years, but hubris, arrogance, incompetence and stubbornness have routinely prevailed.

We are, of course, in mid transfer window at the moment with just six more days before its ceremonial slamming shut. The January window is forever the poor relation to its summer cousin but that doesn’t stop the speculation factories pumping out the usual nonsense. West Ham are one of nine Premier League clubs yet to complete a deal as rumours of strikers, centre backs and box-to-box midfielders abound. Whether to recruit now or wait until the summer when there is more time and choice is the immediate dilemma facing Potter. His greater challenge will be navigating past Boardroom meddling and the Chairman’s propensity to scupper preferred deals because they have the wrong agent.

For the second season running the Hammers have a fixture on the night the window closes which might be considered a constraint or an excuse, depending on your point of view. COYI!

Puzzling Potter Picks A Pack Of Pointless Passers

If he didn’t know before, Graham Potter must now be painfully aware of the imbalance and limitations of the West Ham squad. A long-term rebuilding job is on the cards but there is hope that youth can be part of the solution.

New manager bounces have been in short supply in this year’s Premier League with the changes at Manchester United, Leicester, Wolves, and Southampton unable to deliver any lasting improvement to failing fortunes. Will it be down to the Moyesiah to buck this trend on his return to Goodison Park?

At West Ham, the optimism that followed Graham Potter’s fast start in the opening Premier League victory against Fulham was dashed by a refusal at the second fence in Saturday’s encounter with Crystal Palace. A case of reality bursting the bubble of hope that followed Julen Lopetegui’s departure, and which had placed too much emphasis on the improvements in attitude and effort witnessed during the Fulham win.

A fan-base who have become well versed in quirky and difficult to understand team selections over the years might well have thought “here we go again” when the teams were announced on Saturday. It was only one change on paper, but the inclusion of 35-year—old Aaron Cresswell represented a switch of formation to a back three and wing backs system that has rarely worked well for the Hammers – either because there aren’t the players to execute it properly, or because insufficient time has been spent on the training ground perfecting the roles and responsibilities involved.

It is far from a given that full backs can effortlessly switch between the two roles, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka a prime example. Highly regarded for his defensive abilities – and quite capable of storming forward in the style of a traditional overlapping full back – he appears to regard tracking back as optional when deployed as a wing back. Surely, that cannot be what the coach expects.

Even more problematical in the selection was an entire West Ham midfield populated by defensive minded players – Edson Alvarez, Guido Rodriguez, and Tomas Soucek. The recognition that eight out of ten ~~cats~~ outfield players possessed so few creative instincts and ideas was painfully apparent all afternoon – meaningless short passing, no imagination, little movement and an inability to create space. With Lucas Paqueta once again out of sorts, Palace were easily able to double (or even treble) up on Mohammed Kudus as the only credible attacking threat.

Potter’s rationale for changing the starting eleven was reported to be a worry over the fitness of Carlos Soler. That he opted to compensate with a formation to match up with the opponents was not, however, the only choice available – and was a big mistake in my opinion. No disrespect to the visitors but this was Crystal Palace at home – a team that had started the day below us – not Barcelona in the Nou Camp. A more obvious straight swap replacement for Soler using either Andy Irving or Lewis Orford, or starting with Danny Ings up front and dropping Paqueta deeper, would have been less disruptive and made far more sense for a team hoping to seize the initiative. It is puzzling why Irving hasn’t had more of a look in, having always looked capable in his occasional substitute appearances.

As it was, a Premier League defence couldn’t have hoped for a more comfortable afternoon than the one experienced by Crystal Palace. The visitors did not need to be excellent, merely competent. Hughes and Kamada were not a glamorous pairing at the heart of the Palace midfield but did the simple things well; demonstrating a pace, energy, and ability to move the ball forward quickly (to Eze and Sarr) that was missing from their West Ham counterparts. Equally, they had a willing and effective runner up front in Mateta, a relaive unknown who has evolved into a quality Premier League striker under the guidance of Oliver Glasner.

Aside from the feeble attacking threat, the Hammers continued with their run of defensive generosity and have now conceded 43 times in 22 league games. The first goal featured a shockingly bad example of defending by Max Killman who inexplicably allowed Mateta to run straight at him without making any attempt at a challenge. The striker hit the ball well, but a younger Fabianski would likely have saved it. The second was a well taken spot kick after the clearest cut of all penalty awards.

West Ham had rallied slightly following the introduction of Ings, Orford and Ollie Scarles but still failed to register a shot on target all afternoon. The game was effectively done and dusted when they went down to ten men on 80 minutes. I was so concerned that Alvarez was on course for a second yellow that my immediate instinct was relief on realising it wasn’t him who had made the high challenge on Mateta – that Dinos Mavropanos was also on a yellow only registering when the red card came out of Thomas Bramall’s pocket. There could be no complaints even if the referee had been consistently lenient with Hughes throughout the game.

The scale of the surgery required at West Ham must now be glaringly apparent to Potter. The squad had been allowed to get into a sorry state under Moyes and the summer investment failed to address the most critical structural issues. The current mini-injury crisis does offer some mitigation for the new manager’s approach and the eventual return of Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville is sure to improve matters. Fortunately, there is a low bar in the Premier League this season and the Hammers should comfortably avoid getting drawn into any relegation discussion. I remain confident that Potter can prove a good long-term bet at the London Stadium – if he is allowed to do his job. One criticism of him spells at Brighton and Chelsea was that his teams did not create enough clear goalscoring opportunities relative to the possession they enjoyed. Hopefully, he has learnt from these experiences. As a side note, the team with the lowest possession stats in the Premier League this season are Nottingham Forest. Make of that what you will!

The big positive from the weekend was to see three teenagers on the pitch at the end of the game. Young players being given a chance is always encouraging for fans, especially when they have come through the academy. Scarles and Orford both did well and looked very confident on the ball; Guilherme, as usual, was given too little time to impress.

With two weeks remaining in the January transfer window, there has been little activity by Premier League clubs to date, and none at all at West Ham. Opinions are divided on whether it’s best to muddle through with what we’ve got until the summer – in the hope that injuries clear up and the youngsters can contribute – or try to plug the most glaring gaps now. It goes without saying the club looks no closer to having a strategy for recruitment and succession than it ever has.

While smarter clubs – such as Bournemouth who have already made two interesting teenage signings in this window – seek to build on the Brighton model of player recruitment, the Hammers remain hostages to David Sullivan’s dream of creating a Galacticos B Team. It is the greatest obstacle to progress at Wst Ham. Can no-one rid us of this turbulent pest? COYI!

Call Out The Ingstigator, Because There’s Something in the Air at West Ham

Graham Potter opened his Premier League account with a battling victory over Fulham on Tuesday night. Saturday provides an opportunity to make it two in a row with the visit of Crystal Palace.

And Graham said: “Let there be light (at the end of the tunnel)”. And lo, the light divided the darkness shrouding the London Stadium since last August. And the supporters saw the light and said it was good – considering the current injury situation. And the people rejoiced: “We can see clearly now the (man from) Spain has gone.”

The Graham Potter Premier League era got off to an ideal winning start on Tuesday evening as they overcame Fulham by three goals to two in the nostalgic 7:30 pm kick-off. It wasn’t a vintage performance by any means, but there was no faulting the effort, endeavour or commitment of the players. Not something that could be said about most of the season that had gone before.

As fans we have a right to expect the players to give 100% effort in every game (equivalent to 110% in pundit language). We might have other opinions about them – too old, too slow, not technically good enough at this level, exorbitant transfer fee, wages too high – but these are factors of poor recruitment or selection rather than of their own making. Bad attitude and lack of effort, on the other hand, are unacceptable. Where it becomes difficult is determning the line between individual player effort and deficiencies caused by the inadequacies or vagaries of coaching pigheadedness. Edson Alvarez is a perfect example. Many considered him to be excellent against Fulham while a few weeks earlier he had been ridiculed as an abysmal footballer. Which is true? He had reportedly fallen out with Lopetegui and was routinely set up as the scapegoat for the coach’s baffling defensive tactics. Can we blame a player for not performing in a role they are unsuited for?

I never believed Alvarez ever gave up trying, but his lack of pace was magnified by the role he was given to perform. The same could be said of Danny Ings, who with the best will in the world was never likley to be a like for like replacement for Michail Antonio, someone capable of ploughing a lonely furrow up front. Hopefully, square pegs and round holes are a thing of the past under Potter’s more thoughtful and considered tutelage.

The new coach had hinted towards creativity to fill the gaps created by injuries to Antonio, Niclas Fullkrug, Jarrod Bowen, and Crysencio Summerville. He did this by pushing Lucas Paqueta forward to ‘lead’ the attack, playing Tomas Soucek as a Number 10 and shifting Carlos Soler out wide on the left. He was not let down with all three registering on the scoresheet. Soler and Paqueta executing their finishes expertly, while Soucek’s fifth strike of the season was one of those excellent team goals that never fail to impress.

Although I do have reservations about Soucek in possession, his commitment to the cause is second to none. And all the while he is scoring, the goals are able to compensate for other shortcomings. The more advanced role suits him, as it did in his first season at West Ham. He is a box-and-box midfielder rather than a box-to-box variety. Someone really should bottle the excitement shown in his post-match interview.

It was a pleasant change for West Ham to score as the result of errors forced from a high press. Alvarez harassing Pereira into making a suicidal blind pass across the area for the first, and Ings punishing Leno for dwelling on the ball for the third. I’ve yet to be convinced that playing out from the keeper is worth all the potential grief associated with it. No doubt the visitors were following team orders but unless you have a keeper specifically recruited for his ball-playing skills it comes with huge risks attached.

Still, it gave Marco Silva something to moan about. Silva is an excellent coach who has done a great job at Fulham and, to be fair, his team did boss most of the game. It is not the first time they have been unlucky to come away from the London Stadium empty handed, but he always finds something to complain about when they lose, doesn’t he? And it’s Hey Ho, Silva Whining.

True to form, the Hammers conceded their regulation couple of goals as two hopeful crosses from Iwobi found their way into the back of net. For me, both were goalkeeping errors by Lukasz Fabianski although the coach might want to consider of the positioning of the centre backs and the wisdom of inviting rather than preventing crosses from coming in. During the low block years, full backs were played narrow to limit the space opponents could exploit in the box. The theory being that crosses can easily be defended by towering centre backs and that crossing has become an inefficient tactic in the modern statistically driven game. Something for Potter to revisit, perhaps, given the attributes of existing personnel.

In contrast to the sunnier outlook on the pitch, threatening storm clouds in the baordroom suggest that David Sullivan has taken back control of transfer business. Whether this is a) true or b) makes any material difference to what transpired in the summer is anyone’s guess. Worst case is an open season for every reject, drifter, has-been, and loser (and his agent) who calls himself a striker to add their name to the list of 50+ duds who have been signed in the past.

Even if there are pertinent questions to answer on last summer’s transfer dealings – was too much of the budget spent on Killman, how much have we really paid for Luis Guilhereme and was he expected to play a role this season, should we have been aware that spare parts for Fullkrug were no longer available – is the return to a system that delivered 15 years of flops and failure with no resale value the logical alternative? I’ve no strong attachment to Tim Steidten as an individual but surely a professional recruiter is the preferable choice to a chairman too easily seduced by shiny objects.

The dilemma in the transfer window is how much sense it makes investing in the squad now – in the hope of picking up an extra place or two in league position – against a more thorough overhaul in the summer. There is no obvious urgency to make quick fixes unless they are short-term loans or genuine long-term targets. As ever, the best advice is to treat all the transfer speculation you read as an entertaining work of fiction.

The Hammers return to action on Saturday when they entertain Crystal Palace at the London Stadium. It is a fixture they haven’t won since December 2018 when Manuel Pellegrini’s side won 3-2 (Snodgrass, Hernandez and Anderson.) Palace have recovered from a poor start to the season to sit 5^th in the current form table (last 6 games) and just two points behind West Ham in the table.

Prior to the Fulham game, Potter said that if he had to choose, he would prioritise points above performance. The same will likely apply here in the absence of key individuals. As long as the direction of travel is consistent – playing higher up the pitch and getting more bodies into the box – then that is good enough for now. I hope we continue to see good use of the squad with the opportunity to see more from Ollie Scarles and Andy Irving or even Guilherme and Lewis Orford.

We’ve got to get together sooner or later. Because the revolution’s here. COYI!

West Ham Monday Briefing: No Blue Moon Shine for Lopetegui plus Nostradamus on the January Transfer Window

It was déjà vu all over again as a bright start by West Ham at the Etihad Stadium descended into shipping goals for fun and heavy defeat. Where do the Hammers go from here?

Something is seriously awry when the expected nervous anxiety of pre-match tension can be completely replaced by an overwhelming fear of impending embarrassment. Thus is the lot of a West Ham supporter as we enter 2025. The academy of failure and disappointment!

Julen Lopetegui made four changes to the starting eleven to face Manchester City on Saturday. Jean-Clair Todibo and Vladimir Coufal were the latest revisions to an ever changing defensive line, Tomas Soucek returned from suspension in place of Carlos Soler, and Niclas Fullkrug replaced the injured Jarrod Bowen.

The official West Ham website was coy on the exclusion of Emerson stating only that he was absent from the squad. He may well have picked up an injury, but the dearth of information served only to fuel speculation that he was packing his bags ready for a return to Italy to enjoy his football and pasta like his great-grandmother used to make. Instead of a natural left-sided replacement (Aaron Cresswell or Ollie Scarles) the coach opted to shuffle Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the other side of the pitch. While AWB can operate with some competence as an emergency stand-in left back, it is an unnatural and less effective position for him to be selected for. Still, we are mere fans and not highly paid, experienced coaches.

Having seen several Manchester City games in recent weeks, it was apparent that their greatest attacking threat currently came down the left through Savinho – a huge upgrade for City over Grealish or Doku. It was, therefore, a brave decision to award the job of marking him to the fast-fading Coufal. Bravery here crossing the line into foolishness.

Soucek was the latest unsuitable candidate to be given the honour of wearing the captain’s armband. Tom is another who is too quiet to act as an on-field leader. And with a mere 39 touches and a woeful team-worst pass completion rate of 56% he wasn’t exactly leading by example either. Even in the pre-match huddle he delegated the call to arms to Edson Alvarez. I think many of us had believed Max Kilman had been signed by Lopetegui for his skipper/ leadership qualities but apparently this is not the case – and not the reason for the inflated transfer fee paid.

A common comment from fans is that (even after 20 games) Lopetegui doesn’t know his best team. For me, it goes far deeper than that in that he has been unable to settle upon a setup where formation/ style/ identity matches the players at his disposal to execute it. To the outside observer the idea of playing to your strengths – creating a whole that is greater than the sum of the parts – is the fundamental requirement of any elite level coach. Otherwise, all that remains is a dream. Something that is great in theory but horrible in practice – like making love in a Triumph Herald.

In truth, West Ham had some fine first half moments against the least intimidating City side we have seen for many a year. Several presentable goalscoring opportunities were spurned before eventually falling behind to an unfortunate own goal. And the chance of a breakaway equaliser was denied when Lancashire born referee, Michael Salisbury, erroneously whistled for a foul by Crysencio Summerville in an obvioulsy fair tussle with Akanji. But today’s Hammers are perennially vulnerable, and the inevitable Haaland goals either side of the break settled the game in the host’s favour.

The injury to Bowen is a massive blow to the Hammers. It’s not clear how long it takes to recover from a fractured foot – anywhere between a few hours (Stuart Pearce) and three years (Andy Carrol) based on prior injury experience. If he is missing for the best part of two months, my expected 14^th place finishing position must be revised downwards to 15^th. Both Manchester United and Crystal Palace are sure to overtake us.

Judging by the various comments trawled through online, I am in a rapidly reducing minority who believe the club have a decent set of players but are hamstrung by a coach who either has no plan, or is unable to communicate it to the team. If the internet is to be believed, only Bowen is routinely excused from criticism while the rest of the squad goes something like this:

Areola (showy, weak), Coufal (past it), Kilman (slow, overpriced), Todibo (sulky, injury-prone), Mavropanos (accident waiting to happen), Wan-Bissaka (thinks he’s a winger), Alvarez (erratic, blundering), Soucek (cumbersome, slow), Rodriguez (even slower), Soler (Guy Fawkes lookalike), Paqueta (fraud), Kudus (greedy), Fullkrug (donkey/ cart horse), Summerville (light-weight).

If they really are as bad as that, we may as well pack up and go home. It’s not that many of the current crop would make it into any dream team – and significant gaps do exist in the squad – but I see the failure as systemic rather than down to individuals. The woeful defensive record in particular being a function of the huge gaps and space built into the system by design, rather than the fault of whatever group of players make up the back four in any particular week. It’s almost guaranteed to make chumps of anyone unfortunate enough to play in it.

In a game of opinions, we each like to apportion blame in different orders of magnitude – Sullivan, Lopetegui, Steidten, or the players have all been targeted. But Sullivan is going nowhere voluntarily, Steidten’s role should be a longer-term play (if he is allowed to do it), and it will take an age (and is unaffordable) to replace all the players. That is the why it is the coach who must go if a change of fortune is to be enjoyed. His appointment was a mistake and those who made it must be big enough to admit it.

Several media sources have claimed exclusives on the real reason why West Ham might not sack Lopetegui any time soon. And that is the arcane world of modern football finances. Although presented as a huge reveal it is something we have mentioned here on a number of occasions previously. It will cost money to pay up the contracts of Lopetegui and his entourage – and that money must come from the same PSR pot available for potential transfer dealings. Buying a replacement out of his contract would have even more impact. It is a reality that cannot be put down solely to parsimony on the Board’s part. And explains why the owners might be prepared to limp along to the summer when player sales (Paqueta and Kudus) can reset the size of the pot to PSR in.

January Transfer Window Now Open

Rather than rely on the insider transfer gossip spewing daily from the Give Me The West Ham News Zone websites, I decided to consult the ancient musings of French astrologer, Nostradamus, for any breaking news stories. The probability of accuracy is equally reliable .

As we all know, Nostradamus was a celebrated 16^th century pundit – a medieval Mark Lawrenson, if you like – who favoured a more traditional IV – IV -II formation and opted to publish his quillbait in the form of quatrains, or poetic verse. Critics claim his writings are cryptic, ambiguous, or incomprehensible. Not so very different from today’s media and this column in that sense – or Lopetegui’s tactics, come to that.

Of 942 assorted predictions made by Nostradamus, we have unearthed three that mention iron or irons:

“When in a Fish, Iron and a Letter shall be shut up,
He shall go out, that afterwards shall make War,“
Some scholars believe the fish references a potential swoop for Brighton defender Tariq LAMPREY. Others though suggest it may be a reference to famous former Hammers such as Geoff PIKE, RAY Stewart, Frank MACKERELvennie, Harry REDSNAPPER, Gary BREAM, Neil RUDDock (that’s more than enough fish puns – Ed)

“Into an Iron Cage he shall cause the great one to be draw
When the Child of German shall observe nothing.”
The great one is an expected approach to Jose Mourinho for the coming managerial vacancy while the child of a German observing nothing indicates the difficulty Tim Steidten would have working with him.

“The mad anger of the furious fight,
Shall cause by Brothers the Iron to glister at the Table,“
Fabrizio Romano and I are continuing to work on interpreting this one. Once a signing has been made, we will let you know what it meant.

Out With the Old, In With the New at West Ham: All Change At Stratford Please

Coming soon in 2025, a hilarious all-new series of the wacky reality TV show “You’ve Only Got Two Games To Save Your Job!” Who gets your vote to be evicted from the London Stadium house?

As former Liverpool manager Bill Shankly once said, “Football is a simple game made complicated by people who should know better.” If that principle forms part of the DNA around the corridors of Anfield, it remains elusive in the boardroom and on the training ground at West Ham. Simply put, those in control at the London Stadium do not know better and refuse to learn from experience.

The simplicity of football is the foundation of its popularity. As long as you have a ball and jumpers for goalposts you can have a game. The underlying simplicity has remained even if, at the professional level, the surrounding veneer has changed significantly from Bill’s day. Under the influence of TV money, it has slithered down an insidious path from community spectator event to tarted-up and over-hyped media content. Yet looking beyond the tactical constipation, gamesmanship, win probabilities, set piece coaches, VAR reviews and talking points, the basics are the same: gain possession, control, pass, receive, move, create space and attempt to score. If a team of (supposedly) elite footballers in the self-styled ‘best league in the world’ cannot demonstrate those basics, then something is badly amiss.

It’s not that I expected the Hammers to beat Liverpool. The visitors are a smooth, well-oiled outfit who are highly competent across the pitch and possess several outstanding individuals in selected positions. They are probably the best club side in Europe on current form. But as a minimum we have a right to expect our team to compete in games and demonstrate at least the impression of resistance. It was surprising the game remained scoreless as long as the half hour mark. But once the first goal went in, heads dropped, and it became obvious another rout was on the cards. Just as had happened in heavy defeats to Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal.

I’m guessing Julen Lopetegui’s team selection must have made sense to him when it first took shape in his mind. A cunning plan to clip the wings of Mohammed Salah by playing several players out of position to counter his threat. Without such a genius tactical ploy he may have reaped even more havoc than his one goal and two assists suggested. If Mr Lopetegui had found a pair of Marks and Spencer sports socks underneath the Christmas tree, alongside the boxes of Hamlet cigars and Old Spice, he will have noticed they helpfully embroidered ‘L’ and ‘R’ on each of them. Something to remember when it comes to full back selections in the future.

It is understandable that fans direct their frustrations at the performance of individual players, making judgements on whether they are putting in a shift or not. We all see things differently but for me everything come back to the coach rather than the players. Small margins make big differences at this level and if the coach and players are singing from different hymn sheets then all harmony is lost. A case could be made that Lopetegui doesn’t have the players to play his preferred style (whatever that is); but the very job of a head coach is to make the best use of the resources available. By now it is patently clear that the extensive summer recruitment was not fit for purpose. It did not satisfy the most pressing priorities and failed to remedy the problems of age and pace that had been allowed to develop. Too many fingers in the pie and although Tim Steidten is implicated in some of the duff deal it is far from his failing alone.

The West Ham squad may be unbalanced but is packed with internationals. In half a season, Lopetegui has been unable to find any semblance of an effective unit. The team often look in disarray and have rarely performed in both halves of any game. The team defends in a way that exposes its lack pace – no other team has offered up more chances from fast breaks than West Ham – and square pegs are put in round holes either to accommodate his favourites or because he has fallen out with the alternatives. A lack of belief or understanding by the players as to what is expected – and few leaders on the pitch – can easily be interpreted as an absence of commitment. Compare and contrast how talented coaches have done much better with squads of lesser reputation at Forest, Fulham and Bournemouth – opting for collective endeavour rather than hoping for moments of individual brilliance.

By the middle of next month, the Hammers will likely have succumbed to heavy defeat by Manchester City (and Erling Haaland) – after they finally exorcised their recent demons at Leicester yesterday – and been eliminated from the FA Cup. In theory these are the latest two games Lopetegui has to save his job. In practice, as there will be little left to play for, the Board are just as likely to opt for the default ‘do nothing’ scenario until the end of the season. Another season lost and wasted without a shred of hope to cling to for the future.

The greater frustration is that when Lopetegui is eventually removed, who has any confidence that his replacement will be identified as a results of thorough scouting analysis that matches ability and potential with the club’s strategy for long term development? Rather it will be another short-term fix pushed though by David Sullivan either for reasons of expediency, having the right agent involved, or because he has been seduced by a sparkly cherry-picked fact on the applicants CV – such as used to be manager of Real Madrid. As long as Sullivan continues to make arbitrary decisions in his self-styled role if football guru – without taking advice from professionals – nothing will ever improve.

Ultimately, West Ham failed to break the record of most goals conceded in a Premier League calendar year. The final tally was 79 – 44 in 19 games last season, 35 in 19 games this season – and just one behind the record held by Newcastle. In this year’s standings, only Wolves, Leicester, and Southampton have conceded more. Just as well the club invested heavily in new defenders.

Performances for the whole of 2024 have been unacceptable. Winning just 10 of 38 league games, losing 16, scoring 50 and conceding 79. In all competitions, being thumped by five goals or more on six occasions. A footballing annus horribilis by any definition. How much longer must we put up with this shambles? COYI!

A review of West Ham’s visit to Southampton on Boxing Day

Hopefully you’ve seen Geoff’s excellent review of our win at Southampton which raised us up to the dizzy heights of 13^th in the Premier League after being stuck in 14^th for most of the season so far. Here is a slightly different take on the game.

Is Santa a West Ham fan or not?

Santa’s NOT a West Ham fan
It’s very plain to see.
Soler’s missed an easy chance
And its only 3.03.

Santa IS a West Ham fan
It wasn’t long to wait.
The Saints have fluffed a headed chance
It’s only 3.08.

Santa’s NOT a West Ham fan
The Saints are getting bolder.
Kilman’s had to leave the field
He’s gone and hurt his shoulder.

Santa IS a West Ham fan
When Kilman’s off in pain.
Fabianski makes a save
When the Saints should score again.

Santa’s NOT a West Ham fan
Fab’s whacked in the face.
A long delay, he’s carried off
Areola in his place.

Santa IS a West Ham fan
Saints should have scored again.
They could have gone ahead by now.
The ref has added ten!

The first half lasted 56
It’s up to you now Lop
After Soler’s early miss
The Saints have been on top.

Santa’s NOT a West Ham fan,
Rodriguez sees red,
VAR’s a West Ham fan
It’s now yellow instead.

Santa IS a West Ham fan
Not very long to wait.
Jarrod Bowen once again
Taps in on 58.

Santa IS a West Ham
We really like to tease
The Saints are surely going down
We should beat them with ease.

Yes, Santa IS a West Ham fan
Southampton poor but plucky
We’re not playing all that well
But just a little lucky.

West Ham Briefing: Unwelcome Christmas Cards, Bowen’s Milestone, and a Surge Up The Premier League Table

West Ham avoid a second instalment of new manager bounce as Jarrod Bowen’s instinctive goal is enough to see them past basement dwelling Southampton in an unconvincing encounter at St Mary’s Stadium

At the end of the day, it is a time of year when cliches, like football matches, come thick and fast. The Boxing Day clash at St Mary’s was the proverbial game of two halves. Following Carlos Soler’s point-blank miss-of-the-match, West Ham rode their good fortune and had Southampton’s poor finishing to thank for keeping the game scoreless at the end of a busy first period. Incontrast, the second 45 minutes was a largely drab and uneventful affair. The single moment of note allowing the Hammers to steal the points through Jarrod Bowen’s opportunism as he was first to react to Niclas Fullkrug’s knock on.

It was Bowen’s fifth Premier League goal of the season, his 100^th career league goal in total, and his 48^th in the top flight for West Ham. He has overtaken both Paolo Di Canio and Mark Noble and is now second only to Michail Antonio on 68 goals. A fine achievement but a comparatively modest return compared to the leading scorers at other established clubs – and well behind legendary West Ham poachers of yesteryear such as Watson, Hurst, Ruffell, Dick and Cottee.

The win saw West Ham temporarily vacate the cosy familiarity of 14^th place when they climbed above Manchester United who lost a few hours later at Wolverhampton. An indication of the congestion in the league’s middle reaches is that the result puts the Hammers just six points shy of European qualification and only five behind the Champions. If there was any sense of momentum building on the pitch, then we could almost believe there was something to play for. In all likelihood, it will be back to 14th soon enough.

Southampton certainly offered a sterner test than they had under Russel Martin, even if the improvement wasn’t enough to constitute a new manager bounce for Ivan Juric. Surely, survival for the Saints is already a lost cause. Juric is the fourth new managerial appointment of the Premier League season. Strangely, no-one has yet seen fit to call on the services of the serial winning Scottish manager. So far, the only managerial bouncing on show has been at Wolves under Vitor Pereira. The one-time West Ham target Amorim continues to struggle at Old Trafford as does van Nistelrooy at Leicester.

Any thoughts of a new manager bounce at the London Stadium have been long consigned to history. The 2024/25 vintage West Ham have been seeing more of the ball, but it manifests itself as a defensive (rather than offensive) strategy. Keeping possession in safe areas as a means of limiting opposition attacks. Increased possession has made no impression on the number of touches enjoyed in the opposition box – or on the level of entertainment come to that. Although the number of shots may be higher, these are mainly speculative and from distance.

Julen Lopetegui’s team selections have become routinely predictable. The only nod towards festive season squad rotation is whether to start with Guido Rodriguez or Edson Alvarez as the holding midfielder in Lopetegui’s increasingly preferred 4-1-4-1 formation. Suspensions being the other major contributing factor in determining starting lineups.

West Ham players were again receiving the wrong type of Christmas cards at St Mary’s Stadium where Rodriguez and Tomas Soucek both reached the five yellow card threshold – emulating Emerson, Soler and Lucas Paqueta – that leads to an automatic one-match ban. It could have been worse for Rodriguez had VAR not seen sense to reverse a red card decision that was as rash and unnecessary as the original challenge.

Personally, I don’t see either Rodriguez or Soucek as any great loss. Soucek, especially is an enigmatic character. Who can doubt his commitment to the cause. But as someone supposedly at the beating heart of midfield, his occasional goal threat does not compensate for the lack of pace, poor pass completion and scarcity of touches. Far too often the game passes him by as he meanders around the pitch like a robotic vacuum cleaner.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was again the Hammer’s man-of-the-match. Giving lie to the reputation that he offers little going forward, Wan-Bissaka is alone in being able to carry the ball forward and run at pace from deep. Surely, the nomination as Hammer of the Year is already sewn up. Alvarez made a difference when he was introduced and would always get my vote over Rodriguez or Soucek in a holding role. He is the only defensive midfielder prepared to go hunting for the ball.

Elsewhere, Mohammed Kudus had possibly his most ineffective game in a West Ham shirt. His normally reliable instant control deserting him, he was rarely able to escape the close attention of his marker. We saw a few more glimpses of what Fullkrug might offer as an old-style target man. It’s not what is needed though and there are no midfield runners to feed off him anyway. He did, at least, pick up an assist.

The last 15 or 20 minutes of modern games are rapidly truning into a staccato version of musical substitutes. If Lopetegui has any carefully thought-out plan at the start of games, it is all thrown into the air oncehe has introduced a succession of full backs oblivious to where they are meant to be playing. By the end of yesterdays game, 4-1-4-1 had morphed into 7-0-3.

Soucek and Rodriguez will likely be joined on the sidelines for Sunday’s clash with Liverpool by Lukasz Fabianski (following his nasty concussion), Max Killman (injured shoulder) and Carlos Soler (unspecified knee injury). The game will represent the halfway point of the season. West Ham will have then played each of other sides one time. Faced six of the current top ten at home, and four of them away. Projecting the current points per game forward would see us end the season with 48 points, fewer than last year but better than the year before that.

It would take a brave man to bet on the Hammers four game unbeaten run continuing when the runaway leaders come to town for the final game of 2024. West Ham’s leaky defence against the rampant, free-scoring Reds threatens to be the greatest massacre since they started selling chainsaws in Texas. Probably not be a game for the faint hearted. COYI