Category: Report

In Search Of The Best Eleven

Manuel Pellegrini was quoted after match as saying that “we need to find what the best team is in this moment”.  I think many of us could have told him before the game that the one he picked wasn’t it.  Every manager deserves a honeymoon period while they instil new ideas and philosophy but, at the current trajectory, Pelligrini’s reign could rival that of Frank De Boer.  I am all for a manager having a belief in and commitment to a style of play, and then bringing in players to fit that system, particularly if there is a willingness to entertain as part of that philosophy.  Right now, though, it looks like some pragmatism might be required – he cannot re-create Manchester City with the players at his disposal any more than a Formula 1 team can build a new car from spare parts they picked up in Halfords.  The optimism from an encouraging pre-season is currently looking sorely misplaced.  It might take a while for players to really get to know each other but, in the meantime, they should still be working and fighting for a common cause.  Fitness and energy levels appear well below what is required.

The Home Guard

By the end of the game yesterday, Jack Wilshere was the sole UK representative on the pitch for West Ham – compared to Bournemouth’s nine.  OK, so we started with three but Mark Noble and Robert Snodgrass would be nowhere near that starting eleven if I was picking it.  Overseas players have brought bags full of flair to the English game and it is fair to say that the majority of the real stand-out players in the Premier League are foreigners. Overall, the foreign invasion has been a good thing but having so few British players in your team is a mistake, both for identity and for the grit, hunger and determination of what it takes to compete in this league.  For such an international bunch of players it would be nice to see a little more ‘free movement’ out on the pitch.  Perhaps it is no surprise, given the make up of the backroom staff, where the recruitment focus lies and that we have been unable to scout home grown talent from the lower leagues – such as David Brooks who was a thorn in the Hammer’s side all afternoon.

A Question of Trust

Another Pellegrini comment was that the players had a lack of trust and were too concerned with protecting their first half lead; as if it was the typical game of two halves. I didn’t really see it like that.  Although West Ham bossed possession in the first period, they were far from convincing, and created little aside from the disputed penalty.  Bournemouth still had the better chances and might easily have had a penalty of their own. As with many of our opponents over the past few seasons it was the visitors who upped their game after the break when it was clear that the game was there for the taking.  I know it sounds like a broken record but central midfield was once again too weak and too open.  Also, if you are going to play four at the back then the wide midfield men need to do a lot more tracking back.  Unless Felipe Anderson can be shaken out of his jogging back mode he is going to end up as an expensive flop. Even going forward he hasn’t shown the pace to go past any competent defenders, and apart from a few good passes he was largely anonymous.  I wonder what Pedro Obiang has done to piss off successive managers?

Keystone Cops

As much as you have to give Callum Wilson credit for the Bournemouth equaliser it was assisted generously by Keystone Cops defending at its best. Noble floundering, Fabian Balbuena’s powder puff challenge, Pablo Zabaleta needless dive-in and weetabix goalkeeping from Lukasz Fabianski.  It was the type of goal you might see over the park on a Sunday morning when most of the players are nursing hangovers – it has no place at the top of the professional game.

Running Away From Danger, Angelo

For 95% of the time, Angelo Ogbonna has the air of our best defender when suddenly there is an operating system malfunction and he enters standby mode.  For the second goal he should easily have dealt with the initial danger but instead ending up fouling his opponent; which he compounded by trying only to impede the scorer from the resulting kick rather than looking to clear the ball.  I am of the firm belief that the manager needs to consider three at the back to create some degree of stability.  There were so few positives once again.  Fabianski made some smart saves; Wilshere looks like he could eventually bring a new dimension to our forward play; and Andriy Yarmolenko looked lively once again during his brief spell on the pitch (why didn’t he start?)  Other than that it was much like any other typical slow, ponderous and predictable performance that we have come to expect over recent years.

Meet The New Boss Same As The Old Boss

OK, so we won’t be playing a team as good as Liverpool every week and it is only two months into Manuel Pellegrini’s tenure at the London Stadium.  But yesterday could easily have been a West Ham performance from any of past few seasons as the team outclassed, out-passed, out-thought, out-fought and out-run by the opposition.  Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose!  The images of Pellegrini looking forlorn and perplexed in the dugout could just as easily have been Allardyce, Bilic or Moyes.  It will be a test of his character and expertise to see the response he gets from the team over the coming weeks.  Against Liverpool, the Hammers were second best in every department albeit to a team (love them or hate them) that will almost certainly be in with a shout at the title come the end of the season.

The Scoreline Didn’t Flatter Liverpool

Pellegrini was reported as saying that the scoreline flattered Liverpool.  It didn’t – perhaps he was desperately scraping from the barrel of managerial excuses – and it must be extremely difficult to face the media in the immediate aftermath of such a hammering.  True that the third goal was clearly offside but at least it had the effect of allowing Liverpool to take their foot off the pedal and start to rest some of their key players.  I just knew that Sturridge would score when he came on – if he could play against West Ham every week the Golden Boot would be no contest.

The Core Of The Problem

As with many games in the Premier League, this one was won and lost in midfield.  The criminally neglected defensive midfield was once again the primary source of our downfall; as it will be against all the other top clubs unless there is a return to the bus parking tactics of recent years.  Yesterday was further confirmation that Mark Noble is too slow of foot and mind to compete at a top level these days and that Declan Rice is blatantly unsuited to the role – to the extent that it could well destroy his confidence.  Liverpool were given the freedom of the park to waltz through at will.  Defensive midfield responsibilities require discipline, strength, stamina, speed and mobility.  They need to win and release the ball quickly and intelligently to the more creative players – particularly against teams that press in the way that Liverpool do. Where are our players that can do this and turn West Ham into a unit that is able to maintain possession?

Looking for Positives/ Rating The New Boys

It is always difficult to pick out positives off the back of a comprehensive defeat.  Łukasz Fabiański comes away with some credit as he was not at fault for any of the goals and made several smart saves without which the score would be even less respectable.  Of the other new boys I thought Andriy Yarmolenko gave the best account of himself; Felipe Anderson showed some flashes (although his going to ground so easily was worrying and he failed to track Milner for the crucially timed second goal); Jack Wilshere looked lively – a promise of more to come without really delivering a great deal; Fabian Balbuena did OK in very difficult circumstances; while Ryan Fredericks had a poor debut which spotlighted his defensive limitations.  It is easy to point a finger at the defence when you have just shipped four goals but with players of the quality of Salah, Mane and Firmino sniffing around, it is the supply that has to shut off – otherwise goals are inevitable.  The poorest performances of the afternoon were Rice, Noble, Fredericks and Michail Antonio.

The Only Way Is Up

Starting the season at the bottom of the table means that the only way is up.  It is no surprise that we left Anfield pointless but the nature of the defeat and the overall performance must have been disappointing to all concerned.  Did anyone feel that we competed (for more than the opening ten minutes) or posed any serious threat to the Liverpool goal?  We are sure to do better as new ideas and players start to take shape and should expect incremental improvement.  The success (or otherwise) of our season will be defined more on performances against the Premier League fodder rather than against its elite – but the minimum we should expect is that the latter know that they have been in a game.  Our ability to dominate the also-rans will be put to the test against Bournemouth next week.  Preventing goals, rather than scoring them, looks like it will continue to be the major problem and with the players available I am not convinced that a back four makes a lot of sense.  Fredericks and Arthur Masuaku are both wing backs rather than full backs and three centre backs can go some way towards mitigating the defensive midfield weakness.  I accept that Manuel is somewhat better qualified than I to sort this one out but it looks like a lot of hard work is going to be needed on the training ground over the coming weeks and months.

An Expected Result

Getting a score prediction correct is rare for me but I was spot on with this one although, in part, that was thanks to Manchester City for taking it easy and playing at half pace.  The outcome was pretty much as expected and so probably changes very little in the scheme of things except making the Hammer’s goal difference even more desperate than it was before.  Right from the start there was a general air of resignation around the ground that West Ham were sure to lose this one.  The players did their best to reinforce this belief by only putting up a token effort of resistance, as if they had mentally written off the game.  The only brief period of optimism was that short spell before half time when Aaron Cresswell pulled a goal back to make it 2-1, but the half time pep talks quickly restored equilibrium; the Hammers not even having a sniff at the City goal in the second period.

Record Breakers

Manchester City already have or are about to break all sorts of Premier League records this season as far as wins, points and goals scored are concerned.  Not to be left out, West Ham themselves have managed to snatch the baton for worst defence in the league by allowing the goals against tally to rocket to a whopping 67.  Having leaked three goals or more six times in the last ten games does not bode well for the remainder of the relegation threatened season.  The Hammers are also closing in on the record for all time Premier League defeats and currently sit just two behind Everton (350 to 348).  Ironically, if they manage to claim top spot it is likely to mean relegation and an inability to retain the title next season!

Selection Headaches

Once again the Hammers find themselves with a situation of limited competition for places which so often leads to complacency.  Strangely the exception is with strikers where the strategy of playing none is really keeping them on their toes.  In truth the problem is that the team is so poor defensively and in midfield that playing with more than one striker is regarded as a huge risk.  That each of the recognised strikers are ill-equipped to play a lone role means that Marko Arnautovic (brought to the club as a midfielder) has become the obvious choice to play up front.  Arnautovic is in a one-horse race in the Hammer of The Year stakes and it would be no surprise if he wanted out in the summer.  Despite these selection limitations why anyone would believe that Patrice Evra would be the answer to the defensive frailties against the runaway champions is beyond me.  The recruitment of Evra and Jordan Hugill in the winter transfer window was the icing on the shambolic, muddled, ill-judged and short term cake of boardroom thinking.

Lazy and Unacceptable Performance

In last week’s defeat to Arsenal there was at least an attempt to make a game of it until the late capitulation intervened.  This week the players offered nothing!  David Moyes would not have been my choice as manager but I was prepared to give him a chance because I believed he would get the team fitter and better organised.  For a while it looked to be working but now we are back to where Slaven Bilic left off.  How can a side still battling for Premier League survival put in that type of disinterested performance even if they were outclassed?  Where is the leadership both on and off the field?  What is the downside for simply going through the motions as opposed to earning those huge pay packets?  Out of yesterday’s game maybe Arnautovic and Angelo Ogbonna were close to adequate but the rest were dreadful; with special mention for dreadfulness going to the woeful central midfield pairing of Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate.

A Sorry Squad

Moyes cannot take full responsibility for all of the weaknesses in the squad.  I have no insight to what attempts were made to strengthen in January but my guess is that the Board thought they could muddle through without having to dig into their pockets – a survival at minimum cost strategy.  It was already known that Obiang would be out for the season and the failure to bring in a replacement was mindbogglingly negligent. Further, why the two Reece’s and Fonte were allowed to leave when numbers were already short is a major puzzle.  I am sure Declan Rice will go on to have a great career in football but he could be severely damaged by the recent experience of too many games too soon in such a difficult and high pressure position.  The running of the club (at least on the football side) remains completely amateurish.  West Ham are  going backwards without any pretence of a strategy for progress.  Filling the squad with past their best, ageing players is penny pinching short-termism posing as a policy of acquiring Premier League experience.  Putting up with an under-performing academy and sub-standard training facilities will do nothing to attract and retain the type of players who have other offers on the table.  From the current squad I see Arnautovic, Rice and Manual Lanzini as the only real assets and each of these could easily leave in the summer.  Of the remainder I wouldn’t lose any sleep if the lot were shipped out – they are either too old, too fragile or don’t care.

A Fortunate Bonus Point

I am not going to lie, this was a very fortunate but hugely valuable bonus point in West Ham’s survival struggle.  For most of the first half, and large parts of the second, the Hammers were second best in all areas.  There is no doubt that Chelsea have some fine players but allowing those players full and free rein to express those talents was a reckless strategy and served again to highlight the fragility of the West Ham squad.  If you are wanting to stop Chelsea play then you don’t allow the likes of Hazard and Willian as much of the ball as they like, and give them all the room in the world to use it.  West Ham have the second poorest defensive record in the Premier League but defending is a team responsibility.  Until there is effective protection from midfield and an ability to retain possession for more than a couple of passes then the defence will always be under pressure.  At the end it was a very welcome point but it owed more to the host’s shortcomings than our own efforts.  On another day Chelsea could easily have been out of sight well before the hour mark.

A Return to Average Performances

Following on from the encouraging win against Southampton the previous week, only a handful of players could be satisfied with their afternoon’s work.  Edmilson Fernandes, Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble were all poor in the roles asked of them in midfield while Joao Mario and Arthur Masuaku did not live up to the promise shown a week before.  On the plus side both Angelo Ogbonna and Declan Rice performed admirably in defence showing a level of concentration and commitment that is not always obvious in our rearguard.  Joe Hart had an excellent afternoon demonstrating an agility that has been largely lacking during his time in London.  My issue with Hart remains that having a loan player (that you have no intention (I assume) of buying) as your Number 1 is a flawed strategy.  Star man once again was Marko Arnautovic who has become more skilful and more of a handful as each week goes by – even if he should have done more to prevent the Chelsea goal.  I hate to think where we would be this season without him.  There really is no need to hold a Hammer of the Year poll.

Llamar A Un Amigo

West Ham were totally on the ropes from the start of the second half and it looked to be only a matter of time before Chelsea extended their lead.  A lifeline was badly need but it took David Moyes a long time to ‘phone his friend’, Javier Hernandez.  It was no surprise that it was Fernandes that was sacrificed, a player with good technique but no position; wherever he was meant to be playing yesterday was not it.  Pundits scratch their heads as to why Hernandez does not get more game time at West Ham but he remains an enigma.  Undoubtedly he is the best goal scorer at the club but how to accommodate him (other than as substitute) remains problematic.  Conceding goals has been more of an issue this season than scoring them and playing two forward players could make matters worse.  Arnautovic has blossomed once freed from tracking back duties and this could be compromised if he is played in a more withdrawn role.  Having said that it was superb combination play between the two to score a finely struck equaliser.

Great Tackle or Penalty?

The game certainly livened up once the scores were level.  The closest West Ham went to nicking a winner was when Arnautovic breezed past the Chelsea defence only to be thwarted by Kante as he bore down on goal.  While Kante was lightning fast in getting back (probably no other player could have even got close) it still looked to me as if the he played Arnie’s boot rather than the ball.  Personally I was pointing to the spot straight away but the referee thought otherwise.  This is not the type of decision that you get playing away at a top six side but would have had a high probability of being given if it had happened at the other end.

Fighting For Survival

The weekend turned out to be a good one for West Ham in the battle for survival.  The point earned took our total to 34 from 32 games played.  My best guess is that neither Southampton nor Stoke will get more than 35 points meaning that one more win or a couple of draws should be enough.  Games at this time of the season have the added complication of teams starting to switch off or with their focus elsewhere.  Several of the relegation threatened clubs still have to face Everton who are clearly going through the motions under Fat Sam; Leicester also have nothing to play for.  Southampton made a better fist of things against Arsenal but still came away with nothing from a half empty Emirates, where the hosts are pinning all of their hopes on the Europa League.  West Ham may already have done enough to limp over the line but it is evident that major surgery is required on the squad if this season’s woes are not to be repeated; preferably by someone who knows how to build a team rather than simply buying players offered up by agents without any understanding of how they will complement one another on the pitch.  You can’t complete a jigsaw with odd shaped pieces taken from many different puzzles.

The Good, The Bad And The Game Of Two Halves

Whenever a match ends in an emphatic win for one side or the other, the reporting tends towards the extremes of whether the victors being excellent or the defeated very poor.   What we witnessed at the weekend was a combination of both in what could be described as a typical ‘game of two halves’.  Arguably the Hammers played some of their best and most fluent football of the season in the first period, almost reaching rampant on the domination scale.  It is a shame that it was decided to declare at half time, in what has been described as a show of game management, because I was really hoping for a hat-full of goals.  I have enough West Ham games under my belt to know that sitting back can be, and has been, a dangerous tactic.  A team rarely comes back from three goals down but if it is going to happen then it is going to happen against the Hammers.  In the circumstances Southampton had nothing to offer and gave the impression of not being too bothered about making a game of it.  The second half lacked any real incident and it seems that Mark Hughes is well on his way to relegating two teams in a single season.

Command Performances

For once, the starts were aligned and there were excellent performances throughout the team.  At the back, Declan Rice didn’t put a foot wrong and Angelo Ogbonna had a fine game showing what a good defender he can be when he stays alert for the entire ninety minutes.  It was interesting to read that David Moyes had intended to play Rice in midfield if James Collins had been fit as the much criticised (particularly by me) partnership of Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate exceeded all expectations in securing central midfield.  Noble threw off his recent sluggishness adding intensity to his usual  graft while Kouyate was surging forward to great effect.  Arthur Masuaku made a welcome return on the left and immediately provided balance providing an outlet for his colleagues (Alan Devonshire style) as someone able to maintain possession for more than one or two touches.  When Michail Antonio limped off early in the game I feared the worst as without his physical presence goal scoring options looked to have narrowed even further.  Little did I know that Joao Mario would step up to the plate for his best game yet in claret and blue or that the returning Edmilson Fernandes would be so energetic and effective after a long lay-off?  The icing on the cake was another superb Marko Arnautovic performance which embraced pace, power, flair and enterprise.  His spat with Hughes was priceless!

The Bare Bones Formation

On the face of it Southampton went into the game with the more attacking line-up.  But there is no point having two strikers (neither of whom are particularly mobile) if you don’t give them any service and, at the same time, you blunt your most dangerous weapon by playing the wing backs in a flat back four.  There were no doubt some eyebrows raised at the Hammers starting eleven but a look at the bench shows how few options there are available at the moment – the bare bones can be partly put down to bad luck with injuries but it is mostly the result of haphazard and arbitrary player recruitment practices.  Arnautovic has been a revelation since being moved to a more central role and has a style (pace, invention and mobility) that none of the more recognised strikers possess.  Even if the others were fit they really are no more than impact players in my mind.  There won’t be many easier opponents than Southampton and my jury is still out over the central midfield pairing until they prove it can work without reasonable doubt. There are also questions as to whether Manuel Lanzini and Mario can play effectively in the same team or what the best role is for Fernandes.

Beautiful Team Goals

The beauty of Saturday’s win were three excellent team goals which, to me, are more satisfying than the spectacular pile-drivers that routinely make the goal of the season running.  Each of the goals featured a speed and aggression that is all too often missing from West Ham’s play.  For the first, there was pressure by Mario and Noble to win possession following a Saint’s corner and when Kouyate embarked on a typical powerful run it was, for once, topped off with an insightful pass rather than a hopeful punt. Mario’s three touches (including a cheeky one with his knee) ended with a satisfying ripple of the net.  The second was also the result of sustained pressing before Mario’s measured cross was met by a powerful Arnautovic header that the keeper couldn’t hold allowing Marko to react first to slot home.  The third currently stands as my favourite West Ham goal for some time.  Like the first it was excellent, rapid counter attacking football culminating with Masuaku’s raking cross expertly stroked home by Arnautovic.  It reminded me of a goal of the season scored by Martin Peters past Peter Shilton at Upton Park in 1968.  Had Aaron Cresswell’s late effort snuck in under the bar then perhaps there would have been even more competition for favourite goal.

The Relegation Stakes

It was a good day all-round for West Ham in the relegation stakes.  Three points gained while most of the relegation rivals lost has put some daylight between the Hammers and the bottom three.  The survival threshold now looks as if it will be around 36 or 37 points and if Saturday’s level of performance and commitment can be repeated then this should be comfortably achieved.  However, if there is a return to the performances witnessed in the previous three games then all bets are still on.  It is difficult to understand why our players need to specially psyche themselves up to put in this level of effort.  Surely it should be the norm.  The fragility of the squad depth is still a concern and we are possibly just another injury or two away from yet more anxiety.  Had we not been so generous to Brighton and Newcastle or seen out the game properly at Selhurst Park then the players could already be preparing to splash on the Ambre Solaire on a beach of their choice.

Some people are on the pitch…..

Probably it is no surprise that events unfolded as they did.  It started with a show of unity in memory of Bobby Moore and ended with a shambolic descent into chaos both on and off the pitch.  I would defend the right of any paying customer to make their feelings known but there is a time, a place and a way of doing it.  Perhaps the board do not have the interests of the club at heart (beyond the value of their own investment) but then neither do those who ran onto the pitch – their only objective was personal attention seeking.  In typical West Ham fashion the response was slow and late and there are sure to be consequences; how serious we will have to wait and see.  Disgraceful scenes were beamed around the world.  For a while, it looked as though the players might be taken off the pitch and the director’s box was more or less emptied for the safety of its occupants.  By the end a forlorn Trevor Brooking sat alone as the baying crowd sang ‘he’s one of our own’.  I doubt that a respectable man like Sir Trevor was sharing the same sentiment.

A Darkest Hour

It is difficult to see how there could be any positive outcome or acceptable way back from yesterday’s debacle – at least during the short term that remains of the 2017/18 season.    There will be action by the FA for sure – perhaps it will be just a fine but games played behind closed doors or away from London are other options they will be considering.  We are a club to make an example of, after all.  The pitch invaders will undoubtedly be banned from the stadium but how does the club with Board, players and fans at each other’s throats navigate the rest of the season while at the same time battling a desperate relegation fight.  For me, this now puts West Ham as one of the strongest of favourites for the drop – just behind West Bromwich Albion.  Perhaps some will see that as a price worth paying if it means farewell to Gold and Sullivan but I would view it as a disaster from which recovery will be slow and painful.

Shuffling The Bare Bones

Moyes decided to shake things up after heavy defeats at Liverpool and Swansea.  But with a third three goal defeat on the trot and the disappearance of what was once a slight goal difference advantage the changes badly backfired. The Hammers have conceded more goals than any other team in the division and now boast the fourth worst goal difference as they sleepwalk towards relegation.  Rather than strengthening the squad in January it was weakened by more leavers than joiners.  Further injuries mean that few to no options are available in an ageing and lopsided squad; while potential youthful reinforcements were allowed to go out on pointless loans.  I predicted that Moyes would reinstate Joe Hart but this was a mistaken gamble as demonstrated with the third goal.  Michail Anntonio made a welcome return to the side but he is wasted on the left where good positions created are undone by an inability to deliver from his weaker side.  Declan Rice did not deserve to be left out and could have done a job either in central defence or midfield.  Once again, the defensive midfield resistance was as flimsy as a David Sullivan promise.

Another Self Inflicted Defeat

West Ham bossed the first half without being able to turn better chances into anything tangible.  Marko Arnautovic should have done better when through on goal and Manuel Lanzini really should have scored.  By the time the half was coming to a close it was clear that Burnley had realised that the Hammers were ripe for the taking.  In the second half the visitors were by far the more composed side from the start and when Dyche introduced the second striker things started to look very ominous.  The breakthrough goal was a typical piece of lackadaisical Angelo Ogbonna defending.  We have seen him do this so many times in the past where he switches off and enters standby sauntering mode.  He should never have allowed Woods to outpace him and then give him all the time in the world to pick out Barnes.  After that the spirit visibly drained from West Ham and with further goals following swiftly it was the cue for the disgraceful crowd scenes to  unfold.  There was not even time for the consolation goal of previous weeks.

I Think It’s All Over

There is no game for three weeks now and it seems that the players are off on holiday to Miami.  We know how well these warm weather breaks have worked in the past and so expectations are low.  West Ham could well be in the bottom three by the time the next game comes around; wherever that will be played.  Suddenly the relegation battle looks to be narrowing down to a five horse race – or four teams competing for the remaining two places on the assumption that West Bromwich are already certainties.  Present form suggests that one of those unfortunate two may well be the Hammers.

An Expected Result

In the scheme of things the outcome of this match doesn’t really change anything as far as West Ham’s battle for survival is concerned.  I doubt that anyone working out their predictions and permutations for the remainder of the system, from the team of analysts with a supercomputer to man with a pencil and the back of a fag packet, expected West Ham to take anything out of yesterday’s game.  If there was disappointment it was the size of the defeat and it’s resultant hit on goal difference, which at -15 is now worse that two of the teams below us.  Mark Noble claimed that the scoreline was harsh on West Ham but it could easily have been worse if Liverpool had been more clinical.  At what point a routine defeat turns into a thumping is debatable but the Hammers were well and truly beaten by a talented and in-form Liverpool side.  The Merseysiders were allowed to dictate the game and took full advantage and although the West Ham players put in a decent amount of effort the impression was that there little belief to go alongside it.

The Strangest Selection

The team selection surprised me.  I had doubted that we would see Joao Mario and Manuel Lanzini on the pitch at the same time and yet David Moyes was happy to give the combination a try.  The result was a narrow formation that lacked width without solving the usual inability to provide an outlet for besieged defenders or to keep the ball once in possession.  I thought Mario was poor throughout and although he was not alone in that it was his most ineffective game since coming to England.  Starting with one of Mario and Lanzini along with Michail Antonio would have made more sense and, for a brief period after his introduction, the presence of Antonio appeared to unsettle Liverpool’s defence.  This wasn’t a game where West Ham lacked effort but effort alone is not enough at this level.  Players giving 100% should be a given and what West Ham need are skillful players giving everything; not players who make up for lack of techniques with effort.  An honourable exception to the lack of quality on show in claret and blue yesterday was Marko Arnaoutovic who once again demonstrated what an exceptional player he can be.

Dad’s Army Defenders

When the referee called Mark Noble over following the yellow card shown to James Collins I imagined the conversation going: Referee – “what’s his name?”; Nobes – “don’t tell him Ginge”.   With the introduction of Patrice Evra into the Hammers rearguard we now have a defence worthy of the veterans league.  Looking at all of the outfield players with mainly defensive responsibilities (i.e. everyone except Mario, Lanzini and Arnie) they are characterised by an overall lack of pace throughout.  Once again the central midfield pairing of Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate failed to get even close to impressing and allowed Liverpool to attack the backline with impunity.  Evra and Pablo Zabaleta might have shown admirable commitment but with the best will in the world they are never going to be able to bomb forward to provide width in support of their forwards.  What a contrast to Alexander-Arnold and Robertson for the Reds.

Assists For The Opposition Goals

Despite Liverpool’s dominance the Hammers once again contributed to their own downfall in the goals conceded.  The opener by Can was just the type of goal I had not expected to concede; a simple header from a corner.  It did appear to me that Adrian was badly impeded but this seems one of those rules that is now considered optional by referees.  The second goal was the killer coming so soon after half-time and some blame must go first to Kouyate for a series of powder puff challenges and then to Aaron Cresswell for not getting close enough to Salah.  The third was a result of Mario giving possession away cheaply and compounded by Adrian’s poorly judged rush from the area (but please no recall for Joe Hart) and by the fourth the players were just hoping for the game to end as quickly as possible.  Giving a team like Liverpool so much of the ball was always going to be a huge risk.  The weakness in central midfield, a lack of belief in being able to keep the ball and players bunching rather than spreading play all served to surrender the initiative to the opposition.  Conceding was only a matter of time.

The Table Doesn’t Lie

West Ham slip to 13^th position just three points (four if you count goal difference) out of the relegation places.  Assuming that Palace do not beat Tottenham today by two goals or more the standings will be unchanged before the crunch game next weekend away at Swansea.  At least Swansea also experienced their own thumping yesterday meaning that both teams will need to demonstrate ‘bouncebackability’.  With the bottom of the table so compressed and so many teams in relegation danger there are few yet in a position to start thinking about the summer holidays.  Leicester had the look of going through the motions about them yesterday and maybe Burnley and Everton do as well.  Some consolation in that these are three teams we have yet to play.

We All Pull Together

The team performance against Watford was a perfect reaction to the disappointment of half-hearted effort on show at Brighton last week.  In David Sullivan’s attempt at a damage limitation video (that was posted on the official West Ham website) he repeated, in a style reminiscent of Theresa May’s much ridiculed strong and stable slogan, the mantra as to how we all needed to pull together to drag the club out of its current plight.  I am all for unity but for it to be achieved everyone has to see that striving for it is to their advantage.  Donating my time, effort and money simply to line someone else’s pocket is just not tempting enough to earn my unquestioning support unfortunately.  Still the players responded well and they ably demonstrated the spirit, determination and togetherness required to earn a valuable three points from what looked to be a troublesome fixture against a confident Watford side.

Arnie Is Back

In my match preview I predicted a point at best and that we would be lucky to see Marko Arnautovic on the bench.  The inaccuracy of that latter expectation had a direct impact on the imprecision and negativity of the former.  While I am in confession mode, I will admit to having been ambivalent about the signing of Arnautovic.  Not that I was a huge Stoke City watcher but the impression I had was of an inconsistent, fair-weather, sun-on-his-back type of player who would pick and choose which matches he would contribute to at the best of his ability.  His early outings in claret and blue did little to dispel that assessment.  He looked moody and disinterested and added an early blot to his copybook with a needless sending off at Southampton.  Then suddenly, after thirteen goalless outings, he was given a more attacking role by David Moyes, free from tracking back along the wing, and goes on to score seven times in the next eleven games.  And it is not only in goals that he is contributing to the cause as his overall effort, strength and impressive close control have made him into a defender’s nightmare.  It is difficult for me to remember ever being so completely wrong about a player in the past.   When the new golden age of player recruitment, as promised by the Board, becomes a reality let’s hope there are a few more Arnies up their sleeves.

The Legendary Game Of Two Halves

In many ways it was an unusual game.  The first half West Ham were very much on the front foot with great movement and invention on show.  Cheikhou Kouyate was a midfield driving force demonstrating a power and energy that has largely been missing from his game in recent times, and with the ball at their feet the combination of Arnautovic, Michail Antonio, Joao Mario and Javier Hernandez always looked threatening and capable of opening up the Watford defence.   A goal disallowed for the thinnest of offside margins, a denied penalty appeal and a spurned Arnautovic chance all preceded the opening goal.  When Hernandez headed home after a fine Antonio run and cross it felt like we were on a roll.  The second half was a very different animal and it was difficult to tell whether this was because Watford had upped their game or whether West Ham had decided the best tactic was to defend deep and deny the visitors any chance of a quick counter attack.  The inability of West Ham to keep the ball for more than a few touches and the tendency to go for the long ball was a concern but for all of Watford’s possession they created little.  Watching live it seemed a very long second half that was all Watford, but watching the highlights later it was apparent that, apart from a free kick well saved by Adrian, it was West Ham who enjoyed the clear cut chances.  Ultimately it was the Hammers who secured a further (rather scrappy) goal to seal the match and claim the points.

Heads Up

Initially the starting line-up puzzled me when it was first announced.  I was sure it was going to be a back four and when it was apparent that this was not the case I was concerned about how well the Angelo Ogbonna, James Collins, Aaron Cresswell threesome would deal with Watford’s creative players.  Cresswell has performed adequately in his new role but I am yet to be convinced that his lack of height will not be exploited by more astute opponents.  For all of Collins limitations against more mobile adversaries there are few better when the opposition decide to rely on the lofted cross as their main form of attack.  Similarly the aerial assault plays to one of Ogbonna’s main strengths; the other being wrestling with opponents at corners.  Much was made of Watford’s 64% possession but it should be obvious to most by now that possession does not equate to dominance.

Canny Jock Or Dour Scot?

It remains tight at the bottom end of the Premier League table but the thirty point milestone is a good one to have crossed with still more than ten games to go.  When Moyes took control of the team, West Ham had recorded nine points from eleven games and were sitting in eighteenth place.  In the sixteen matches since he took charge his team have amassed twenty one points and now sit in twelfth place.  It is a decent achievement and current trajectory should ensure a safe end to the season and even eyes on a top ten finish.  The likelihood that at least six out of the eight teams sitting below West Ham in the table outperform them by a sufficient margin in the remaining eleven games is a slim one.  What happens at the end of the season though is anyone’s guess.  Personally, I think Moyes should be given the opportunity to show what he can do (both in terms of success and style) after a sensibly planned transfer window.  Whether he wants to, or will be allowed to, depends very much on what the new strategy of pulling together actually means in reality.

Current Form Resurgence

At the risk of cherry picking statistics in order to prove a particular point, West Ham’s form over the past nine games gives every reason for supporters to breathe a little easier right now.  Disregarding David Moyes’ first three games in charge, as an opportunity to get his feet under the table, the Hammers have since taken fifteen points from nine games; a return that if repeated for the remainder of the season would deliver a comfortable fifty-five points.  At the same time, the goal difference (although still in debit) is starting to look much more reasonable in comparison with the rest of the relegation threatened pack.  Three points are welcome at any time but on Saturday there was something of a recent rarity where victory was backed up with a fine dominant performance that demonstrated some of the most enterprising football witnessed for some time.

Team Selection Vindicated

It would be preposterous to question team selection following such an emphatic win but there was plenty of online negativity when the lineup was first announced; mainly centred on a defensive looking midfield and the absence of a recognised striker.  The central midfield continues to be a problem area for West Ham and putting three bodies in it was a belt and braces solution for the respective shortcomings of the three individuals involved.  In the context of the game it worked very well with Mark Noble getting more freedom and Cheikhou Kouyate being able to make himself a nuisance (Fellaini style without the elbows) in more forward positions.  The one player who was unlucky to miss out was Declan Rice but I suspect that the management are keen to manage the youngster’s game time.  I do not really see Rice as a midfield alternative and, for me, it would have been a toss-up between him and Aaron Cresswell for the final back three berth.  Cresswell is doing OK but his lack of stature is a vulnerability that more wily opponents than Huddersfield will seek to exploit.

False Strikers

There has been a lot of talk about West Ham’s strikers and their respective attributes with the probability that none of the existing crop is a good fit to the way that Moyes wants to play.  Despite stating at his press conference that he didn’t want to lose any of his four main strikers (and that he wasn’t looking for any new ones) it was interesting that he plumped for Marko Arnautovic in the striking role for Saturday’s game, just as he had previously shown a preference to use Michail Antonio for that task in earlier games.  Arnautovic revelled in his new found freedom and gave the Huddersfield defence a torrid time.  It was a match winning performance and his transformation over recent weeks has been a revelation.  He has a reputation for being moody and we must hope that he can continue to be motivated to show was a superb player he can be.  The link up play between himself and Manuel Lanzini was a joy and particularly effective when the team is looking to break quickly.  How this might translate against a team coming to the London Stadium to defend is another question altogether.

Team Effort

Understandably it was Arnautovic and Lanzini who received the plaudits following the weekend’s game but this was truly a tremendous all-round team effort.  I don’t think any player let the side down although one or two could have done better before Lolley popped up to net with his excellent equaliser. It has become fashionable in recent weeks to target the performances of Kouyate and Pedro Obiang for any deficiencies in West Ham’s play; and although neither of them has been at the top of their game they haven’t played as consistently poorly as some have claimed.  One of the many player ratings I saw over the weekend (I think it was from Claret & Hugh) singled out Kouyate as the worst performing Hammer, this despite his telling involvement in three of the Hammer’s four goals.  It is probably time to get off the bandwagon when you can no longer be objective.

The West Ham Enigma

As West Ham fans our long experience of false dawns make us suspicious and ensures that we do not get carried away too easily by a few good results.  However, we can be quietly encouraged by the improved performances that Moyes and the coaching team have managed to get from the players in a relatively short space of time.  Naysayers will still point to cup performances as a reason to criticise but as much as we all love a cup run the club will see preserving Premier League status as the much bigger (if not exclusive) priority.  Do you think that if West Ham won the FA Cup but were relegated the manager would still be in a job come the summer?   So despite the recent turnaround in form the official stance from all concerned or associated with the club is to emphasise that there is still much work to be done before we can think of ourselves as safe.  I am certain, however, that the more agreeable league position will put a different complexion on transfer window dealings, where signings can be made not just through panic but with longer term improvement in mind.

Do you remember just a few short weeks ago when West Ham appointed David Moyes as the new manager to replace the much loved, but tactically inept Slaven Bilic? Social media sites went into overdrive even though the departing boss was not getting results, the team were performing poorly, there was no apparent plan, and the new man was the fourth most successful Premier League manager of all time. I guess it says more about social media than anything else. The win this weekend meant that Moyes became just the fourth manager to win 200 league matches (behind Ferguson, Wenger and Redknapp). And we were even the first game on Match of the Day! We are now unbeaten in five games and have moved five points away from the drop zone and sit in eleventh place.

The transformation has been astonishing in such a short space of time. I’m not getting carried away and, of course, there is still a long way to go, but with exactly the same players we are now in a much healthier position. How many people would have predicted that we would collect eight points from the last four away fixtures at Bournemouth, Stoke, Tottenham and Huddersfield? (We had only previously picked up eight points in our previous 15 fixtures on our travels!) We should have had ten but for the ridiculous refereeing of Bobby Madley that cost us two points. Even the point at Tottenham, although fortunate in some respects, could have been three if our defensive resilience had lasted just a few more minutes. How many fans would have thought that when he got sent off at Southampton, Marco Arnautavic would be such an influential player, so much so that a little over half way into the season he is already odds-on favourite to be the Hammer of the Year next May? And how pleased am I that I put him into my Fantasy Football team prior to the Huddersfield game?

The win against Huddersfield once again made nonsense of the importance of possession statistics. With little over one-third of the ball, and a poorer pass completion rate, we dominated the game in the areas where it mattered and comfortably won the match. It took a superb goal from the home side to wipe out Mark Noble’s opener, but then Arnie scored just eleven seconds into the second half, before setting up Lanzini for two further goals. The creative partnership between Arnie and our diminutive Argentinian was a delight. Huddersfield had only previously been beaten at home by Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham, which shows the difficulty that we faced and how impressive was our performance.

We now need to push on in the forthcoming games and consolidate our mid-table position, looking upwards and not downwards. Despite much speculation nothing has happened yet in the transfer window, but we still need a couple of quality players to give a better balance to the squad. It remains to be seen if the right players can be identified and persuaded to join us. And more to the point the owners need to make the finance available to ensure this happens. But I am more confident with our new managerial / coaching regime that we can move further up the table. However, there is still a long way to go to achieve the aspirations that the owners voiced when we moved into our new stadium.