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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

West Ham’s first Claret and Blue Derby of the season is a visit to Aston Villa for the televised game on Sunday

Someone said to me this week that watching football in the Premier League is like watching ITV. What he was getting at was that the season is barely underway with just eight games gone and there have already been two international breaks. He’d prefer the Premier League to be modelled on the BBC and have no breaks. I could see his point as I don’t like the breaks myself, especially so early in the season, barely giving teams the opportunity to get into a rhythm or build momentum. I don’t really mind the breaks on commercial television though. These days with Smart TVs and a host of features you don’t have to watch anything live. You can arrange to fast forward through advertisements, or even use the gaps to get a drink or have a toilet break if you wish.

Of course if you are a fan of rugby union or 50-over cricket there are World Cups in both in progress at the moment so that takes the edge off missing your weekly dose of Premier League football. Having said that it was no fun to watch England capitulate to Afghanistan in the cricket, although the England rugby team have progressed well, partly as a result of a favourable draw. They’ll be doing well to get past South Africa this weekend though.

But I’m glad to say that Premier league football is back and we are away to Villa in the TV match at 4.30 on Sunday afternoon. That won’t be an easy fixture either. Villa have progressed enormously since we won on their ground early last season with Pablo Fornals’ deflected goal. Having said that, we too have made significant strides in this campaign and after eight games sit just two points and two places below them. They have lost twice (as we have) but they have won five and drawn once compared to our four wins and two draws.

They suffered heavy defeats to both Newcastle and Liverpool and were (surprisingly?) dumped out of the EFL Cup losing at home to Everton. After qualifying for the group stage of the Europa Conference (8-0 on aggregate v Hibernian) they have won one and lost one of the group games.

I was interested to read an article on the BBC Sport website this week assessing how Premier League teams have started the season. Recent years have seen the proliferation of statistics in football, and whilst I am not totally averse to some of them, there is one that really gets to me and that is expected goals (xg).

The article quite rightly pointed out that results are what matter most, but it went on to say that “taking a look at teams expected goals numbers can help us see how much permanent class they’ve shown so far and get an idea of how the rest of their season could pan out”. It went on to say that “comparing teams actual goal difference with their expected one we can see whose foundations for the season are built on stone and whose are built only on sand.” What a load of …..

Their ”form v class – gd v xGD” graphic had Newcastle and Manchester City at the top of the tree. Not for me I’m afraid. The last time I looked at the league table Tottenham and Arsenal led the way, both unbeaten. Manchester City have lost two games and Newcastle three out of just eight and sit below us in the table.

The conclusion concerning West Ham was that “early-season enthusiasm might be a bit premature with the Hammers outperforming their expected goals more than any other side.”

I’ll concede that expected goals may have some value in football analysis but let’s not go over the top. One of the games in the Premier League this season was won by 6-1. It involved our opponents this weekend hammering Brighton. But which team came out on top in expected goals (xG)? That’s right – Brighton.

Expected goals has so many limitations. The sample size, number of games played and strength of opponents when doing analysis after just eight games might not reflect true ability. What about the specific context of a match, such as the scoreline, the time remaining, the importance of the game, all of which can significantly impact the likelihood of scoring?

xG doesn’t account for the skill and performance of goalkeepers which can vary widely. A top keeper may save shots that would be goals against others. xG doesn’t measure the level of defensive pressure faced. A player facing intense defensive pressure may have a lower chance of converting a high xG opportunity.

What about the skill level of the attacker? A highly-skilled striker might convert low xG chances more often than one with lesser skills. xG is based on historical data so it might not account for players who can score in unconventional ways or from unexpected positions.

xG doesn’t differentiate between set-piece situations and open-play chances. Set pieces often have different dynamics and conversion rates. As West Ham fans in recent times we are well aware of this.

Football is inherently unpredictable, and even high xG chances can be missed and low xG chances can be converted. I could go on. Let’s not go overboard about xG. Just as a team with the highest percentage of possession will not necessarily come out on top in a game of football the same is true for the xG statistics.

Similarly past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance in terms of results. The fact that David Moyes is unbeaten in his last 14 games against Aston Villa has no real bearing on what will happen at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon. It is a piece of information that surprised me when I read it though.

We are unbeaten in our last five visits to Villa Park in the Premier League, winning the most recent three by 1-0, 4-1 and 3-1 scorelines. Pablo Fornals got the only goal at Villa Park last season and has a good record of scoring against them. Will that have any importance in the manager’s team selection for this game? Probably not.

With 13 points from their last six games Villa are one of the form teams in the Premier League with only Tottenham and Arsenal at the top of the table with better form records than that. Having said that only the top 5 teams can better our impressive haul of ten points in our last six games.

It will be a difficult game. I really don’t care about xG but I hope we can continue our early season form with at least a point and hopefully three. I am loving the players bought to replace Rice this season. Alvarez, Kudus and especially Ward-Prowse have really settled well and Paqueta has shown why he is a regular starter for Brazil (until recently of course!). We still have a way to go, and are light in some positions, but squad-wise we are as healthy as we have been for a while. What are the chances of three points?

Bankesy’s Identity Revealed As Incompetent Referee: 5 Takeaways From West Ham’s Draw With The Toon

A terrible refereeing performance from Peter ‘Bottle’ Banks overshadows a thrilling game between West Ham and Newcastle. Once again, Moyes caution and lack of belief sees him happy to settle for a point against top opposition. Here’s what we learned:

Bottle Banker

Should we just accept that the standard of refereeing in English football is so poor? A multi-billion dollar world-wide sporting phenomenon susceptible to the whims of a handful of unaccountable, puffed-up amateurs. Not a week goes by without one referee or another putting himself at the centre of the action. Right up there with the worst inexplicable decisions of the season was Peter Bankes failure to wave a second yellow card in the face of Bruno Guimaraes for an incident identical to the one he had been penalised a few moments earlier. It was a clear case of bottling an important game-changing call. Eddie Howe’s assertion that the incidents looked worse because they occurred so close to each other is complete bunkum. It was their proximity that saw him excused by a weak referee. As mentioned in the match preview, Howe’s sides are well known for practising the dark arts and their fondness for tactical fouling was apparent (and went unpunished) from the first whistle. Bankes must have been aware of his cowardice as he was all over the place with his cards and decisions for the remainder of the half. How on earth can this joker be considered an elite referee in the world’s ‘best’ league?

Doubling Down The Bankes

If it was not enough for Bankes to allow Guimaraes to stay on the pitch and make an important contribution to Newcastle’s fightback, he also took it upon himself to provide an assist in the visitor’s equaliser. A fine save by Alphonse Areola from Dan Burn’s header was cleared up field. Lucas Paqueta shrugged off a weak challenge from the anonymous Sandro Tonali creating an excellent breakaway opportunity for the Hammers. But it was the intervention of Bankes whistle who saved the day for the Magpies when he denied a clear goalscoring opportunity. The only person in the stadium to spot a foul in the middle of an honest tussle. The Hammers should still have done a better job at defending the corner, but the damage was done and Newcastle were allowed to seize the initiative.

Licence To Kill Off A Game

There is a worrying pattern in West Ham games at the moment. Score a goal early doors and then spend the remainder of the game protecting rather than extending the lead. Throughout the first half yesterday, the Hammers looked by far the likelier team to score, despite once again being happy to surrender the lion’s share of possession. A fly on the wall of both dressing rooms at half time would have been interesting to hear what instructions were given to each team. Newcastle did eventually raise the intensity but not until Bankes had gifted them an equaliser. After that the combination of the visitor’s newfound belief and the Hammers reticence to push players forward suggested the game would only end as an away win. Much was made of Newcastle’s exhaustion following their mauling of PSG while the demands of the Hammer’s triumph in Freiburg (a day later) were downplayed. In the end, the Hammers rediscovered their resilience and following Mohammed Kudus excellent equalising strike, might easily have snatched a winner when Said Benrahma missed the ball on the far post.   

Moyes Lack of Self-Belief

The tenor of David Moyes post-match interview seemed to be that coming away with a point against Newcastle was the best a man could get. He has elevated the cash-rich Magpies into the elite group of teams who he doesn’t really expect to beat. These are games where he hopes to nick a home win once in a blue moon or maybe grab the occasional point on the road. Victories at St James Park will now be as rare as thy are in the northwest. Listening to him you can imagine he corners the market in Uninspirational Quotes.  Can that be how he comes across in the dressing room at half-time? “You’ve done well first half, lads. But they are a better team than us and will probably equalise sooner or later. Best try and dig in and hope for the best.” Having gone behind, Moyes did eventually make useful substitutions – 15 minutes too late, but they did pay off this time.

Kudos to Kudus

It was a thrilling cameo performance from Mohammed Kudus, full of energy, intent, purpose, and endeavour. Why would you leave that on the bench in place of a barely fit Michail Antonio? It will be outrageous if Kudus is not in the starting eleven at Villa Park in two weeks’ time. A fairy-tale strike to claim his first Premier League goal in the dying minutes.

The Moyesiah’s Second Coming: Are West Ham Dancing To A Different Toon

A flash in the pan or one of the greatest managerial resurrections ever? New look West Ham test their mettle against rampant Newcastle United at the London Stadium

Who was it who once said that football’s a funny old game? When the season began, I was convinced that David Moyes would be scanning the situations vacant by now, searching out managerial jobs at Forfar or East Fife. His tenure as West Ham boss was on its last legs. A downwards spiral of poor league performances and results over an eighteen-month period which had only been kept on life support by Europa Conference success. Our best player had been sold, no-one wanted to join, and uninspiring pre-season defeats to Rennes and Bayer Leverkusen hung like a black cloud over the new campaign. It was a manager on borrowed time, out of ideas, and seemingly running on fumes.

Yet, here we are, a few short months later, and supporters can be heard claiming “what a great time to be a Hammer”. A promising start to the season, a record undefeated run in Europe, rabbits pulled out of the transfer window hat, summer signings looking inspired, written-off players rejuvenated, numbers getting forward quickly to support attacks, and the team back to scoring goals again. Naturally, it’s the West Ham way to expect for it all to go horribly wrong again. But let’s enjoy the sunshine while we can.

So what has changed? Had we become too reliant on Rice, just as we had with Brooking many years ago? For once, the transfer receipts have been well spent. Edson Alvarez operating as specialist cover in front of the back four has allowed others to push further forward and with greater freedom – allowing Thomas Soucek to concentrate on his strengths. Vladimir Coufal is back to the player he was two years ago, and Emerson has formed an excellent understanding with Lucas Paqueta. Paqueta, frustrating at times, offers a long-lost unpredictability and mercurial moments of magic to attacks. James Ward-Prowse has been a revelation, both on set-piece duty and in open play. And Jarrod Bowen has been able to take up (and execute) better goalscoring positions now that much of his onerous defensive duties are excused.

Critics might point to selected stats as cause for concern. Only behind Luton for possession, among the basement dwellers for Expected Goals Against, overachieving in Expected Goals scored plus the perennial lack of belief when coming up against top clubs. It’s fair enough to want to see even more improvement, but it would be churlish to dismiss the positive vibes currently surrounding the club.

West Ham followed up last Saturday’s businesslike victory over Sheffield United with a thoroughly professional performance at Freiburg on Thursday night. The routine of Thursday – Sunday football has now become a familiar one for Hammers fans in the last three seasons, and long may it continue. In general, Moyes has juggled resources well, but while his team have lost only four of the 29 Thursday games, they have been defeated 12 times in the 26 games played on the Sunday after.  Managing the squad can also have unintended matchday consequences for supporters as was evident in the second half against Sheffield United. Having sauntered into a two-goal half-time lead, the dreaded game-management kicked in and everyone might well have had a more entertaining time shopping in Westfield during the second half.

Today’s opponents, Newcastle United were also in midweek European action, albeit in the more glamourous surroundings of the Champions League. When the group draw was made, I had a feeling that the Magpies might end up joining us in the Europa League knockout stages in the new year. However, they have made a fine start to their campaign which was topped off by a sensational demolition of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night. Leaving aside, the sour taste of ownership, Eddie Howe has performed remarkably in turning the club around. Astute signings and getting the best from existing players has put the club back where it belongs challenging for major honours. On song, they are one of best teams to watch in the Premier League right now, although Howe’s teams are never shy of practising the dark arts.

This weekend might be a good time to play Newcastle. Even if they experience no hangover from their midweek exploits, they will be without several regular starters today including Barnes, Willock, Botman, and Gordon. There are also doubts over the fitness of Hammers nemesis Wilson and Joelinton.

For West Ham the only significant doubt is Michail Antonio’s groin. My preference would be to give him extra time to recover by playing Bowen further forward and starting Mohammed Kudus wide right. Otherwise, the team would be the same eleven that started last weekend.

Although, Newcastle are one of the league’s top scorers we should remember that eight of those came in a single game against an incompetent Sheffield defence. West Ham are not too familiar with clean sheets these days, but it is difficult to imagine a Moyes side being quite so naïve – even if it did happen in the corresponding fixture last season.

The game has the makings of a tight and intriguing encounter. One which may well have its fair share of goals to entertain spectators. As long as the Hammers play with freedom as well as discipline then a home victory is possible – maybe by the odd goal in five.

And what are the odds on Paqueta Island for Alvarez picking up his fifth caution of the season? COYI!

Memories of a massive win in a great season (1985/86) – West Ham 8 Newcastle 1

I began last week’s article with “It has been a decent start to the season hasn’t it?” Since then it has got even better. Our very comfortable 2-0 win over Sheffield United made it 4 wins and 13 points from our first 7 games, and seventh place in the table. We’ve scored 13 goals in those games and conceded 10. Only 3 of the 7 games have been at home, a figure that will be balanced with the visit of Newcastle to the London Stadium.

In the Europa Cup we surpassed the record for any English side by beating Freiburg 2-1 in Germany to make it 17 consecutive European games unbeaten, surpassing the 16 of Leeds from 1968 and Tottenham in 1972 who were tied with us on 16. Even more remarkable is the fact that 16 of the 17 games have been victories, the sole draw coming against Gent (1-1) last season. The Germans finished fifth in the Bundesliga last season and are currently 8th this time. Their record this season after 6 games mirrored our Premier League one with 3 wins and a draw, 10 points. An impressive result with an outstanding performance from Paqueta, and Kudus is looking very good too. In fact most of the team had good games.

Our squad is looking impressive and we now have a range of options in a number (but not all) positions. And how good is James Ward-Prowse? Six assists and two goals so far – what a start to the season. Gareth Southgate, when picking his England squad, prefers 33 year old Henderson (playing in the Middle East in front of less than 1000 spectators), Kalvin Phillips (who can barely get a game for Manchester City) and Conor Gallagher (what are his statistics this season?) as midfielders. Amazing! At least the early season form of Jarrod Bowen hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Those of us of a certain age (my first game at Upton Park was in the late 1950s) will remember some seasons more fondly than others. It has been a roller coaster ride following the Hammers but some seasons have been particularly memorable. Newcastle’s eight goal mauling of Sheffield United recently took me back to 1985-86, one of the great seasons in our history, when we put eight past Newcastle on a Monday night in April when we were pushing towards the first division title which would have been the first in our history.

Ironically that season had started poorly with only one win in our first seven games. With six points we sat in seventeenth place in the league. Nowhere near our start this season. But from this point we went 18 successive league games without defeat before losing 1-0 at Tottenham on Boxing Day. But we then resumed winning ways and by the time we faced Newcastle in April we were still well placed to challenge for the title.

Our 8-1 win is remembered for an Alvin Martin hat-trick scored against three different Newcastle goalkeepers, goals from Goddard, McAvennie, Orr, a Stewart penalty, and a Glenn Roeder own goal. It was a fabulous season with the goalscoring partnership of McAvennie and Cottee (who scored 46 league goals between them), and a defence built upon the solid foundations of Parkes, Gale and Martin. We finished with 84 points in third place, just 4 points adrift of champions Liverpool.

Despite our improved start to this season compared to 38 years ago, we will not be challenging for the title, nor finish as high as third, but the opening has been promising, and I look forward to consolidation of a strong top half finishing position.

Our opponents this weekend had a massive resurgence last season and qualified for the Champions League. A fine draw in Italy was followed by the 4-1 demolition of PSG this week which suggests that this game will not be an easy one. But we must look to fixtures such as these to prove why we should be pressing towards the top eight this season.

How will we get on? Bookmakers have the Geordies as evens favourites, while we are priced at around 12/5, with the draw at 14/5. Thursday / Sunday psychologically seems to be a difficult challenge, especially as the late return from abroad reduces the time to recover for the next game. Newcastle, on the other hand, played at home on Wednesday, so have a distinct advantage in time between fixtures. Nevertheless I expect a close game to be settled by the odd goal. It won’t be a repeat of the 8-1 in 1986, but hopefully we can be the team to edge it. What are the chances?

After Eights: Hammers Pressure Can Shatter Recently Humiliated Blades

West Ham look to return to winning ways in the league as arch-Tevezgate-rivals, Sheffield United visit London on the back of a humbling eight goal defeat last weekend.

The Hammers fast start to the Premier League season encountered its predictable stumble with consecutive defeats at home to Manchester City and away at Anfield. Although both performances had their creditable moments, the disappointing outcome of these games is invariably inevitable. Advantages are not pressed home and as the minutes tick away, legs tire, enterprise and belief fade, and it becomes a case of hanging on for dear life. Sadly, the more accomplished teams – as were the last two opponents – refuse to cooperate, typically underlining their superiority and confidence with a flurry of late goals.

Midweek action saw another victory for a West Ham second string XI when making heavy work of overcoming League One Lincoln City in the EFL Cup. The early rounds of this competition tend to have a phoney-war air about them. Premier League managers attempting to make it through to the business end of the competition while using as many fringe players as possible. In this context, it was job done at Sincil Bank and sets up an intriguing fourth round home encounter with Arsenal at the end of the month. After that, the numbers are down to eight teams and Wembley’s arch is firmly in sight.

This afternoon, West Ham return to league action with the visit of newly promoted Sheffield United. In my more pessimistic moments, I had identified this game as a first win of the season for the Hammers. But it now represents a potential opportunity to return to the top six – or at least to keep in touch with the chasing pack.

Last week’s events when the Blades were thrashed 8-0 at home by Newcastle has now put a very different complexion on the game. A side who had been leading Tottenham at the end of normal time the week before, were comprehensively demolished in front of their own supporters – largely the result of defensive incompetence of the highest order. The circumstances of that humiliation is sure to influence their approach to today’s fixture.

The Blades manager, Paul Heckingbottom – a man with the most northern sounding name ever – was given a vote of confidence by the club’s Saudi owner in the week and will understandably be cautious to avoid any repetitions in the coming games. Failure might cost him an arm and a leg. And it left me wondering how other clubs had fared in the aftermath of equivalent sound thrashings.

When Southampton were defeated 9-0 at home to Leicester in 2019/20 they managed to pull their socks up the following week but still lost by the odd goal in three on a visit to Manchester City. A year later, the Saints followed up a 9-0 thrashing at Old Trafford with a 3-2 defeat at Newcastle while last season, when Bournemouth went down by the same score at Liverpool, they recovered a modicum of respect with a goalless draw at home to Wolves. Closer to home, the week after losing 8-0 to West Ham at Upton Park in 1968/69, Sunderland bounced back a week later with a 3-0 home win over Coventry. If history teaches us anything it is that defeated sides will double down on their resilience – a flash of legendary Sheffield steel perhaps?

It is pointless to spend too much time in West Ham previews speculating on what changes David Moyes might make to tactics or personnel – unless it has been forced upon him by injury or suspension. You get the impression that changing the colour of his socks would be a revolutionary move for the Scot. But this is the kind of game that cries out for a change of approach.

Games where we would expect to see far more of the ball than usual, do not suit Michail Antonio’s bullying, barnstorming style of forward play – as we saw at Luton . It simply doesn’t work against opponents playing with packed or compact backlines, as we are likely to see today. When the challenge is to unlock a deep lying defence, then moving Jarrod Bowen into the middle with Mohammed Kudus replacing him wide right makes a lot more sense. A fluid attacking midfield three – supporting Bowen – comprising Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and James Ward-Prowse should pose plenty of problems to a defence short on confidence after their last outing.

The season so far has witnessed something of a renaissance for Thomas Soucek, a player who had been written off as a one-season wonder by a large section of the Hammer’s support. Whether it has been the departure of Rice or the arrival of Edson Alvarez that has allowed his game to focus back on his strengths is impossible to tell – but there is an obvious improvement in his demeanour. Time now to add league goals to those he has bagged in cup competitions.

In the defence, time must surely be running out before Nayef Aguerd is given a spell on the bench. High profile mistakes in both the Manchester City and Liverpool games has put his starting position in doubt now that Konstantinos Mavropanos has games under his belt. Moyes now has more options available and it is time he started using them – both in varying the starting eleven and making timely and effective substitutions. My preferred lineup would be: Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Mavropanos, Emerson, Alvarez, Soucek, Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta, Bowen.  

If West Ham are to make any serious attempt to challenge the top six to eight, then this is a game they simply have to win. As they say, no game is ever easy in the league but playing at home against a dispirited opponent with just a single point to show for their efforts so far, is about as straightforward as they get. It will mean putting them under pressure from the first whistle and preventing them playing out from the back. An early goal and sustained pressure should make it a very uncomfortable afternoon for the visitors. West Ham to win 3-0. COYI!

Will the Blades be sharper when they visit the London Stadium this weekend or will West Ham return to winning ways?

It has been a decent start to the season hasn’t it? Who would have predicted that after the first six games we would be sitting in seventh place in the Premier League table having won three, drawn one and lost two, securing ten points. We’ve scored 11 goals in those games and conceded 10. The fixtures computer didn’t do us any favours in that just two of the six games have been at home with four away. That will be rectified with two home games in the next week.

In those six games we’ve faced the champions Manchester City, Liverpool, Brighton, Chelsea, Bournemouth and Luton. Hand on heart did you think we would have 10 points at this stage? We also won our first group game in the Europa League (comfortably in the end). General consensus is that the transfer window was a good one too, with the loss of Rice, balanced by the acquisition of Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Kudus and Mavropanos. We could have done with another goalscorer though.

The manager is still under fire in some quarters despite our relatively impressive start. So why is this? If you delve deeper into the statistics of the six league games played a potentially worrying trend emerges in respect of the goals we are conceding. Our first half defensive performances reveal that we have conceded just twice in the opening 45 minutes. On the other hand our opponents have found the net eight times in the second period.

In many ways last week’s performance at Liverpool seemed to me to be very similar to the Manchester City game the week before. In both games we matched our illustrious opponents in the first half playing a more aggressive game before retreating deeper and deeper in typical Moyes fashion as the game progressed.

Our game plan seemed to invite more pressure in the second half. Do we do this on purpose (on manager’s orders) or do we run out of steam? The Bournemouth, Brighton and Luton games had some similarities with the concession of late goals too.

I read that the Liverpool defeat took David Moyes tally up to 72 games without a win in away games against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United combined. Are there any other managers out there who have failed to beat those four teams in as many games as that on their travels? OK they are or have been top teams in recent times, but really you would have expected a win or two wouldn’t you? Nevertheless the season has begun relatively well and if we kick on in similar fashion then we will be looking towards the top half of the table.

After Sheffield United’s capitulation at home to Newcastle last week many of our fans writing on social media are expecting a straightforward win for us when the Blades come to town. Football often doesn’t work like that and I expect them to be more resilient at the London Stadium. They had done well in their previous game at Tottenham holding a 1-0 lead until the referee added 16 minutes to the second half. However I will be disappointed if we don’t take our points tally up to 13 this weekend.

Have you noticed that, including the Europa League game, five of our seven games this season have finished with a 3-1 scoreline (three in our favour and two against)? I’ll forecast that it will become six out of eight when we cut through the Blades defence to win the game 3-1. What are the chances?

Mersey Mission Impossible? West Ham and David Moyes Pay Another Visit To Anfield’s Unhappy Hunting Ground

Another test of the Hammer’s bright start to the season as they take on unbeaten Liverpool at Anfield. Will it be another pointless visit to Merseyside?

Midweek European group stage games can be something of a lottery. Opposition strengths and weaknesses are an unknown quantity and managers must try to balance progress in the group with the opportunity to rotate squad resources. In the end West Ham had enough quality to overcome the resistance of TSC despite an early setback, just as Liverpool and Manchester City had to in their respective games against LASK and Red Star Belgrade.

With David Moyes making nine changes from the eleven that had started the previous weekend it is impossible to draw any conclusions from Thursday’s victory other than suspecting that qualification from the group will be straightforward enough. The game saw useful debuts from Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos both of whom should be pressing for Premier League starts in the coming months.

Thursday night’s game was not the most riveting of encounters. A lively start from the home side struggled to create clear-cut opportunities and they appeared to have lost their way before going behind in disastrous circumstances. A slip by Angelo Ogbonna compounding poor decision making when attempting to play the ball back to the keeper. At least it woke the Hammers up, but it would take a brace of James Ward-Prove set piece special deliveries to give the scoreline a respectable look.

The novelty of West Ham bossing possession is unlikely to be repeated at Anfield this afternoon where it will be a return to the counterattacking and set piece threats which have always represented the manager’s safe space. Liverpool are a very different, more direct proposition to the ball-loving sides that the Hammers have already faced – Chelsea, Manchester City and Brighton – and there are sound reasons to maintain a solid and compact defensive shape against them.

The Reds are unbeaten this season. In their previous two home games both Bournemouth and Villa allowed way too much space between defence and midfield which was exploited ruthlessly by the Liverpool forwards. The Hammer’s challenge will be denying space at one end while getting enough players forward quickly to create chances at the other.

West Ham’s shocking record at Anfield is legendary. A 3-0 victory in August 2015 being the solitary away win over in 60 years. The victory in 2015 was instrumental in Liverpool’s decision to replace Brendan Rodgers with Jurgen Klopp. Since Klopp’s appointment the record shows one draw and seven defeats for the Hammers – the last four all by a single goal margin. The statistics also show that Moyes has failed to win in 19 visits to Anfield as manager of four different clubs.

The predicted Hammers lineup today should show few changes from the side that lost out to Manchester City. Alphonse Areola will return between the sticks after his midweek rest. There may be a case to leave Nayef Aguerd on the bench following some unconvincing lapses, but I expect Moyes to stick with him for now. The manager will want to include both Edson Alvarez and Thomas Soucek as a defensive shield to counter the home side’s impressive attacking and aerial threat – and also to put pressure on Alisson at set pieces. With the more attack minded players selection will depend on the fitness of Jarrod Bowen who failed to make the midweek squad due to sickness. In his absence Kudus will fill in.

In this type of game there is no viable alternative to Michail Antonio in the lone striker role. With Danny Ings looking increasingly ineffective in the West Ham setup, the failure to bring in a new striker will surely cause a drag on performances until the oversight can be resolved. It is such a sharp contrast to the attacking talent available to Klopp who can select from Salah, Gakpo, Jota, Diaz, and Nunez.

It will require a battling West Ham performance to take anything from the game. We know that Moyes team are organised, disciplined, and resilient these days – and that they rarely fold like West Ham teams of old. However, they have yet to keep a clean sheet this season and will likely need to get on the scoresheet themselves in order to get a result. Can they do it? I’m hoping so provided the Anfield VAR behaves itself. A game with honours shared, I think. COYI!  

Euro Veterans West Ham Are Backa On The Road To European Glory

The Hammers embark on a third successive season of European competition against the unknown Serbian league leaders from Backa Topola

In the natural order of things, West Ham would be about to embark on defence of their Europa Conference crown, won in Prague just a few short months ago. But in the world of UEFA competitions, as well as well a shiny trophy for the cabinet, comes the opportunity to compete on an even more prestigious stage of the Europa League.

Opinions vary on the progress made at the club during the time that David Moyes has been West Ham manager. But there is no getting away from the fact that it is a first for the Hammers to be competing in Europe over three consecutive seasons. The structure of the current competitions means that only a disastrous run of results can deny European football once again stretching into the new year – whether that is targeting a final in Dublin (for the Europa League) or Athens (for the Conference).

This season’s Europa League has a far stronger look to it than when West Ham last took part in 2021/22. Considering the English contingent of Brighton and Liverpool is daunting enough, and what chance of Manchester United and Newcastle joining in when the draw for the Round of 32 is made in late December.

On paper Group A shouldn’t represent the hardest of challenges although all three opponents have started their domestic leagues in good shape. The balancing act for Moyes is doing enough to win games while rotating his squad through the onerous Thursday – Sunday routine. Hopefully, the squad is strong enough in quantity and quality to cope with the demands.

First up in tonight’s Group opener at the London Stadium are TSC from Backa Topola in Serbia. They are making their second appearance in European competition having first competed in the Europa League in 2020/21. This season, they had originally qualified for Champions League qualifying on the back of a second place finish in the Serbian Superliga. Having lost their Third Qualifying Round tie to Braga of Portugal (7-1 on aggregate) they dropped down into the Europa League groups. They currently lead their domestic league ahead of Partizan and Red Star Belgrade.

It doesn’t feel like it will be a night of counterattacking football for the Hammers, so it will be fascinating to see how Moyes approaches the game. There must be a return for Lukasz Fabianski between the sticks and full debuts for Mohammed Kudus and Konstantinos Mavropanos. I also expect call-ups for most of Angelo Ogbonna, Thilo Kehrer, Aaron Cresswell, Pablo Fornals, Ben Johnson, and Danny Ings. Maybe even for the elusive Maxwell Cornet. No doubt Divin Mubama will feature at some point, but not as a starter.

Games such as these against unknown opposition are rarely as straightforward as we might hope, but it would be a huge upset if it doesn’t end in a West Ham victory. Breaking with recent tradition of not making score predictions, I will go for a 3-0 home win. COYI!

Respect All But Fear None: West Ham Belief Will Rest On The Courage Of Moyes Pep Talk

A huge top of the table clash sees England’s two European Champions lock horns at the London Stadium. Will the Hammers believe they can put an end to their long winless run against Manchester City?

Two of the Premier League’s unbeaten teams meet in a ‘top-of-the-table’ clash when champions Manchester City take on West Ham at the London Stadium this afternoon. The Hammer’s unexpectedly bright start raising the optics of the game from routine defeat to potential upset.

There are six sides yet to have tasted defeat in the embryonic table. The usual suspects of City, Liverpool, and Arsenal plus West Ham, Tottenham, and Brentford. As bookmaker odds for ending the season unbeaten are only available for the first three, there must be a different worthy cause for my 5-bob stake money.

As Richard pointed out in his article yesterday, Manchester City are a fantastic side but they are not invincible. Last season they lost five times in the league, including four while on their travels. Of those defeats, we should pay particular attention to the games against Brentford, who beat them both home and away. In concept, Thomas Frank’s approach to games last season was not too dissimilar to the Hammers. Both are well-drilled, direct, favour long balls to a target man and do not obsess about possession stats. The difference – apart from the suspended Ivan Toney probably being the best in the business at the target man role – is in the mental attitude of the two sides. Brentford play each game without any fear, regardless of opposition. West Ham over emphasise caution and pay far too much respect to the bigger teams – to the extent that they appear resigned to losing in many cases.

There is no problem in principle with setting up to be organised, resilient and hard to beat. But it was a philosophy that turned out very badly last season. Only Bournemouth and the three relegated clubs lost more games than West Ham. But that was then, and this is now. Moyes says he wants to achieve a balance between resilience and being expansive and time will tell how well that works out in practice.

It would be reckless for any team to be totally open and expansive against City – they have too many top-quality players to be gifted time and space in which to operate. But when possession is won, Moyes gameplan needs to ensure his side have plenty of bodies getting forward – that there are enough passing options – to keep hold of the ball and create goal-scoring opportunities. Simply clearing the lines in the hope that Michail Antonio can latch onto it occasionally will encourage wave after wave of opposition attacks. A tactic that only ends one-way against a side capable of producing goals from all over the pitch.

West Ham’s recent league record against the Champions is a miserable one. Since the last victory in September 2015, the winless run stands at 15 – with just three home draws in that time to boast of. If we also take account of Moyes generally poor managerial return in fixtures against top sides, then the omens are not good.

Having said that, the confidence in the Hammer’s squad must be sky high. The storming start to the season has exceeded all expectations and they will be determined to give a good account of themselves today, and next week at Anfield. The early signs suggest astute recruitment has enabled a return to the fast counter-attacking formula that worked so well in the 2020/21 season. The important thing is to maintain momentum and that can only be achieved with a plan that focuses as much on how to hurt the visitors as it does on stopping them playing. We have seen glimpses that the current squad know how to pass the ball slickly when given the opportunity, but it needs to be on show far more frequently.

Mental preparation may be the key to taking anything from the game. Ambition must be greater than hoping to keep a clean sheet and nicking one form a set piece. The attacking options now available in the squad are capable of posing problems and keeping the City defence occupied and unsettled throughout the afternoon – if allowed to. The game can’t be lost as soon as the two teams line up in the tunnel and, whatever the outcome, the visitors have to know they have been in a proper game.

Assuming everyone is fit and available the anticipated lineup is the one that started at Luton but with Thomas Soucek replacing Said Benrahma. I doubt Moyes will be able to resist the lure of the Czechs added height in the face of an expected City bombardment. I would love to see Mohammed Kudus feature from the start but fear 20 minutes or so is the best we will get. Hopefully, it is not too late by then. Similar some minutes from Konstantinos Mavropanos would also be appreciated.

The weakest link is defence today is likely to be at left back. Although I like the look of Emerson as a more adventurous wing-back, he is vulnerable aerially and to runners when asked to play in a more conventional defensive role. Where Vladimir Coufal is smart at using his body to block taller opponents, Emerson is regularly isolated and left compromised.

The visitors have an endless supply of talent to call on. It is ominous that they have had a strong start to the season when their speciality has been strong finishes. It would be no surprise if they went on to lift their fourth consecutive title at the end of the season. Can we give them something to think about? As a wise man once said: There is nothing to fear but fear itself …………. and Erling Haaland. COYI!