Tag: #COYI

David Moyes Versus The Lettuce: Which Will Last The Longest?

As his trademark caution once again fails to push home the advantage, how much longer will the West Ham board tolerate his dull and negative approach to the game. What did we learn from the points shared in the season opener at Bournemouth?

The Plan: We Only Need To Be Better Than Three Other Teams

If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome, then our manager must be as mad a box of baby haggises (or is it haggi?). Who would have guessed that completely surrendering the initiative would have given a boost to a previously short-on-ideas opponent? Or do we expect too much? Perhaps in the Moyestro’s mind a draw at Bournemouth represents a very satisfactory day at the office. In an ‘any point away from home is a bonus and we were unlucky not to win’ sort of way. Pick up another point at Luton and his side will be right on track to reach the manager’s targeted two points from the opening six games. Then we can focus on the more realistic challenge of fighting for scrappy home wins from the peer group that includes Forest, Everton, Burnley and Sheffield United.

Possession And How Not To Use It

I’ve never been too hung up on possession statistics. It’s more about what you do with the ball once you have it at your feet. The clue is pass to a teammate. Take Brentford for example. Last season, they had a similar level of possession to West Ham and relied just as heavily on the long pass. But because they commit more players forward, they pose a far greater threat, are exciting to watch, and force every opponent to be wary of pushing too many of their own players forward. Sadly, that’s not how Moyesball works. To him, risk is a dirty word along with its evil twin, entertainment. Despite this, West Ham were the better side in the first half yesterday, taking advantage of a hesitant host who were uncertain what their new manager expected of them. The Hammers were never likely to run riot (as they had a few months earlier), but they created the better opportunities in a low-key first half, without ever dominating.

The Natural Negative Instincts Are Never Far Away

The watershed moment in the game came when West Ham took the lead – and what a beautiful strike it was from Jarrod Bowen. The possession percentage barely changed pre and post goal, but the balance of play switched completely. Bournemouth threw caution to the wind, bringing on more attack minded players while Moyes reverted to type – attempting to batten down the hatches and protect the slim advantage his team held. It just isn’t in his DNA (or Dinnae in Scottish) to exploit the extra space on offer in search of a second conclusive goal. His only strategy for killing off a game is through boredom. It was no surprise when the equaliser came. Anyone watching could sense it was only a matter of time. All the opposition needs when you concede so much space is to get lucky once. And they did just that when a mishit shot turned into a killer pass for Solanke to finish. The sight of Moyes yelling at Vladimir Coufal in the dying minutes not to take a quick attacking throw and take his time instead says all you need to know about his cautious mindset.

Substitutions And How Not To Use Them

Andoni Iraola had made five substitutions before Moyes sprang into action with his. And when he did, he really needn’t have bothered. I’m convinced he has an alert on his phone, set up at the 70-minute mark with a reminder to swap Michail Antonio with Danny Ings. The type of like for like change that the manager loves. A change for change’s sake play that confuses activity with action. Antonio’s role yesterday was baffling. Appearing in the most unlikely areas of the pitch and taking only one touch in the opponent’s penalty area. He looks to have lost all interest in playing for West Ham (or the manager). The second change in the aftermath of the Bournemouth equaliser (Thilo Kehrer for Pablo Fornals) was a clear indication of intent – preserve the point at all costs. Finally, there was a rare sighting of the illusive Comet. Maxwell replacing Lucas Paqueta in added time and being on the pitch just long enough to be caught offside. Paqueta showing once again what a difference he could make to a team that wasn’t quite as static as the Hammers. He will be missed when he leaves next week.

Of Strikers and Recruitment

The manager loves to present himself as a tight-lipped man of misery mystery when he speaks to the press. It is beyond belief that any Premier League coach would contemplate embarking on a new campaign with only Antonio, Ings and Divin Mubama as the main striker options. Or is the cunning plan to convert Bowen and/ or Cornet to plough that lone farrow? Neither is the brightest of ideas, and we can only hope there is an adult somewhere in the recruitment process who can make the Board see sense. Moyes cannot be trusted to act as sole arbiter of the transfer kitty. Come on Tim, find us a proper striker. The ‘David Moyes has only n games to save his job’ news cycle cannot be far away. I might need to buy a hat to eat if he is still around at the end of September.  

Player Ratings

Areola (6), Coufal (5), Zouma (6), Aguerd (6), Emerson (5), Soucek (6), Paqueta (7), Bowen (7), Fornals (5), Benrahma (5), Antonio (4)

I Got Them Same Old Claret And Blues: Another Season Of Moyesball Is A Joyless Prospect

Looking past the euphoria of European glory paints a depressing picture of life at the London Stadium. Disillusionment with David Moyes cautious, uninspiring style of play is widespread and overshadowed the excitement of a new season. How long can it last?

Here we are then. A mere 76 days since the last misplaced pass rolled into touch, the 32nd Premier League season is set to kick-off with its opening round of matches. Usually, one of the most eagerly awaited days of the sporting calendar, this year’s buzz is distinctly lacking in optimism in the neighbourhood of E15. For many West Ham fans, the expectancy is on a par with a visit to the dentist.

It is accepted that posterity will present the dramatic last-minute Europa Conference win as the highlight from last season. It will be forever etched in the memory for those who saw it, and in the history books for those who didn’t. But we should not be distracted by one night in Prague in the context of a dreadful Premier League season. It would be the equivalent of enjoying the orchestra playing while the boat is sinking.

Anyone sifting through the wreckage of last season’s league campaign would find little encouragement. Losing 20 games and scoring only 42 goals are among our worst ever returns from a 38-match top flight season. Ironic that a coach who primarily sets up not to lose managed to notch up so many defeats. And of those 42 goals, just 23 came from open play – and only one from a counterattack. The remainder from set pieces and the penalty spot.

Away from home, the team invariably returned home empty handed. Only 12 points won from the 57 available and 70% of games ending in defeat.

Elsewhere, Moyes’ West Ham side often look beaten before a ball is kicked. Nowhere is this more evident than in the continuing dire record against top level opponents. A meagre 2022/23 tally of five points were earned from twelve games against the sides finishing in the top six. And the 16 point total from 20 games against the ten top half teams only looks as flattering as it does courtesy of a double over Fulham and an early season win against a struggling Aston Villa.

But more, much more than this, it is the dismal, dull, depressing, dispiriting football being served up that has alienated a huge proportion of the fan base. What worked well for Moyes a few seasons back when his team briefly operated as an exciting and effective counter attacking unit, was found out once opponents got the measure of how to nullify the threat by pressing high. The manager not having the imagination or flexibility to adapt his game or try something new. If only he could have signed Jesse Lingard!

Claims that a more expansive style of play was attempted at the beginning of last season were never convincing to me. If it was tried, the difference in approach was marginal at best. The promised Red Bull model turned out to be Old Bull. The struggle to integrate new signings put down to individual players failure to adapt rather than poor coaching or stubborn tactics. Bizarrely, dithering due diligence Dave seemed unaware what position Lucas Paqueta played and was surprised it would prove impossible to fit Gianluca Scamacca into his system of play.

What we ended up with was a return to classic Moyesball. Defend deep, get as many bodies behind the ball as possible and never commit too many players forward – the lack of movement and reluctance to create space is at the heart of our poor possession and passing statistics in my opinion. The attacking masterplan revolves around long hopeful balls for Michail Antonio to chase, long cross-field passes, pumping as many crosses into the box as possible (even if there is no-one to receive them), optimistic long range shots and .……. set pieces! The fans hate it, the players are said to be dissatisfied, and members of the coaching staff have left because of it. Unfortunately, those in the Boardroom appear to view things very differently.

Preparation for the new season has been way less than perfect. As expected Declan Rice left the club – after 250 appearances – to pursue his dreams of glory in north London. It would be foolish not to recognise the importance of Rice in a team that barely escaped relegation in May. His contribution was far greater than defensive midfielder and he outperformed his colleagues on distance covered, carries, shot creation, tackles, and interceptions. This will be a difficult act to follow.

The quagmire of West Ham’s recruitment strategy has already been widely documented – and soundly ridiculed. The standoff between Moyes and Tim Steidten was finally broken yesterday with the signing of Mexican international, Edson Alvarez. This looks to be a good (even exciting) addition to the squad if deployed correctly. The assumption is that Alvarez is a Steidten choice, so how Moyes uses him will be illuminating.

The two other transfers that may or may not be edging towards completion are a closer fit to the solid, dependable proven Premier League player criteria favoured by David Moyes. These are Harry Maguire and James Ward Prowse. Neither particularly excites me. It’s not that they are bad players, rather that they represent the promise of more of the same, old-school, tedious tactics from Moyes. At £30 million apiece (plus wages) they may keep the manager in a job for a while longer, but do they offer long-term value for the club? West Ham already had one of the oldest and slowest squads in the league and these two do nothing to address those shortcomings. It’s no surprise no other clubs appear to be interested at those prices.

Leaving the bulk of your transfer activity to after the season has started is an absurdity. It serves to reinforce the amateur nature of the club’s operation. The squad is now so thin that it needs a minimum four or five new recruits to bring it up to competitive strength – and that’s without any allowances for further potential exits, such as Paqueta, Antonio and Aaron Cresswell. If that level of recruitment cannot happen we will be left with an inadequate headcount for the first half of the season.

We are short at full-back where no-one has the requisite pace, energy or delivery to get forward on the right, and where all options are defensively suspect on the left. We are short in the attacking areas of midfield with no-one capable of carrying the ball or beating an opponent, there will be an absence of flair and the ability to pick a pass if we lose Paqueta, and are lacking pace on the left-hand side. But most importantly, we are woefully short upfront. True, the striker problem has been a perennial issue at West Ham for all the Premier League era but it’s goals that win matches, and where are they going to come from in the current squad? Antonio has had his day at West Ham, Danny Ings is not suited to the Moyes style of play, and Divin Mubama is unproven and without experience. Can the chestnut be really ignored for another season?

Tomorrow’s match against Bournemouth is almost an afterthought with all the commotion surrounding transfers, or lack thereof. It sees the Hammers return to scene of their very last away win in April 2023 when they breezed to a comfortable 4-0 victory on the south coast. It was the last point won on the road.

This time around, Bournemouth will be something of an unknown quantity. Demonstrating that football is no place for sentiment when you have a specific goal in mind, the new Bournemouth Chairman relieved saviour Gary O’Neil of his duties and replaced him with Andoni Iraola. Iraola had seen success with unfashionable Rayo Vallecano, winning promotion to La Liga followed by two commendable mid-table finishes. He is seen as a young, progressive, attack-minded manager.

The Cherries have been busy in transfer market bringing in half a dozen new players including two who had previously been linked with the Hammers – Alex Scott from Bristol City and Max Aarons from Norwich. They have also signed Hungarian left back Milos Kerkez who played against West Ham for Alkmaar and who I hoped we might have been in for. The one significant outgoing is Jefferson Lerma to Crystal Palace.

Many unknowns regarding how the Hammers might line up. The assumption is that Alvarez is the only new signing registered in time, but it would be very un-Moyes-like to throw him in straight away. If the Paqueta to Manchester City rumours have any foundation, is he in the right frame of mind to be included? Similarly for Antonio and Cresswell who may also be on their way. If the performance is anything like the last two friendlies at Rennes and Leverkusen, it will be a very anxious afternoon. The only chink of light is that Bournemouth have done little to tighten a very leaky defence.

For what it’s worth, below is my final Premier League table prediction. The rationale for putting West Ham as high as 12th is that there will be a change of manager before the end of the year. I can’t see past a very slow start, starting tomorrow. COYI!

1 Manchester City, 2 Arsenal, 3 Chelsea, 4 Manchester United, 5 Newcastle United, 6 Aston Villa, 7 Liverpool, 8 Brighton & Hove Albion, 9 Tottenham Hotspur, 10 Brentford, 11 Crystal Palace, 12 West Ham United, 13 Fulham, 14 Everton, 15 Bournemouth, 16 Burnley, 17 Wolverhampton Wanderers, 18 Nottingham Forest, 19 Sheffield United, 20 Luton Town

Carry On Up The Transfer Window: A London Stadium Farce

Just over a week to go and the omens are looking bad for a new season of discontent. Who’s to blame for raining on the cup-winning parade?

A theoretical debate that occasionally comes up online is whether supporters would choose a cup win over being relegated. Personally, I’d consider it too big a sacrifice, but others have different perspectives. After all, there’s no greater joy in football than the thrill of a cup final success.

In many ways, what we have now at West Ham is a watered-down variant of this dilemma. Although attempting to second guess what goes on between David Sullivan’s ears is dangerous territory, there is every chance that our manager would now be down the job centre had his team not been victorious in Prague.

Finding a David Moyes advocate among West Ham supporters is now as rare as spotting the abominable snowman. If they exist in any significant numbers among the fan base, they are keeping quiet about it. From the outside it must look strange that a manager who delivered a first trophy in 43 years and has overseen three successive European campaigns is so widely unappreciated. But theirs is a view formed independently of emotional attachment with the uninspiring style of football served up on the pitch.

Moyes is a relic of bygone age of managers. Footballing fogeys such as Allardyce, Pulis, Bruce, Hughes, and Warnock whose tactics and horizons rarely ventured beyond survival. He is the last man standing, attempting to defy the rising tide of progressive play like a modern-day Canute. Even Roy Of The Palace leaves Moyes in the shadows when it comes to fresh ideas. Whichever way you look at it, there surely cannot be any future for him at the club beyond this season – the last year of his contract. Making it until the end of the year would be astonishing.

And that brings us to the simultaneous tragedy and farce of the summer transfer window. An apparent recruitment by committee that at time of writing has yet to yield a single result – and the new season just over a week away. We are still no closer in understanding who is responsible for what on transfers, or what the priorities are. The Venn diagram of players acceptable to both Moyes and Tim Steidten that also satisfy Sullivan’s bank balance features only Dennis Zakaria at its intersection.

The standoff is presumably between Moyes desire to bring in players capable of hitting the ground running and Steidten’s brief of introducing a forward-looking transfer strategy. The two clearly don’t need to be mutually exclusive despite being presented that way. There are plenty of options out there between the extremes of untested teenagers and sunsetting 30-year-olds. The squad already has a wealth of experience. What it is lacking is youth, pace, mobility, and flair.

A club like West Ham should not be paying big money for players at the end of their careers. There is no future in such an approach and Sullivan is right not to pay over the odds for those with no likely resale value in a year or two’s time. Equally, the record of signing expensive established ‘flops’ – Anderson, Haller, Vlasic, and the soon to be departed Scamacca – and selling at huge discounts is just as unsustainable.

The promise that Steidten’s appointment could herald a methodical, reasoned, and professional approach to recruitment is threatened by the hubris of Sullivan and the stubbornness of Moyes. Unfortunately, the only person who can clear the blockage is Sullivan himself. If the alleged Moyes veto on transfers is a contractual stipulation – didn’t Curbishley have something similar that allowed him to claim constructive dismissal – then it or he needs to be removed immediately. Why let a lame duck manager dictate transfer spend and allow him to burden the club with the hefty wages and long contracts of declining players for years to come?

What will happen between now and the end of the window on September 1st is anyone’s guess. Where clubs are desperate to sell then asking prices will reduce. But where there is no imperative to sell, prices may just as easily go up as buying clubs become more desperate. No doubt there will be signings, but the probability of panic buys rises as the deadline approaches. With even more rumoured outgoings on the cards – Scamacca, Cresswell, Antonio – the risk of a below strength squad is high, both in numbers and quality. To my mind the squad is short of six or seven quality players, but I see no way that such a target can be achieved on past performance .

I see no other scenario than a shockingly poor start to the season from an under prepared side. If, and when, signings are made, Moyes will be hesitant to play them for the opening month or so. With vacancies on the coaching staff also unfilled, it has the feel of a season written off before it has begun. Two or three points from the opening half a dozen games if we are lucky.

Creating such a pessimistic state of affairs within a few months of wining the Conference League final is quite staggering. But West Ham has been a terribly run club for as long as I can remember. The irony being that the level of competence and ambition shown is inversely proportional to the loyalty and passion of the fans. It can’t get any worse, can it? COYI!

West Ham’s Transfer Window: A Right Royal Cockney Barrel Of Monkeys

While disappointment, frustration and blundering have long been associated with West Ham’s forays into the transfer market, this summer’s chaos threatens to set new records for incompetence

What to make of the fiasco that is West Ham’s summer transfer window? Less than two weeks to new season kicks-off and still no sign of fresh blood at the London Stadium. And this in a squad that only narrowly avoided relegation in June, is now without its standout player over the past three years, and has a handful of other players way past their best.

The eventual loss of Declan Rice was inevitable and his importance to the team cannot be understated. He was far more than a defensive midfield shield with the strength of his positional play, ability to make interceptions and ball carrying were integral to all aspects of David Moyes uninspiring tactics. His departure was an open secret but the significant overhaul in personnel and approach necessary to compensate for the loss has yet to start. Time is running out and a season of struggle beckons!

Transfer speculation has developed into its own industry in recent years. Media outlets spurt out a steady stream of teasing, sensational content to attract the clicks that drive advertising revenues. Any relationship with or pretence at truth is purely coincidental, making it almost impossible to separate fact from fiction. Most rumours are lazy and recycled speculation and allow us to pick and choose those we want to believe and react to. They are best regarded as entertainment even if, ultimately, that reliable journalist’s story will turn out to be spot on – it’s spotting them that is the challenge.

Meanwhile at West Ham, we are told the club are working tirelessly tracking players, holding talks, and preparing bids – but so far, without success. Most Premier League clubs have finalised at least some of their summer business, although fans of Everton, Palace, Fulham, and Wolves might be equally as frustrated as those at West Ham.

Confusion about what is happening behind the scenes is compounded by the lack of clarity on who now does what when it comes to the identification of transfer targets.  

When West Ham appointed Tim Steidten as Technical Director it was a welcome positive move for a club so often paralysed by a repeating cycle of haphazard recruitment and discounted dead wood clearance. At last, there would be a structure and plan involved in transfer dealings. But for that to work smoothly the footballing philosophies between the Technical Director and Manager must be aligned. The distance between the search for new players and the person responsible for deploying them cannot be too great. The worry is that the individuals concerned are on very different wavelengths.

There is sure be a certain degree of friction between the roles as their respective time horizons differ considerably. The Manager’s job security depends solely on the here and now while the Technical Director is concerned with strategy, planning and succession. It doesn’t need a genius to recognise that alignment in styles would not exist between the ultra-conservative Moyes and the progressively minded  Steidten. The irresistible force has met the immovable object.

So is there a standoff between Moyes and Steidten? Moyes prioritising Premier League experience (the most expensive option) after failing to integrate last summer’s signings into his squad. Making the likes of Ward-Prowse, McTominay, and Maguire right up his street. While Steidten has been appointed to introduce a data driven approach for scouring domestic and overseas leagues to unearth emerging and undiscovered talent. If the stories that Moyes has a veto on all signings are true, then creeks and absence of paddles are the order of the day.

Then we must consider the position of the owners, for whom, it is assumed, Sullivan is still the one the pulling the strings and leading negotiations. A desire to spend wisely is not unreasonable. He would be negligent in spending big money on players late in their career where there would be little or no resale value at the end of their contracts. Or committing a large slice of his budget on any individual player. The club’s position outside the rich six or seven clubs requires a more imaginative transfer strategy if we hope to compete. That may mean players using West Ham as a stepping stone for greater things. The risk with Sullivan, however, is that he cannot resist a haggle and putting in low-ball bids. I wonder how many have slipped through our hands because of that.

So, all in all, the situation is a mess. If, and when, players are signed – and I believe we need at least six – the pre-season will have passed by. Moyes will adopt a cautious, safety-first approach to bedding them in and the opportunity to get early points on the board (or introduce a change in playing style) will be lost. Unless, matters change quickly, excitement for the new season off the back of European trophy success will be terribly subdued. COYI!

Europa Champions, Silverware, Moyes and Rice: Where Do West Ham Go From Here?

A week of untold joy for Hammers fans across the globe. Is this just a random act in history, or can it be the start of lasting east-end legacy?

Oh, what a night. Why’d it take so long to see the light? The thrill, the buzz and the pinching ourselves after last week’s famous victory has slowly started to fade away – but how sweet to witness the pent-up joy and emotion that was released when the final whistle blew in Prague on Wednesday night.

Any doubts that the Europa Conference League wasn’t a major trophy were swept away in a wave of a celebration and euphoria that spread from the Fortuna Arena to the streets of east London to the hordes of happy Hammers living around the world. What a fabulously supported club this is. And what devotion, passion, and commitment from a following that has been starved of success for so many years.

A first European trophy for 58 years, the first silverware for 43 years and West Ham joining the alternative big six of Premier League clubs to have won a UEFA title. There was no questioning what victory meant to players, coaches, and supporters alike.

As with many finals, the game itself was instantly forgettable – aside from the manner of victory, that is. A last-minute winner and the anxious wait for VAR couldn’t have been better scripted. As the dust settled, several new generations of West Ham fans (anyone under 50) can now proudly tick-off experiencing a West Ham trophy win from their lifetime to-do lists.

But the world of football does not stand still. The fixtures for the new season are revealed tomorrow morning and the 2023/24 season starts in just 60 days’ time. Those two months may prove to be a pivotal time at the club as they seek to refresh an ageing squad into one capable of competing in both Premier and Europa Leagues.

It was no surprise in the aftermath of the historic trophy win to learn that David Moyes would stay to fight another season at West Ham. It would have been a harsh decision to remove the manager who had just delivered a first trophy since 1980. But that victory does not erase what was otherwise an atrocious league season. In terms of defeats (20 out of 38 games) and goals scored (42) it was among the Hammers worst ever Premier League seasons.

There is a disconnect between those who regularly sit through games and those who follow the results in the media. On paper, the achievements of the last three seasons look excellent – two top seven finishes and three European campaigns on the trot is unprecedented for the club. But on the pitch we are not seeing entertainment and the approach is riddled with caution and fear. Unless that changes, Moyes will never be able to win over the fans.

Despite being critical of Moyes brand of football, it would be churlish not to share his excitement or acknowledge his role in achieving victory in Prague. It’s a fact of modern footballing life, with its concentration of power in the few, that not many managers get to add a major honour to their CV these days. And it was apparent from the celebrations that a great spirit exists between the manager and his players – contrary to the dour and distant reputation that is often painted.

The West Ham board have received widespread praise for sticking with Moyes and maybe the outcome did justify the decision. We can never know for sure. A change of manager may still have won the Conference and finished half a dozen places higher in the league. Or we may have been relegated! Impossible to tell with any certainty!

Sadly, I don’t have high hopes that Moyes is open to new ideas as to how to play football. He maintains that he had tried something new in the early part of last season, but whatever it was it passed me by. As he enters the final year of his contract it will be interesting to see if he becomes any less cautious. I fear not but possibly there will be clues in the player recruitment?

A few weeks before the end of the season, the manager was talking about tweaks in the transfer window rather than the wholesale arrivals seen the previous summer. With the imminent departure of Declan Rice, question marks over the future of Gianluca Scamacca, and several other players – Manuel Lanzini, Angelo Ogbonna, Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, Danny Ings, and Lukasz Fabianski – all at the wrong end of the age and fitness scale, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. Add in an injury prone Kurt Zouma and the rebuilding task feels massive. I make that a minimum of six new players for the first team squad.

It seems it will only be a matter of time before Rice is being paraded in an Arsenal/ Manchester United/ Chelsea shirt. He has been very diplomatic and respectful in stating that he is a West Ham player, until he isn’t. But the tactless Chairman has already spilled the beans that he needs to be sold as the club cannot afford to let him run his contract down any further. Rice has been the heartbeat of the side for the past three seasons and will be a hard act to follow. His importance on the pitch is so much more than as a defensive midfielder – where he has excelled with a sublime ability to read of the game. He has also been the main man for carrying the ball forward and central to orchestrating the lion’s share of attacking plays.

There is so much nonsense written about transfers in the media, making it impossible to separate the feasible from the fanciful. We can only speculate whether the club has a well-thought-out plan to improve the squad – one that has an eye on both immediate needs and longer-term development. Past performance suggests that is unlikely and that we will again rely on agents rather than a comprehensive scouting network. The talk of bringing in a Director of Football has suddenly gone quiet with The Guardian now reporting that it is being reconsidered following discussions between Sullivan and Moyes.

A recurring theme has been that the focus of transfer activity will be on players with Premier League experience. A reaction, no doubt, to the poor return from last summer’s transfer window. But I do wonder how much of the failure to ‘hit the ground running’ was due to the absence of that experience. Or whether the integration was badly planned or managed. With football increasingly ‘systemised’ adjustment might equally be attributed to adapting to a system rather than a country – Jack Grealish taking a year to flourish at Manchester City is an example.

Buying the right players to fit specific needs or positions on the pitch is the ideal and sensible solution, regardless of where they now play. The £100 million from the sale of Rice will not go far when restricting your options to proven PL players – unless there are fire sale bargains from relegated clubs to be had, or we want to pick a few more past their bests (see D Ings).

It will be an interesting couple of months. As well as finding a suitable replacement for Rice, we cannot forget the club’s long running and continued struggle with striker recruitments. It is the most difficult position to fill in the best of circumstances but in the way that West Ham currently play, finding a suitable candidate becomes close to impossible.

It is tempting to see winning the Europa Conference as the springboard for a golden era of success. But cup wins can just as easily be no more than a blip in history. Hard work and inspired decisions are required if the cup win has any hope of leaving a legacy. Let’s hope the board and management are up for it. COYI!

East London Expects: Excitement Builds As West Ham Battle To Write New Chapter in Hammer’s History

Cup final day has finally arrived as the Hemmers face off with Fiorentina in Prague. Equal measures of anticipation, excitement and anxiety promise to define an important night for the supporters, players, and coaching staff of West Ham United.

There’s more to supporting a football team than winning trophies. But that doesn’t mean the occasional piece of silverware wouldn’t go amiss. Tonight, West Ham have the opportunity to chalk a rare trophy win onto the honours board when they face Fiorentina in the final of the Europa Conference League at Prague’s Fortuna Arena.

For a club with a history that extends back for over 120 years, the list of major successes is a meagre and sorry read. Tree FA Cups and one European Cup Winners Cup triumph represent the only excuse the club has had to organise an open top bus parade. Indeed what we have was all achieved in a brief 16-year period between 1964 and 1980. Only two of West Ham’s 17 managers – Ron Greenwood and John Lyall – have ever experienced the thrill of leading their side to a major honour.

Tonight’s showdown is the Hammer’s first appearance in a European final for 47 years. A victory would be the first major piece of silverware in any competition for 43 years, and a first European trophy for 58 years. The absence of success has made the heart grow fonder as several generations of Hammer’s supporters have yet to experience the euphoria that comes with it. No surprise then that the ten days since the end of the league season has seen anticipation increasingly build, creating a heady atmosphere of celebration, expectation, excitement, and anxiety. Will the story have a happy Hammers ending?

In an uncertain season, a West Ham win requires alignment of all the footballing planets. The team must be well prepared, they must go into the game with belief and perform at the height of their abilities. We know that it should be possible in theory, but has been all too rarely seen in practice during the past season and a half. David Moyes spoke at the press conference about the need for motivation, inspiration, determination, commitment, and the right attitude. Difficult to argue against those sentiments, but the reality is that too often it has been fear and too much respect for the opposition that has been his side’s downfall, particularly in the opening exchanges of games. Without being reckless, West Ham need to be the team asking the questions. Not sitting back and waiting to react. Moyes spoke about ‘finding a way to win’ when I really hope he will be setting set out with a bold plan for victory!

Our final opponents, Fiorentina, are also experiencing something of a trophy drought. Their sole European success came in the 1961 Cup Winners Cup when they overcame Glasgow Rangers in a two leg final. And their last major trophy win was the Coppa Italia back in 2001. They will be making history tonight as the first team to appear in a final of all four UEFA competitions.

La Viola are a team that loves to have possession. They were second only to Napoli in Serie A this season with a staggering (compared to West Ham) 56% of ball possession. They play with the highest line of all Italian clubs and will be seeking to press the Hammers across the pitch. Attacks are frequently down the flanks with the tricky feet of Ikone and Gonzalez looking to pepper the opposing penalty area with crosses. This will be a test for the Hammer’s defensive discipline. Fiorentina have been free-scoring in the Conference League with Cabral their main man, but they can also be vulnerable at the back, in part due to their high line. The centre of midfield will see an intriguing dual between Declan Rice and Sofyan Amrabat , so impressive for Morocco in the World Cup.  

Manager Vincenzo Italiano is regarded as one of the most promising and progressive managers in Italian football – you can tell by his shaved head, beard and woollen jumper – a pre-requisite for any future Hammer’s boss, I think! He has hinted at the use of the dark arts by his team to frustrate the West Ham’s counter attacking threat. If last week’s Europa League final is any guide, a game dominated by tactical fouls, time wasting, and simulation would not be unthinkable. It will require further discipline from the Hammers to resist reacting to provocation – I am thinking about Lucas Paqueta here – and the intervention of a strong referee.

West Ham and Fiorentina have met on just one previous occasion, in the 1975 Anglo Italian Cup. The Italians winning both home and away legs 1-0. Tonight, is pay-back time.

There are unlikely to be any surprises in the West Ham starting eleven where I think Moyes will opt for: Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell, Rice, Soucek, Paqueta, Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma. Unfortunately, it doesn’t leave much by way of variety on the bench if the need to try something different is required. Indeed, Moyes was less than convincing at the Press Conference when asked about plans for making in-game changes – where he most often opts for like-for-like changes.

My claret and blue spectacles are telling me, though, that Rice and Paqueta will be too hot for Fiorentina to handle in midfield; and that they will find it difficult to cope with the runs of Jarrod Bowen and the power of Michail Antonio. But it wouldn’t be West Ham without a tense and anxious final ten of fifteen minutes to keep us on the edge of our seats.

It’s a huge night all around for those connected with the club. For supporters, games like these are what we live for – an all too rare opportunity to enjoy moments of glory. For the players it has been a great achievement to reach the final, and it will be massive for them to go on and win it. Becoming just the third West Ham captain to lift a major trophy will be a fantastic way for Declan Rice to sign off on his Hammers career. And for the manager, it could well be a make-or-break game for his future at the club. Everything is now all about tonight.

As a famous statesman once said: ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.’ If we get that commitment from the players and approach the game with the right positive attitude, then the day will end in one of the most memorable episodes of the club’s history. I’m already dreaming of pretty bubbles flying high into the Prague sky until the early hours of Thursday morning. Fiorentina 1 West Ham 3. COYI!

As the final game of the Premier League season approaches, how will we look back on West Ham’s 2022-23 season?

We visit Leicester this weekend for the final league game of (domestically at least) a disappointing season. Until a couple of games ago we weren’t mathematically safe from relegation, although personally I have been confident for some time now, despite some inconsistent performances that have meant that we didn’t pull away from potential trouble as quickly as we might have done. From dropping into the bottom 3 (18th) with 15 games to go, the season since then has seen us in varying positions, never higher than 13th or lower than 17th. We are 14th as we head into the final game, and realistically (ignoring ridiculous goal difference swings) we can only finish between 13th and 15th. Disappointing after two seasons finishing 6th and 7th.

The final league table splits very neatly into a top half and bottom half with Fulham in 10th well clear of the teams in the bottom half. I had a look back at the predictions I made before the season began. To a certain extent the Premier League is predictable these days with money being an important factor. I still managed to put three teams in the top half (Chelsea, West Ham and Wolves) who will finish in the lower half, and conversely I forecast Villa, Brentford and Fulham to be in the bottom half, and they have all had good seasons and are comfortably in the top 10. At that time I predicted Southampton, Forest and Bournemouth to be relegated so I only got one right. I’m also in a score prediction competition where I predict the scores of all West Ham games. Although I’ve correctly predicted some of the results I haven’t got the score correct once all season! The closest I got was to forecast a 0-0 draw in the away lag in Alkmaar. That was close.

But my predictions weren’t all that bad. When there were still a dozen or so games to go I did say that 37 or 38 points would be enough to escape the drop and even 34 or 35 might be. And at the time I suggested 3 from 5 to go down, namely Southampton, Leicester, Forest, Everton and Leeds, so pretty accurate there too. One comment from a reader on my predictions suggested I didn’t have a clue and that West Ham, Forest and Bournemouth were the ones for the drop. Their predictions didn’t turn out to be too accurate! It just shows how difficult it can be to make predictions in football. I did also predict that Manchester City would win the Premier League. That one wasn’t too difficult to forecast though!

It is a fascinating end of the season in terms of who will be relegated, and Sky will obviously be delighted that as many as three teams are still fighting to stay up. Everton will survive if they beat Bournemouth. If they only draw or lose then Leicester can survive by beating West Ham. Leeds, who had survival in their own hands after 25 minutes of last week’s game at the London Stadium, need to beat a poor Tottenham team to have any chance of staying up, and hope that neither Leicester win nor Everton win or draw, unless they can beat Spurs by three goals if Everton do draw. Here’s my prediction – all three teams might win their final games meaning Leicester and Leeds will be relegated. But then again they might not! I hope that we beat Leicester, as I always hope we win games, but I’m not feeling too confident. Of the three teams in trouble I’d like to see Leicester survive in some ways as I dislike the other two more, but I don’t think they will. I just have a feeling that whatever Leeds and Leicester do it won’t matter as Everton will beat Bournemouth.

There has been much conjecture as to the team David Moyes will select for this last league game. With an important European final to come ten days later does he pick a team to continue the recent momentum, or does he rest the majority of the team he wants for the final to avoid any unnecessary injuries? Or somewhere in between? How important is the £2.2 million for each incremental position in the final table when compared to the prospect of a second European trophy for the club and automatic entry into next season’s Europa League? If we do manage to beat Leicester this weekend it would only be the second time this season when we have won two league matches in a row (the first was at the beginning of October beating Wolves and Fulham at home).

Our performances in Europe have been in stark contrast to our domestic form, partly perhaps due to the strength (or lack of it) of opposition, but nevertheless still impressive. How will we reflect on the season if we win the Europa Conference whilst finishing 13th-15th in the league? It will certainly be some consolation, and a gateway to a third successive European campaign, but would we have taken that before the season began?

For me, it has not been so much about the league results, although they have mostly been poor or inconsistent, but the performances themselves. For the most part the football played has not been pleasing on the eye. The lack of ambition, the lone striker, the fear of the opposition (particularly top sides), the reliance on set pieces, the inability to hold on to the ball, the lack of players with pace, and an unnecessarily over-cautious approach to games all contribute to the disappointment.

After we went a goal down in a lethargic 25 minutes at the start of the Leeds game, the shackles came off and for more than an hour we played some delightful stuff against a tiring opposition. But why couldn’t we start the game on the front foot? It’s almost as if the players are told to be cautious, don’t concede, and only have a go if we do fall behind. Perhaps they are? And what an excellent game from Paqueta! He really has begun to look the part in recent games.

It seems certain that Declan Rice will be on his way to new pastures. What a superb player he has been for us; it would be great to round it off lifting the Europa Conference trophy on June 7th. He really is irreplaceable and it will be interesting to see who we can manage to attract to the club this summer. James Ward-Prowse, Kalvin Phillips and Harvey Barnes are three of the names already being touted, all England internationals, and two of them play in central midfield, but I’m sure there will be many more suggested once the transfer window opens. I read these names but after so many years now of reading about players we are allegedly linked with I wait until I see the photo of a new recruit in a claret and blue shirt with their arms crossed before I believe it. If (when) Rice goes, wouldn’t it be good to do the necessary transfer business and have replacements in place well before the new season begins? We never seem to achieve that though, do we?

What will happen in the game at Leicester? I’m sure David Moyes would like to beat them for his own professional pride to ensure West Ham finish as high as possible in the final table. It wouldn’t do his old club on Merseyside any harm if that were the case either. My final prediction of the league season – a 2-2 draw. What are the chances?

It’s the Final Countdown: There Ain’t No Party Like A West Ham Party

With an exciting trip to Prague on their minds, West Ham have a pivotal role to play in the final relegation placings as they host Leeds United at the London Stadium

Yesterday’s round of matches provided the final mathematical proof to what most had realised several few weeks ago, that West Ham would be once again playing Premier League football next season. Complex modelling of different scenarios that would result in Leeds overturning the Hammers goal difference advantage cease to be relevant as the two sides clash at the London Stadium this afternoon.

It was an eventful week for West Ham as they saw off the challenge of AZ Alkmaar to reach the final of the Europa Conference League in Prague. A degree of confusion existed in post-match interviews as to the precise relevance of 43- and 47-year anniversaries in Hammer’s History. To clarify, it is, of course, 47 years since West Ham reached a European final; and it will be an opportunity to lift a first major trophy in 43 years. Hammers of a certain age may also be familiar with the rarely spoken about heart-breaking experience of the 2006 FA Cup Final but prefer to keep that painful memory well and truly buried, like a long forgotten disgraced family member. Although, I was ‘fortunate’ enough to be at the game, I have avoided ever watching the highlights again!

Most pundits took the view that David Moyes got his tactics ‘spot on’ against Alkmaar. By maintaining a compact shape and defending deep it limited the hosts to a handful of half chances. For all their pretty possession they created little threat – and might have played many hours without looking likely to score. The irony is that this was not a cunningly devised tactical masterstroke, it is how his team plays every week. But more on that another time, as it is only right to celebrate the prospect of a big night out in Prague on June 7. It was fantastic to see how much getting to the final meant to the players as they celebrated after the final whistle. And what a story for the immensely likeable Pablo Fornals to come off the bench and score a stunning winner as the clock ticked down. A remarkable moment! I was even touched by seeing a broad smile light up the manager’s face.

It was a disciplined and professional performance from West Ham. Solid right across the back and with Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta putting in excellent shifts in midfield. More might have been achieved from counter-attacks but both Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma had below par nights. Bowen provided his usual good defensive cover – possibly expected to do too much defensively – but offered little going forward against young Hungarian full-back Milos Kerkez. If I was a scout I would add Kerkez to my watch list for what is a problem position at West Ham, although I hope our scouting network extends beyond players from teams we have beaten in cup competitions – Paul Hilton anyone?

I always think you can tell what sort of game Benrahma will have from his first two or three touches. If these go badly you may as well substitute him there and then. Or get him to change his boots. I see it as the exact opposite of the old Billy’s Boots comic strip which appeared many years ago in the Tiger and Scorcher. Rather than Billy turning into a superstar whenever he pulls on his magic boots, Benny and his boots sadly lose all coordination when attempting to shoot or cross.

A small group of curmudgeonly fans have been writing off the Conference as something of a tin-pot competition. It was clear (and encouraging) that the players see it completely differently. If the group stages can be a case of going through the motions, I doubt any of the participants take it easy once the knock-out starts. True it is Europe’s third tier competition, but there are not many opportunities in modern football for coaches and players to win trophies with the concentration of power in the hands of the monied few. And this is one of those occasions. West Ham could not have done much more than win 13 of their 14 matches played to reach the final. With silverware and potential qualification for next season’s Europa League up for grabs, it promises to be a great occasion.  

The Alkmaar match will also be long remembered for the heroics of Knollsy in coming to the rescue of the player’s family and friends who were targeted by a small group of home supporters attempting to storm the stands. Knollsy demonstrated some of the most uncompromising defending seen since the departure of Craig Dawson. AZ Ultra might easily be mistaken for the latest washing powder from Proctor & Gamble and it was heartening to see the ugly stains humiliatingly removed. Well done to Knollsy and also the players who leapt into the fray to protect their loved ones!

With the dust barely settled on Thursday’s semi-final it is back to Premier League action today where West Ham will play an important role on who joins Southampton in the Championship next year. A win for Nottingham Forest yesterday meant that all three of last season’s promoted clubs survive the drop, and narrowed the relegation field of two from Leicester, Leeds, and Everton. Leicester’s fate looks the most precarious even though nothing will be decided until next Sunday’s final games when all three teams have winnable home fixtures.

A win for Leeds today would put them in a strong position for survival with only a Spursy challenge to come. And we all know what Big Sam needing a win means for the way that a match might pan out. It will not be feast of footballing fun and entertainment. On the one hand West Ham will want to sign-off a memorable week on a positive note in the expectation of it being Declan Rice’s last game at the London Stadium as a West Ham player. On the other, Leeds tasked with spoiling the celebrations and sucking the atmosphere out of the party. The visitor’s pragmatic game plan will be to grab a goal and defend it with their lives.

I doubt Moyes will see the need to make wholesale changes from his normal team selection for the final matches. Maybe Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio will be wrapped away in cotton wool until the final but that’s about it with just two games between now and the ECL Final.

Moyes will want to play fair for the relegation candidates. He must still have a soft spot for Everton and is said to be great friends with Allardyce through a shared football philosophy. In fact, I had an idea of Moyes and Allardyce featuring in a buddy TV series – think Coogan and Brydon or Whitehouse and Mortimer – where they hunt fossils on the Jurassic coast while reminiscing on their favourite scoreless draws. The working title is Sam and Dave’s Clean Sheets with Hold On, I’m Coming as the theme tune. Could be a winner!

A last home game of the season without any pressure other than a few million in positional merit money would typically be a massive party day. But with Big Sam not being the ideal party guest, the action on the pitch might end up being incidental to having a laugh, a joke and an old fashioned sing-song. COYI!

Going Dutch: West Ham Require Courage To Complete Double Over AZ Alkmaar

Can West Ham go one better than last season to reach a Euro semi-final. It would provide a silver lining to a dismal season but are David Moyes and his team brave enough to pull it off?

West Ham face a Dutch reckoning this evening when they travel to the North Holland city of Alkmaar for the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final. Holding a slender 2-1 advantage from last Thursday’s opener, the Hammers must silence a passionate home support if they are to reach a first European final since 1976 and remain on course for their first senior trophy in 43 years.

A more adventurous approach at the London Stadium would surely have put the Hammers in pole position against what, on the day, was an underwhelming AZ Alkmaar outfit. The visitors enjoyed plenty of possession but had few ideas going forward. Even so, they had earned themselves a half-time lead courtesy of shoddy defensive covering and poor goalkeeping by the Hammer’s rear-guard. But West Ham were able to turn the tie around with a far more aggressive second half performance which clearly unsettled a shaky Alkmaar defence.

Chances are it will be a very different AZ side that we see today on home turf. Their record in front of their own supporters, both in Europe and domestically, is impressive and they have won all eight of the home fixtures played so far in this season’s Conference League. The return from suspension of Milos Kerkez, a fleet-footed 19-year-old full-back, will add an extra dimension to their attacking play which was badly missing in the first leg. They will be highly motivated to add a Premier League scalp to the list of conquests.

The big worry for West Ham fans is how will David Moyes approach the game. In his pre-match interviews, he was keen to point out that European football had been a new experience for the team last season and that they would have learned from the experience of the semi-final exit against Eintracht Frankfurt. A more pertinent question, however, might be what lessons did he take on board from the two legged defeat? Will he oversee yet another typically slow and timid start from his charges – one that again pays his opponent far too much respect – or does he demonstrate belief in his players having the talent and ability to cause major problems for the Alkmaar defence, and put the tie beyond doubt on their own terms?

It would be out of character for Moyes to allow players greater freedom, but maybe the players will take it on themselves not to let caution deny them a shot at glory in Prague next month. It is puzzling to see the Hammers still being described as a fast counter attacking team. That may have had some justification two seasons ago, but this term the statistics show only one goal (in the Premier League) being the result of a counterattack. Away from home especially, West Ham have become almost exclusively a set-piece team.  We really do need to see more than that tonight.

Defeat for the Hammers second string at Brentford on Sunday told us little that we didn’t already know. The key takeaways being: despite last summer’s recruitment the squad depth and balance remains below standard, in the absence of Michail Antonio there isn’t even the semblance of an attacking plan, and the handball rule gets more ridiculous each week. The only player starting on Sunday to start again today is likely to be Nayef Aguerd, ironic in some ways because he had a hand in both of the goals conceded. He does, however, look more composed alongside Kurt Zouma. My predicted line-up is: Areola, Kehrer (or Coufal), Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell, Rice, Soucek, Paqueta, Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma.

West Ham’s Dutch connection is not a strong one. The only previous competitive encounter with Dutch opponents was the stirring quarter final come-back against Den Haag – now floundering in the second tier of the Dutch league – in March 1976. And while the Premier League has seen a breath-taking array of Dutch talent pass through, including Bergkamp, van Persie, van Dijk, van Nistelrooy, Stam, Hasselbaink, Overmars, and Gullit, none of these have made it across to the east-end. The best the Hammers have been able to offer is Atteveld, Boere, and Boogers. Quite surprising that players from the Netherlands and Belgium are rarely on the West Ham radar.

Experience tells us that tonight will not be plain sailing. It’s just not the West Ham way. I have been growing my finger nails all week to ensure there is something to chew in the final 15 to 20 minutes as the Hammers retreat further and further back towards goal – and also allowing for extra time and penalties. I do believe with the right attitude we should be able to control the game and come away victorious on the night as well as on aggregate. I only see the manager getting in the way of that expectation. Or can he changes his ways? As Newcastle manager Joe Harvey might have said back in 1969 “Faint heart never won Fairs Cup.” Go for it, Dave. COYI!

Will It Be Yet Another “Nil Points” Against Brentford For Euro Bound Hammers?

The seduction of the Europa Conference Final will overshadow this weekend’s contractual obligation derby in west London. Moyes will be keen to rest key players.

In the end the AZ Almaar team that turned up at the London Stadium were not quite ‘as advertised’. In the pre-match build-up their reputation had escalated from being ‘no mugs’ to becoming an amazing fast raiding side who would weave intricate patterns around the pitch. In practice, they were rather pedestrian. If there was an element of Brighton about them, it was early Potter vintage and not the free-scoring De Zerbi incarnation.

Nevertheless, David Moyes had predictably treated the threat with the utmost caution. If AZ were a side who liked to break the press by tempting an opponent to commit, Moyes would counter that by refusing to press at all, and reverting to the favoured default low block. There’s nothing that takes him higher than an overdose of caution.

Ultimately, it took the gift of a poorly conceded goal to stir West Ham from their stupor. Several players were hoping for a foul, Tomas Soucek was slow to close down, and Alphonse Areola was embarrassed by a tame shot that he should easily have dealt with. It was to the Hammers credit that they eventually turned the match around, but the feeling at the final whistle was of an opportunity missed.  The visitors looked uncomfortable in the face of any physical challenge, and even a modicum of adventure would surely have allowed West Ham to establish an unassailable first-leg advantage.

Instead, we are left with a tie that could go either way in the second leg. A game where Moyes is banking on his team’s resilience to reach the final. Now, I’m all in favour of resilience, but isn’t an attribute that would be called for against heavyweights such as Manchester City or Real Madrid – not against relative Dutch unknowns. A big spending Premier League side should be looking to overcome teams like AZ through the excellence of their football rather than resilience.  

Sandwiched between the two European Conference semi-final encounters is a bothersome end-of-season affair at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium. Mathematically, West Ham could still end the season in the bottom three but the alignment of fortunes required for that to happen are as improbable as the United Kingdom winning the Eurovision Song Contest.

Brentford are already assured a top ten finish which is a remarkable achievement by manager Thomas Frank and his players. In certain aspects of style, there are uncanny similarities between the way Brentford and West Ham approach games. Neither is too bothered about the chore of ball possession and both favour launching it long as the cornerstone of attacking ambitions. In terms of attitude, however, the teams are streets apart. Brentford approach games without fear of any opposition, press higher up the pitch, and routinely setup with two dedicated strikers. Indeed, Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo are pivotal to Brentford’s success. If and when Toney receives the threatened lengthy ban for betting rule breaches – why has this taken so long – it will be a major blow.

The trade-off for this reckless sense of adventure is being more open at the back. No-one has made more saves in the Premier League this season than the Brentford keeper, and only Bournemouth and Everton have faced more opposition shots. Despite this, they have conceded five goals fewer than West Ham – and scored 14 more.

There’s plenty of speculation that Moyes will rest a number of players for tomorrow’s game. It would be foolish to play Michail Antonio given that he is the only player in the squad capable of playing the Moyes striker role. He may also choose to omit Kurt Zouma, Declan Rice, and Jarrod Bowen. Very likely we will see a 5-3-2 starting eleven along the following lines: Fabianski, Johnson, Kehrer, Aguerd, Cresswell, Emerson, Downes, Soucek, Paqueta, Ings, Cornet  

When West Ham made it to the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in 1976 they took just two points from the final eight league games. It feels like similar territory that we are now in. Survival may well be mathematically confirmed this weekend and after that there will be just the one prize.

The Hammers have yet to take a point off Brentford since their promotion to the Premier League. The chances on ending that run tomorrow seem remote. But maybe there’s the chance of a scrappy end-of-season draw. COYI!