#liverpool – Under The Hammers

West Ham with seven points from their last three games entertain Liverpool who have three points from their last seven games

When we were five games into this Premier League season, the reigning champions Liverpool sat at the top already holding a five point lead. They had won all five games, albeit with some very late winning goals, and had 15 points, five clear of second placed Arsenal. They had scored 11 goals and conceded five and were odds on favourites even at that early stage to retain their title. What has happened next has taken almost everyone by surprise.

We are now 12 games into the season and their five point lead just seven games ago has not just disappeared but they have tumbled down the league table and now are twelfth with 18 points, 11 points off Arsenal at the summit, meaning just one win and six defeats in those games (with nine defeats in their last 12 games across all competitions). They have scored 18 goals and conceded 20 in the Premier League to date. These games include some heavy defeats to Manchester City (0-3), Nottingham Forest (0-3), and PSV Eindhoven (1-4 in the Champions League).

Defensive frailties have been exposed, with Liverpool conceding three goals in three of their last five matches. Injuries have compounded their woes, with Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, and Jeremie Frimpong all doubts for this weekend’s game, while Alisson Becker faces a race to be fit.

Apparently, it is Liverpool’s worst run since 1953. And what odds would you have got when they were comfortably leading the league that by the end of November Arne Slot would be second favourite at around 2/1 (Daniel Farke is the odds-on favourite) to be the next Premier League manager to be leaving his post? Quite an astonishing turn round that everybody seems to fail to understand the reason why.

And after all that they now face the mighty, massive Hammers at the London Stadium! West Ham come into this fixture unbeaten in their last three Premier League games, having picked up seven points from matches against Newcastle (3-1 win), Burnley (3-2 win), and Bournemouth (2-2 draw). Our seven points from those three Premier League games in November exceeds the four we managed in August, September and October combined. It could have been nine points if the manager had gone about substitutions in a different way at Bournemouth where we surrendered the initiative after holding a two-goal half time lead. (I’ll leave you to review Geoff’s analysis of that game – I’ll say no more here.)

We seem to have found new energy under Nuno Espirito Santo with his (in my opinion) improved team selections in the last three games, with Callum Wilson in fine form, scoring twice against one of his old clubs last weekend. Always a fine goalscorer but why was he hauled off so early? I remember the days when the same eleven who started the game ended it too! Lucas Paqueta returns from suspension (I have mixed feelings about this), and Crysencio Summerville is expected to be fit, boosting our attacking options. We have also recorded back-to-back home wins for the first time this calendar year, and our attacking play has notably improved, scoring eight goals in our last three league matches (compared to seven in the previous nine). However, I still have my reservations about our new manager. Team selections and substitutions mainly but I hope he proves me wrong and is successful in taking us up the table.

Liverpool have dominated this fixture historically, winning 86 of the 153 competitive meetings, with West Ham claiming 29 wins and 38 draws. In recent years, Liverpool have won five of the last six encounters, including a 5-0 thrashing at the London Stadium last December and a 5-1 EFL Cup win. West Ham’s last home victory over Liverpool came in November 2021 (3-2), (didn’t Mr. Klopp blame the bubbles?) but that remains our only win in the last 20 attempts.

The fixture tends to produce goals, with both teams scoring in many recent meetings. Liverpool have scored 25 goals in their nine Premier League visits to the London Stadium against West Ham, including a 5-0 win in this fixture last season. Indeed, Man City (28) and Arsenal (26) are the only visiting sides with more goals at the ground.

Liverpool have lost each of their last five away league games against London sides, as many as in their previous 31. They last had a longer losing run in the capital between September 1952 and April 1954 with eight.

Current form favours West Ham (something that isn’t usually the case when we face Liverpool!). History favours the Merseysiders and bookmakers make them odds on favourites to win the game. I hope we can inflict more pressure on Mr Slot and boost our own position in the table with three points. However, I note that Liverpool are the only Premier League team to have not shared the points in any of their twelve league games so far this season. They haven’t drawn any of their five Champions League games either nor their two league cup games when they exited the competition at the hands of Crystal Palace. They did draw the Community Shield game at the beginning of the season before losing on penalties to Palace. Palace were also one of the teams to beat them in the league too.

Perhaps time for our second 2-2 draw in consecutive weeks? Or our second 3-2 win in consecutive home games?

Anfield Retrospective: West Ham Reprise Role of Gallant Losers in Attempt to Derail Liverpool Title March

The two best known anthems in English football sing about the fragility of dreams. Once more it is the dreams that are tossed and blown that triumph over those which fade and die

Looking back at Sunday’s game Liverpool in isolation left the impression of a decent performance where West Ham were maybe unfortunate not to come away with a share of the spoils. Whether, as some suggest, it represented the green shoots of improvement for the Graham Potter era is far less certain. The reality remains that league position, points per game, and goals scored have all deteriorated since the new manager’s appointment. The Hammers are now statistically the worst side in the league outside of the woeful bottom three. Such a decline is a huge disappointment for any coach, no matter what position was inherited at outset.

The match itself was less the game of two halves that has become the Hammer’s signature for much of the season, and more a game of four quarters. An opening quarter of total domination by the hosts, a period of relative stability where the visitors might easily have equalised and culminating with a final two quarters where, for long periods, the visitors looked much the better team. To bring the scores level only to quickly concede shortly afterwards was so West Ham. Adopting the role of gallant losers that is as much part of the club’s DNA as blowing bubbles.

If you watched the game on TV, you would have been exposed to a stream of nauseating Salah-vation during the match commentary in celebration of Mo’s contract extension. A situation that only got worse when his ‘goal-involvement’ cross was stroked home by Diaz after 18 minutes.

It was an afternoon to forget for Ollie Scarles who was given a torrid time by Salah. At times his defending was both naïve and weak, and his confidence shot to the point where it looked like he might burst out into tears. Hopefully, just a part of the learning curve although he has been unconvincing defensively in seeral of his recent games. A game or two out of the spotlight might help.

It did not come as a surprise to see Potter reverting to a back three when the teams were announced. It is a formation that is easier to justify away at Anfield than at home to Crystal Palace or Leicester. The drawback is that it doesn’t allow Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus, and Niclas Fullkrug to fit into the system or shape at the same time. Following the positive impacts made by Fullkrug’s introduction in previous games it was extremely disappointing not to see him feature on the pitch until the 78^th minute.

Elsewhere, I would have preferred Edson Alvarez to have started in place of JWP but was relieved to see Tomas Soucek left on the bench. Until there is a rule change that allows players to come on just for set pieces, I don’t see what role the slumbering Czech can play in any side with an ambition to hold on to possession.

The pairing of Lucas Paqueta and Carlos Soler in the attacking midfield areas provided more creative spark and interplay than we have been used to in recent times. Both may have contributed their best football of season, especially during the second half when they were instrumental in the Hammers running the show. I wonder how many Paqueta Islanders had put a wager on the Brazilian knocking over the referee.

Paqueta did rather blot his copy book, however, with his role in the lead up to the Liverpool winner. There are certain areas of the pitch where looking to buy a foul is way too risky if there are no takers. His reputation for going down too easily and theatrically does him no favours at all. Of course, it is almost impossible these days to be certain what is and isn’t a foul. Without an insider understanding of the permitted force of a shove in the back; or how long you can rightfully hold on to an opponent’s shirt without being penalised we can only bow to the officials’ superior knowledge. Heads there was contact, he had a right to go down; tails, it was minimal contact, he went down too easily.

The dilemma was perfectly illustrated when Van Dyke headed the Liverpool winner. As the co-commentator euphemistically described it: “the nudge by Van Dyke moving Fullkrug out of the way”. Must be a little like pinball where a ‘nudge’ is allowed but a tilt is game over.

Whatever the likley outcome of the match, Liverpool will eventually be the 2024/25 Premier League champions. The home win simply brings forward the date on which it will be confirmed. It is difficult to argue that it is not deserved and a major achievement in Slot’s first season.

Thankfully, from a West Ham perspective there are only another six games to endure before the curtain comes down on one of the dullest campaigns in living memory. With a lowly league finish, no cup runs or European football, the Hammers have taken a massive step backwards compared to the clubs we mighty have imagined to be our financial equals outside the rich six – notably Newcastle and Aston Villa. It will be goodbye to a place in the list of the world’s top twenty richest football clubs when the results are announced next year.

All hopes must now be pinned on a successful summer of recruitment, apparently spearheaded by Potter and Kyle Macaulay but unlikely to be free of interference from the self-styled Director of Football in the boardroom, David Sullivan. Our best hope is that their decision making improves significantly from the one that lumbered the club with a loan deal for an unfit (and arguably unmotivated) Evan Ferguson. Even from a distance it looked like a really stupid move that was never going to benefit West Ham.

A lot of work is required to assemble a functioning squad from the spare parts that are currently in place. All the more difficult is a club that lacks any clear strategy on its recruitment aims. It is fanciful to believe the Potter/ Macaulay partnership were instrumental in Brighton’s successful and money-spinning transfer dealings, but perhaps they learned something from the experience. The worst of all worlds is that recruitment activity again focuses solely on existing short-term firefighting issues in the squad at the expense of building for the future. Past performance does not instil a great deal of confidence.

It got to the point on Sunday where I was relived to hear that Chelsea had equalised against Ipswich. And I am not overly confident that we will not allow Southampton to overhaul Derby’s lowest ever Premier League points total this weekend either. How on earth did we get here? COYI!

Match facts as West Ham face Liverpool in the late kick-off this afternoon

At St Marys there were ills on the West Ham side
Kilman, Soler and Fab were all on the slide
First half woes forced them off to tread
Injuries to shoulder, to knee and to head.

Soucek and Rodriguez bans they face
But Lucas Paqueta returns to the race
No Szoboszlai a yellow card woe
Bradley and Konate sidelined and won’t show.

West Ham won in 2021, that was a rare treat,
In sixteen meetings, it was usually defeat
The Reds have scored twice in seven of eight,
They score at will, so much they create.

Unbeaten in four, West Ham on the rise?
Seeking back-to-back wins with hopeful eyes
First three home losses in Lopetegui’s reign
But once in six since to ease the pain.

Set pieces are good, seven goals we’ve scored
But conceded 74 in ’24 – to be abhorred!
All our last six goals in second half came
Bowen closing on 50, he’s well on his game

The Reds start the New Year at top seventh time
But only once champions – that is a crime
Unbeaten away in the top-flight this season
Six wins and two draws, that is the reason

26 games for Slot with just one defeat
22 unbeaten well that’s quite a feat
12 points from behind another statistic
When they concede first they stay optimistic

Ten goals conceded in last four away
At least two in each, much to their dismay
But still gained eight points that’s quite a feat,
Two wins two draws and never got beat

And so it’s a tough one I’ve got to concede
An early goal lead is perhaps what we need
Very hard to beat them that’s well understood
In this game a draw would be very good

My West Ham player of the season so far – Aaron Wan-Bissaka

As West Ham prepare to take on the champions-elect Liverpool in the final game of 2024, I nominate Aaron Wan-Bissaka as my player of the season to date.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka had his 27^th birthday in November. Manchester United paid Crystal Palace £50 million for him in 2019. Somehow he didn’t quite thrive at Old Trafford as you might have expected for a defender who cost that amount of money. He definitely needed a fresh start to kick-start his career. I don’t remember a big queue of clubs looking to secure his signature when he wanted to leave. Amazing to me as I always felt he looked a really good player, and certainly a big upgrade on Ben Johnson in the squad. It was obvious to me (although not to the head coach at the outset) that he would be an improvement of Vladimir Coufal at right back, and he has shown great versatility in performing equally well when playing on the left.

One of the most amazing pieces of play, and one that has gone under the radar this season because it didn’t result in a goal (which always gets the headlines) came in our game in the last match before Christmas against Brighton. Wan-Bissaka sealed the point in the game with an incredibly courageous and brilliant goal-saving on the line headed clearance to deny Lamptey of Brighton.

More than that he has performed consistently in a team that hasn’t played consistently this season. He has adjusted superbly to the demands of the head coach for full backs to play in a more advanced role. He scored his first goal for us in the 2-0 away victory at Newcastle and is demonstrating the qualities that made him such a highly rated talent at the time he went north to Old Trafford. He followed it up with another well taken goal timing his run to perfection in the home defeat to Arsenal in the following game. Two goals already in sixteen appearances for the team, and potentially assists to come if he keeps getting forward as he has done.

It’s always strikers or midfield players that get all the headlines, but for me he has been West Ham’s stand out player so far this season and long may it continue. There’s always some debate as to who behind the scenes identifies players to buy to come to the club. But whoever it was in this case has (in my opinion) unearthed a gem. He, himself, described coming to West Ham as a no-brainer and he hasn’t looked back, has he? He has, I believe, the potential to become the best right-back in the country, a view not shared by many yet but I hope it will happen.

The Great Pretender (Defender) (with apologies to the late, great Freddie Mercury)

When you came they said you were good at the back,
ManU didn’t want you, said you couldn’t attack.
They said your strength was to tackle and defend,
You may well have tricked them, perhaps you like to pretend?

Did you fool them ‘cos you had plans of getting away?
‘cos already you’ve shown them you know how to play.
They said you could tackle, the best one on one,
You’ve shown your versatility, that’s what you have done.

Right back, left back, you can fill a hole,
What’s more AWB you’re good for a goal.
I think they’re missing a trick, you’ve got pace galore,
You could play defensive midfield, shielding the back four.

Oh, yes, you’re a great defender,
But not pretending, ‘cos you’re doing well
Your game is such, an excellent touch,
A top player, but very few can tell.

I seem to see what so few can see
You cover all over the ground
Oh yes, you’re a great defender
Not pretending that you are around.

Lopetegui’s Baptism Of Dire. Time For The New West Ham Coach To Demonstrate His Tactical Pedigree

Nobody said it would be easy but there have been few encouraging signs of progress from new look West Ham style and squad. The run of three games before the next international break may take on more significance than expected.

It is fair to say that the record breaking start to Julen Lopetegui’s rein as coach of West Ham United wasn’t quite what he was hoping for. A third consecutive London Stadium defeat – this time at the hands of Chelsea – making it the first time in a chaotic history that the Hammers have ever lost their opening three home league fixtures.

In the summer I had speculated how the extent of the changes in personnel and style – plus the slow pace of recruitment – made a stuttering start to the season almost inevitable. Patience would be required. But with the appointment of Lopetegui not being the most popular of choices outside of the board room, the honeymoon period could well be short-lived.

Indeed, the first rumblings of discontent have already been heard through the dreaded ‘careful watch you wish for’ raising its ugly head on Saturday’s TV commentary. Of course, it is a cliché predicated on the false dilemma that there was only a binary choice between keeping the Scottish manager and bring in Lopetegui – which was simply not the case.

For now, Lopetegui must continue to get the benefit of the doubt. Not every manager is able to make an immediate impact, but it is difficult not to pick up on worrying signs from the haphazard nature of performances to date. And especially having recently watched the abysmal showing against Chelsea in what should be one of the Hammer’s premier London derbies of the season.

Had we witnessed encouraging performances that were blighted only by individual slips as players acclimatised to the new style it would be easy to explain away. However, the apparent absence of intensity, passion, organisation, and cohesion is a whole lot more difficult to overlook.

Failure to put in decent showings against Liverpool in Thursday’s EFL cup-tie and the two remaining league fixtures – Brentford away and Ipswich at home – before the next international break will surely increase the pressure. How long before we see the first sighting of a headline on Hammers Zone News websites proclaiming ‘Lopetegui has just four games to save his job’?

Precisely how the coach plans for his team to approach games has not yet become apparent. From what we have seen and what we were told to expect it may or may not involve some of the following: an emphasis of possession; playing out from the back; a high defensive line; full backs providing attacking width; central midfielders supporting the centre backs in defending and beating the press; wide attackers playing narrower as inside forwards; and a striker providing link up play as well as being the arrowhead for attacks.

In an ideal world, the coach has his philosophy, and the recruitment guy finds the individuals capable of slotting into it. The scale of the personnel changes required has clearly led to compromises and the jury is out as to which players in the squad have the attributes to embrace the new philosophy quickly. Current evidence is of a huge gap between the sum and the parts.

The biggest question marks for me are the absence of pace and athleticism in midfield and the confusing role of the full backs. We might also add in the ongoing striker debacle once we have had the chance for a proper look at Niclas Fullkrug. The instinct is that a quicker, more mobile alternative would have been a more productive addition but perhaps Fullkrug can become the perfect foil for the talents of Bowen and Kudus.

Of the defensive midfield options, none of Edson Alvarez, Guido Rodriguez or Tomas Soucek is blessed with the pace or mobility required to provide rotational defensive cover or to shift the ball quickly once in possession. In theory, using two defensive midfielders two centre backs in a box formation prevents opponents attacking through the middle, but West Ham have been ruthlessly exposed in this area during each of the early games this season. Without the use of conventional full backs, the backline becomes strung out rather than compact.

It is the role of the full backs which raises the most eyebrows. It doesn’t help that the first-choice pair are completely different in style to start with. Emerson happier in the attacking wing back role, capable of cutting inside but weaker in defending. Aaron Wan-Bissaka regularly touted as the best one-on-one defender in the league but looking lost and confused as a tucked-in wing back that has left him jogging back as opponents exploit the oceans of room vacated.

Wan-Bissaka was one of those implicated in the opening goal last Saturday. It was schoolboy defending (possibly unfair to PE teachers across the country) to turn backs or look away as their opponents prepared to take a quick free kick. It set the tone for much of the match. Alvarez was criticised for not being able to run faster than he can in tracking Jackson’s run, but at least he gave it a go. He might have been better advised to stand and watch like his colleagues. Too often West Ham players are static, standing on their heels rather than playing on their toes – one of the hallmarks of the entertaining Greenwood and Lyall teams of old.

Despite Chelsea’s dominance, the Hammers might have been handed a unlikely lifeline had the referee correctly awarded a penalty when Fofana held back the run of ‘Jimmy’ Summerville. It appears this kind of foul has a length of hold time limit – like the three second rule when you drop a piece of food on the floor – during which it is acceptable to carry on as normal. But only if it happens inside the area. Fofana was booked for a similar offence on Summerville in safer territory some moments later. Every year PGMOL come up with new and imaginative ways to spoil the game. This year’s special is the blitz on delaying the re-start which will be quietly forgotten before the clocks change.

A ray of light from the early Lopetegui era is a willingness to make substitutions earlier in the game. Once he learns to make wise ones it will be an added bonus. No-one could argue against the withdrawal of Guido Rodriguez but replacing him with Tomas Soucek was akin to switching one dud battery for another in a Duracel bunny and wondering why it still doesn’t work. While making first half changes might be applauded it could also suggest poor team selection or tactics in the first place. Replacing Summerville with Michail Antonio was particularly perplexing as it removed one of our most dangerous players and forced another (Mohammed Kudus) to switch to a less favoured position. Declining to bring on the rarely seen Jean-Clair Todibo and previous week’s saviour, Danny Ings, were equally questionable.

The next three games may go a long way to defining the direction of travel. They will either deepen the gloom or hint at a light at the end of the tunnel. Starting with an away visit to Anfield in the compromised draw of the EFL Cup is not where you would want to start but there needs to be encouraging signs even in anticipated defeat. Surely a chance for Todibo as well as for Carlos Soler and Andy Irvine who both looked as if they were familiar with a football during their late introductions against Chelsea. They could do no worse than Lucas Paqueta who continues to offer only intermittent inspiration rather than the sustained playmaking influence required.

West Ham expects. COYI!

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!

A Dangerous Outbreak of Optimism Reported at The London Stadium as West Ham Entertain Liverpool

A spectacular FA Youth Cup success has added to the feel-good factor at West Ham prompted by an upturn in league performances and qualification for the Europa Conference semi-final

It’s been a massive week to ten days at West Ham that has (for now) completely changed the vibe surrounding the club. The surprise spirited comeback against Arsenal, easing past Gent in the Europa Conference, the demolition of Bournemouth have now been topped off by the U18s spectacular 5-1 triumph in the FA Youth Cup Final at The Emirates Stadium.

The Youth Cup win was the first since the Cole and Carrick class of 1999 won a two-legged final against Coventry City. It was a proud day for what looks to be a very strong and talented squad of lads. Here’s hoping a good few of them go on to carve out distinguished careers in professional football, whether that is at West Ham (obviously) or elsewhere in the game.

Although the trip to Bournemouth always suggested it might be a winnable game, the style and nature of victory was wholly unexpected. An unheard-of brace of early goals set the tone of the match and the travelling fans were treated to the most expressive football of the Hammer’s season to date. The long deserted swagger had returned, and for a while, it was as if the clocks had been put back by two years. The mind is often conflicted in such circumstances. Was the performance down to West Ham’s excellence or the result of Bournemouth’s deficiencies. The next two games against Liverpool tonight and Palace on Saturday will provide further evidence.

The risk of relegation hasn’t receded completely but on current trajectory is very remote now. I don’t see a scenario where four or more of the bottom six teams manage to scramble to 35 points by the end of the season. There are sure to be more surprises, though, and remember that nothing is settled until survival is mathematically certain.

As things stand, West Ham are sixth in the Premier League form table with 11 points from the last six matches played. Indeed, if we take the narrow view that form is only about results – and ignore the quality of performance – the Hammers have been on an improving trend since the turn of the year. The 17 matches before the new year yielded just 14 points (a relegation bound 0.82 points per game) but the 14 matches in 2023 have generated 20 points (1.42 ppg). So, recent form, while not stellar, is good enough for mid-table obscurity. There will be claims that the upturn validates the Board’s decision to stick with Moyes in the darkest hour, but that is not proven beyond reasonable doubt. For perspective, in the same new year period, a once struggling Aston Villa have averaged over two points per game under Unai Emery to become credible top six finishers.

Of course, many would argue that football should be as much about entertainment as results – something that has been sadly lacking in the dull, passive, and predictable fare on show for most of the campaign. It is a distinction that is close to the hearts of supporters but is almost exclusively overlooked by pundits. Media coverage outside the rich six is, as ever, scandalously superficial.

If the new hint of adventure that has emerged in recent weeks is not just a flash in the pan, it begs the question ‘what has changed?’ Did the manager buckle to pressure and release the handbrake? Did the drab victories against the likes of Southampton and Fulham inspire the confidence to play with greater adventure? Did player-power break out and force a change of thinking? Has Lucas Paqueta finally adjusting to the demands of the Premier League provided a game-changing extra dimension going forward? Has the return of Mark Noble to the club improved communication between manager and players and taken some of the load away from Declan Rice? Or did every player lose and then rediscover form at the same time? Perhaps it is a mixture of them all.

***

The 2022/23 season has been equally underwhelming for this evening’s visitors, Liverpool. Having spent the previous few years going toe-to-toe with Manchester City for the title, they now find themselves in a pitch battle with Tottenham to qualify for the continent’s pre-eminent cup competition – the Europa Conference League. Ensuring that the competition gets a lot more media attention than it gathered this year.

The Liverpool side has the look of a squad urgently in need of a major surgery and overhaul this season as key players have aged or become stale. Lacking the resources available to other title hopefuls, the Reds opted to throw all their cash at forwards while neglecting the shortcomings of a defensively vulnerable back four and pedestrian, lacklustre midfield. The Klopp style of play may well have exceeded its best before date with more opponents having worked out how to counter it effectively. They clearly still possess a dangerous goal scoring threat when things go well – Jota is the man to watch for me. It just doesn’t come off as much as it used to.

I’m expecting a largely unchanged West Ham eleven for the game. Possibly the only question-mark would be over Said Benrahma who has continued to labour of late. There are many clamouring for the inclusion of Pablo Fornals after his elaborate drunken scorpion strike on Sunday and it is a switch that Moyes might well be considering. Fornals doesn’t provide too much of an attacking threat when playing out wide but offers better defensive cover than a ball-watching Benny. This could provide useful assistance to Aaron Cresswell’s attempts to handle Salah.

There can be no more likeable a character in the Hammers squad than Fornals. It would be great to see him get more minutes, but the reality is that he is now primarily understudy to Paqueta. The idea of playing him in place of Thomas Soucek (as some have suggested) sounds disastrous to me. Not because Soucek deserves his place, but because Pablo is nowhere near strong enough to compete as a defensive minded midfield player at this level.

If West Ham show plenty of aggression tonight it will unsettle Liverpool – they don’t like it up ‘em, these days for some reason. There’s no chance of the Hammers bossing possession but as long as they press higher up the pitch, avoid giving away free kicks on the edge of the area, and can break at speed there is no reason the feel-good factor cannot be extended even further. It’s suddenly not so bad being a West Ham fan. COYI!

West Ham at Anfield, plus abuse of officials setting a poor example to the junior game

I thought that Jurgen Klopp was very restrained on the touchline in our game at Liverpool on Wednesday night. He had previously “lost it” last weekend at assistant referee Gary Beswick and was sent off for his outburst. He did apologise and has vowed to try to contain his behaviour. To be fair he hadn’t been sent off before, but this time he really overstepped the mark. Some of his fellow managers, including our own gave him support. Frank Lampard for example does not seem to believe there is a link between the behaviour of managers at the top level and the abuse that referees get at junior levels. David Moyes believes that managers can “lose their heads” in a game and change their character from their true selves.

As someone who watches junior football I believe Klopp has a responsibility to set an example like all elite managers and players should. Like it or not, young players copy what they see the professionals doing. And parents on the touchline will copy what they see too. The abuse given to referees at junior matches can be quite appalling. Klopp’s conduct leads to parents reacting in the same way, because I guess, they think it’s OK. It’s not. Referees at grassroots level are giving up in droves because they can’t stand the abuse. The FA revealed that last season 380 players were banned for attacking or threatening officials in English grassroots football. I hope Klopp gets a significant touchline ban.

Players surrounding the referee when a decision goes against them is another issue that needs addressing. In the days of Alex Ferguson Manchester United players were notorious for this kind of behaviour. The same is true of their players today, and the club have been charged for failing to control them in last Sunday’s game against Newcastle when they surrounded the referee like a pack of dogs. Their current manager doesn’t agree believing it wasn’t that aggressive. Of course West Ham have now been charged with failing to control players after they too surrounded the referee (Peter Bankes) during last Sunday’s draw at Southampton when he body checked Jarrod Bowen as he attempted to tackle Perraud just before he scored. I’m not sure we can learn too much from the game of rugby, but the insistence that only the captain can approach the referee to question decisions is one that perhaps we could follow. Similar situations surrounding referees happen in junior football too. Would it happen if they didn’t see players at elite levels doing it? I don’t believe it would.

Back to Wednesday night’s game at Anfield. To only lose 1-0 and miss a penalty in the process is a sign that we are, perhaps, not too far away from getting back towards our form of the last two seasons. We restricted Liverpool to a handful of chances, and Fabianski was equal to the challenge when necessary. The amazing statistic that we are the lowest scoring Premier League team in the first half of games this season (only scoring 2 so far) was maintained during a first half where we were threatened to be overrun in the early stages. But a much improved second half performance could have, and perhaps should have resulted in us getting a point out of the game.

I thought that Declan Rice had a tremendous game, doing his usual stuff, plus thrusting forward and setting up attacks more than he has done in recent times. I believe that one of the reasons for this was the inclusion of Flynn Downes from the start. Every time I see Downes he impresses me with his strength when tackling and challenging for the ball, his positional sense, and his great habit of finding a team-mate when passing the ball, unlike one or two others in the team. I hope he gets a run in the starting eleven.

We still find ourselves in the bottom half of the table two points above the relegation zone, but only five points below seventh place where we finished last season. Three of the next four games before the break for the World Cup are at home to Bournemouth, Palace and Leicester with a trip to Old Trafford sandwiched in between. We have a good opportunity (on paper) to move into the top half before the break. Ten points from those four games would be good. What are the chances?

Hammers Have Hope In Their Hearts For Annual Anfield Altercation

Will the dreams be tossed and blown or will they fade and die as West Ham make the annual pointless trip up north to play Liverpool

According to popular wisdom: “it is better to travel in hope than to arrive”. That has certainly been the case for West Ham visits to Liverpool in the past. A contest that has seen the visitors accumulate a paltry three away wins in ninety-nine years of competition. Recent experience provides no greater comfort with a run of five straight defeats since the Hammers last came away with a point in December 2016. Famously, a 50+ year hoodoo had been broken the previous season – but that was not to be start of a new era and the fixture continues to carry the hallmarks of a contractual obligation.

The ‘travel in hope’ quotation is said to have been coined by by Robert Louis Stevenson. Quite appropriate then that it would require a monstrous Jekyll and Hyde type transformation from last weekend’s respective performances for the visitors to improve on their sad record.

Following Liverpool’s stuttering start to the season, where their problem has been far too many drawn games, it was a shock to see them stifle and defeat a free-scoring Manchester City side, who I had earmarked as potential Invincibles material. Perhaps they were fortunate that Haaland had gone ‘off the boil’ by extending his goal drought to a whole match! Still it was a far more energetic and purposeful performance by the hosts in which the only straw clutching hope is that it may have taken a lot out of them – and resulted in one or two more injuries.

True to form, VAR once again found itself at the centre of attention when it went into overdrive to disallow what might heve been Manchester City’s opener. Had Haaland pulled Fabinho’s force with sufficient grippage (is that a word?) ; did Haaland subsequently kick the ball out of Alissons hands; if not, should that have constituted a new phase of play; does anyone understand the rules; do they make them up as they go along? Suffice to say, we shouldn’t expect any favours from the VAR team this evening.

As for the Hammers, it was a case of two points dropped at St Marys Stadium on Sunday. The absence of four recognised central defenders from the West Ham line-up set the scene for the game with David Moyes opting for an unusual all-full-back back three of Ben Johnson, Thilo Kehrer, and Aaron Cresswell. As I have written before, my aversion to playing three at the back is not that it is negative, but because there’s no-one in the squad capable of playing effectively as wing-backs. Vladimir Coufal and Emerson went on to prove that point perfectly. Sad to see that Coufal received abuse on social media. Whatever the shortcomings or poor form of various players, I don’t see any that are not giving 100%.

The makeshift defence started like a group of strangers and although understanding steadily improved, the Hammers found themselves a goal down by then. It was a goal conceded in bizarre circumstances when hapless referee, Peter Bankes, body checked Jarrod Bowen to present Perraud with a shooting opportunity. Bankes, and his VAR minder, would later go on to miss a penalty area judo throw on Tomas Soucek – the type of challenge that was penalised at every other ground over the weekend.

If the starting line-up that Moyes opted for could be seen as understandable in the circumstances, his substitutions were once more beyond perplexing. His team had been well on top for most of the game. Possession, goal attempts and corner kicks were off the scale, and Southampton had given up any pretence of trying to score. Only one team were capable of going on to win the game. Surely, time to give it a real go – an opportunity to see Giancarlo Scamacca and Michail Antonio terrorise the Saints defence for the final ten or fifteen minutes? But no, that’s just what they would have expected us to do. Far better to take off your biggest goal threats and tamely play out the remaining minutes to bank the point. A lovely goal by Declan Rice, by the way!

This week’s episode of Centre Back Crisis season 2 is the subject of conflicting reports. Wishful thinking says that at least one of Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson should be available to play, while past performance indicates that recoveries always take longer than anticipated from the West Ham sickbay. It’s good news that Nayef Aguerd is nearing first team action and it can’t come soon enough. Relying on the ageing bodies of Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna in a packed programme of fixtures is never going to end well.

Even in perfect conditions, a trip to Anfield is a daunting task for West Ham. Having to play the same defence that took the field at Southampton would bring the pessimism level down several more notches. A silver lining is that Liverpool have their own injury problems, except they are still able to throw the combined talents of Salah, Firmino and Nunez at our depleted defences. The confirmed team news will be viewed with interest. If Antonio is preferred to Scamacca it will be obvious what sort of evening we are in for. An ultra-low block with hopeful punts up-field as the one and only outlet.

Perhaps Moyes will pull a surprise for once. But his record and deference against the ‘big six’ is well known. Over the past two seasons of relative West Ham success, his teams have lost sixteen of twenty-four games played against the ‘elite’. Away from home the record is poor in the extreme: played twelve, won none, drawn one, and lost eleven. Only Manuel Lanzini’s very last minute strike at Tottenham preventing an outright whitewash.

In the interests of travelling hopefully though, perhaps there’s an outside chance we can escape with a point. COYI!

Double Trouble: West Ham Facing Daunting Trips To Liverpool And Sevilla. How Will They Fare?

Following FA Cup elimination, West Ham now face two crucial games in a week to determine if they can continue fighting on two fronts for Premier League and Europa League glory

A week is a long time in football, especially one that will have such a defining effect on the entire season. The West Ham’s week started with the high of a win against Wolves, sunk to the low of defeat in the FA Cup at Southampton, and must now rise to the challenge of a game where, historically, we rarely come away with anything more than a ticket stub and an empty pie wrapper.

The decision by David Moyes to change formation to a back three with wing backs worked well against Wolves. It drew a much better performance from of the team and brought back a touch of the swagger that had gone missing. It was surprising how many decent chances were created against what is one of the meanest defences in the league. And to cap it off there was a fine man-of-the-match performance from Kurt Zouma to enjoy.

I do wonder, though, what might have happened had Wolves started with their strongest side and shown greater adventure. It was the strangest decision from Bruno Lage to leave all of Jimenez, Podence, and Neto on the bench for so long.

When the starting lineups were announced at St Marys it appeared history might be repeating itself in a matter of a few days. Ralph Hasenhüttl opting to field a second string while David Moyes selected nine of the eleven that had played most of the game three days earlier. It can’t have gone unnoticed that the Saints have far greater squad depth than us.

Ultimately, for the second time this season, a Southampton victory hinged on the eccentric interpretation of tussles taking place between Craig Dawson and Armando Broja inside and outside the area. On each occasions the outcome was Ward-Prowse blasting home emphatically from the spot. Disappointingly, the FA Cup years-of-hurt clock will now tick over to 43. A shame the FA don’t take a leaf out of the UEFA book and allow defeated clubs to drop down into the FA Trophy. I could fancy our chances against Needham Market in the last eight.

In the six meetings at Anfield since the Dmitri Payet inspired win in 2015 – the game that ended a 52-year drought – the Hammers have reverted meekly to type, losing (the last) four and drawing the other two. It would take something really special to disrupt that new sequence today. We are habitually reminded that Moyes has never managed a team to victory at Anfield, from seventeen previous attempts. Another record that will need to be shattered if West Ham are to register a season win double over the Merseysiders this evening.

I consider the win over Liverpool at the London Stadium in November as the Hammers finest performance of the season. Sadly, the international break intervened, and the same heights were never reached again. In previewing that game, I mentioned a grudging respect for Jurgen Klopp, but he lost me that day revealing himself as a poor and ungracious loser. Just because they missed out on a club record unbeaten run. Fortunately for him, his side have lost just one league game since.

There is little need for debate over the Hammer’s line-up. The team pretty much picks itself. Not the result of outstanding performances all round, but due to the absence of realistic alternatives. If there is to be a debate, it is whether Moyes will stick with the same formation that won at Wolves. The team did look better balanced, but we really don’t have the personnel capable of excelling in the wing-back roles. Normally, they are the ones meant to be the providing attacking width and getting behind the opposition defence. Ben Johnson is a fine defender who has the energy to get forward, but he lacks the composure to deliver when he gets there. Pablo Fornals works as hard as anyone and can show great vision with his passing, just not often enough. But he is not a wing-back and is not strong on his left foot. Square pegs in round holes.

There is a chance, I suppose, that Moyes will rest a few today with the Thrilla in Sevilla looming on the horizon. It would be a surprise to me, but it is possible. As things stand the likes of Nikola Vlasic, Alex Kral, Andriy Yarmolenko are best left on the bench. With Said Benrahma still sitting on the naughty step after last week’s outburst.

Liverpool have a few injury problems of their own and may be without Firmino, Matip, Thiago, Keita, and Jones. It is a strong squad, though, and they have plenty of attacking options to pick from: Salah, Jota, Diaz, Mane, and Origi. Read that and weep, Moysie.

The Hammers are hardly likely to register on the Oracle Cloud Win Probability for this one. The only glimmer of hope is that Liverpool won’t be sitting back and expecting us to break them down. Our twin threats of counter-attacking goals and set-pieces could cause Liverpool concerns, as they did at the London Stadium. But the game will be more about keeping Liverpool quiet and keeping their full backs occupied at the back. That will be the key to any success. COYI!

All You Need Is Rice: West Ham Focused For Fab Four Battle With Liverpool

An intriguing encounter at the London Stadium sees the Hammers continue their magical mystery tour up the Premier league table and looking for a first win over Liverpool for almost six years.

The last Premier league fixture before the inevitable international break sees West Ham and Liverpool jockeying for position among the top four. It’s a scenario that would have been unimaginable Hammer’s fan not so long ago and is testimony to how far the club has progressed under the David Moyes revolution.

There have been complaints by supporters on social media that West Ham do not get the credit they deserve on TV and in the press – the last game on MOTD syndrome. I’m not sure that is justified as I have found a good deal of both positive and complementary coverage. Having said that though, the framing of today’s game is very much one of title contenders visiting top six hopefuls. Come the end of the season that may well be the case, but lets just enjoy rattling a few cages. The results, yesterday, mean that the dizzy heights of second place is now out of the question. But we can still end the weekend, and go into the break, just three points behind the leaders.

They say that winning can become a habit. The same apparently applies to expecting your team to win, and it was disappointing to see the Hammers pegged back in Genk on Thursday evening. It was another of those inexplicable slow starts – can someone tell me why that happens – that set the tone for much of the first half, where Genk were a little unfortunate not to extend their lead. The home side were able to carve through the Hammer’s rear-guard at will and deservedly took an early lead when Issa Diop (who had previously been demonstrating something of a renaissance in the European games) played the role of nowhere man in defence. A similarly slow start today could prove disastrous.

The Hammers, though, are nothing if not resilient these days though and with the help of two fine Said Benrahma goals appeared to have paved the way for a fourth successive win. Sadly, a clumsy Tomas Soucek own goal brought the scores level and the spoils were to be shared. The point was enough to ensure progression to the knockout phase of the competition but leaves work to be done to secure the all-important top spot. Dreams of appearing in this season’s elite Europa Conference league now lay in tatters.

Benrahma’s goals may well have saved his place in today’s starting eleven. His tenure in the difficult to fill central attacking midfield position had come under intense pressure from a rejuvenated Manuel Lanzini. Unless there are late injury issues, I now see the only outstanding selection question is whether it will be Ben Johnson or Vladimir Coufal at right back. The idea of leaving out Coufal a few weeks ago would have been met with incredulity. But such has been Johnson’s form that it now feels highly probable. Competition for places is a wonderful thing.

In my life as a West Ham supporter, Liverpool have been, by far, our most unproductive opponent. Recent form shows a return of just two points, out of a possible thirty, in the last ten league meetings. You must go back to the 2015/ 16 season for the last Hammer’s success – when three of them came along at once. The 2-0 win at Upton Park in January 2016 was in the early days of Klopp’s reign at Anfield and it is now a much-changed Liverpool side. While Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio, Mark Noble and Lanzini all played in that game for West Ham, only Firmino remains from the visiting team – and he is reported to be a non-starter today.

Unlike many West Ham fans, or at least the vocal ones you find on social media, I have a lot of admiration for what Klopp has achieved. Certainly, the media adoration for all things Liverpool can be tiresome – I can almost hear Peter Drury preparing to Salah-vate from the sublime to the sumptuous – but if I was forced to choose between Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool as league champions, I would opt for Liverpool. Of the three, Klopp has extracted more from fewer resources and he puts out a team that are generally entertaining to watch.

At one point I believed that Declan Rice might end up at Liverpool if/ when he eventually leaves West Ham. But now, I’m not so sure. First, I doubt whether he is any longer in their price range. And second, would he want to be constrained by what is largely a water carrying midfield trio? Rice at Liverpool could be a frightening prospect but for now he is 100% leading the West Ham charge and embodying the incredible spirit that has been created within the squad. Long may we see him here, there and everywhere on the London Stadium pitch.

The visitors are the only remaining unbeaten side in the Premier league although they have been held to a draw in four of their ten games to date. This includes last weekend’s surrender of a two-goal lead to Brighton. The interesting tactical change that Seagulls made after a torrid opening was to limit the threat of the Liverpool full-backs by keeping them busy defending. I’m hoping we will do something similar this weekend. Without doubt Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals must get back to fulfil defensive duties, but they must also push forward quickly to pose their own questions as often as possible. So much of Liverpool’s threat comes down the flanks, and that is where the game will be won and lost.

My expectations are that West Ham have to make a better fist of this game than they did last season. A replay of that meek surrender cannot be acceptable. I’m confident both manager and players will have learned from that experience and know they must approach the game without any sense of inferiority. It’s not a game to just sit back in. It is dreamland to go into the international break in the top four. Perhaps a draw is realistically the best we can hope for but I will go one better and predict the Hammers to win a pulsating game 3-2. Don’t let me down. COYI!