by CandH’s Allen Cummings
Social media has been in overdrive since the weekend. Opinions have been forcefully expressed. Frustrations have come to the boil. The tone of the exchanges has been forthright and unambiguous.
O “Most painful game I’ve seen in years. Time to go. Time for a more ambitious appointment”.
O “Today’s performance was on another level”.
O Why is the team without intensity? Either training and preparation is not right or the management is not providing the team with motivation, a spark or inspiration”.
O “Enough is enough”.
O “Sack him now, players not playing for him”.
O “Players need to take just as much blame as the manager”.
A selection of ‘tweets’ that reflect a pretty damning view on the team and the manager but if you thought those stinging condemnations originated from West Ham supporters you’d be wrong.
They were a selection of tweets all from Leicester City supporters, and highlighted in the Leicester Mercury, following the Foxes capitulation against Crystal Palace last Saturday.
Manager Claude Puel (bottom right) is clearly a man under fire and under pressure, and likewise his team. With David Moyes and his team having had to endure a similar response from West Ham fans since Sunday’s defeat against Manchester City, Saturday’s encounter at the King Power Stadium is likely to be a highly charged and tense affair.
There’s nothing like volatility around the stadium to create tension among the home players. We’ve seen plenty of that ourselves this season to know the pressure that puts on those out there on the pitch.
Their nerves become frayed and mistakes are just a mis-kick away. We have to tap into that highly charged atmosphere on Saturday and turn it to our advantage. Play on the front foot from the off. Put them under pressure. Force them into making the mistakes they dread.
This is not the time to play it safe. It’s a time for being bold. Being confident and at the end of the game – finally being safe!
If only. I remember folks saying the same about the Stoke game.
By now I think we all know there is no chance of Moyes setting up to play off the front foot. I heard he might play Andy Carroll as a 4th center half.
I had been defending Moyes to a degree previously but the Stoke game was where I started to waiver and Sunday, whilst I didn’t expect to get a positive result I did expect some passion and pride and a bit of effort. I wasn’t expecting attacking play but I didn’t expect that we would play 11 behind the ball at all costs and even when we did have it no one other than Arnie even dared to get into their half, I think they had been drilled like 6 year old defenders not to cross the half way line and stay in their positions.
We need a result Saturday and we need a good performance to set us up for Man Utd and Everton. I don’t think anyone below us will actually get any more points to be honest (I may be wrong) and think we will all pretty much finish as we are but to stop that fear and worry going to the wire we need a result Saturday so surely after Leicesters result against Palace we have to actually set up to win the game as opposed to trying to eeck out a draw and hope those below us lose and run out of games.