Whatever may or may not happen in respect of bringing a loan striker into London Stadium this January, Graham Potter’s West Ham are facing issues every bit as challenging in every area of the pitch: Goalkeeper, Centre back, Midfield and Attack need urgent rebuilding and there simply aren’t the resources after last summer’s £140 million splurge.
With just three fit centre backs, Potter has to live with his predecessor’s daft decisions to send players out on loan: Aguerd might not have bene the best but he was better than – nothing.
With Todibo injured, West Ham have had to call on the pairing of Kilman and Mavropanos to start. Watching Mavropanos collect his second yellow card and his marching orders, Rob Green, former Hammers goal keeper, said on live TV that the Greek was “reckless, dangerous…[he] has a mistake in him every game. It was a ball he was never going to win.”
The first card was just as bad, getting nutmegged and then hauling down his opponent in a clumsy amateurish challenge.
As Roshane Thomas writing in nytimes.com/athletic observes today:
“Since joining from Stuttgart for £19million in August 2023, Mavropanos’s decision-making has remained a weakness. Against Palace he was deputising for the injured Jean-Clair Todibo, but he has not shown himself capable of being a first-choice defender at this level.”
This has played out again and again this season as Mavropanos has struggled, week in week out. Trouble is, there is no real alternative just at present. West Ham have to dig deep now that ‘Mav’ is suspended and find a solution either using Alvarez or 20 year old Kaelan Casey in Mavropanos’ place.
I’d like to think that Mavropanos’ constant error strewn performances would see him benched for the duration. Without an absolutely massive game from Kaelan Casey against Aston Villa (I can but hope), we’re likely to see the Greek back the following week, errors and all.
Er… if he didn’t have mistakes in him he’d be playing for a club better than West Ham.
I do not agree with everything you say however on this occasion I am in total agreement with your comments. I have been saying the same as Rob Green there is always a mistake waiting to happen with Mavropanos.
Casey or maybe Thomas Soucek playing at centre back , he has the height for it and he can still go up for corners.
Could it not be that Mavropanos is having to do to much for others as Kilman not as great as everyone expected and Wan Bissaka only jogging back on numerous occasions he’s only human and can’t cover others inadequacies
I don’t understand WHs recruitment, and how it can consistently go so wrong. I saw Guehi (Palace) and Kelly (now at Newcastle) play together for England U21s and remember how good they both looked. Their clubs believed in them and now they are premier league standard players. Why don’t WH build for the longer term? I’d far rather see young players making mistakes but with the advantage they’ll learn and improve than watch Mavropanos and Kilman from behind the sofa as both look like the Premier League is too difficult for them. Kilman (not his fault) cost the club ~£40m, but he is not a player we should have been spending that kind of money on.
Harry Darling who was at the MK Dons and now at Swansea has two good feet, good passing, commanding in the air and chips in with goals and is an example of what could be good addition to WH and would cost nothing like what we have been paying. We have to start thinking – and acting differently. Success is attainable, but only if WH change recruitment policy and now.
The summer spending spree was a complete waste of money . Steitden was obsessed with quantity not quality which is probably what he was told to do by the dildo with a flat battery . The big Greek gets bad press and rightly so for his mistakes but the real problem is Kilman . Game after game his man scores and runs past him without ay attempt to tackle or block him . Has he ever won a headed dual …I don’t remember one and he NEVER contributes at corners and deadball situations. He has no positional sense and is not dominant in the area . His weakness puts the goalkeeper and other defenders under pressure . He is an awful defender who is not good enough for Premier league .
Sorry about the bloody autocorrect, we have done well with Ollie Scarles and Orford.
Other clubs like Liverpool and Spuds have faced this problem and promoted the Academy. We have been delinquent in this area and the time has come to act. Play Keelan Casey. We have don’t well with Ollie Scarlet and Oxford is a fine player too. Ok don’t overuse them but play them. Oh yes Mr Moyes, Pep has been playing Mbama without hesitation. Ok we need to buy and unload a few, but we have young gold, be brave. Harry would have played them for sure!
I agree with much of this except “Pep has been playing Mubama without hesitation” To the best of my knowledge he has started one game against Salford in the cup when he scored in an 8-0 win. He played more under Moyes and in bigger games