Let’s be honest the situation could hardly be worse – well three places actually!
And here ClaretandHugh follower Zahama again puts a finger on the big problem with which few would disagree – the midfield.
He argues that whilst BFS destroyed much of his love for West Ham the next guy in charge must do what’s essential by going out and sort that situation as soon as he arrives – if the owners give him time of course.
By CandH follower Zahama
Kouyate was never replaced
We have all been saying it since the beginning of the season… we need real energy in midfield whether in the shape of a defensive midfielder or a box to box midfielder!
Pelle has sold Kouyate, Fernandes and Obiang whilst failing to buy a replacement for any of them – no like for like player anywhere!
Whoever comes in will have to deal with that. I was a David Moyes supporter last time but agree that he was indecisive in the transfer window – I am not sure whether or not he actually had the opportunity of signing Dendonker
Before a torrent of abuse gets unleashed I’ll start with the preamble: BFS pretty much destroyed my love for West Ham while he was there – but one thing about him, when he saw what was needed for survival he just went out and got it.
So we need someone who can organise us defensively and can also be decisive in the transfer market. Teams who continuously flirt with relegation usually eventually get relegated (Swansea, Sunderland, Wigan to give three examples)
The defensive situation could be fixed easilly, play with 3 centre backs, we have 3 excellent ones although the fact Diop isn’t playing could suggest we have already sold him unless he has fallen out with MP ? Personally I expect him to be sold to the Spuds or Man U judging by the radio silence around him.
If we were better defending from the top of the pitch and were able to carve out opportunities we wouldn’t be in this mess, sadly MP hasn’t found that playmaker or the midfield finishers to take advantage of our possession superiority.
As for midfield yes we need athleticism, pace and bite in that area to compliment Rice, Noble is a great servant but at present there is a lack of cohesion in the centre of the park and we are wide open to teams that move the ball quickly.
I think Moyes is a good stopgap or maybe even allow the youth team coach to be a caretaker for a few games, the style of play of the u23’s is attacking, whether that could be translated at PL level I have no clue but it has to be better than the dross we are seeing for the last 3 months.
I agree with the midfield problem Zahama but I.M.H.O would go further than that ? For reasons I cannot figure out Now or ever, our owners have always favoured winger type midfielders and like to influence the managers with there money in the transfer merry go round? A central midfielder box to box or a holding midfielder seems to be way down on there list of priorities, they like a wide ” Bobby Dazzler ” entertainer type of player? and we have Rice and Noble to cover the middle so that’s ok ( in there eyes) ? But to me it goes further than that, when building anything you start at the foundation’s or the back ? So say the goalkeeper is what you build on (covered with Fabianski but need a better back up) then next stage of the ‘build’ Defence? Everyone knows our defence is not that clever there’s parts that are aging and need replacing and parts that need polishing up, or better still getting better players in ? (I’d go for the latter ), Now we’ve come to the middle or midfield? Why our owners and Pellegrini deemed it ok to go with Wheelchair, god only knows ( cheap and convenient I’m thinking) but that’s backfired big time in wages? We need 2 young and talented central midfielder’s defensive or box to box, Rice is one, but we need two? one a ball player and the other to the ‘ holding position . Sad to say but Noble is aging and slowing down and Sanchez again a waste of money ? Plus we have a couple of good under 23″s out on loan or coming through in the midfield .
The wide attacking midfielder’s can do better in tracking back ( only a new coach could sort that out) Snodgrass like Noble is getting slower and finding the pace hard ? Yarmolenco needs replacing ( with the player at Hull or similar I.M.O) The others need better coaching and to believe in themselves again (we all have seen what they are capable of?) At the top we need a more positive ball winning forward to help Antonio and or bring the best out in Haller?? Simples really THIS IS WHAT WE NEED? 1/ A new coach, 2/ a new left back 3/ a new right back 4/ two solid central midfielder’s 5/ one new wide midfielder ( to play on the left and right midfielder) 6/ and a more powerful central striker I.M.H.O
We don’t need a transfer market …. we need a change of management . As for falling out of love with West Ham United because of Alladyce??? . Successive unpopular managers who don’t play the Phantom West Ham way but have kept us in survival mode !! . Not sure where you are going with this to be honest … I , for one have never fallen out of love with my Team .
Good article there Zahama.The big problem on transfers now is because they have dithered over sacking him and he is on a match to match contract now he could blunder on into the new year so what then?.Do they turn off his tap even though we need at least 4 players because they do not trust him or do they allow him to buy players and the rubbish continues on the pitch so he is sacked eventually?.Result then is you are left with new signings and a new manager who in all likelihood would want his own players to stamp his identity on the team.The owners have created an all mighty mess and my sympathy has long evaporated for them.Pellegrini should have gone weeks ago and would have done at any properly run football club.
One things for sure, Moyes would have sorted out our midfield had he been given a transfer window. We know he was looking at the likes of dendonker, Tom cairney and the like. All good solid midfielders. Exactly what we currently need.
The problem doesn’t start with DGS it goes all the way back to the 70s when we were relegated, the first time since promotion in 1957(?)
Since then we have been relegated every 6 – 10years its now 8 years since Ricky Vaz Te got us the winner at Wembley in the Play offs to put us back in PL so we are now 2 years away from relegation either this season or next. In the PL era only 1 West Ham striker has scored more than 20 goals in a season John Hartson in 97/98
If we are to have any hope of PL we will need to change the Manager half the team and probably the owners as well and I just found out that 1 of 0ir players crashed his Lambeghini into a house “Taxi for Anthonio” still he stillanged to. Be the best player on the field yestetday
Who is BFS ?
This guy might think we all follow him slavishly but I don’t
Nobody has killed my passion even after 62 years of following the Hammers so maybe he wasn’t as good a supporter as he thought.
I will not usually blame the board because I do believe they have the club close to their heart but their inaction is hurting us
We do lack alot of pace in a league which is renowned for it, hence why Antonio is our main man at present. We all see spells of quality in the team but do lack consistancy. Our squad over the last 10 years has been too big that lacked quality or a squad that has quality back lacks depth and the latter we have now. Can anyone tell me if MP goes who are we going to get that makes us a minimum top 10 prem team or is this never going to happen due our owners not having deep enough pockets?
The greatest problem at West Ham is the involvement of our owners in the running of the football club. They are simply unqualified and not up to it. They need to withdraw completely and employ people who know what they’re doing. We seem essentially to be a vanity project, with hopefully a lot of money as well, for Sullivan. Until that changes this cycle will repeat itself. We’ve had 10 years – what on earth do you think will change?
You are right, Simon.
If you own a very large hotel, you pay competent people to run it for you. You don’t get involved in the small details, especially if you know nothing about the needs of the customers. A football club is no different. The owner(s) need to stay out of it or we end up with this mess.
What is the biggest problem of all that a new boss must solve? In my view the club’s owners and board. There ain’t no new ‘coaching’ boss capable of changing that monumental problem. While new owners with a 21st century corporate business nous would be good they are as few and far between in the EPL as tip top strikers and defensive/holding and creative midfielders. But again, I suspect we’ve missed the boat on this one. Money from the Gulf has dried up; Russian plutocrats are finding it harder getting a visa for UK; and in any event there’s evidence to suggest the EPL’s heyday is over; zenith reached and passed. Money still grows on trees for some, but the some ain’t directing it into the EPL. It’s being directed into business ventures that return or yield good share dividends. For the past 10 years we’;ve had to put up with austerity in this country. Not the EPL though, which has been awash with dosh. Watch this space: I may be totally mistaken in this conjecture, but I reckon austerity is about to hit the EPL. Home grown and sustainability are likely to be the new buzz words for the EPL. As for our playing problems: they’ve been identified very neatly by C&H res[pondents elsewhere: not enough goals, no pace – Michail Antonio aside,- lazy wide midfielders not prepared to back track, a lack of appropriate midfield skills (defensive/holding midfielder and playmaker both urgently needed), and defensive strengthening – Mings, Tarkowski for example [Rate Diop highly; Ogbonna adequate; Balbuena immobile; Reid – 2 years out and finished]. So this ain’t such a big problem for a new boss to solve…not of the calibre of Messrs Moyes, Hughton, Dyche, or Howe. Not exciting names to be sure. But in an age of sustainability, austerity and realism these individuals are all proven in shaping effective teams out of a gaggle of mediocre players. We could all ask for a heck of a lot more as Hammers fans, while ending up getting a lot less. One foot in the septic tank, no doubt. COYI’s