By Hughie Southon
There’s no bigger Hammers fan than Joe Cole who grew up at the club of course and still shows his love of the club as a pundit.
He’s a very bright fella who understands the game inside out and backwards unlike many of us fans who expect all to believe what we say.
So when he makes a critical point about performances it’s time to listen and his critique on our performance against Gent could also be applied to many other games this season.
He has appeared on BT Sport – often alongside Carlton Cole – during and after most, if not all, of our European appearances.
He rarely has any damning words to say as a typical supporter but he made his feeling very clear after the performance against Gent.
He really didn’t mince his words saying instead: “There was not enough intensity in the play. For a lot of these players this is as close as they will ever come to winning a European trophy. West Ham have got away with one tonight.’
For one of our former greats to be coming out with such comments after breaking into the Hammers first team at the age of 18 when good players were given their chance is both unusual and worrying.
To be accused of a lack of intensity in such a game from a guy such as Joe sums up what most have been feeling for a very long time this season.
Not good…really not good.
Even if they are not playing for Moyes they should be playing for pride and the fans . A chance to win silverware and to play our hearts out in PL see what we can do next year ⚒
Joe Cole will be West Ham manager one day. In the meantime it’s great that the board are staying calm and sticking by Moyes while clubs all around us are losing their heads and sacking their managers. Graham Potter, Brendan Rogers. Meanwhile the worst manager of the lot Frank Lampard finds himself back in a job.
I totally agree with Joe, and it is also pretty well known indicator that lack of intensity from players is one of those subtle indicators in football that players are not playing for the manager.