West Ham United will have to make do without one of their – ahem – key players when the Championship resumes after the international break. Following on from today’s 2-1 defeat against a modest Blackburn Rovers side who knew exactly what they were about this afternoon, the Hammers go into a two week period of ‘deep reflection’ before restarting against Preston North End in two weeks time.
And they’ll have to do so without £4 million – oops that should read £40 million man Maximilian Kilman who picked up a fifth yellow card of the campaign – this one apparently for simulation after being smacked cleanly in the head – and he will therefore sit out the first game back after the merciful lull in West Ham’s shambolic descent from the top end of the table..
I have to congratulate the gentle giant, I never knew he had it in him to pick up five cards in fifteen games.
In depressing echoes of a year ago, West Ham still have to set up repeatedly with Kilman and Mavropanos as the defensive pairing of doom – only a matter of time before one, or other of them is caught hopelessly out of position.
At least Dinos Mavropanos offers a goal threat – whilst when paired with Kilman is made to look defensively distinctly ordinary
In what can only be seen as a massive mistake, West Ham chose not to add to their centre back keystone cops double act in the summer window, letting Todibo leave on loan and therefore both committing and condemning themselves to the duo for the foreseeable future.
West Ham solved the problem last year – but not the number of points lost – by bringing in Axel Disasi in the January window and you’d expect them to make a similar move for an urgent upgrade this winter. Too little, too late, much as it was a year ago.
We can only hope that Airidas Golambeckis impresses enough in his outing alongside Dinos in two weeks’ time that he keeps Kilman out of the side.
To be honest, it is tough watching the same pairing year after year making the same mistakes and costing clean sheet after clean sheet. Having a goalkeeper with the arms of a five year old doesn’t help but until West Ham wake up, smell the coffee and realise that Mavropanos and Kilman will never be more than mediocre, the same results will flow, week in, week out.
Overloaded with options at centre backs. Morato, Alvarez, Golambeckis, Soucek, Kilman, Mavropanos and the boys from under 21’s.
Just need to pick a couple and a goalkeeper who can shout advice and hoof the ball and we are sorted.
COYI
Whu created a problem when they thought they could sell £220m of players and buy £45m.
Create idea if it worked but it didn’t.
The players are related to Jekyll and Hyde never knowing which is growing to turn up.
One minute there’s up most praise next they are a load of numb nuts.
Needed a decent striker since Moyes day when Antonio was playing.
Is Kilman good or bad opinion changes from week to week.
Suggestion Mavro/Alvarez/Golambeckis should be played but Alvarez could be rusty.
Need to get back in top five by January and then get striker and Diarsi back.
Experiment at left needs to be tried_Bioro.
they should put kilman in goal so at least he can use his hands when he stands halfway to the goal and tries to make a save/block. mav is an idiot and needs someone next to him to tell him what to do
I hope the new manager makes up his own opinion and does not listen to you lot. Scott Parker has a two week window to get this teams act together and what he decides we have to live with. It’s a blessing that Max Kilman has been so undisciplined the manager is going to alter the centre pairing, Airidas should get another chance and change the balance of the central defence. Maybe Scott will have a different idea and play someone else whatever he does that won’t be the only change and he’s welcome to the job as I don’t think he is getting any useful advice from the contributors to this platform no matter how well intended their opinions. So all I have to add is a desperate but emphatic COYI.
I honestly don’t know where this myth that we have the ‘best team’ in the division came from! We have a Goal keeper who’s confidence is shot. The nearest thing to diving he does is bending over to pick the ball up out of the net. A defence that can’t defend and doesn’t offer any protection to said Goal keeper, a midfield that is very inconsistent and an attack that can’t score goals.
This division is brutal.
A team needs to grind out results and we don’t appear to be able to do that.
Martin 1000 percent right Until it changes No hope mate Results and performance wont improve
Then drop calamity Mavropanos. Kilman had been our best defender this season by a country mile.
Really poor article.
Parker has two weeks to find a new combination of keeper and CBs. There needs to be acceptance that while much of the side has changed, the keeper and the two CBs have been almost ever present, and our goals against have been woeful. The numbers and the results tell you all you need to know, it has to change.
I’d be playing Areola with Golambeckis and Alvarez for the next two weeks putting them through the grind as far as you can in training and see how they hold up. I don’t think we have anything to lose.
Hang on it’s not just the defenders and goalkeeper who are poor the whole team need to look at themselves. You can have any manager in the world but the same players. They are not showing enough fight , running , matching the energy of other teams. Prima Donna’s who turn up on the pitch thinking they will win . Where is the pride , energy and fight we need players fighting for the shirt . Wake up not good enough reflect if you should be working harder and have what it takes to wear the shirt .
I think we should just accept the fact that whatever 11 we put out (10 if you don’t count Bowen) we just aren’t very good and are living on our name and reputation!!!
This says it all pretty much, including paul basnett’s comments. Sometimes, no idea why a certain combination does not work, but we surely know this one does not – they each make surprising mistakes, while Hermansen was as wobbly as blancmange. Not a lot you can do to fix this incertitude and hesitancy, which seems contagious amongst all three.
For their 1st goal as the ball went clear past our keeper who was on his goal line (he even took a step BACKWARD?!) I was like a cartoon character rubbing my eyes not understanding what I had seen.
Impossible for a team to compensate for this frailty and difficult to fix, plus they each make the other more wobbly in defense – just change the combination, don’t try to figure this one out. Practice with a set up of Areola, Morato & Golambeckis – try anything. Bring Todibo back (if commitment wise it is fine), but break up such a frail trio.
So many areas lacking quality. No real prospect of significant funds available in January. Parker should stabilise things (I hope), but come on guys, this league is a dog fight. The one bit of luck for us is that no club is running away with a lead. Even so, put thoughts of an automatic promotion out of your heads. As so often in the past, the playoffs are a more likely avenue, particularly this season with 8th place qualifying.
100% spot on .
100% spot on . At last someone is saying as it is . Kilman was one on the prime reasons we went down and he is by far the reason we will not get automatic promotion. He must not play and Areola must start. Hopefully it is not too late . COYI ⚒️⚒️
C’mon Peter, Max Kilman is NOT the reason West Ham were relegated last season.
He started less than half the games last season, 17, his last premiership game was January, and West Ham actually won 2 of his final 3 appearances, so please stop blaming him for something he was not part of.
He is culpable for some pretty poor performances and seems to make an error in every game, on the other hand, he has scored more Championship goals this season than Taty Castellano!
I think that our supposedly superior squad is a myth – in addition to centre backs and goalkeeper we could do with stronger fullbacks as well
It looks like being a long season
COYI
The one thing missing in the last few games is a bloke called PABLo as without him things have gone downhill. In the words of 24601 “bring him home”.
Yes exactly right. I keep seeing people saying Kilman is playing well and praising Mavroponos so much you would think he was Bobby Moore.
Kilman has had his chance to show last season was a temporary loss of form he just is not good enough.
Mavropanos was the clubs problem defender before he played with Disasi when he hit some form, Kilman has made him return to what we saw previously. Both of them are not good enough.
Errors galore and an inability to dominate the box and clear the ball – how often do long balls end up bouncing arounjd in the box ?
The critical spine of any team is all wrong.Hermansen,Kilman ,Mavropanos,literally no defensive midfielder and no centtre forward that can score – all not good enough all wrong.
Sorry but 2 days ago yere contact in the club told ye that barring injuries the only incoming in January would be a centre forward and that we were OK for defenders and you all seemed fine with that .when every west ham fans knows we have the worst centre half pairing in the country.
Focussing on Mav and Kilman is nothing more than a case of severe tunnel vision and people looking for individual scapegoats. They are horrendously exposed every game.
Put a commanding goalkeeeeper behind them, something approaching a defensive midfielder in front, a couple of half competent full backs alongside and then judge. They would be great.