Young Hammer Josh Cullen was called into the starting XI after his Bolton loan spell against Shrewsbury today. During the course of 90 minute he lost a tooth and gained a lot of admirers – here’s his 90 minutes touch by touch from CandH’s Daniel Danieli Leach
4 – Caught holding on to the ball too long and is tackled by Ngogo
7 – Hooks the ball neatly to Chicharito
8 – Holds the ball closely to his feet and then passes back to Burke
8 – Whips the ball in from the left hand side but Kouyatés header goes wide
9 – Clearance is headed straight back to the West Ham goal
21 – Header to Ayew fails to reach him
21 – Wins a free kick after he is tripped
24 – Gives away a foul by pulling an opponent and later heads the ball back to the opposition as well
27 – Gives away the ball after a poor first touch from a Chicharito pass
35 – He’s held back by Ngogo and it should have been a foul
38 – A long free kick is punched away by Henderson
43 – Wins a very physical 50/50
58 – Makes a good tackle on Beckles but the ball is lost
62 – Holds onto the ball really well and wins a free kick
63 – Initially plays a very good piece of passing interchange with his team mates but his back heel fails
66 – Controls the ball well with his chest and releases the ball to Burke while subsequently making a successful back heel
73 – Makes a strong sliding challenge on an opponent
74 – He is kicked in the head by Ngogo winning a free kick but losing a front tooth
78 – Comes back on the pitch after replacing his blood stained shorts
80 – Cross from the right hand side his caught easily by Henderson
86 – Fails to let the ball run out for a corner and leads to Nolan missing a really good chance on goal
Verdict – 6 – Despite losing a tooth I don’t think he will care too much after being one of West Ham’s best performers in this match. He was involved in a lot of good passing play and showed the potential and talent to be a really good centre mid but still has a way to go. He reminds me of Marco Verratti.
Josh Cullen had a decent game. Sharp, lively and committed. He does not show signs of being an outstanding talent, but he is an intelligent young player whose influence on the game began to grow when Mr Moyes moved him into a more central role late in the s/h after he seemed to have been consigned to a one-two right side linking up role with Burke in the first.
Mr Moyes is woefully mistaken in this emphasis. To focus on ‘lack of fight’ is to provide an unhelpful distraction from the real problem today: the absence of a coherent game plan – this being a coaching accountability/responsibility – and the awful technical incompetence of individual players such as passing, holding the ball up, movement.
The team lined up, played and were stuck in the mindset of holding out as they did against Spurs. Suitable for nicking a point off top notch PL opposition. But to turn up at the New Meadow to play in this besieged way is a real indictment of the coaching strategy. Simply as bad as Slaven’s worst. But all respect to Josh Cullen, Rice and Burke who turned up today.