Jack Collison has given a deeply depressing forecast of the Hammers outlook without Dmitri Payet.
Having launched a new column in London24.com he has immediately addressed te issue asking: “Can they survive without star man, Dimitri Payet? The answer is simple. No.
He adds that Slaven Bilic was right to describe the Frenchman as irreplaceable, “not just his goals and assists but his ability to drive the team forward, and to inspire his team-mates around him.”
And he forecasts even worse new declaring that the only positive is that “the injury may mean some of the big boys will wait until the summer to secure the Frenchman’s signature.”
He adds: “There’s no doubt the West Ham squad is brimming with talent, but it’s not often a player like Payet comes along. From whispers of Europe early in the season it now seems the Hammers faithful will be happy with a top half finish, and a good cup run as a bonus.
“The style of football has been great to watch at times with some great scalps along the way including big wins at Liverpool, City and Arsenal. I’m sure the fans will see this as a big improvement on last season.”
You can’t argue with any of that – I think the Club would grab your hand off for a top half finish – anywhere above the bottom three would be welcomed!
Injuries and suspensions were always going to be the bugbear – we’ve got the strongest and most talented Squad for years but it’s still not strong enough – you can’t have enough quality!
It’s going to be a long, hard winter – thank God for the points we’ve already got in the bag!