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“Embarrassed” Leroy slams ‘clueless’ Irons

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leroylogoI saw the bad old days return at the London Stadium on Wednesday night and I’m not buying into all the “Manchester City were brilliant so we have to accept the result” stuff.

There has been far too much inconsistency from the team this season and although five wins from seven ahead of the game is fine, we are now back where we started – confidence will have been smashed.

Jose Fonte came out saying the players hadn’t followed Slav’s instructions which is all well and good but all it means is that the manager has to make sure his message is clear and has got through to the players. End of.

You can’t just brush a defeat off by saying: “Oh they are far superior to us” because you have to compete and we didn’t.

You have to believe you can score the goals to get back …you have to believe that you can win a game of football whoever it may be against. And at no time did we get the impression from the players that they had a prayer. I was bitterly disappointed.

I do believe that result has put the pressure back on the manager and there will have to be a very decent and consistent run of form for that to change.

All season we have been making excuses – the stadium, Payet de da de da de da and that has to stop. The excuses have run out and it is now becoming unacceptable.

I was embarrassed at out performance and I’ve used that  word far too many times season. I’m gonna say this and to be honest I don’t care who gets upset. We looked utterly clueless.

Slav has 15 games to show that he can sort the issues once and for all and tomorrow’s match at Southampton has now become huge.

If we don’t give a 100 per cent spirited performance and get some sort of result the manager may be under more pressure than he has been at any time this season.

We can’t go on like this – something has to change in a big word. Slaven needs a very consistent run until the end of the season and he will know that!

Leroy is the Premier League’s top analyst and CandH’s long term chief pundit. He was talking to Hugh Southon

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

0 comments

  • StanThe Man says:

    Some very valid points young Leroy.But do you know what we might have been embaressed on Wednesday but tomorrow myself & thousands more will be down at St.Marys singing our heads off,singing Slavens name,Blowing bubbles & 100% behind the lads.Coz thats what we do!!

  • kevin says:

    Slaven seems all at sea imo . 4 2 3 1 just suit us and I was surprised he reverted to it .
    Surely with the squad we have we should be playing 4 4 2 to avoid further embarrassment and at least look strong . We know how dangerous and difficult Carroll is but , having up there all alone is nonsensical .
    Bilic didn’t even show any sign of being annoyed or frustrated . So as for not following instructions goes I reckon we can safely ignore it . We were devoid of ideas and full of mistakes . Hardly the stuff of confidence . Not very inspiring for even the most devout and die hard fan .
    Maybe the presence of Mancini in the stands had an effect on players and manager alike ., who knows . We were awful , again , and that is becoming all too frequent and becoming harder and harder to accept . If we turn in a similar performance against Southampton then the writing must surely be on the wall . And although this may upset some of us we are not exactly out of relegation danger . The old ” we are too good to go down ” cliche has become far too familiar over the years . May be time for a change before that cliche becomes redundant . Like I said ; that’s bound to upset someone . But I am a fan who is very tired of seeing us flounder time and time again . My love is for West Ham not one man .

  • spindoc says:

    When you get beat 5-0 then obviously, clearly and definitely, you are clueless and didn’t compete. I get that.

    But being a top analyst, would Leroy care to explain what Bilic should have done tactically and what players he should have fielded and where exactly he went wrong?

    I have my own views (so has everybody else) but I would like to hear what a top analyst has to say.

    • Stratford E20 says:

      City were called world beaters etc after they beat us 0-5 but then they lost 4-0 to Everton. Some teams like Everton try….. we often don’t.

  • Radai Lama-.Sky Bet 15/8 as West Hams Next Manager says:

    9pts out of 45 will be enough Kev.Probably more than enough.Cant even believe im even writing that when before Wed we had picked up 15 from 21.
    Anything to stop you having kittens though Kev 😉

    • Radai Lama-.Sky Bet 15/8 as West Hams Next Manager says:

      Actually if i was going to put my neck on the line i would say all 3 teams that go down will be relegated on 35pts tops.

    • kevin says:

      Hope you are right . But I see 37 pts as the cutoff between salvation and decent into the Championship . I still remember saying adios with 40 pts .
      Relegation : Sunderland , Swansea and Hull or Leicester . Palace will stay up thanks to Alladyce ( sorry ) . But it will be a close call for West Ham unless something radical happens . Be that a huge improvement on our form or a change at the top .

    • kevin says:

      We got lucky with 6 pts won on not great performances, the football gods were smiling down on us . If they hadn’t had been we would be in the relegation mix as we speak .

  • spindoc says:

    Sorry – correction. I exaggerated; we only lost 4-0 this time round. Phew.

  • kevin says:

    When your team play a clueless game who knows where to begin .?. We all have our ideas of who should play where and the formation we should play , that’s a basic right of any fan . It is not the job of an analysist to tell us how to play . West Ham have Thier own analysist on the payroll and its time he and Bilic did some interacting .
    The Board must surely be talking amongst themselves by now as to how to address this chaos on the training pitch and in the dressing room . If they are not then they ruddy well ought to be . We all like to think we know best but , knowing best is the Managers job and the Board surely must recognize that . I sympathize, spindoc , with your thoughts and opinion . But now things are getting a little more complicated and a tadge desperate .

  • bubbles says:

    He might be loyal but are you all happy to sit back and watch Noble lead us into Championship cos that is what will happen unless Bilic realises we are playing with 10 men and a donkey every week . He is so far out of his depth he has got the Noble for England morons thinking it is tactics for him to waddle around in the centre circle gasping for breath and watching eveyrone on both sides run past him . It is embarrassing .

  • StanThe Man says:

    I will tell you what Kevin me ol china there are teams in the league at the moment who would kill to be in our “desperate” position.Just ask the Hull,Sunderland & Palace fans who are sat in the bottom three.

  • BadBadger says:

    My concern is our players are admitting they don’t follow the managers game plan, which looks to me that Slav has become a toothless tiger. When the manager becomes mates in the dressing room rather than the manager. Then players no longer respecting or fearing him surely there is only one place to go, just make sure you close the door on the way out.

  • John says:

    With all due respect “Stones and glasshouses” Leroy. I think that is a pretty harsh assessment after a run of 15 points from a possible 21 before the City match. It’s a set back but there is no reason to assume we won’t bounce back as we did after the heavy defeats vrs Arsenal and City previously. I mean it was Manchester City not Crewe Alexander after all.

    “Rosenior left after a run of 16 games without a win, which culminated in a 4-0 home defeat to Crewe Alexander”

    I think as a former manager yourself you know the difficulties faced by Slaven and to say he never got his message across clear enough because 3 individuals made mistakes leading to 3 goals from only 4 shots on target is pretty harsh. Serioy mate way over the top.

  • justcalmdown says:

    Agree with your points about us not having a go, it was obvious to see how panicked we looked on the ball which city could see. Antonio, Carroll and Reid all showed heart, they kept trying and did the best they could. Slav got it wrong with 4-4-2, noble cant play in a 4 man midfield, it needed 5 men against the alamo!
    But you have to be realistic as well, the fact is city were immense, just like they were against spurs, thats not an excuse, its a reason. Lets not get to dramatic over a game which we were inferior in, especially when we’ve done well leading up to that game. Inconsistency is what you get with every team, would you be surprised if we played really well tomorrow?
    We do need to show more passion and confidence against the saints, but its far from a huge game for Bilic or Westham at this point.
    COYI

  • mooro66uk says:

    Most posters on here and another site that I will not mention should apply for the managers job, because ,obviously, you are far superior in tactics, motivation and nous than anyone at the club at the mo. Armchair managers. Gets properly on my tits how no marks can be so superior in hindsight, saying what we should have done and what formation we should have adopted, who we should and shouldn’t play or even sign. Jesus Christ. Please give it a rest . COYI X

  • bubs says:

    It’s quite simple Leroy
    We have good or very good Pro,S
    But City have not 1 but 5 or 6 world class players that can win a game with a blink of an eye,
    When those players decide to all turn up together no other team except others that have those sort of players stand a chance,
    We all said last summer that’s what we needed but this club can or will not put £50 Million into 1 player let alone 5/6
    Slav can only put out the best team he has available to play how he wants,
    We have one of the best squads we have ever had now and some great youngsters coming through,
    But slagging off our manager,players,owners fans every time our club loses is stupid,
    We all have our own views on different players i.e. Noble
    And as fans have the right to say so but Leroy if you know better start by naming your side that is better,how they would play and what you would have done when every goal we gave away by making silly passes you would have done about it ?
    It’s easy to pick holes but not so easy to come up with solutions
    1 thing for sure is not going backwards,
    We need to entertain the crowd
    Try and play good football
    Relegation is not going to happen,because we are better then every team bar 8
    We now need to break into those 8 and if we are not going to buy our way in then youth is the way,

  • ironswatch says:

    I got to agree with all your points we set up all wrong to start with made stupid mistakes for 2 of the goals my only problem is slav took to long to make the changes i would have made 3 changes after 15 min Noble way to negative a player needs a rest or just a squid member now as for Antonio I want to see him on the wing i feel for him but that is his best place I dont know what is wrong with cressy but he needs to get back to what he was doing And as for Lanzini if he is not behind the front 2 you might as well not play him he is not a left winger

  • bubs says:

    Agree
    We started with a negative,only 3 attacking players at home
    But then could not put there worse area ( defence ) under pressure,
    A part from Chelski all the others have bad defences
    Gooners Manure Liverpool
    And the only way is to out score them not the Hippo way of playing for 0-0 and our defence is not good enough for that,
    With Obiang in front of a back 4 we do not need a midfield sweeper Like Noble so either Kouyate,Norveldt are better going forward and defending then Noble
    We need 1 midfielder with a free hand and that should be Lanzini at the moment
    Antonio and Snodgrass should play wide and Carroll should be played or Ayew up top
    That’s my opinion but Slav needs to adopt the attack attack
    Approach of last season
    I would sooner loose playing attacking football and collect 3 points for a win and Loose 2 then draw 3 for the same points
    Let the others come to us on the back foot from the start not sit waiting for us to make a mistake
    Just a fan not a manager

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