Areola: No chance with the goals on what, apart from those, was a largely quiet night apart from a fine save near the end 7
Johnson: Not the best game he’ll ever play with crossing leaving much to be desire. Defensively relatively sound 5+
Dawson: Responsible for the foul which gave Saints their penalty – saw a fine header from a corner saved well – but and not a night he will want to remember in general 6
Zouma: Took little notice of the boos when he was on the ball and some good defending involved in another composed performance 7
Diop: No complaints at all – played his part in a reshuffled defence 7
Rice: By his standards not the most memorable game but always blocking and breaking up 7
Soucek: Much the same sort of game as we have become used to this season. Subbed when taken a nasty one in the face 5
Lanzini: Good game – the spark behind the front two and always trying to make things happen 7+
Fornals: Did little wrong down the left side again 7
Bowen: Not a game he will remember – early chance missed and anonymous for much of the 90- minutes 5
Antonio: First goal since New Year’s Day and another improved performance over recent excursions 7
Subs:
Benrahma: Always trying to make things happen but just couldn’t truly get on the case 6
Vlasic: Not enough from him again – little input 4
Disappointed yet again with Moyes starting with his team selection. It was really obvious that Soucek and Bowen were not at the races against Wolves and needed a rest. I am sorry to say it but Soucek has been a major disappointment this season and I cannot understand what Moyes is looking at. He needs to be taken out of the team for a while. Moyes needed to freshen the team up tonight and he did not – the reason is he too conservative and does not do the right thing by the players, does he think the players are robots !! I have to say Southampton deserved the win tonight, their manager freshened up the team and got the deserved result. For me major clouds are beginning to appear on our season.
Soucek went off halfway through the second half, and we looked no less pedestrian after that! Fifth in the table, in the last 16 of the Europa League, competing in every game and with a competent manager, give me these sorts of clouds – rather than clouds we’ve had to bear in most seasons since 1986 – any day of the week.
Can’t disagree on view of the deflating season John. I’m off to Seville next week, ticket or no ticket, because after 50+ years of supporting West Ham (and I mean going to games through moving away, work, marriage and children and all the life challenges this brings) I realise I may not get too many more chances of an European away day.
Moyesie has done a fabulous job and in doing so has raised our expectations. Reality is we rarely (if ever?) follow up a good season with another good season. Our poor summer/ winter transfer window ( Moyse’s achilles heel?) has made it very difficult for us to match last season. Moyse has expected a lot from a small first team squad and inevitably we have run out of steam. Fingers crossed we have a few more Wolves type performances and results in us but I fear a 8th/9th finish, and an ‘after the Lord’s Mayor Show’ feeling amongst fans and players making the summer transfer window even more important but even more difficult.
COYI
Wow, not impressed with your ratings. Work rate there but quality lacking. Worldie for their first but if Johnson closed down no time/space. Johnson fast, some good touches but rest not good enough, still he’s come through the ranks! Souceck awful again, fornals and Bowen can’t fault work but lacked quality. Behreamha has a long way yo go yo prove himself. Areola could’ve come out quicker for 2nd, then maybe dawson doesn’t need to give pen. I really do think people should go to games 😉
!00% correct John . Moyes has run the same 12 players into the ground and predictably some are now just going through the motions. By the end of next week our season could very easily be over . The good news is that we can’t get relegated . I have no doubt that the old Board will be disappearing over the horizon once the repayment clause for the stadium runs out . Let us hope for positive investment in the club on and of off the pitch and a manager with a Plan B or God forbid a Plan C. Moyes is a dinosaur….. Did he really believe there was no one out that that could improve the squad in the last two windows . . He is a puppet .
Hard to disagree, the now well documented “disaster” in the January window is starting to bite, but Moyes, as well as he has done…has to take some blame for last night. I get we can’t change it much, BUT… why weaken the team further by playing an attacking RIGHT footed midfielder at left wing back??? we are already weaker on the right, Johnson is a great defender but nowhere near as good as Coufal or dare i say fredericks going forward, with Fornals at left back we were weak that side too. Get you can’t play all the kids but longelo or alese, left footed at left back!!.
Also, as others have said Soucek, Bowen need a break from the firing line. Add in teams have worked out…you give antonio nowhere to run in to he becomes bang average and i’m gutted to say benrahma is not good enough for a top half premier league side, gives the ball away too much and doesn’t create enough to make up for when it doesn’t come off.
Now a really tough decision to make, sack off the Livepool game to save for Sevilla or risk both??