Newcastle boss Eddie Howe believes the Hammers have been very smart in the window this season, using the Declan Rice money to very good effect indeed.
And he accepts that his team is going to find it pretty tough at the London Stadium on Sunday as they try to overhaul the club one point above them in the League,
David Moyes could hardly have used better – a view regularly echoed by most within the game and those of us on the terraces
And Howe was in no mood to disagree when he addressed reporters in his pre-match press conference earlier today claiming we had been very smart in the way we had spent the casu and the players we had brought in.
He made it clear that it was always a challenge when you get a big fee for a player and what you do with that money.
He declared: “But they’ve been very smart. The players that have come in have settled immediately and they’ve done really well this season. They’ve had some really tough fixtures as well so the start has been really impressive.”
He noted Ward-Prowse and his brilliant set pieces adding : “They’re an obvious threat from set-plays with James Ward-Prowse’s delivery and everything that he brings.
So that’s why, for us, it’s a case of refocussing and not being too distracted or affected anyway by the performance on Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a mental challenge again for us, much like it was for us after the Milan game to Sheffield United. The players dealt with that week really well and this is another test for us.”
“We know it’s going to be a really difficult game but we’ve got to get our psychology right for the match.
“If you don’t get the psychology right going into any game, the games are difficult enough but especially West Ham away and everything that game brings.