David Moyes was hit by a huge double blow today when he learned both Winston Reid and Sam Byram will miss the remainder of the season.
Both defenders were ruled out after scans today when it became clear that Reid’s knee problem and Byram’s ankle would see them miss the last nine games of the season.
James Collins has a chance of making the Burnley game but a decision will be made on his involvement earlier in the week.
Reid was laid out on the pitch for eight minutes on Saturday with concussion but it was clear that he had twisted his knee badly and that was far more serious.
There were thin hopes that it wasn’t as bad as first thought but that was proved conclusively wrong after examinations and a scan.
Byram hobbled off after an incident but that he should be out until pre-season is a massive shock to a squad limping back towards the relegation struggle.
A possible solution is to move Cheik Kouyate into the back line should Collins not be available but that in turn stretches the midfield options to the limit.
Arthur Masuku will return after the Burnley game which coincides with a three week break from action as a result of FA Cup action and the international break.
Cannot believe i was cheering on manure last night still i’ve nether really palace anyway.
On the injuries it is what it is and we have to get on with it.
I think missing reid will be harder to take than byram who imo i don’t rate.
Football is so much a mental game as well as physical and skill and too much this season we have just not turned up(ie swansea etc).
Out of the nine games left we have six at home,we need to have some backbone and make these count.
COY!
LOL I was the same. I sent myself to bed early out of shame lol.
Improving the defence was so obviously a priority even last summer. After the first 3 months of this season that was confirmed. But once again the owners thought the brief upturn in December meant the problem had been solved. The injury crisis is just chickens coming home to roost. Last year it was a gamble on the strikers, this year it was a gamble on the defence. Watching CP & Swansea over recent weeks it is hard to see who is worse than us. Maybe WBA. 3 wins from 9 should still be possible but we are really paying for that failure to construct a solid defence. Ignore the basics at your peril is the message I guess.
Kouyate is our only cover for CB ( even if we go back to a flat back four, we only have Ginge, Ogbonna, Rice and Chek.
If so then we have not much cover in holding midfield. Cullen would do a job.
Right back is now very thin, but if we can keep playing the wing-back system with 3 CBs then Antonio and Masuaku can play as wing-backs .
We are at the limit so we need to avoid any more injuries like the plague.
I just want to see us survive right now, and with all these injuries it’s looking less likely.
For all those people calling for a gaggle of kids to be thrown into our first team, you could now see your wish come true.
I’m sure some idiots are going to blame the board for these injuries, so we better have another march in April ( so long as the weather clears up a bit ).
It’s time for real West Ham supporters to grit there teeth and hold on for the bumpy ride ( with fingers crossed ). Just keep supporting. Nothing else will do.
I feel sorry for Winston Reid – we shoudl not forget the sterling service he has given the club in previous seasons – and he stayed when Arsenal and Liverpool came sniffing
I agree with many of the suggestions on here – but in addition now is the chance for Declan Rice to really show what he is made of – in Pardew’s promotion season we had Dailly and bought Malkey Mackay – but in the end it was Anton Ferdinand and Elliot Ward who got us over the line
BTW, is William Vainqueur still free ? If he has no contract, he could sign for us. Much better signing than Evra, who brings nothing.
That would be too simple for Sullivan and co.LOL
The 25 million asked for Dendoncker are now going to look like nothing. He is a versatile, healthy, young player, who can play CDM or CD. Exactly what we are missing. Even for that matter Nortveidt should have stayed a be played in his real position. CDM…
Kouyate in defence from now on please.
Mario needs to play central mid alongside Noble. Plus bring in Cullen or Browne. The latter I really rate.
Is there any possibility to recall Burke Hugh?
Crystal clear understanding of the issues and their roots, Johnnyep. Only one thing I’d add. Rather than reflecting on Fonte’s retention, a player who should never have been signed in the first place and certainly not for £9 millions, the club should have pushed for Johnny Evans and/or Alfie Mawson.
However, as has been pointed out, the Club suffers from a lack of strategic leadership, and nowhere is this more clearly evident than in the absence of a professional player recruitment policy. That’s why we have an ageing, mediocre squad lacking both depth and pace, and peppered with injury prone players. Winston Reid’s injury is personally tragic, but hardly surprising given his injury frequency. For two season’s the Club has neglected the purchase of a brace of centre backs and strikers. Yes, relegation is a real possibility now. And there are two D’s who would need to be held to account as Johnnyep suggests.
When the going gets tough the tough get going ,, as they say . It’s going to be a real nervy nine games , but I think we’ll scrape through ., Just .
Cheik is probably better off in defence than midfield, Evra seems to have forgotten how to defend, Cresswell should start at left back and we could go 442 match Burnley Adrian, Cress, Ogbonna, Collins or Cheik, Zab, Arnie on the left wing Joao Mario and Noble in midfield Antonio right wing, Lanzini and Hernandez or Hugill up top
Could work with Mario playing deeper with Noble, because his strength is his passing, but I’d rather see Arnie up top where he has had his best games for us, with Antonio on the left.
Whilst it’s very sad to see any player suffer a serious injury, I do feel this highlights how very badly West Ham is run as a football club. A club that’s run to a half decent standard would have a squad of players with enough strength in depth to cope with injuries. Sadly, West Ham is not run to a half decent standard. There seems to be no real effort made to buy players for positions where the team is vulnerable (central defensive midfield) and they sell players that can provide cover for positions where the club is painfully thin on the ground (Fonte). When Fonte’s sale was sanctioned, did anybody at the club give any thought at all to what happens if one of the clubs central defenders picks up a major injury – clearly not from what I can see. What happens if Ogbonna or Collins picks up a serious injury before the end of the season. Injuries and suspensions happen – that is why you have a squad of players (unless you’re West Ham). I don’t want to be the merchant of doom, but I do think West Ham will be relegated this season. If that happens, I blame 2 David’s (and one of those isn’t David Gold as I don’t think he much to do with the day to day running of the club).
What idiot let Fonte go? and there’s people on here who don’t think a demonstration is a good idea.
Selling Fonte was ridiculous because he had a fallout with Moyes over a game he refused to play….talk about “cutting your nose off to spite your face “!…its left us so tight at the back now…
Moishe does not tolerate “attitude”
Ask Amifitano!