Exasperated David Moyes knows exactly why our top four ambitions have disappeared like a morning mist.
It’s all to do with international football and with the Euros ahead all of us have a cause for fear of injuries and worse after Declan’s experiences this season.
It cannot be a coincidence that our form slipped so suddenly with the absence of Declan and the manager cane close to explaining his feelings after the match against Brighton.
He didn’t go all the way and scream the house down but the frustration was obvious as he spoke of Dec’s absence over the past five weeks and the implication was very clear indeed.
He said: ‘We have missed him. It was nothing to do with us, he got injured playing for England, not for West Ham.
So we have had to put up with that. That has had an effect. It was good to get him back.’
Declan’s performance on his return backed up up his manager’s complaints as the Irons grabbed a last gasp equaliser on the south coast.
It took only half an hour of Rice’s return against Brighton to appreciate fully what West Ham have been missing.
During the first half an hour he made four vital interceptions and two big blocks on the edge of his area.
After that it was situation normal as he became key to everything good in the Hammers game.
We can moan and criticise as much as we like about recent performance but it was that international duty that was 90 per cent the cause of our undoing.
Is it any wonder many are hardly looking forward to the summer of football ahead.
Yes plus a forlorn persistence in continuing to fire hopeful or incomplete crosses into the box, Lingard and Dawson’s drop in performance, Antonio’s sometimes ‘rush of blood’ ridiculous shots at goal and poor passing and Fornals weak attempts.
We are nearly always exposed down Cresswell’s flank.
I think Moyes love affair with Jesse perhaps blinded him and kept him on when maybe Bowen and Benrahama should have been on earlier instead.
This is not all about losing Declan as harmful as that was and it has been there to see for a number of weeks.
Still we are where we are and have to try to take maximum points from West Brom and Soton.
Our best season in PL and a reminder that we would need more than a couple of tweaks to perform in Europe as well as be consistent in the league next season.
Very good comment, nothing more to add!!
An interesting summary, I’d tend to agree with some if not all of those sentiments.
As far as I witnessed, losing Dec in isolation was just about recoverable and immediate results thereafter demonstrated that, however coupled with Cresswell, Ogbonna and Lanzini being absent at crucial times really did for us. When we consider that we have played the entire 2021 without a recognised striker and Antonio missing key games through injury too it has been a remarkable effort from our team.
Of course blowing a three goal lead and comedy defending against Toon did us in also.
We may yet see the most unlikely sequence of results that could take us back to the dizzying heights, anything can still happen, it’s not over until it’s over.
COYglasss-half-full-I.
Yep if only we could have seen that maybe that might happen and sign a back up centre mid?
Eastendexile
I agree with that.
Plus to many games Moyes has gone negative with his line up. Playing a system like he did against Burnley achieved far more. Plus not drafting any youngsters into the team with no minutes given to the likes of Coventry.
I’ll be gutted if we don’t make Europe. Moyes has done well but he has also has been far to negative when it matters thus our recent form. Losing to Newcastle and Chelsea in the end have cost us.
Only 6 points from 12 matches against the big 6 is what has cost us a chance of the Champions league. We still are a few players short of being able to compete. However we are now much better than we were 18 months ago and I’m looking forward to more progress.
I agree that we should have blooded the young players on the fringe of the team – and not out of position! All of the other clubs vying for Europe have quite happily put in young players – we aren’t the only club with injuries. As it is, we have 3 or 4 getting a year older and no first team football.
At the beginning of the season, a mid-table finish with the goal of challenging for Europe in 2022 would have been reasonable. It still is. We do not have the depth to play Europe, EPL and the Cups. If we make Europe, expect an early exit.
The players are responsible for the recent lacklustre performance. That along with some obscene officiating that has stymied our European hopes.
The compensation of paying only his wages while he was injured is pitifull. Granted he played on when he could’ve been hooked but that has caused WH more damage than it would a super rich club.
I think Moyes concerns about England will be exacerbated by the obvious bidding war which will test the metal of GSB should Declan perform to his full ability during the euros. We know that GSB won’t turn down a good offer.