CandH exclusive by Hughie Southon
13/1/22 10.25 am
West Ham are still waiting to see a list of targets for the winter window from manager David Moyes.
ClaretandHugh can confirm from it’s own insiders, however, that as he has commented before Kurt Zouma’s near miracle recovery, he still sees the central defensive position as the most urgent and that’s where we are likely to see the first burst of activity.
The boss has been a notorious “fence sitter” during his managerial career when it comes to the transfer market and that’s not necessarily a criticism as we know that when he does move his record generally shows very decent decisions.
However, it’s a balancing act as the longer we wait the less time and tougher it may well be for Rob Newman to get deals done .
With Kurt Zouma on the way back either this weekend or next and Aaron Cresswell again in the starting line-up one might have hoped that a striker was now at the top of the Moyes list.
Maybe he will – as he has done often in the past – surprise us but such has been his achievements since returning to the club, this isn’t the place to be questioning the man.
Am I the only one unclear about the role of Rob Newman? There is a wealth of statistics available about players, so their current playing strengths and weaknesses can be identified and assessed. Once a suitable target has been found then due diligence is done on personality, wage demands etc. Isn’t it Newman’s role to perform this process and submit a list of likely candidates and their profiles for David Moyes’ consideration? If so, what is happening in the search for new players, particularly the sorely needed striker and left back? Maybe we will know in a week or two, but it would be interesting to know if Moyes has received such player profiles from Newman and, if he has, what he is doing with them. It is easy to follow the Villa/Gerrard model of paying ridiculous wages to attract a player, but the process is a balanced one and it would be good to know West Ham’s particular approach to recruitment and the dynamics which operate within the “team”.
In an interview Newman said it was his job to present options on players Moyes would like and up to him to then decide but he hasn’t done and this is how he operates and always has done
Hugh, thank you for the response, but if my understanding of what you are saying is correct surely this highlights a fundamental disconnect at the very heart of West Ham’s player recruitment process?
How’s that – Newman recommends Moyes decides?
We will know by the end of this window. There are many player profiles out there which match those in areas we need, such as young, left-sided centre back, so if we still are short of a striker, left back etc. when the transfer shutters come down again, then I reckon there is a problem with the process.
He’s adopting the methodology of every other club Selsdon
As long as David Moyes and Rob Newman are clear their respective roles, it doesn’t really matter whether the rest of us – most of whom have been nowhere elite sports – understand it. Moyes has proved time and time again that he’s no mug. He is the first manager (maybe second, if we include Curbs) we’ve had since Lyall that is a) capable and b) solely focused on winning football matches. I trust him to ensure that Rob Newman adds value to the playing squad. But, let’s not forget, that Rob Newman will require time and a little bit of luck along the way. Let’s support them and not question them, for now.
Spot On!
Well lets just say if they dont move soon we will miss out again. Am i right in thinking the january transfer window came s a surprise ?
If I am reading Moyes right with what he is saying in the press, he expects quality new arrivals in January, certainly defensively. Was discussing this last night with some other ST holders and we were wondering if because we are scoring goals and Zouma is on the way back whether the Chairmen will now not bother to sign anyone…
We desperately need a left back a left sided centre back, Zouma is not good on that side and a genuine centre forward to use the old term, someone that is a central focal point and can be relied on to operate predominantly within the widths of the goal posts.
Can assure you the dough is available – waiting on the manager
What doesn’t make sense to many, makes perfect sense to me.
We’re ALL different and have varying opinions and reasons for our points of view.
But for me, when you take into account the Big picture, it isn’t surprising that getting “THE” striker that we are ALL aware that we Need…. as opposed to “A” striker is the difference between Where we WERE as a club and Where we ARE now as a club.
We have had PLENTY of Strikers over the years, which has mostly been a conveyor belt of failures. But, the Right striker can be a difficult find, especially when they are either under contract, priced out of our range or have much bigger suiters on the horizon.
Sometimes, we all need to step back to see the bigger picture. We are NOT MASSIVE Yet….. but we are heading in the right direction under Moyes.