By Gonzo
It is important to state that rumours of dressing room unrest at West Ham are precisely that . . . RUMOURS.
That being said any Hammers fan will certainly be aware of many of the stories of alleged mutiny and it’s safe to assume that same information had reached David Moyes.
Recently the Guardian led with a story which suggested that many West Ham players had lost faith in the manager, whilst there were also reports of clandestine player led meetings behind the scenes.
So I found Moyes’s team selection ahead of the Fulham game very interesting indeed. He didn’t just select his trusted more established players, but also the group who were least likely to revolt.
By selecting the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Pablo Fornals & co ahead of his more recent recruits he was playing it safe. These are players who probably owe a debt of gratitude to Moyes and are far less likely to be part of anything which would undermine him.
David Moyes: Weeding out the bad apples
There may have been disgruntlement amongst many within the squad, but by leaving them on the periphery the manager made a very smart move.
What it means for future recruitment is another matter for another day but in terms of crisis management Moyes may have played a blinder,
I think one thing is certain that there is player unrest and unhappiness but what we do not know is to what extent. Players like Rice, Bowen and Soucek are obviously going to appear to support the manager, in the case of the latter two they have played unfairly on many occasions ahead of other players. The players want a new voice and I can say that with a high degree of confidence.
If there’s any disgruntlement it would probably have been from the likes of Formals and Antonio etc when they have had to sit on the bench and watch the new signings play. As it is I don’t think there is unrest in the dressing room only resolve to fight for themselves and the manager. As for so called clandestine meetings that’s what happens when players are in a relegation battle the senior players call meetings and they bash things out behind the scenes. There’s nothing clandestine about it really and as much as the Moyes out campaigners might not want to believe it you only have to listen to interviews with the players especially Rice of late to know they like the manager and are doing everything they can for him.
What a load of rubbish. It means Moyes has even more divided the squad. Let’s see how the old uns get on against Arsenal not an “on the beach Fulham ” without their main man.
Ogbonna is only saying this because he’s playing. Aguerd has been our best player for weeks.