West Ham 1 Leicester City 2
By Hugh Southon
West Ham hoisted the white flag long before the end – indeed seemingly before the start when Pellegrini chose to make seven changes and left our best defender Angelo Ogbonna out of the squad altogether.
With Fabianski back in goal, hope remained of some sort of revival and when he conceded a penalty early which he saved, you thought just maybe it might be our day against a Foxes side to which Brendan Rodgers had made nine changes.
Fabianski – conceded and saved a penalty
Issa Diop was recalled to partner Balbuena and made a stumbling entry in which he was caught in possession – a start which followed him through the game.
Gray scored, Fornals equalised with a fine low shot from a nice Anderson assist before the Foxes clinched it via the man Gray again.
After that the Hammers seemed to throw in the towel under a manager who sat on the sidelines looking clueless and near to tears.
An example of his inflexibility and stereotyped thinking came when after leaving Antonio understandably on the bench given his recent injury and the number of games we are having to play, Haller was in the one up role, before he switched the pair, then saw us go behind and immediately threw on Ajeti on a late two up bid to save the game.
Hopeless, clueless thinking from a man who has to go – he simply has to go – none of us can take anymore of this. It’s a cruel way to treat the paying customers.
There are no more words to be said. This is as poor a West Ham United team as you will ever see simply because they have no fight and no plan – at times I simply gave up trying to work out what they were trying to do.
And that is all down to a manager who tonight really should be on his way. I don’t care who takes over – David Moyes, Chris Hughton, Kermit, Mickey Mouse – anyone.
Just go Pellegrini and take Husillos with you because it’s crystal clear these guys don’t wanna play for you.
David Gold…David Sullivan – do the right thing. You know it makes sense.
I am left feeling so utterly down about the situation we find ourselves in.
If I saw players fighting til the end, putting themselves in harm’s way for the cause, I could cope with a relegation that showed fight (ala Scott Parker).
But THIS?
Abysmal and heartbreaking
It’s to late to blame pellegrini for this mess. This has been called for months.
The board are now to blame.
If Pellegrini still has a job tomorrow, then I call the owners cheap idiots who don’t care about West ham United.
“A cruel way to treat the paying customers” is the perfect phrase for the situation!
You know it’s time for change when you, like the players, are not surprised and barely react when going 1-0 down or 2-1 down, then at the end, feel more like wanting Leicester to score in the hope that being smashed at home (again) will finally bring about and end to this nightmare.
We need a(n ideally young) British manager (or at least one with VERY clear English) and one who will take no prisoners when it comes to fight and effort. Husillos would naturally go with Pelle, and I would like to see another DoF come in as it’s a role any serious club needs in place these days.
Please Sully, pull the trigger.
Well if losing to Leicester reserve’s don’t make the 2 incompetent owners to sack him nothing will.
2 of Leicester replacements scored and 3 of our changes were culpable for the 2 goals sums us up.starting 1 up front again and then subbed haller early 2nd half and persist with 1 up.i honestly believe that he knows he has been given 2 games to save job and thought f##k it and dosent care about being sacked and is willing them to do it so could not care less if we win or lose
I cannot take any more of this.If he is still in a job tomorrow after losing to Leicesters 2nd team then we all know its just the owners not willing to pay him off.Bournemouth will be the same because the stuffing (no pun intended) has been well and truly knocked out of this team.One up front for a home game against a 2nd string team again,Antonio benched and Sanchez starts.FFS Sullivan he could not make it any clearer he wants out and you are prolonging the agony for this club and its wonderful fans who deserve much better.
Stayed up half the night here in Australia to watch my Hammers.
I won’t be doing that again as long as that clueless ol’ guy is our manager.
Absolutely clueless.Worst manager I think we have ever had. I’ve been watching since 1965 when I was at Wembley,when we beat Munich 1860.
Had enough of this rubbish.
It’s not the players fault.Why did we get rid of Moyes?
Can’t watch until he’s gone
How would you feel about having super Slav back?
Thought I would reply, not bothered to watch or listen to any of the games I’ve have supported west ham since I was 8 I’m now 68 seen some great teams great managers, I took a look at todays result and no surprises lost again, what needs to be done is stop attending games then the board will lose money hit the money grabbing b___erds in the pocket I will not bother watching any more boring clueless football
We are all just waiting for a statement from the club to the effect that as of now Pelligrini is no longer the Manager of West Ham United .
Think they have left it too late, this hangover has been going on since being battered by Oxford Utd, Window open in a couple of days, no sign of parting with this Manager let alone attracting a new one to a club probably in the relegation zone., prepare yourselves for some savoury games in the Championship, all down to village shop mentality of our owners.
Good article Hugh, echoes my sentiments entirely. I’m so defeated that I’m no longer sure any manager will get much from this squad. Awful collection of gutless, over-paid and disinterested never-has-beens except for Rich, Fabs and Antonio. Really finding it hard to believe there’s enough there to keep us up. I’ve now even come to the conclusion that Haller’s crap as well
They know nothing about football. Agents rock up with a ‘brilliant’ foreign player they have never heard of and they sign them for ridiculous money and give them huge wages. They play well for 3 games then realise West Ham aren’t very good and the PL is tough so they give up, take the money and enjoy London. Until the 3 of them leave West Ham will continue to flatter to deceive. It’s amazing that fans never learn. Some were even suggesting that West Ham might challenge fir the top 4. West Ham need a core if English players with foreigners who have played in the PL before. With a proper manager at Watford West Ham are in serious trouble although Bournemouth might just come to the rescue
The Board and oweners appointed Manuel Pellegrini, and if he ever ‘found’ the dressing room, and won the squad over, he has certainly shown everyone he’s lost them. Based alone on his inability to motivate the squad he should be sacked tonight; followed in the morning by the honourable announcement of the owners’ decision to to sell the club to competent & serious investors. Sullivan, Brady and Gold have together brought the club to its knees, very effectively. Pellegrinin has merely put the icing on a cake of their making.
Pelligrini has left West Ham with immediate effect .. Thank heavens for that .
So this is the “next level” we were promised when the heart & soul of our Club was ripped out to move from the Boleyn. Totally incompetent Manager who does not have any plan B and can only have one style of football no matter who we are playing. Sanchez FFS what the hell is doing anywhere near our first team! Then to replace Haller with Antonio when we are desperate for 3 points just sums up how clueless he is. 40 seconds later they score. Sully go now sack Pellegrini and take half the team with you. They certainly haven’t got the passion and fight we need to stay up.
Breaking news Pellegrini just been sacked BBC confirm
The team looks defeated once they concede a goal. The defenders stop running, the midfield is painfully slow and there is hardly anybody attacking the opponent’s goal.
Apart from having some very mediocre players, the team has stopped trying.
Any new Manager needs to make them run and believe that any game is winnable. If we keep waiting, we are going down.