No More Excuses After West Ham Kids Show What Playing for the Badge Looks Like

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

When West Ham’s senior players ran onto the pitch with the team 2-1 up against Southampton, they showed an effervescence and attitude that had not been evident in the club’s two Championship games this season.

But really, they didn’t have much choice.

The precedent set by West Ham’s youngsters during the first hour of the EFL Cup tie at St Mary’s demanded that everybody played with intensity and attitude.

Those two characteristics had been sorely lacking during the Hammers’ 2-1 defeat to Charlton at the London Stadium last weekend. Quite frankly, there were far too many West Ham players who didn’t seem to be putting in the level of effort required to win the game.

The Kids Set The Standard

The display from the likes of Ezra Mayers, Lewis Orford, Josh Ajala and Divin Mukasa, to name but a few, was so intense and vibrant that had Taty Castellanos been substituted onto the pitch with the same sort of stroppy attitude seen in his most recent performances, it would have stood out like a sore thumb.

Taty’s temperament was certainly an issue against Charlton. As the numbers from that defeat demonstrated, he had seven shots and generated 1.79 xG without scoring, before missing the late penalty.

At Southampton, the mood was completely different.

The positivity displayed by the Hammers’ youngsters created an infectious atmosphere, which meant Taty, Jarrod Bowen and Manor Solomon had to perform and play at the correct level because the people they were replacing had done exactly that.

Castellanos responded by scoring.

A Powerful Message To The Senior Players

Of course, there is always a necessity within a squad to have senior players.

But what the Carabao Cup victory demonstrated was the importance of youth to a team.

Orford’s performance shouldn’t come as a complete surprise either. He impressed during the earlier Carabao Cup victory against Portsmouth and has continued to look increasingly comfortable at senior level.

Mukasa had already shown glimpses of what he could offer against Charlton, which was why his Southampton start looked such an obvious opportunity for Nuno.

Both grabbed their chance.

I have little doubt that even without the introduction of the senior players in the second half, West Ham would have had enough to see out the game.

And that in itself sends a strong message to some of West Ham’s underperforming stars, particularly those players who would rather not be here.

Because what we saw from Nuno’s youthful team selection was a group of players who wanted to play for the badge.

And it showed.