It will come as absolutely no surprise if Robert Snodgrass isn’t out on his own when ClaretandHugh’s readers ratings come out later today or tomorrow.
For once again the 31 year old looked by far the pick of a poor crop during the worrying 90 minutes at the London Stadium.
And that the fine journeyman pro – ought for £8 million – should be the one who gave the Hammers half a chance of rescuing something from the wreckage of yesterday’s performance speaks volumes.
With new arrivals at the club worth around £100 million it might have been expected one of them might just catch the eye.
But no, for the second week on the trot it was Snoddy who was producing energy of the highest order, a corner for Balbuena’s goal and one of his own, which gave some hope.
And he has the right to speak out on an otherwise sorry display which has left every fan suffering acute anxiety.
Speaking at https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2019/november/03-november/snodgrass-we-simply-need-be-better he said: “It’s a bad result. It’s a performance that isn’t West Ham-like,” he said. “I think we need to have a reality check and realise that we need to start getting points on the board if we want to climb up the table.
“We need to be solid and resolute. First-half we could’ve been 4-0 or 5-0 down. It’s very disappointing. We can’t give teams three goals to start before we come into it. I just think we need to sit back, watch it and we need to be better. It’s as simple as that.”
“The fans are coming here and supporting us and that performance is nowhere near good enough,” he said.
“Newcastle sat in and made it hard for us. They kept hurting us on the counter-attack with their No10 who was a threat throughout, as was Almiron with the pace. They did it maybe four or five times and could’ve caught us on the counter.
“I think the way we were playing it was hard to break them down and then it was two set-pieces which is the disappointing part. The manager will be pulling his hair out. It’s not good enough.
“We need points on the board, it’s as simple as that. It’s a great football club and I don’t think that level of performance from the team is good enough.”
The only honest account of that dire performance I have heard so far. Nothing from our captain? Snoddy £8m and Balbuena £4m were the only two players to come out of that game with any credit whatsoever. Awful attitude and application from the rest of them. Add into that the worst goalkeeper I have seen at our club since Sasa Ilic and it was a day to forget. We need to sort this out before we start DROPPING down the table. Forget looking upwards for now. What is below us is far more worrying
For a bad goalkeeper we’ll never beat “McKnightmare” !
“It’s a bad result. It’s a performance that isn’t West Ham-like,”
First part is obviously true; the 2nd is fast becoming far from true.
Yet again, the owners have a dilemma of their own making:
They can’t afford to sack him, neither can they afford not to.
Pretty much as they “cannot afford” to sell-up either.
They cannot possibly be pleased with their latest selection of coach nor much about what he has achieved since his arrival.
Unfortunately, MP’s insistence on instilling into largely mediocre players that they are actually better than they are fits nicely into the owners’ delusions of grandeur.
It has not taken long for those same delusions to jump up and bite them.
It is plainly obvious that the players do not buy into and/or are incapable MP’s playing/tactical philosophy so how long before the customary “he’s lost the dressing room” surfaces.
Snodgrass got one thing wrong; this, & other recent performances were entirely “West Ham like”. This is what the “West Ham Way” is all about – a few encouraging displays, a bit of hope , followed by abject performances, such as this. Whenever progress seems to be being made, everything goes to ragsh*t.That has been the “West Ham Way” ever since I have been a supporter (1958). Will it ever change ? After 61 years I can’t believe that it ever will !