The headlines don’t make for good reading at the moment for West Ham United fans. Whether it be the Sun or the NY Times, the big hitters are queueing up to put the boot in with tales of fan unrest and not fit to wear the shirt chanting which makes for good copy but does nothing for morale, on or off the pitch.
Two weeks to get to grips with his ‘desperate’ squad is exactly where Scott Parker needs to be right now.
In fact, if we’re being honest, it is when his employment should have started rather than in the mist of a Cardiff City November midweek fixture that he’d not had a moment to prepare for. 20/20 hindsight maybe, but the firing of Nuno could have been timed better.
Mayers could solve West Ham’s left back problems – if only the other issues were so easily fixed
Anyways there’s one change which Parker’s team – or the manager himself, who knows – has already made to this West Ham team that does bode well for the future, despite the negativity around the club right now.
Dropping the stand-in left back Morato and elevating youngster Ezra Mayers to the starting eleven was a bold gamble which could have gone horribly wrong.
Mayers, remember, appeared after the dreadful first 45 minutes midweek, and was described as making “an impressive impact”(the72.co.uk) in the second half against Cardiff. At Ewood Park he took to the position with the relish of one who has been waiting a long time for his chance.
Unlike his academy contemporary Olle Scarles, Mayers is both pacy and far more comfortable wizzing down the wing into an overlap – which he did frequently outside his winger Edvin Austbø – as well as carrying out his defensive duties with decent aplomb considering his was the losing side.
The Hammers may have problems galore but I’d suggest the left back issue is one which Parker’s gamble has sorted. Logically it might also free up Morato to bolster the centre back options – with Kilman suspended, perhaps we’ll get to see the Brazilian doing the job he’s actually here for. What’s the worst that can happen?