Shearer joins ‘be careful what you wish for’ brigade

How many times do West Ham fans have to hear “be careful what you wish for” from football pundits?

Well, on last night’s Match of the Day 2, it was Alan Shearer’s turn to churn out the well-worn cliché. Speaking after the highlights of West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Fulham, the former England striker was asked about some Hammers fans’ disgruntlement with manager David Moyes.

Shearer said, “West Ham are 8th in the Premier League and two points off 6th. I think it’s a case of be careful what you wish for.”

And that was it, the pearls of wisdom from somebody who clearly knows very little about West Ham fans’ gripes. It was a complete reframing of many fans’ complaints, which have very little to do with league position.

Shearer was at it again as he told Hammers fans “Be careful what you wish for”.

There was no nuanced analysis, no talk of the £450 million spent by David Moyes, no mention that we have lost 7-0 on aggregate to Fulham this season and are dropping like a stone. Certainly, nobody on the MOTD2 panel discussed that West Ham have the joint-worst defence outside the bottom three, nor the fact that once again Moyes’ reaction to going a goal behind was defensive substitutions.

Lazy punditry from a man and a production team who clearly hadn’t researched the real reasons behind many fans’ frustrations with the manager.