By CandH’s top blogger Allen Cummings
There’s a certain irony around the Michail Antonio debate which app[ears to be occupying lots of minds right now.
How many West Ham fans would have bet against getting to this stage of the season without lamenting at least once about Mikey and his troublesome hamstrings bringing a pause to his season.
It was the big fear for many of us when the transfer window closed at the end of September and David Moyes had been unable to add the striker we all knew he had been searching for.
Yet here we are midway through December and Antonio is still fit and well. What wouldn’t we have given for that kind of reassurance at the start of the campaign?
But here’s the irony! Some people are beginning to talk about what would have been the unthinkable a couple of months ago. Forget about his fitness for first team duty – the suggestion is it’s his form that doesn’t warrant him a starting place.
Mikey’s appearances have been well managed by David Moyes so far – his continued fitness and first team availability are testimony to that.
He’s been rested along with others when suitable – but the manager has always turned to his main man for duty in the big games and the big arena of the Premier League.
Mikey’s last goal for West Ham – after an electrifying start to the campaign – came in the 1-0 victory of the spuds back on the 24th October, a goal that earned him heroic status at the time.
But Antonio is still our leading scorer this season with six goals so far – that’s just four short of the 10 league goals he scored in the whole of last term – and the 10 he scored the season before that. So to be fair despite the current drought Mickey looks on course for double figures yet again.
Obviously as our only out-and-out striker he will be judged on his goal tally. That goes with the territory. But even though Mickey isn’t hitting the back of the net, he’s still a hugely important and integral part of Moyes’ system and side.
His pace, presence and physicality still causes defenders and defences all sorts of problems. Maybe he isn’t firing on all cylinders right now. Maybe he can be hugely frustrating at times. Maybe he needs help closer to him.
But in my opinion Michail Antonio is still more than worth his place in the West Ham side – and I don’t see David Moyes changing that anytime soon.
