The glaring Irons truth
West Ham‘s win against Brentford offers a brief respite, but it can’t mask the glaring Irons truth – the squad is woefully thin, and that falls squarely on the shoulders of recruitment trio David Moyes, David Sullivan and Tim Steidten .
Don’t get me wrong, when West Ham has a full-strength starting XI, we’re a force to be reckoned with. But football is a fickle sport, and injuries or suspensions are a constant threat. Looking at our bench against Brentford, the lack of depth was alarming.
Selling Benrahma and Fornals makes sense – players deserve playing time when in form. But what doesn’t make sense is letting them go without replacements. Now, with Europa League back on the schedule and a top-seven chase underway, we’re forced to rely on a handful of forwards to carry us through.
The trio had two options: Either bring in attacking reinforcements to replace the departed duo, or keep at least one of them at the club. They chose neither, leaving us with a squad that can’t possibly maintain the intensity needed for a successful dual campaign.
This isn’t just bad luck – it’s poor planning. It reeks of short-sightedness on the part and it places an unfair burden on the remaining players. Sure, Bowen, Paquetá, and a few others might pull off a few more miracles, but can we really expect them to do it week in, week out, without reinforcements?
West Ham fans deserve better. We deserve a squad built for success, not one held together with duct tape and hope. The recruitment team need to own up to this mismanagement, and they need to start thinking strategically about the future.
As it stands now, this season could quickly become a painful reminder of their failure to build a truly competitive team.
Are we really too believe that Steidten who has all year to source players didnt have replacements fit for purpose.I dont believe that for one minute.He either wasnt allowed to invest in players or Dithering Dave was being stubborn or at his indecisive best.
Either way it was totally incompetent by whoever was responsible.
They all agreed on Phillips. Moyes put the kaibosh on most others I am told
Then clearly the problem sits with Moyes… and the board only in as much for not sacking Moyes. Steidten can not be blamed for being nobbled at every turn by Moyes and was nowhere on the scene when Moyes sold Haller… and failed to replace him… then sold Scamacca… and failed to replace him. Moyes has a long history of the very same mistake. The mess we are in with the old and thin squad should come as no surprise.
It’s clearly a Moyes issue. Sometimes you can’t have the exact player you want and have to go with what’s available…especially when one of those was someone you know would do a good job like Zaha.
The current structure with Moyes having a contractual veto and a chip on his shoulder about anyone who wasn’t his idea simply doesn’t work. The bloke clearly can’t work with more than about 14 players, and puts no thought into squad planning continuity, or the future of West Ham United.
What he cares about is David Moyes. It actually suits him to have a thin squad as it reduces his player management and gives him a ready made excuse when anyone is out injured. The world and his wife can see we’re short in attacking midfield, the absence of Paqueta comprehensively proved it, and the last Dodo we have in charge just batted it away. HE HAS TO GO.