Video: David Moyes post match presser

Tarkowski challenge on Bowen a red card?

It was drawn to my attention after someone mentioned it. Look, it is a red card. It’s a red card. It’s not going to change the result [now], not going to change anything – it might have done during the game.

It is really disappointing that the referee didn’t see it as a red, the linesman is very close to it and we have the chance to go to VAR to make a decision on it. Dear knows what answer I am going to get this time if we ask for clarity on it.

Will you talk to the Premier League about it?

No. For me it is gone. I think it is right that it is brought up and asked why it was not given, we’ve questioned a few deicisons recently whether it be the handball against Tottenham or the [disallowed] goal against Chelsea, and we’ve had responses back which we don’t agree with.

I am guessing I wouldn’t agree with the response I would get back when they tell me why he didn’t get a red card.

VAR been harsh on West Ham this season?

Yeah, it is. It is an example where we feel… we got a decision that went our way on the offside, I don’t know if that was a VAR decision. I am still hoping that in the three or four games to go something will go our way.

Missed chances must be the big frustration?

Frustration is probably the word I would use more than anything, the missed opportunities. I am disappointed that we didn’t take something from the game because I feel we warranted something, you have to give Sean Dyche’s defenders a lot of credit, the amount of shots – they took them in the face and threw themselves in front of it and you coudl say they don’t have a lot to play for. But we missed two, maybe three, outstanding chances. Soucek, Antonio through on the keeper and Haller as well. You don’t get many opportunities to win games in the Premier League and we have had a lot of them today.

Do you put it down to “just one of those days?”

No I am disappointed that we conceded the goal. I wasn’t happy with the way it materialised in the middle of the pitch. They got it wide, delivered a really good ball and we didn’t defend the back post as well as we should of, the way I know we can do. We put in a lot of good crosses but they defended it, we didn’t. Small things, concentration levels, we have got to finish that so we make sure we don’t concede any goals. The best chance of us staying up is if we don’t concede any goals.

Looking ahead to the next game, are we at a must-win stage?

I thought today was a must-win, I thought Newcastle was too, Chelsea we had to do the best we can and we did. So I think that we have been in that situation for a while. In fact, probably since I took over actually.

I think we go into all games in that way, we know we need to win games to remain a Premier League club. Today was a chance we have given up.

Does fatigue has come in to play tonight?

I thought it was more the first 20 minutes that we were not quite at it. If I give the players credit, they kept going for as long as they could and as well as they could. I thought that the first 20 minutes we were slow.

We allowed Burnley to start well, we didn’t. But we grew into it ad over the piece I thought we were on a par with them if not better but I have to say yeah, look at the other teams, the schedule is quick.

There aren’t teams making four or five changes, Spurs or Everton might make one ro two, not many. Burnley doesn’t make any. Sometimes you can look at that when you don’t win, Burnley doesn’t make any and still win, albeit they had one-day extra recovery than we did in this game.

14 games with no clean sheet – how do you sort that out?

That’s rubbish, isn’t it? We were starting from scratch, that would be it. We have got some very good defenders who have taken responsibility and shown how much they care. Today, you see how much Burnley cared.

They’ve kept 13 or 14, we haven’t got one in 14. Keeping cleans sheets gives you a chance of winning the game. If we have to keep conceding goals then it is going to be a problem, we need to become much better defensively and much tougher than we have been. Even today, we have the goal way cheaply but mainly because we didn’t start the game particularly well in the opening 15 or 20 minutes.

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter