ClaretandHugh Verdict

West Ham United 0 Manchester United 2

If any Manchester United fan believes their team has just produced a top performance they really are seriously deluded.

Wayne Rooney scored one wonder goal and another near blunder goal to give the team a win which was so comfortable it has to be embarrassing for us.

After a bright start, our guys slipped and slid around, losing possession and playing sloppy ball after sloppy ball.

And as usual our one attacking ploy was to pile in cross after cross to AC or, on several occasions, David de Gea.

There was no craft, no guile – just a one dimensional attacking tactic which the most average of teams – and this United team was average – can handle without breaking sweat.

All the brave talk before the game about not being afraid and being capable of winning came to absolutely nothing despite the Hammers have 29 touches in the key last area to United’s 26.

The gathered Manchester United fan club in the Sky studio were drooling over United afterwards. Well  that’s always par for the course – but they really weren’t that great as the stats showed. Yet they  made us look poor for long periods.

On several occasions the visitors strung 12-13 passes together before a Hammers picked it up before immediately surrendering control of the ball by booting it forward.

That shows the dependency the team now has on Andy Carroll. Something has to change. There has to be a different approach and that is in Sam Allardyce’s hands.

But when games like this one get away amid  so many shoddy passes and lack lustre forward play there’s a reason to worry!

I don’t believe West Ham will be relegated but like many, I really would love to see more style, imagination and flair.

Something really does have to change!