Familiar frailties seemed to overwhelm West Ham this afternoon as they looked shell shocked and devoid of fighting spirit as Millwall ran rings around them for 60 minutes at The Den: Indeed the Irons were lucky to be ‘only’ two goals down after a defensive performance that attracted pretty universal condemnation.
Not that it comes as a surprise to any West Ham fan who watched the side’s abject slide down the Premier League under Graham Potter. Expecting a different outcome from the same centre back pairing which caused so many problems all last season until Nuno brought in Axel Disasi is nothing short of incredible naivety or blatant denial of what everyone else could see quite clearly.
Don’t take my word for it. Footballfancast.co.uk did my work for me this afternoon with their article:
“Nuno told West Ham star who Millwall ripped to shreds is now a “big problem
…2-0 down at the break, BBC pundit and former Manchester United defender Paul Parker didn’t hold back, criticising Max Kilman and telling Nuno that he’s got a “big problem” on his hands.
The central defender received plenty of criticism last season and that has continued into the current campaign, as he takes to the Championship. After another disappointing display, it’s hard to argue against those critics, either.”
Please, Nuno, no more Maximilan Kilman. PLEASE?
His stats were awful: Just one tackle and 3/11 successful duels in 90 minutes and any sharp-eyed observer could see his embarrassing mis-timed jump as West Ham conceded their first and his complete failure to even get in the air as the ball sailed over his head on the way to Millwall’s second goal.
For a central defender he seems to be the antithesis of everything which blood and guts centre backs like Craig Dawson or James Collins used to stand for. As the report sums up:
“Taking aim at Kilman, Parker said: “Every time Kilman is one-on-one, he is really struggling, it’s a big problem.”
Nobody can be surprised. Yet West Ham didn’t act in the window to replace Axel Disasi with a competent front line centre back and now, week by week, they are paying the consequences in giving opponents a head start, with the hapless Kilman flunking his duties and more often than not dragging Mavropanos down with him.
We had under 21 central defender play one game now doesn’t get look in? What’s that all about.
Kilman is a problem, no doubt, but when he has gone we will be blaming Walker Peters and then Mavrapanos. Reality is that the whole back line is weak and needs to be replaced. With a strong back line the rest can focus on doing what they do best and the team as a whole will look stronger. Choosing Nuno’s replacement is going to be interesting.
his idea of defending is hoping the ball hits him
One word is all that is needed to sum up Hammers defensive frailty
KILMAN.
Dawson was £3m and Collins £1m .. Alright, transfer fees have gone up, but I can’t believe we can’t find a solid, no nonsense CB or two that can jump, within our budget .. Koppen, you’ve got 4 months to deliver ..
Sorry this is insane, he’s been our best defender this season. Have you watched a single minute of us play?
Your not fooling us … it is such a ludicrous post that we know it is you 😂
You are non league at best .
Just look at the figures this season conceding 2 goals almost every game at this level Kilman is not upto standard And if the manager cant see that nor is he
Completely agree with comments about Golambeckis he cannot only play back line positions but also gets forward.
He could cover right back whilst Veltman is injured.
Regarding Killman he is an anomaly having gained a terrible reputation in premier league.
Then praise in his partnership with Mavro as a reliable pairing even gaining captain’s armband.
Only to return to an incapable that shouldn’t be on the field.
Not condoning him but this extreme does look to be contradictory due to his varied performances.
All players are going to have good games and bad games just depends which aspect wins.
Alvarez is just one of the 8 options for centre back but needs for Nino forgive and forget (is that possible).
Personally, I can’t even stand the sight of Kilman.
I can excuse limited footballers so long as they leave blood, sweat, and tears on the pitch.
This bloke is a useless and gutless coward with no backbone. It’s as simple as that.
He’s the worst signing in the club’s history when you factor in he cost £40m which is an astronomical sum for an utterly awful defender with no bravery and no nothing.
If we can somehow move him on, even at a massive loss, it needs to be done as soon as possible.
It shouldn’t be very difficult to find a replacement. I think even a stick in mud has more about it than him.
West Ham has never prioritised defence, it’s a perennial blind spot. Even when we had the best English defender ever in the back four the defence was often leaky. We’ve had some very good defenders over the years, but seldom if ever four of them at the same time. The philosophy has usually been to score more goals than we let in. So when the attack is weak too we struggle, or get relegated.
I didn’t see the game so can’t comment Martin, but Gonzo had him down as our best defender today by some distance. I guess we all see the same game differently sometimes 😊
I don’t think Gonzo appreciates that Dinos is trying to cover the inadequacies of the other defenders, particularly Kilman, but also K W-P. Spread that thin, there are always going to be glitches, but for commitment, the other defenders don’t come close.
Gonzo should take it with more water !! Think it must be a mistake. He meant worse player (AGAIN)
Should we be promoted, the board seriuosly need to look at the entire back four. None of them are Premier League quality. Not too sure they are Championship quality. Dinos scores goals, but is only cancelling out his cock ups at the other end, so why big him up ? Kilman is a disaster fullstop. How have we got ourselves into this defensive mess? Answers on a postcard please
Dinos is not the problem. Playing alongside Kilman is !! Kilman is so poor that Dinos is trying to cover and is put under tremendous pressure trying to do two men’s work. Just refer back to Dinos and Matts performances after Xmas when Kilman was kicked out . !! Chalk and cheese . Kilman is not professional footballer quality. Non league at best.
As mentioned on one of your other threads, give Magassa a go at CB, or Alvarez
And whilst you’re at it, when Veltman isnt available, try Golambekis as right back. This lad can make long throws feel like corners, and Millwall showed us today how dangerous that can be
i find it staggering that after his 2 games earlier in the season where golaembeckis was outstanding he hasnt been given a 6 match run in the side to build confidence and indeed possibly save us £millions in the transfer market going forwards