Radio Gago-You Pay Peanuts-You Get Roberto!

Hammers penny pinching finally came home to roost, big time, against Burnley during Saturday's lamentable performance, which ended in a 3-0 defeat that could have been far worse from a scoreline point of view, but could not have been much worse from an injury and performance perspective.

Mark Noble's early injury probably spared the Irons captain from a savaging by the Press for his team's performance, that injury was early doors and was a portent for what was to come. Hammers 'one time' talisman, Manuel Lanzini, was stretchered off with a suspected fractured collar bone, the medical staff having to use an oxygen mask on the clearly distressed Argentine player. This is Lanzini's third serious injury, those with a gallows sense of humour will say "at least he was playing for West Ham when he got injured", others might say " He is scheduled to be out for three months, but did he ever return from his previous injury?"

Lanzini has been, to put it mildly, inconsistent since returning from the horrendous injury he sustained while training with the Argentine national side, an injury that kept him out of the team for three quarters of the season! 'Manu' has not had enough integrated game time to bring him back up to full match fitness this season, and has been thrust back in to a team which is apparently devoid of any meaningful or purposeful creativity.

Hammers have been without the services of Michail Antonio, but the loss of one player shouldn't be so extreme that the team cannot cope without them, normally fringe or youth players are expected to fill the void, and usually they grab the opportunity with both hands of establishing their first team credentials. In the past West Ham have brought forward many players in similar circumstances, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole and more recently Declan Rice, have all been fast tracked when needs must, however, there is one position that is under the spotlight like no other, that of goal keeper.

The injury sustained by last season's Hammer of the Year, Łukasz Fabiański, has had a devastating effect on match outcomes and team morale in equal measure, his loss has been catastrophic, but could the club have done better than signing Roberto Jiminez Gago as back up? The club also signed David Martin, son of Alvin, as back up to Gago, there is also young Nathan Trott out on loan at AFC Wimbledon as well as the superb U-23 keeper Joseph Anang. Surely one of these alternatives can be used in place of Gago? They could hardly do worse, and don't forget that the next fixture following the International break is against Tottenham, whose players will be relishing the thought of filling their boots with goals at the expense of the hapless Hammers keeper.

Roberto Jiminez Gago is an easy target, and the rest of the team will be thankful that he is taking the flack instead of them! Having had a 'mare' on his last three outings it would seem prudent to take him out the firing line and bring in Martin or even Anang for the remaining fixtures before the beginning of December, when Fabianski is pencilled in to return from his successful hip surgery.

The reason Hammers find themselves with such a goalkeeping situation is that they were unable to retain the services of Adrian San Miguel who, having been snubbed by the arrivals of Darren Randolph, Joe Hart and eventually by Lukasz Fabianski, decided he would rather warm the bench at Anfield than at the London Stadium. Fabianski played every minute of last season's Barclays Premier League campaign, so why wouldn't Adrian leave? On the basis of the year before Adrian would only play Cup games, and if he was only going to play cup games this year, then why not bench warm for a team in the Champion's League and one that will undoubtedly progress well in all cup competitions?

No one envisaged the injury to Fabianski, but surely those in the know must have looked at the Polish keepers stats? He was one of the best shot stopper and keepers out of all the top European Leagues last season, and as such really difficult to replace. Bearing in mind the importance of his role, it would have been prudent to have ensured that his back up was up to scratch.

Some people religiously insure their assets, others don't, and it doesn't take a genius to work out which camp West Ham United and it's hierarchy are in in does it? Thank God for the International break, at least the families of Hammers fans won't have to put up with the misery and fall out of yet another defeat! - Ed