Moyes "I'll Walk The Line"

As David Moyes prepares his team to face the last of the Christmas/New Year fixtures he reflected on how things have gone so far this season, and how he hopes for a continuation of what has been a very bright start despite only picking up 3 points in the last four games recently.

Moyes admitted that managing the fitness of 'Mikey' (Antonio) with his serious hamstring issues, is proving to be very difficult for the medical team, far more difficult than had originally been envisaged and as such Antonio has to be handled with kid gloves in an attempt at ensuring the player's availability, albeit in a more limited role than in the past.

The grim fact is Big Mikey's massive thigh muscles, combined with his 'explosive' bursts of speed, place an enormous strain on his hamstrings as a matter of course and there is no way he could possibly play all the season's fixtures. Moyes said "With Mikey I have to walk the line between wanting him to play, but also trying to have him available for as many games as possible, because without him we do tend to flounder, and have muddled through games recently".

So, not so much optimism from Moyes, but his pragmatic observation is appreciated by fans who already understand that Manuel Pellegrini, and the Board's previous recruitment profligacy, has come back to haunt the club big time. What Moyes could have done with the mind boggling expenditure that was sanctioned is hard to estimate, but you can bet your house on the fact that he would have done far better, and let's face it, he could hardly have done any worse!

The match against Everton today is being broadcast on BT, followed by the tricky FA Cup tie against Stockport, a game which is also being televised by BT in the hope of a giant killing, the likes of which West Ham have been prime providers of in the past. Next up after that is the home tie against Burnley, this game will be televised by Amazon, so for Hammers next three games, fans will be spared the droning of Alan Smith and all the 'top team' sycophants that work for Sky TV, what a result!

Hammers are missing Authur Masuaku and Michail Antonio big time, their lack of availability and the consequences of their loss are plain for all to see, the fact that the team has 'soldiered on' is testament to the team spirit that Moyes has engendered among his players. West Ham's hierarchy will also be aware that the club is paying the price for an entirely unbalanced recruiting program under the previous management, with the obvious need to economise 'turbo charged' by the fiscal effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the right investment during this window the club could reach European qualification, maybe unlikely, but there is a financial reward for how high the club finishes irrespective of European qualification, and that extra money would help recoup some of the 'minor' investment and expenditure required to push the club up the Barclays Premier League table. - Ed