Having relentlessly mocked the signing of Craig 'Les' Dawson from Watford on loan, it is time for we at the Org to eat a little 'umble' pie, Dawson has defied the odds by putting in some very decent performances as part of a West Ham defence that has not conceded a goal in the three starts the centre back has made.
Make no mistake, Dawson has seized the opportunity to become one of football's 'renaissance men' instead of 'relegation men', no one, including the player himself, would have envisaged that he would be picked to play ahead of 23 year old Issa Diop, who was valued as highly as £60 Million before his form fell off the cliff.
Having been relegated with West Brom AND Watford, fans were obviously reticent to embrace Dawson's arrival for fear of his relegation vibe effecting the rest of the squad, those fears are obviously dissipating as the weeks go on and as the club continues to hold it's own in mid table.
Dawson arrived on a season's loan with an option to buy, despite his stellar performances it is unlike y that the option to buy will be exercised due to the player's aqe, although some might say that 30 years old is OK for a centre back, after all, 'The Angel of Ogbonn' Angelo Ogbonna is 32 years old and playing the best football of his career, his performances being so good that he was selected for the Italian national team during the last international break, only to miss out through injury.
Issa Diop might well feel aggrieved at his lack of game time, but he doesn't appear to be a player who rocks the boat, more like a player who has the desire to learn from others with more experience and who wants to progress as far as possible.
David Moyes is building a team, not a collective of individuals, the team spirit is plain for all to see, how many times in the past would Hammers have folded against 'lesser' opposition on a turnip patch of a water logged pitch? - Ed
Comments
I'll have a massive slice Nev
Nicknamed Les cos we thought that was what we were getting! Hes slotted in great next to the ogg,I couldnt give a monkeys if hes a big name or not on form at the moment & I'd start him over diop
Yep, custard on mine Nev.....
Yep, custard on mine Nev........
I will take my hat off to
I will take my hat off to anyone who is prepared to get stuck in and give it a go,and Les seems to have done that,hes fitted in a treat,and the team itself is working well together,in which you can see,the passing,moving and keeping possession is top stuff,we just need a centre forward to link up with what we have got,and im convinced we are a top 8 club easily.
Build from the back... one of
Build from the back... one of the best things about Dawson and Og defending is their aerial prowess - no ones getting to the ball from a cross or corner with these two around. Solid defense
I wonder if Diop has any
I wonder if Diop has any lingering issues from his bout of Covid ??? But Dawson has done very well.
And he knows where the net is
No surprise that Craig Dawson scored last night. In his career he has scored 44 goals in 367 appearances - one goal every eight matches. That is a phenomenal rate for a central defender ; better than John Terry for example.
I no this might sound stupid
I no this might sound stupid but to me he looks like a west ham player ,bit like Bondsy ,fits right in ,and hes hungrey as well ,bit like you guys that are masticating huge amounts of humble pie .
yes agree
he has even had a few hard knocks he had another last night and played on and scored the winner think on this form we should buy him as essex said he is fitting in a treat
A slice of humble pie all round.
I think a large slice of humble pie needs to dished out amongst most of us supporters who were uninspired simply by the mention of his name.
After we have each digested our piece of the pie, the one thing that we have to take on board is that although we are a financially hamstrung club (as with most clubs right now), Moyes isn't the type of manager we have been accustomed to over recent years. He does his homework on the type of players that he wants at this club and in his team and no player arrives here without his say so (sorry Sully).
In short, most of us have been singing his praises with how he has turned this club around in such a short space of time and with little funds. But, he still has loads to do and despite how well we have done...he is still fire fighting and having to make decisions on the positions that need to be improved and in what sequence etc.
I'm not saying that he will never get anything wrong, as even Alex Ferguson made mistakes and got things wrong from time to time. But, we simply have to "TRUST" in Moyes as he has EARN'T the right to be trusted on his decision making!
This is something that I have learnt from my scepticism of the Dawson transfer, as I didn't think Les was sexy enough.
Yep
I will have mine with a cup of Tea and......................... if Moyes is the Moyessiah I will have the whole cake with a gallon of tea! :o)
give my Humble pie to Dawson
All this collapsing on the pitch for know reason is a tad worrying....Moyes says he just needs something to eat because of low blood sugar? mmm possible Diabetes he needs to be checked....but yes he has done well
Maybe that's
What les needs.A large slice to up his sugar level
Graig Dawson is in a quality team now
He has Ogbona as a partner and pretty good wingbacks and defenders to stop a large number of crosses coming in plus our shape when defending makes our defence very tight. At WBA and Watford he was the main central defender sometimes on his own in very weak defences.
Play with a quality team and you bring yourself up to their level and in Dawsons case he has excelled so far, hope it continues
Knew nothing about Dawson
So never really had an opinion apart from I thought it an unnecessary purchase. On the same page as most of you, he looks a splendid addition to the squad, long may it continue. As for Diop, I've never rated him and don't miss him one bit. If the offer of £60 million is true then I'm gobsmacked the dynamic duo haven't bitten the hands off who ever offered that absurd amount. He is not worth anywhere near that and I won't be shedding any tears if he goes.
I reckon that 60 mill
Has gone down to no more than 20 in valuation now imo
As much as that?
As much as that?