Grade One Error By Pellegrini

Stubbornness, recalcitrance and arrogance are three 'qualities' not necessarily wanted or appreciated by the vast majority of people, but to politicians and football managers, particularly those who have experienced a modicum of success, they are meat and drink. The Hammers hierarchy finally pushed the boat out by bringing in 'serial' winner Manuel Pellegrini to the club.

Pellegrini has done much to improve the club, and had he been backed further in the transfer market who knows where the club might have been? Instead he has had to make do and mend with this season's paltry net spend of £25 Million, and therefore is justified when he cites injuries and lack of strength in depth for the team's current losing streak. However, some of his team selections have been bizarre of late, and his insistence on playing just the one striker up front is becoming an issue, but the most galling of his decisions is to leave Grady Diangana on loan at Slaven Billic's West Bromwich Albion instead of recalling the attacking midfielder in January as the club are allowed to do.

"I think Grady Diangana is doing what we want him to do - the same as Josh Cullen," Pellegrini said. "They are players that without any doubt will be part of the West Ham team in the future. He is one of the players that I trust a lot in. I think that it was better for him to go and play 40 games this year and be absolutely ready for next season. We must continue to supporting him and we are happy with his performance, he will finish his season where he is."

Fine and wise words if you are managing a club that is near the top of the Barclays Premier league, but not so helpful if your team is in free fall and has only picked up two points from a possible eighteen! Someone will be the fall guy as a result of the club's poor form, and if it isn't El Pelle, then it will surely be Mario Husillos in the cross hairs, the club's director of football is a close ally and friend of Pellegrini who said. "I don't talk about speculation. All the evaluation of the work must be at the end of the season, I know him (Husillos) very well, an experienced sporting director. The club is happy with him. I knew him before he came here but I don't want to talk about that. At the end of the season you must evaluate all the new players who arrived at the club. Four games ago the evaluation would have been much different. You must wait until the end of the season."

Pellegrini went on to say "I feel in the 30 years that I have worked in this profession, I feel pressure every day. Winning or losing. Not just when you are losing. When you are winning, you also feel pressure. My own pressure is much more pressure than all of the media can say. At the end of the season is the time to evaluate the new players that have arrived at the club, not in a moment when you are not winning, it will be the same for the evaluation four games ago which would have been absolutely different. It cannot be each week you are evaluating different players. You must wait until the end of the season."

These comments are typical of those associated with a manager under pressure, and although he does have a full squad to choose from with the exception of Midfielder Jack Wilshere who will have his fitness assessed ahead of Saturday's game against Burnley, and Lukasz Fabianski and Michail Antonio who will not return until at least after the international break. One modicum of good news for the beleaguered manager is that 'forgotten man', Winston Reid, came through another U-23 game without suffering any set backs.

Diangana would have been able to fill the void left by Antonio due to his electric pace, an element which has been sorely missing from Hammers attack since Antonio's injury, and a vital element if Sebastian Haller is to get the service he deserves as he ploughs a lonely furrow up front on his own. If you pay £45 Million for a striker, surely you would try to utilise the player to his fullest? It's not rocket science is it? neither is recalling an astounding player who's energy could enliven the entire squad. - Ed