Forum | General Discussion

Ahead of tonight's FA Cup game David Moyes was hardly the man to inspire his troops ahead of them going over the top! "I am hoping we can give them a good game, we have to defend against so many good players in the Premier League," Moyes told the media. "Rashford is one of them and we played them earlier in the season and we were really unfortunate. David de Gea played really, really well to keep them in the game or we could have had a positive result. It was very close in the league, and I am hoping we can give them a good game this time around."

Talk about negative Nancy, the way Moyes was talking was like the beginning of an Autopsy, NOT inspiring his team ahead of a fixture where the opposition might be vulnerable due to winning the Moose Cup at the Weekend and ahead of a crucial Premier League game against bitter rivals Liverpool!

Setting your team up to survive might have been valid when there were replays in the FA Cup, but there aren't replays anymore! Games go to extra time and Pens now, so why play for a draw by being defensive? Moyes might as well go for it, realistically no one expects a Hammers win so why not let his players have the freedom to express themselves, you never know what might happen. - Ed

No the Hammers manager hasn't embarked on a mind advancing programme, or an Estj based getting to know yourself while you are threatened with being thrown off a cliff weekend retreat course! We are discussing whether David Moyes really does need help, he is notoriously stubborn to the point of 'cutting his own nose off to spite his face'!

There is stubborn and there is sheer bloody mindedness, the two bare the same resemblance but are different, however the outcome of having a person 'afflicted' with either trait being in charge of a team of strong willed multi millionaire footballers is almost entirely predictable and NOT good for fans of the relevant club, not it's owners.

In an emergency it is possible to run across the M25 without getting killed or seriously injured, but it doesn't mean a person should attempt it even once, let alone regularly. The game of top flight football has moved on immeasurably in the last millennium, even more so in the last decade. Players rarely get 'frozen out' by managers now, with the obvious exception of Ten Haag and The Preening One, the boot is firmly on the other foot now and it is the players who hold ALL the Aces.

So with that reality in mind, playing players out of position should by now be a practice consigned to the rubbish bin, however certain managers insist on their "it's my way or the highway' philosophy with the consequent loss of form and more importantly to club owners, the player's value. Time and time again David Moyes has chosen to ignore the thousands of voices urging him to pick teams that are capable of playing on the front foot AND where they play in their correct potions. Moyes might have got away with it in the past, but he has become a one trick pony who's trick has been exposed!

What worked a couple of seasons ago clearly doesn't work now, the welcome victory over perennial losers on their travels Forest masks the fact that prior to the match the team had regressed alarmingly, summed up by the utterly insipid and inept performance against Tottingham a fortnight ago.

Small shoots of recovery are beginning to show in the form of Tomas Soucek being 'allowed' further up the pitch with Declan Rice dropping a little deeper, and Moyes actually starting a 'proper' out and out striker! Mikey Antonio has played in every position for the club bar goalkeeper and has been an incredibly loyal performer, but a striker he is NOT! There is no question that he is a goal scorer but he is far more suited to 'bullying' the opposition than being a 'fox in the box', so starting Danny Ings was at last a step forward for Moyes' 'mind expansion'.

With summer signing Gianluca Scamacca now also available David Moyes AT LAST has the option of using Mikey as an impact sub, a role the 32 year old would relish even if he pretends he doesn't. Staring the game WITH an out and out striker is half way to the fans Nirvana wish of having TWO strikers on the field at the same time!

We are not suggesting Moyes has to go gung ho and play two up front all of the time, but surely he knows that the best form of defence his team can have on some occasions is to attack, rather than sit back and waiting to be picked off! -LN

Fans leaving the as yet unnamed London Stadium were greeted with a sumptuous skyline that somehow reflected the mood perfectly, a beautiful rainbow filled the sky on a day when the club's fortunes changed for the good and the late great Bobby Moore's life and achievements were honoured.

There was a special atmosphere despite the club's awful Premier relegation placing and genuine fear of failure. The players, after having paid their respects to 'Sir' Bobby looked as nervous as the Stadium felt, it wasn't for the lack of trying but nothing seemed to be going according to plan, IF there was a plan as many disgruntled fans were murmuring as the game went on.

Starting Danny Ings as a lone striker didn't go down too well, but at least it was a change! If only he had started two he would have earned a lot more of 'an accommodation' from the crowd. Lucas Pacqueta showed glimpses of why the club paid it's record transfer fee for him, but it seemed as if the tin gods were going to do 'that theng' and have a laugh at the home fans expense when Jarrod Bowen's shot hit the post and then the Pacman was denied a goal of the month as his shot came off the woodwork!

Half time came and went with the majority of the 'natives' expressing their disapproval to each other but most importantly NOT to the team, they clearly recognised their team's fragility and didn't want to give the visitors any additional ammunition. As the 60th minute approached all eyes were on the bench as it was approaching 'Moyes time' as he always starts making his substitutions around the 60th minute mark.

Next minute, Lukasz Fabianski had to be substituted because of a head injury and was replaced by Alphonse Aréola. Virtually the first touch of the ball by the French keeper went to Jarrod Bowen who passed to Danny Ings who pinged the ball home. The goal would have come as a great relief to Ings who had missed a sitter early doors,but his confidence clearly grew, because within a couple of minutes Ings scored again! This time he bundled the ball over the line, but they ALL count.

Suddenly the unnamed Stadium was alive and the cherry on top came when Declan Rice curled a beaut into the corner of the net to put his team into an unassailable lead. Ings was brought off and replaced by Big Mikey Antonio who netted himself with a neat header to end his personal goal drought and make the victory resounding!

Incidentally the glut of goals was preceded by the introduction by the visitors of Jesse Lingard and Andre Ayew, both of who were given a raucous reception, particularly Lingard!

Three Points that felt more like FOUR! Se fans will feel the points will merely prolong David Moyes' tenure as manager, but realistically if he can win another five fames the club will be safe, then and only then should his overall position be examined forensically and not emotionally, for now he has an FA Cup 5th round televised game against Manchester United on Wednesday to prepare for, ahead of a crucial Premier League fixture AND a European tie. - Ed