Forum | General Discussion

Palace: Guaita, Ward, Guéhi, Andersen, Mitchell, Milivojevic ©️, Hughes, Schlupp, Ayew, Edouard, Benteke Subs: Butland (GK), Matthews (GK), Tomkins, Kelly, Riedewald, Olise, Eze, Mateta
West Ham: Fabianski, Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Johnson, Soucek, Rice©️, Bowen, Lanzini, Benrahma, Antonio. Subs: Areola, Yarmolenko, Vlasic, Fredericks, Masuaku, Kral, Alese, Noble, Oko-Flex.

Imagine the scenario, you are a top flight manager with over 1000 games under your belt, you have redeemed yourself from a particularly squalid period of time and moved on to re-establish yourself as a manager to be reckoned with, your team is doing unbelievably well when suddenly the wheels come off the wagon, big time!

You are an experienced manager and know these difficult periods are all part and parcel of the game, however now there is the constant scrutiny factor provided by mobile phones, social media and vociferous fan sites so your normal de facto mindset gets analysed out of all proportion.

So what can you do to change things? The obvious answer is to BUY more players, it is a time honoured course that has been exploited by the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, the only problem being the vast finances required to make a big difference quickly need the facilitation of a sovereign state or a super rich Oligarch!

The only other course of action is to tough it out until things start to improve, the risk is that the momentum or inertia that you have generated during the 'happy times', might well get lost forever if too many bad results are encountered during the 'troubled' times.

David Moyes knows better than anybody what his team needs, he knows better than anybody who he wants, but he also knows better than anybody how difficult it is going to be to 'smooth' his team's progress through its next tranche of important games.

Moyes' dilemma is that he has several players who WILL return from injury within the next few weeks, namely Aaron Cresswell and Kurt Zouma who have unfortunately been joined by Ben Johnson on the 'scheduled to return' list. Moyes has previously stated on numerous occasions that he will ONLY bring in players who can make the squad better, so his problem is WHO can he bring in who will accept the fact that they will instantly get demoted from the starting line up the moment the injured player returns?

With Zouma set to return within the next 4-6 weeks, the need for a new centre back, while still being important, is NOT as crucial as the need for a left back! Hammers are well served at right back, with Vald the Impaler Coufal, Ben Johnson, Ryan Fredericks AND young Harrison Ashby, however the left back berth is a totally different story.

Apart from Aaron Cresswell, Moyes only has Ben Johnson as a makeshift left back or young Alese to choose from, Authur Masuaku is his ONLY other option, the problem with Authur is that he is definitely NOT a full back and NEVER has been!

So while the need for an additional striker will make all the headlines and even the club's need for an additional centre back will get major coverage, it is the club's need for a left back that is most paramount during the impending transfer window.

Even when Cressie returns from injury, the paucity of a back up for the superb deliverer of crosses and set pieces must surely be addressed, having only three wheels on their wagon could see Hammers end up being left back, with nowhere to turn. LN

With 'Murder Month' drawing to its conclusion, the fall out for ALL clubs large and small is plain to see with players dropping like flies due to the insane schedule forced upon them aided and abetted by the new surge of the Omicron Covid variant.

Unlike many teams, Hammers have only had ONE fixture postponed, despite having to play a cup semi final and an extra European fixture during the month as well! Inevitably something had to give and unfortunately it was the rock that David Moyes had based his team on, namely a superb resolute defence that was able too transition from defence to attack so swiftly that it caught out virtually EVERY team the club faced in the earlier part of the season.

The effect of injuries to Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna was compounded by the loss of Aaron Cresswell in addition to Ben Johnson AND Ryan Fredericks. Essentially an entire back line absent from the fray, it is therefore no surprise that Hammers have been leaking goals and that it has had an effect on team morale.

Wednesday's 4-1 win at Vicarage road went some way to compensating for the 2-3 defeat against Southampton, who proved they are no mugs by holding our for a draw against Tottingham, despite being down to ten men for the bulk of the game. The problem for West Ham is that Ben Johnson pulled up with what initially looked like a repeat of the injury he had just returned from, namely a low grade hamstring strain, however we have been told it is NOT the same injury, but the exact nature cannot be properly diagnosed until anxiously awaited scan results can be fully analysed.

The reason for the time lapse is that Johnson was experiencing muscle spasm during and after leaving the pitch, which means the 'traumatised' muscle area has to calmed down and recovered before it can be fully evaluated. Muscle spasm can be treated in the short term with copious amounts of Ibuprofin or its more hard core realtive Nepraxin.

The problem is that although Nepraxin numbs the troubled muscles, it can mask damage that could get even worse if not accurately noticed. For most non athletes, muscle spasm is generally treated by visits to an osteopath for those who can afford it. It is usually necessary to have a two or three week intensive course followed up by regular monthly visits in order to free up the muscles that are 'trained' to lock up by our bodies' evolved defensive system that is not aware of how much anti inflammatory drugs can help.

Hopefully Johnson will be able to get 'unlocked' soon, but even once relieved it can take some considerable time to get the confidence back in trusting that there will be no repeat of what is an unbelievably painful experience. This is written from personal knowledge of the procedure...ouch!

With Johnson suffering from spasm at the least and Cressie dealing with a chipped bone perhaps Moyes WILL have to bring a left back in during the January window, either that or throw young Alese in at the deep end, because it is now blatantly obvious that Authur Masuaku is a defensive pile up just waiting to happen and can ONLY be used as an out and out winger.

Players don't come cheap during the January window, but good ones can be attained, after all, Jarrod Bowen arrived during one such window in 2020. - LN