Not sure if it's just a rumour but read that he may go in the other direction as part of a deal for Toney at brentford? Imo we should stick with Benrahma & give him more of chance...lack of goals granted but I wonder if he trys to hard to score when he has a limited time to impress! I say get Toney as well.dildos get your cheque book out we are 4th,if you're serious about ambition.
Thoughts guys?
Part of the function of an 'elite' football manager is to be able to detach oneself from the previous incumbent and all their associated errors, this involves developing 'blinkers' with regards to the purchase price paid for players by the outgoing manager.
Aristotle Onassis was once asked how he was able to deal with the huge investments that he made, "quite simply" was his retort, I just shave the zeroes off the end of the figures, and then it becomes easy". David Moyes has had to do much the same with all but three of his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini's extravagant signings, the Hammers manager is not prepared to continue 'flogging a dead horse' in order to utilise players that he has judged to 'not fit' his program for the club.
Felipe Anderson was dispatched to Porto on loan, a move which has been an absolute disaster, as the player who cost WEst Ham £36 Million has hardly had a kick of the ball, a situation that has seen his value plummet to below £10 Million, next up was Le Sulk, Sebastien Haller, his 'sudden' move to Ajax is supposed to have come at a £25 Million loss to the club, although there is a fair amount of conjecture that the £45 Million purchase price of the striker from Eintrecht Frankfurt had been massively exaggerated.
We won't dare even go in to some of the other signings that have been sent off, particularly Roberto, his name still strikes fear in to young children! Of all Pellegrini's signings only Issa Diop, Lukasz Fabianski and Pablo Fornals cut the mustard, the rest were expensive mistakes.
Another player destined for departure, but who wasn't signed by Pellegrini is Manu Lanzini, he just hasn't been able to recover properly from his ACL injury that he received while on international duty back in 2018, it is a real shame, he has an extremely difficult task ahead of him trying to get in the starting line up instead of Fornals, Benrahma and Bowen. There is interest in Lanzini from several clubs, but alas his value, like Anderson's has really dropped, if the club get £20 Million for the pair it will be lucky, when Anderson was flying and prior to Lanzini's injury, their combined value was in excess of £70 Million!
Moyes has to rebuild from the foundations up, and to do so, the foundations he uses have to be firmly situated and able to withstand the rigours required of them. - Ed
The last Hundred Yards is always the hardest to complete in any distance running, race leaders can be caught agonisingly close to the finish line as the rest of the pack sail past them, and it is much the same in elite football. Irrespective of where West Ham United finish in this season's Barclays Premier League, fans can be rightly proud of how their team has 'duked it out' with the big boys, despite having the least well equipped squad to deal with the challenge.
Unfortunately the squad's lack of strength in depth is now impacting savagely on the club's unlikely push for a top four Champions League spot, injuries have mounted up as the season's end approaches leaving the Irons boss with very few options to see his side over the line.
Even non Hammers fans acknowledge the insanely brilliant job David Moyes has done in remodeling the club from top to bottom, which has included trying to make a silk purse out of the 'sow's ear' incredibly expensive signings that his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini had made, but even Moyes has run out of options for the final seven 'steps to heaven or hell'.
Realistically, Hammers have fared much better than many of their competitors with regards to injuries, unfortunately, like London busses they tend to arrive in multiples, such has been the case with the injuries to Authur Masuaku, Angelo Ogbonna, Michail Antonio, the club's 'jewel in the crown' Declan Rice, and now Aaron Cresswell along with skipper Mark Noble.
In a way Moyes is fortunate in that several of the remaining fixtures are 'proper six pointers' for the Irons, and the fact that several of the other top four contenders have games remaining against each other that could play in to his hands, particularly the Chelsea v Leicester game.
The Seven steps left, including a frenzied three games spell in 7 days between the 8th and the 15th of May are : 17.04.21 Newcastle (a) 24.04.21 Chelsea (h) 01.05.21 Burnley (a) 08.05.21 Everton (h) 11.05.21 Brighton (a) 15.05.21 West Brom (h) 23.05.21 Southampton (h).
It will be all hands to the pumps for the final games, and maybe, like Bubbles, the dream might fade and die, but at least the platform was established during this weirdest of all seasons, that proved it is possible for a 'slumbering giant' like West Ham to be woken up. - Ed
David Moyes's reluctance in using Conor Coventry alongside Tomas Soucek has perplexed many Hammers fans, but credit where due, captain Mark Noble has stepped up to the plate and put in a couple of stellar performances. Unfortunately he has joined what has become a burgeoning list of injured players for the medical team to deal with.
If Noble's injury prevents him from playing against Newcastle in the next fixture, who will Moyes play in the crucial CDM role? Well, judging by recent and past training footage, Issa Diop might be part of the manager's master plan. Much would also depend on the return of the 'Angel Ogbonna', should the veteran Italian defender pass a final fitness test this week, it would free up Diop to take a more forward role than that of a centre back.
Diop was originally a striker as a youth player and most definitely has the attributes to bring the ball forward, he has tried to do so in recent games, much to the chagrin of his manager and team mates, but he has an eye for goal and all the physical attributes to become a box to box midfielder, at least in the short term, and who knows? Moyes might have found yet another Fellaini! - Ed
They knew it wasn't a case of if, but when, the medical emergencies would begin to rack up at Hammers' Rush (Goose) Green treatment room, and so it has come to pass. Apart from Michail Antonio's specially cordoned off 'hamstring area', due to the almost perpetual need to leave the space free in order to accommodate his huge thighs, there is the Yarmo (not there) crypto trade complex funded by his £115,000 per week wages.
Added to the list of perennials recently were Aaron Cresswell and Mark Noble, each player picked up an injury in the nail-biting victory over Leicester City during the weekend, Cress seems to have a 'mild' hammy injury that will keep him out of action for between two to three games.
Ben Johnson can deputise for the scouser, but after that, the cupboard is definitely bare, or down to the bare bones as 'Arry used to say. Ant & Dec's injuries are not ideal, but the team has coped so far, neither player can be relied upon to be playing in the claret & blue for the remainder of the season, although each one may well get to play a cameo role in the last few fixtures, there are after all only SEVEN games remaining of this most extraordinary season.
Making the treasured fourth spot in the Barclays Premier League would be an astonishing achievement by David Moyes, his staff and his players, but realistically it might just be a 'bridge too far', especially the game against Chelsea, although that game will be played at the unnamed London Stadium.
There is of course still a chance that the Irons will sneak through, but even if that was the case, there would be an enormous need for extra recruiting, and unfortunately it seems very unlikely that the club's owners have the actual wherewithal to finance an assault on Europe.
It is not as if this season's scenario will ever be repeated is it? This unique season has given 'smaller teams' like West Ham a once in a lifetime opportunity to mix it with the big boys, and even if the European adventure' is relatively short lived, fans will at least have had the chance to experience what it is like dining at Europe's top table, even if it is only for a fleeting moment in time. - Ed
poor ol CJ and the rest of em
'Sir' Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore, the greatest defender of all time, was born this day in 1941. Sadly England's World Cup winning captain succumbed to cancer, and despite battling bravely, died on the 24th of February 1993. Grievously abandoned by the FA and by West Ham, Bobby should have been honoured, not just by a knighthood, but by those in power who should have used him as a global ambassador instead of having to do radio broadcasts for a pittance in wet and windy lower league games.
Who knows how much Bobby could have done for the youth of the game? No one does because he wasn't given even the most basic of chances, shame on the FA, and even more shame on West Ham for the despicable way they treated him.
The current owners of the club have gone to great lengths to try and undo the wrongs of the past, which is admirable, but then talk is cheap isn't it? This writer shares the great man's birthday, and was able to see him play in his pomp, a sight never to be forgotten.
Bobby Moore 12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993 R.I.P
In recent years a new breed of successful football players have become much younger, and the stars we see can only get better with age. Just imagine: Erling Haaland is just 20, Killian Mbappe is 22, so their potential peak is in the future. And there are so many examples of leaders in PL teams below 23 years old, like Bukayo Saka (19, Arsenal), Phil Foden (20, Manchester City) or Mason Mount (22, Chelsea), that you should be ready to support talents from the very young age. We and bookmaker-ratings.com tried to find the most interesting prospects for you:
Ademipo Odubeko, West Ham, 18, Republic of Ireland, striker
West Ham United truly love to see young players making a career. A club that has proven to help young talent flourish could have another star in Ademipo Odubeko. The 18-year-old known as Mipo is a talented young striker who turned down a new deal with Manchester United and signed with West Ham in 2019. His most famous performances last season include a hat-trick against Southampton and two goals against Charlton in the FA Youth Cup, and while West Ham eventually dropped out by penalties, Odubeko was praised by his manager. David Moyes thought about Odubeko making his first-team debut in the second round of the English League Cup against Charlton, but the young striker was injured right before the game. Goals are the main strength of Odubeko, and his relatives believe that there is a real way to get into the main team. He scored a hat trick against Man U U-23's the other day, and may well be needed by David Moyes before the season's end.
Diogo Dalot, Manchester United, 22, Portugal, defender
United bought the young right-back for £ 20m from Porto, a move that only a few took seriously. Mourinho demanded a ready-made full-back here and now, and they bought him some teenager? What a disrespect.
Dalot made his Champions League debut in a match with Young Boys, then played a cup match with Derby, and only on December 1, Jose allowed his compatriot to play in the Premier League. Mourinho mainly used Dalot as a full-back in three central defender schemes, while Solskjaer began to trust Diogo and the fullback position in the standard four, and even the winger position in individual meetings. Dalot played 1000 minutes in the Premier League, having managed during this time to become the second in the team in expected assists, to give two real assists, to participate in the legendary comeback against PSG. Diogo has high potential: he sees the field well and has a high speed.
David Brooks, Bournemouth, 23, Wales, Winger
The young Welsh winger spent over 1,000 minutes in the 2017/18 Championship and was well known to both the scouts and the English second tier. Bournemouth made a very good deal, pulling Brooks out of the division below, for no more than £ 10m, which is ridiculous for the Premier League. Brooks revealed himself in the Eddie Howe system. Bournemouth wingers are constantly shifting from the flanks to the centre; David in this scenario is like a fish in water. Brooks has a sense of the areas in the box to break into and is very quick and smart.Brooks once was is in the top 30 Premier League players in Deep Completions, third in xG / 90, fourth in goal + pass (7 + 5). Right now, David is unlikely to go somewhere, but after a couple of years, the native of Wales can finally open up and become a star: the style of Bournemouth will help him a lot in this.
Fabio Carvalho, Fulham, 18, England, attacking midfielder
Fulham's young player Fabio Carvalho almost made his perfect first-team debut back in September. The attacking midfielder came out in the League Cup win against Sheffield Wednesday and escaped from the Championship club's defence just minutes later. But the dream was not destined to come true, as he shot past. However, Carvalho's first-team debut was a worthy reward for a player who has long impressed his coaches in Fulham's youth team and is currently training with the main team under Scott Parker. He has played for England at the age of 16, 17 and 18 and his contribution to the attack has helped him to stand out. He has scored 7 goals and 4 assists this year in Premier League 2 for Fulham U23.
These players are the most peripheral of heroes at the moment. A career in football can be most rewarding, but it can also chew young players up and spit them out. Nobody knows how it will go for every one of these talented lads. We can only hope, that they will prove themselves able to play alongside the best, especially Ademipo Odubeko for West Ham. - Ed
I guess a lot of fans are wondering will he be here next year ,i reckon it depends on a number of things ,type of contract he will be offered ( wages wise ), will manua let him go and if so for how much,how many bigger clubs will come in for him ,i see Arse are eyeing him up ,but the one thing that will keep him here is wether or he wants to stay .with the money these prem players are on these days only time will tell .
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