Forum | Non-Football Related

As David Moyes prepares his team to face the last of the Christmas/New Year fixtures he reflected on how things have gone so far this season, and how he hopes for a continuation of what has been a very bright start despite only picking up 3 points in the last four games recently.

Moyes admitted that managing the fitness of 'Mikey' (Antonio) with his serious hamstring issues, is proving to be very difficult for the medical team, far more difficult than had originally been envisaged and as such Antonio has to be handled with kid gloves in an attempt at ensuring the player's availability, albeit in a more limited role than in the past.

The grim fact is Big Mikey's massive thigh muscles, combined with his 'explosive' bursts of speed, place an enormous strain on his hamstrings as a matter of course and there is no way he could possibly play all the season's fixtures. Moyes said "With Mikey I have to walk the line between wanting him to play, but also trying to have him available for as many games as possible, because without him we do tend to flounder, and have muddled through games recently".

So, not so much optimism from Moyes, but his pragmatic observation is appreciated by fans who already understand that Manuel Pellegrini, and the Board's previous recruitment profligacy, has come back to haunt the club big time. What Moyes could have done with the mind boggling expenditure that was sanctioned is hard to estimate, but you can bet your house on the fact that he would have done far better, and let's face it, he could hardly have done any worse!

The match against Everton today is being broadcast on BT, followed by the tricky FA Cup tie against Stockport, a game which is also being televised by BT in the hope of a giant killing, the likes of which West Ham have been prime providers of in the past. Next up after that is the home tie against Burnley, this game will be televised by Amazon, so for Hammers next three games, fans will be spared the droning of Alan Smith and all the 'top team' sycophants that work for Sky TV, what a result!

Hammers are missing Authur Masuaku and Michail Antonio big time, their lack of availability and the consequences of their loss are plain for all to see, the fact that the team has 'soldiered on' is testament to the team spirit that Moyes has engendered among his players. West Ham's hierarchy will also be aware that the club is paying the price for an entirely unbalanced recruiting program under the previous management, with the obvious need to economise 'turbo charged' by the fiscal effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the right investment during this window the club could reach European qualification, maybe unlikely, but there is a financial reward for how high the club finishes irrespective of European qualification, and that extra money would help recoup some of the 'minor' investment and expenditure required to push the club up the Barclays Premier League table. - Ed

When it comes to supporting West Ham, it can be considered a somewhat tumultuous task and with an uneasy relationship between fans and the board acting as an interesting sub-plot off the pitch, such friction has a habit of affecting what happens on the playing field.

To the point where last season protests within The London Stadium had spilled onto the pitch itself and with captain Mark Noble going as far as to say, that such an act was not welcomed by those connected to the club, it meant supporting this legendary outfit was becoming somewhat toxic.

With such a maelstrom brewing, there was the potential for the club to be severely hampered and if the fans worked against the players in pre-Covid times, there is every chance the East London outfit could have been operating in the Championship. However, one man seemed to understand the job in hand and that was David Moyes, who in his first stint made sure the Hammers kept their heads when it mattered and more importantly, kept their Premier League status.

Which is why it was something of a surprise to see the former Manchester United and Everton boss not handed a new contract at the end of the 2017/18 season, a decision that would see his own efforts unrewarded. With former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini on the market and deemed as a sexier appointment, the club’s owners David Gold and David Sullivan, decided the Chilean would be the man to shoot West Ham up the table. A decision that was not universally accepted and although Pellegrini earned a 10th place finish in his first full season in charge, the 2018/19 season of the Premier League would be the only full campaign in which he would oversee West Ham.

Because with expectations then rising under the tutelage of the South American, the players failed to hit the same heights as the season before and with £155m spent in transfer fees, the large expenditure proved to be the manager’s eventual undoing. Pellegrini’s departure was announced back in December 2019 and who stepped back into the frame? None other than David Moyes, with the sole remit being to keep the club out of the choppy waters of the relegation zone once again.

A remit that was eventually met and with an 18-moth contract inked, Moyes will aim to make sure that the owners decide to extend his second stint, at what previously was the Olympic Stadium back in 2012. Something that was perhaps unlikely at the start of this current campaign and on the evidence of their first two outings of the season, they were viewed as a candidate for relegation when discussing early PL picks.

With such a tough set of fixtures being mapped out for West Ham, back-to-back defeats only suggested the worst and with the likes of Leicester, Tottenham, and Manchester City to follow after losses to Newcastle and Arsenal, it was difficult to know just where the points would be won. However, that difficult stretch saw Moyes’ men earn five points from the nine on offer and during this trio of league outings, there was definitely a sense that the West Ham squad had started to turn the corner after a difficult start. A start which now is nothing more than a distant memory and as we approach the end of the first half of the season, there is a question as to what West Ham can do at the end of it. Quite simply, do they now stick or twist?

Because, when you look at the calibre of talent that can be called upon, there is the makings of a highly impressive team and their current league standing, is not only just rewards for their efforts but also far too good to be sucked into a relegation scrap.
Which means with West Ham all but assured another stint in the top flight, do the board simply want to settle for that or do they want to try and land an extra pair of new faces when the January transfer window opens.

If the board do decide to show a little ambition, it could be the thrust that is needed and when you consider just how compact the top half of the Premier League table is at present, European qualification is certainly not outside the realm of possibility for David Moyes and West Ham. - Ed Jnr

News that long term Butch the Dog from The Sooty and Sweep show impersonator, Diego Costa, has had his contract with Atletico Madrid terminated by mutual agreement, means that fans up and down the country are screaming out for their clubs to take a serious look at the Ex-Chelsea hitman

Wolves could turn to 32 year old Costa as a replacement for injured Mexico forward Raul Jimenez, whereas Newcastle have been keeping a close eye on the Brazilian's availability as he becomes a free agent from January's the 1st 202, as is often the case, especially if a player is available on a free, West Ham have been linked with a move for Costa as well.

While Costa could definitely still do a job, even at the age of 32, the major stumbling block would be his wages, which were an eye watering £275,000 per week, although that dropped to an equally eye watering £165,000 per week as a result of the players taking a wage cut at Atletico in response to the devastating fiscal effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unfortunately £165,000 per week is just too rich for the Irons, it is a pity though, because you know exactly what you are going to get with Costa, he can start a fight in an empty room and is the complete juxtaposition of Seb Haller as a striker. Perhaps David Moyes should sit Haller down, show him a Vid of Costa and say "This is the guy I might bring in to replace you, why can't YOU put yourself about like him, even for a quarter of a game?"

If Hammers were somehow able to 'bounce' Haller in January, then a move for Costa would most definitely be a prudent one, if only in the relative short term, the prospect of facing up to Costa and/or Antonio would be truly terrifying for opposition defenders and could help propel WEst Ham up to a comfortable position in the Barclays Premier League where fans will be looking up the table as opposed to down at the bottom.

Diego would 'costa' fortune, but compared with some of the money wasted by the club in the past, he looks good value! - Ed