Forum | Non-Football Related

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

Football fans can be a fickle bunch, none more so than those of West Ham United. As disgruntled fans left the London Stadium following the 3-2 defeat by Newcastle United, there were calls for under fire manager Manuel Pellegrini to be replaced as his side suffered a loss that meant they have only earned two out of a possible fifteen points in the Barclays Premier League, whilst also losing 4-0 to lower league Oxford in the League Cup during the same period.

Just seven weeks ago, those same fans were riding a euphoric wave that promised to deliver European competition qualification, possibly even the Champions League! Such was the belief in the 'Pellegrini project', West Ham fans, and the media began chastising the club's owners for not 'firming up' their manager's contract with an extension of at least a further year added to his original three. There were 'concerned' media reports that Pellegrini might want to return to Chile while his home country is going through a 'challenging' phase, or that the 65 year old would want to retire, or at least semi retire back in Chile.

So where and how did it all go wrong in such a short space in time? Essentially the wafer thin depth of the squad assembled for this season was cruelly and brutally exposed by injuries, just as the team was hitting it's stride and making up for the dreadful opening day hammering by Manchester City. Serious injuries to both Michail Antonio and Lukasz Fabianski stopped the momentum in it's tracks, and although Roberto hasn't quite been the calamity in goal people had feared, Fabianski he ain't. The wisdom of letting Adrian go now seems foolish, but hindsight is a wonderful leveller, not anticipating the injury to Antonio seems equally foolish given his injury record, hence the reason for the earlier reference to the squad's strength in depth.

Losing both players left the starting line up frail, given Roberto's lack of game time, and slow, given Antonio's electric pace. Again, with hindsight, the wisdom of letting Grady Diangana go out on loan to West Brom might be called in to question, as Diangana was the only 'like for like' player available to fill in for Antonio. This season's meagre net £25 Million transfer budget, one fifth of newly promoted Aston Villa's spend, has come back to bite with a vengeance.

Realistically fans didn't expect the same spend as the season before, most knew that players brought on 'tick' had to be paid for in instalments, however the club slashed the squad of much dead wood saving what has eventually turned out to be £750,000 per week in wages alone. Surely a chunk of that £37.5 Million saving could have been put to good use, even half of it might have helped, instead the club is paying the price for not adding strength in depth when it was possible.

Again with hindsight, perhaps the acquisition of Pablo Fornals was just a 'foreigner too far' for this season, because despite his undoubted qualities, he is definitely one for the future and has found the cut and thrust of the Barclays Premier League difficult to cope with. The loss of Antonio has also heavily impacted on Felipe Anderson's performances, the Brazilian looks bereft of ideas when he gets near the box, as everyone and his Uncle are marking the ever isolated Sebastian Haller.

Hammers recent poor run is as bad as the beginning of last season, in fact it is technically even worse! Manuel Pellegrini is the third highest paid manager in the League, and some of his recent decisions have had fans, and probably co-owners, scratching their heads in doubt. The Manager's insistence on playing veteran Pablo Zabaleta, instead of lightening quick Ryan Fredericks at right back beggars belief. The previous week 'Zaba' had been more exposed than a Morecombe and Wise beach chair joke by Sheffield United's front line, and his reselection for the Toon game was met with cries of derision in the Press box who, to a Man and Woman knew that Hammers were probably going to be in for a hiding!

Burnley away is up next, perhaps playing away from might not be a bad thing given the strength of bad feeling about the team and it's manager, after that there is the much needed International break, unfortunately by the beginning of the break Hammers could be as low as 16th in the league, a far cry from not that long ago, so now it's about time Manuel Pellegrini started to earn the exorbitant wage that he gets paid, he owes it to the fans who went home miserable in the rain last weekend.

With regards to Pellegrini's managerial tenure, as the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for, you might just get it! -Ed

Many Hammers fans will be hoping this Saturday's match at the London Stadium will not be a 'ground hog day', the home team's performance during last weekend's match against Sheffield United wasn't exactly insipid, with the exception of Robert Snodgrass and Felipe Anderson, it just lacked urgency. Fans were quick to voice their displeasure at the end of the game, citing one or two glaring issues that need attention.

Wonderful servant that he has been, Pablo Zabaleta is not the player he once was, he was woeful during the Sheffield game, and was a liability each time he went forward, his final ball missing the mark four times out of five, to use a formula 1 parlance "Zaba's tyres have gone off the cliff" and there isn't any way back. Ryan Fredericks can run down the flank, put a cross in, and still manage to make it back to do his defensive duties in the time that it takes Zaba to run one way nowadays!

Expect Fredericks to regain his place in the starting line up at Zaba's expense, his fellow wing back might well be Authur Masuaku for this Saturday's encounter against Newcastle. Manuel Pellegrini always seems to be caught between two stools when it comes to selecting either 'King Authur' or 'Cressy the Scallywag', each player has great qualities, however each player also has frailties that can get exposed in the heat of 'battle'.

In the midfield, Robert Snodgrass would have done enough last week to earn another start for most managers, but we are dealing with Manuel Pellegrini and his increasingly 'Tinker man' tendencies. 'Snoddy's' inclusion would be at the expense of losing the creative flair of Manuel Lanzini and/or Pablo Fornals, who ever is in the midfield their primary duty is to link play up in order to get more service to the incredibly isolated Sebastian Haller up front.

As we are approaching Panto season, expect to see Mr Andrew Thomas Carroll appear as the wicked witch and dispense 'worldy' goals with aplomb, we believe the bookies have already stopped taking money on the big geordie to score against his former club.

Anticipated Line Up: Roberto, Fredericks, Balbuena, Diop, Masuaku, Rice, Noble, Yarmolenko, Snodgrass, Anderson, Haller. Subs: Martin, Lanzini, Cresswell, Fornals, Ogbonna, Zabaleta, Ajeti.