Dark, dank, dreary football. 17 days through the transfer window and of course, West Ham haven’t signed anyone. From memory, Michail Antonio’s accident was on 9th December so the club have had over a month to plan, prepare and scout a replacement.
The very fact that the Irons were relying on a creaking 34 year old centre forward in the first place is hardly comforting but then to lose the injury prone Fullkrug (we told you so) and Bowen (unfortunate) leaves West Ham utterly toothless in attack.
It also leaves them exposed in defence. With no target-man to hold up play, zero goal threat to keep opponents tied up in their own half, we saw against Crystal Palace that an opponent does not need to be preoccupied with the Hammers’ forwards- simply because there aren’t any.
Chronic lack of activity and complacency in this window means now that Graham Potter’s win against Fulham is seen for what it really is: A lucky triumph created by new manager bounce and some awful Fulham play. Crystal Palace were not so generous. You can hardly blame Graham Potter: Not his squad, not his picks.
Tim Steidten and David Sullivan have 17 days to do something about providing West Ham with a goal threat – be it loan signing, permanent signing, or even (for heavens sake) pulling back teenage Callum Marshall from THIRD tier loan football: Anything to put some teeth into the West Ham attack.
Forget leaking two goals, if you don’t have a shot on target in a whole half, how are games ever to be won?
The danger of writing this immediately after the game is that I get angry and make no apologies for the fact. That is a pathetic team sent out with no goal threat and no creativity in midfield.
The worst thing about it is that we’ve been heading in this talentless, toothless direction over many transfer windows during which the sum total of one past -it fragile Fullkrug was bought in to bolster the front line.
And that didn’t end well.
Chickens have come home to roost. You have to feel for Graham Potter. Mid table this season will feel like a ‘win’ without a striker.
