- West Ham fans made their feelings heard as their side slipped to another defeat
- The Hammers were bereft of ideas in the final third against Nottingham Forest
- Jack Grealish has had no luck… he’ll now be sweating on his Euros place – It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Frustration encapsulated just about everything about West Ham on Saturday.
When Kalvin Phillips picked up two needless yellow cards in the space of three minutes. When Michail Antonio shouted in despair after wasting a rare scoring opportunity. When assistant Kevin Nolan threw his hands in the air after James Ward-Prowse had given the ball away on the halfway line. When ‘sacked in the morning’ chants arose from the away end, before a ‘Moyes out’ banner surfaced at full-time.
On the pitch, in the stands and in the dugout, frustration was everywhere. It is now eight games without a win in all competitions and three straight defeats in the league. Results are an issue, but the football being played is the biggest problem. It is 11 goals conceded and zero scored in the last three games.
Unlike their 6-0 thrashing by Arsenal, the commitment of David Moyes’s players could not be questioned here. There was no lack of effort, but there was a lack of ideas in the final third.
Many fans are fed up with what they are watching. Chants of ‘boring, boring West Ham’ said as much. Moyes faced those ‘sacked in the morning’ songs when his side lost 4-0 to Brighton nearly a year ago. He went on to lift the club’s first trophy in 43 years, but the euphoria of that night in Prague is a distant memory.
West Ham produced another dismal performance in their defeat against Nottingham Forest
Fabs made their feelings clear about the direction the club is going in under David Moyes
‘Why can’t we play like Spurs or Brighton?’ one fan said to another on the approach to the City Ground. Moyes is not the entertainer many West Ham fans desire, which he acknowledged.
‘Maybe they’ve had managers who excite them more, but the one who is sitting here wins more,’ Moyes asserted. ‘Maybe they want something different. But they’d honestly have to say it’s been as good a time as they’ve had at the club regarding winning a trophy, their league positions.’
Moyes was at pains to stress the many ‘good days’ the club have had during his second spell in charge. Talks over a new deal for the 60-year-old are on hold until form improves, but his job is not understood to be under any immediate pressure.
Should that change, assistant coach John Heitinga would be a likely candidate to take over, given his managerial experience with Ajax.
The atmosphere at the London Stadium could turn toxic next Monday if the visit of Brentford brings a fourth defeat in a row.
One man who won’t be available for that game is Phillips, whose red card epitomised West Ham’s performance on Saturday. The England midfielder admitted his Hammers career had not got off to the best start.
Moyes defended his achievements at the club since beginning his second spell in 2019
‘I’m annoyed with myself over the first booking, I was frustrated we were losing,’ Phillips said. ‘I wanted this to be a fresh start, to get my head down and really go for it. It’s not gone as I would have hoped. Everyone can see that.
‘I was training with the best team in the world, but games get you sharper. You can train all you like but you are never going to really get match sharp unless you play games.
‘That’s the reason I’m frustrated and gutted. But I know football. I’m experienced enough to know that if I get my head down and grit my teeth and do the basics right, things will turn. It’s easy to say, but now I’ve got to do it.’
More frustration awaits if Phillips fails to fulfil that pledge.
