‘Get off the pitch you muppet!’… ‘You’re shite mate!’… ‘My effing Nan can play better than that!’… ‘What a donkey!’ Booooooooo…… and on it goes….
Whoaoh everyone. Talk about doom and gloom. we lost to Astra again, yes it’s painful, but let’s get some perspective…
1. Astra are not Real Madrid, but they are not Accrington Stanley either. Astra won their league last season, there is good football in Romania, they are a useful side.
2. We could have scored 6/7/8 goals such were our chances, and whilst luck played a big part in this, we didn’t take those chances. This was a very one-sided game. We could have won even with a second string filled with young prospects, but we didn’t. That’s life, move on.
3. Their goalkeeper had the game of his life.
4. Out injured Payet, Lanzini, Noble, Carroll, Sahko, Ayew, Cresswell Sofiane Feghouli etc… almost all our first choice players.
5. Astra scored with virtually the only one chance they had, a sucker punch against the run of play. It happens.
6. Did we really need the distraction of the Europa League at the moment? We are not ready, are we? We do not have a high enough quality squad to foray into Europe and succeed on the domestic front at the same time coping with inevitable injuries, few teams do. Let’s be realistic, this will take time and money.
For me the most noticeable aspects of the Astra game was how we missed Noble and just like in the game against Bournemouth we lacked a killer finisher. Of course this is ignoring the absence of Payet. This is a carry on from last season where we achieved a lofty position, yet we still lacked that killer striker that could have really elevated us in the top four. When Payet was out last season we couldn’t score for toffee, but did grind out a succession of draws. As unpopular as this is I wish we had buried the hatchet and signed Jermain Defoe. This was one of those frustrating games and had we played for a month of Sundays we may still not of scored, yet a player like Defoe can make the difference as he has shown at Sunderland.
And new boys Tore, Calleri and Nordveit? Before we execute them after three games shall we take a step back?
Tore hasn’t made an impact yet and yes maybe, he won’t. His strengths are passing and running with the ball to create chances (There wasn’t this berating noise after he flighted in a beautiful cross for Antonio to score against Bournemouth… was there?). His weaknesses are in challenging for the ball and as a result any defensive contribution, it is noticeable, it could be a problem.
Nordviet? He was a constant in Gladbach’s team for 200 games in the Bundeslige over 6 seasons. Last season they qualified for the Champions league, he arrived on the back of being out of contract with Gladbach. He is a ball winner and has good stats for passing accuracy and completion, he put in some inch perfect long balls to set up attacks against Astra. He needs time to settle, I think he is a good player but clearly not a great player. His weaknesses are when he goes forward he loses concentration and can lose possession. However, you don’t play 200 games in the Bundeslige consistently for one club without being a useful player.
Calleri, is a rookie striker and what I would call a punt. He is on loan and like Lanzini it is a punt based on showing promise and potential that could lead to a permanent transfer. His stats for scoring are around 1 goal per 3 games. He is not prolific in the goal scoring department, it is there for us all to see, this player is unlikely to score more than 12 goals per season. But he still needs time to prove himself and those statistics wrong, he is a young apprentice after all.
One other note my seat is within touching distance of the subs and coaches seating. It is an interesting position to watch the players expressions. If you really want to see us struggle this season then continue getting on the back of players like Valencia, Calleri, Tore and Nordviet, berate them destroy their confidence, make them scared to try, force them out and also show the other players sitting next to them what they have in store for them should they have a bad day at the office. Let’s create a horrible environment for all West Ham players to both play in and sit close to the spectators.
Confidence is a huge part of success and even the best players can lose confidence and have bad runs, look at Valencia. Bilic is a good motivator, yet all his good work could easily be screwed up by the boo boys and impatience of certain supporters that kill players confidence.
So let’s not morph into a poor man’s Arsenal… let’s be smart and mature, let’s be the 12th man, not the bogey man.