Blind Hammer queries the Squad Injury Strategy for the Liverpool Game.
A little commented oddity on the Liverpool defeat was West Ham’s approach to injured players.
After the Spurs game the quoted line from the club was “now that we are safe” players would be released from first team duties to undergo relieving surgery. Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyaté in particular were admitted for surgery for a double hernia and wrist pain respectively. Both players are expected to need 8 weeks for recovery.In the absence of other performers like Obiang and Antonio in midfield we always knew that this depleting of our remaining midfield resources was likely to diminish our effectiveness against Liverpool. In the event we were relatively predictably over run.
Last week I celebrated Bilic’s judgement in team selection against Spurs. Now if Håvard Nordtveit had played a man of the match performance against Liverpool we could all continue to revel in Bilic’s perspicacity. However this most certainly did not occur. I personally feel the club and Bilic got this wrong and effectively short changed the fans on this occasion. I fully applaud Mark Noble’s and Cheikhou Kouyaté’s commitment in playing half the season in pain for West Ham. What I am baffled by is why abandoning this effort for just the last game of the season at the London Stadium was a recommended course. One last effort in front of their fans would have probably increased considerably the chances that we would be at least competitive against Liverpool.
The sad reality is that many of us endure pain even in attending matches, let alone working. This is a reality probably invisible to those in good health, young, hale and hearty. For many of our older and disabled supporters working daily and weekly through pain is a fact of life which they have had to cope with. A blogger on Claret and Hugh this week pointed out how her husband struggles daily, working with a crumbling spine, exhausted and depleted in the evenings after work. He still uses his hard earned wages to travel for and pay for tickets at the London Stadium and watch his West \ham play. He and she felt short changed by West Ham on Sunday. I tend to agree.
There is a case now for blooding youngster for the away game at Burnley but for this last effort against high profile opposition last Sunday West Ham should not have taken the foot of the pedal. Maybe the players individually on the pitch may not have psychologically been on the beach, but it seems West Ham as a club were most definitely on their hols. This was reflected in the decisions they made in the lead up to the Liverpool game.
The last game of the season against Liverpool at the London Stadium, I feel, should have mattered more.
COYI
David Griffith