The morning after the night before that left a sour taste in the mouth and potential panic bounding up the hill to lay siege upon our door.
After a season or two that has flitted away desires and dreams of higher purpose, it was uncommon to enter the weekend affray with little hope nor expectationā¦and it did not fail to deliver. However the loss to Liverpool was not that which perplexed but rather it was an illustration of false horizons and fake ambitions which would see the club fall from grace with indignity and revulsion.
West Ham have been all at sea for some time and whilst Moyes has attempted to steer the good ship back to port it would appear a few crossed waves have stunted our growth and thwarted our endeavours. For the team blows hard one week and then āsucksā the nextā¦consistency has been the battle cry that has fallen upon many a deaf ear.
The current preoccupation with fans revolting against faltering owners may obscure our true predicamentsā¦that for all the bluster, media approval and hopesā¦one more loss and the club could resume residency in the bottom three.
Now just sitting a mere three points off the relegation zone, West Ham have the unenviable position to make every stroke count, every hit on target and every gameā¦a must win! However, words are ineffective and powerless when squaring up to desperate fellows in similar circumstances.
The precocity that convinced the believers that everything will work out in the end has been revealed to be unworthy, to be spat with venom and whispered in forked tongues. Whilst the Bilic termination was not to my liking, I conceded the timing was about right, however although I have warmed to the Moyes application, I have not been overwhelmed by his delivery albeit hindered by injuries and distracted by off the field depressing issues.
There have been too many instances where the team had failed to rally, to impose purpose and to deliver a result that would have steered us clear with many games in hand. The Liverpool loss was not critical in itself for nothing was to be expected and the better team rightly won on the day, however it was yet another nail in the seasonās cross we had to bear.
With an uneasy feeling of deja vu, I can hear the murmurs from masses growing increasingly nervous. āThe next game is a must win!ā How many times have we said that recently? How many times have the team drawn or lost when three points would be most welcome? We have faltered too often for any of this to be a coincidenceā¦and if escape is possible, we should consider ourselves fortunate to survive and be ready to go again whens we have caught our breath.
Now sitting on 13th floor, we are currently lost to better times and play host to desperation where dreams may yet fade but willpower may be our only lifeline. This is the fight of our clubās life and even more important so than in ever of the previous relegation campaigns. The club simply cannot afford to go down and much less stay there with a hopeful return without delay.
The next game away to Swansea and the following at home to Burnley will be the defining moments in a season that has raised the blood pressure too high and way too often. Swansea have had their resurgence wings clipped after a 4-1 drubbing away to Brighton, so will be as desperate for as many points as possibleā¦this will be a dog fight until one caves and the other draws blood.
The hopefuls will claim time is on the side of the dreamers, holding us upright for the weary march home but lest us not forget those who have left our admiring eyes and been replaced with those whom would scale tall buildings, fight with giant octopuses and play with bleeding hearts for a chance to save their own careers when opportunity knocks to jump ship.
Moyes has been criticised in the past for tactical deficiencies and substitution lethargy, which he may still be prone to. Players have not played with wanton abandon nor have they built sure walls on solid foundations. There has been disharmony in the ranks for too long, feeble reinforcements and player sales that would make anyone question the sanity of such decisions. Every time the fans fear the worst, the team appear to pull a performance out of the bag which gives us hope for a better tomorrow. Every time we have wanted to capitalise and build on from a positive result, then it would appear we have fallen foul of the godās graces and they have conspired against us.
Week by week, the topsy turvy nature of this seasonās proceedings has delivered little faith but much unrest amongst the support. Moyes may have finally reached a point where most of his players are fit and able to deliver a performance and result, but he has yet to find a balance in the side that gives us the shape and confidence to do so. Can he play Lanzini with Mario? Should Arnautovic play up front or pushed out to the wing? Shouldnāt Hernandez play from the kick off?
In uncertain times, there are more questions than suitable answers. Whilst we wait with crossed fingers to see if Moyes and his coaching staff can organise the team to regain a solid stance and inject composure and ambition in forward play, we also expect that the team can dig deep and win by ugly means if necessary.
There have been too many boobs this seasonā¦and some mightier than any of those siliconed and enhanced but with little rectification and fewer augmentations. We have been taken in by a bountiful seductress who promised to show us a damn good time in groups of two on board a Noahās Ark but we have been caught out by the reality of marriage to a failing spouse. We should be dreaming with Jordan, Jodie and Bobby too, but weāre still stuck deep in the nightmare on Siding Street.