This is not Football!

Football – A game played by two teams of eleven players using a round ball.

Above is the definition of football. What we are playing is not football. What on earth was yesterday? It says football is played by ‘two teams’. Can someone explain to me the logic in setting up in such a way that only one team gets to play? Yes, I understand we were playing a team that is breaking all sorts of records this season and are a major threat going forward but when you invite a team into your final third who are such a threat it’s only going to end one way! The way it did!

Hopefully a lot of you read my last blog on Moyes and his potential replacements to which I feel even more strongly about after yesterday. He needs to be replaced at the end of the season, if not before.

As a tactician I believe Moyes has lost it (if it was ever there in the first place). At the time of his appointment I tried to blank out his previous 3 managerial positions. Sunderland was a poisoned chalice. Real Sociedad he maybe didn’t know the Spanish League. Man United was going to be tough for whoever filled Fergusons boots. I wanted to remember the David Moyes from his ‘successful’ period as Everton manager. Although that successful period was back in the 2000’s. Now I wonder if the reason he failed in those positions is due to him being as outdated as your Myspace or Bebo pages! Although I’m not too sure training without a ball was ever a thing in football! The clue is in the name!

Let’s put ourselves in a Man City players shoes.

You walk out of the tunnel to your opposition applauding you, they are obviously in awe of you.

You start the game and they have 9 players sitting back in the final third, they want you to attack them. You score a goal via a strong deflection and see your oppositions heads go down. Your next goal is another own goal, their heads have dropped even more. You ease up a little and they start to attack you. You panic, they are creating changes. They score, one goal in it now, sh*t its game on. The crowd are getting behind the team and their attacking play, nervous times. Thankfully the half time whistle goes.

You come out the second half, they have resorted back to their gameplan, defending in numbers, the crowd has fallen silent. Phew! You are in ascendancy again and can play to your strengths. You score another two goals and win the game easily 4-1 away from home.

So, another mauling by the opposition. I don’t need to go into stats and figures about our defensive record, there have been plenty of posts on social media in the last 24hrs. It’s embarrassing! We are playing with five at the back, with two defensive midfielders, two wide midfielders who are tracking back and one solitary lonely figure up front. And yet we still manage to have the worst defensive record in the whole of the English League!

We have potentially one of the best crop of attacking players we have had in years in Arnautovic, Lanzini & Hernandez. When they play together they look different class. They read each other’s game. They are players who understand each other, know what runs to make and when to make them. They could be our attacking threat but they must play together. Why can’t they? Why cant those three players be our De Bruyne, Sterling & Jesus or our Salah, Mane & Firminho? Would we be in a relegation dog fight if we were playing these three together?

All any West Ham fan generally wants is to watch good football being played and to be excited and entertained by it. This, whatever it is, is not even football!

COYI

Tony Close

@TonyClose3