There has been plenty of debate regarding the Irons ability to cope without Declan Rice for what might be the rest of the season, although fears of his lay off have been slightly tempered by his social media interaction showing him 'embracing' his rehabilitation at the club's 'goose green' training facility.
Let's face it, very few Hammers fans, or observers, gave the team 'a prayer' ahead of last night's crucial game against Wolves at Molineaux, a match that saw a multitude of West Ham's facets, from the good to the bad and then on to the ugly.
Wolves: Rui Patricio, Semedo, Coady (c), Saïss, Aït-Nouri, Dendoncker, Ruben Neves, Traoré, Pedro Neto, Podence, Willian José Subs: Ruddy (GK), Hoever, Gibbs-White, Kilman, Otasowie, Marques, Richards, Vitinha, Silva
West Ham: Fabiański, Diop, Dawson, Cresswell, Coufal, Noble (c), Souček, Masuaku, Fornals, Lingard, Antonio Subs: Martin (GK), Trott (GK), Fredericks, Johnson, Balbuena, Alves, Benrahma, Bowen, Odubeko
What is it with West Ham and players getting crocked while on international duty? The news that every Hammers fan dreaded, but in a way anticipated, of the injury Declan Rice picked up while playing against Poland has been greeted with as much doom and gloom as can be shown.
It has seemed like an age since West Ham United's underwhelming 3-3 'defeat' to Arsenal at the as yet unnamed London Stadium, so it is only natural that gossip and heresay goes in to overdrive, especially if the players concerned have performed well on the International stage.
It has been a long long while since Authur 'the King' Masuaku featured for West Ham, 18 games in fact, and although the team have coped admirably without him, it has missed his 'fleet of foot' contributions. Prior to his operation, the 'King' had been a key component in a side that was devastating most of the opposition by utilising a three at the back formation, by playing ahead of Aaron Cresswell he was able to utilise his unique ability to bring the ball out of defence like no other.
Snake 2:0, Marko Arnautovic, has deemed that West Ham United can avail themselves of his talent by bringing him back from his 'Chinese' exile, at least that is according to his brother and agent. It seems the attraction of earning huge amounts of money has waned somewhat, he and his young family have grown tired of the countless 'minders' that accompany them where ever they go, and are looking to return to 'civilisation!
What is it with West Ham and centre backs? One minute there is a paucity and then the next minute a proliferation, just like London buses or in some cases London policemen, they tend to appear in threes, just as is happening at the London Stadium at this moment in time.
It should be remembered that less than 12 months ago Hammers were attempting to 'lure' Burnley's 29 year old James Tarkowski to East London for an eye watering £30 Million! Eventually even that figure wasn't enough for those in power at Turf Moor, their relative greed will probably be haunting them now.
Compared to some English clubs, the relationship between West Ham United and European competitions has been somewhat limited. During the 1960s and 1970s, Hammers went hell for leather to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, regarding success in the trophy as a matter of prestige.
