You can see why Bayer Leverkusen are unbeaten champions

We witnessed a masterclass from Scabby Alonso.

Could see the centre back was being bullied and made a change after 20 odd minutes.

I guess the half time break was a hairdryer. Came out with more vigour and purpose, kept the ball for long periods of time, kept a high push with a work rate that at times looked like they had 15 on the pitch.

Second half changes all attack minded.

Its obvious that he has taken some "good" players but build a GREAT side. You can see why they are champs.

If he could do this with a shoestring budget how good would he have been at West Ham?

Should West Ham fail to qualify for any European competition next season. Only one person is to blame. Manager David Moyes.
Moyes is quick to tell everyone how due to him that we are no longer relegation fodder. Have competed in Europe successfully for 3 seasons and culminating in with a European trophy.
But when it has mattered the same Moyes has come up short due to his fear of defeat and his negative tactics. 3 games stand out. Liverpool away in the Carabo Cup. Conceding the tie before a ball was kicked. Choosing to rest first teamers and select a team not fit for the bench. Newcastle away. 3-1 up and coasting. Rather than keeping the same tactics and keeping the Geordies at arms length. He takes off a striker and replace him with a out of form and low on confidence holding midfielder. Thus allowing a capitulation of mega proportions. This result alone is probably the most significant in damaging another foray into Europe. A victory would have put a further 6 points between us and Newcastle. Who now sit above us in the league.
Then Moyes complete bottle job against Leverkusen. Playing ultra defensive and not allowing the likes of Kudus & Paqueta to do what they do best. Our backs are firmly against the wall. With suspensions and no strength in depth which is soley Moyes doing our chances of kicking on have been severely hampered.

Another Friday…warm, but grey, dreary. Has potential, but you just don’t know what to expect. Take a rain jacket, umbrella, scarf, sunglasses and suncream. 4 seasons in one day weather. Never a more apt description of our current team….

It shouldn’t be like this, of course.

The most expensively assembled squad ever, arguably our best ever attacking line up….great keeper.

And yet.

Of course, we’re (currently) 7th and have a QF against the soon to be crowned German champions. I’m not going to knock that. I’m not THAT silly.

And yet.

It’s always puzzled (and troubled) me how over the last 40 years of attending WHU, that I (and many I know or speak to) see the same problems, the glaring issues that need to be addresses, or the tactical flaws that could be solved….

And yet.

Two games in the 6 days have probably epitomised the Moyes reign.

Newcastle away. Optimistic given their injuries and drop in form. However, always a tough place. Good positive line up. Horrendous start with aging and slowing Coufal turned inside out by a pacy winger AGAIN (needed to address this position last season…and yet)

Fight back well, the 4 Amigos dovetailing beautifully, causing all sorts of problems as we know they can. Toon all over the place. Still attacking, but this is now a heavyweight slug fest – biggest swinger win.

3-1, their bloodied and on the ropes, but still 30 to go, anything can happen. Antonio still causing problems, but most importantly, holding the ball up and letting the 3 amigos go past him and break.

And yet.

Off he goes. I’ve seen him look more tired after 30 minutes, and yet….off he goes.

OK, OK, think of the blood pressure Darren, Ings could work OK, he could drop off Lucas in the 10 hole he did well against Sheff Utd….Oh….Its Phillips….Oh….OK….we’re going low block with 30 to go….

Well….I still think there’s chances here…..Oh….3-2….

Now, I won’t go into the penalty decision. Those who have played the game at any level and watched the game know its not. But we know there’s a conspiracy against us here in terms of officials and VAR. Its relentless, but we seem powerless.

Still, 3-2 up….

And yet.

Yes. I blame Moyes for that defeat. Taking Antonio off that soon, caused a complete sea change. We became passive, willed them on, gave their subs momentum, the crowd were up. Completely and utterly misjudged the situation and tactical error. We couldn’t get out, there was no out ball. Literally threw away 3 points.

And yet.

Spuds at home. Always a big occasion. Crowd was as big as I’ve seen it all season. Silly fireworks show (obviously practising for Leverkusen at home) over, the game began.

Coufal, again, being torn apart defensively. He retreated to Hackney Marshes for the first goal. Embarrassing. However, gradually getting back into it. A foothold. We know their Achillies heel is the keeper on set pieces. Start heavy artillery.

Equaliser.

Game on.

35 mins in. Antonio hands on knees. Looks leggy. Game, willing, strong, but he won’t see past 60 mins here.

And yet.

The is tight, meanders, both sides look likely to score. Its entertaining. This is the football I like. We’re not good enough defensively to keep people out confidently, so attack, we know we can hurt anyone.

And yet.

Second half. Low block. Dave is happy with a point. But, but, we’re at home Dave, 62k in here want blood, sweat and tears, paid through the nose for it…

And yet.

OK, OK, well, at least get Antonio off Dave, he’s starting to look like an asthmatic ant carrying some very heavy shopping (Blackadder ©)

And yet.

Yes. I blame Moyes for a point. Antonio had battled well, given it everything. But he is not a 90 min player now. We know he doesn’t trust the bench (another reason why we have a now underprepared, under motivated squad) but you simply cannot get through every match with 11 players. The lads we’re literally splayed on the grass at the end. It was embarrassing. Spuds used 5 subs…..5.

Ings or Mubama may not have made a match winning difference, but Jesus they would have moved and pressed and given Spuds back line something different to contemplate….or push one of Bowen/Kudus/Lucas up top, shuffle personnel behind….look as though you have a plan B for God’s sake man….this is the topflight.

And yet.

One of the issues here, as a club, is this “I’d have taken a point at the start” mentality. This is old fashioned thinking. It may be realistic from fans, but as a manager and staff, if that’s where your mentality is, that’s what you deserve.

The PL is a different beast now. Its fast, its furious, its mayhem. Rules, to an extent, are gone. Ingenuity and creative thinking wins. If you’ve got a great keeper and back 4, fab. But what all teams have now, are strikers. Goal scoring midfielders.

We’ve had 4 years to replace Antonio….

And yet.

Tomorrow, Wolves away – its another 4 seasons in one day game. Could win 3-0, could lose 5-0, could be 0-0. Literally all bets are on the table.

The same 11. Will have the energy? Is Thursday the dominant thought?

Well. We haven’t got a squad to rotate, not one that’s ready but our own creation, so who knows.

We could have, we could have introduced players over the last 12 months for meaningful game time, challenging the first X!....pressuring for the shirt, wanting to bust a gut to get a place...
And yet.

Watching last nights game against the spuds it was so obvious that the players were dying on their feet as Moyes flogs the same players to death and does not use the bench and as a consequence our players are exhausted and cannot go 90 mins now and so the low block is all we have.

Moyes made no subs and that was a reaction to the barcode disaster and no way was he even going to entertain bringing Phillips on.....looking at his post match interview he looked a beaten man who knows the games up and he cannot bullshit anymore...even talkshite have started to comment on why "West Ham Fans" are upset with what has been going on.

So another trip to Germany awaits. To play Bayer Leverkusen who have been all conquering & undefeated this season. A team that thumped us 4-0 in pre-season though West Ham did not have our new signings to call on then.
Obviously there were other teams in the hat who would have been more preferable but to win the trophy you have to beat the best. On the plus side we missed Klopp & his Bin Dippers. Should we be worried about facing Leverkusen? Absolutely not. They just scrapped past an Asberjani outfit down to 10 men Qarabag in extra time. This is a team which contains a certain Patrick Schick. A striker who was linked heavily to us in the summer of 2022.
Providing Moyes does not revert to type & hoist the white flag we could give them food for thought and suprise them. Moyes needs to be brave and attack. As long as we are in touch when we leave Germany a rip roaring night will be assured at the London Stadium. Moyes. Do your bit and us supporters will do ours!

Can we make one? despite Coufal having his critics he gives his all and i would give him a new contract to help with Bench strength next season....Emerson after a slow start in a West Ham shirt has come into his own this season but he is one to keep but a back up is sorely needed there....the centre backs here is the big problem Zouma just cannot run and is no leader so for me get rid....Aguered loses concentration to often and mentally not strong enough for me so move him on as well Ogbonna if only he was 5 years younger but sadly not so he has to go and now Mavrapanos who has the annoying tendency to pass back and cause danger from nothing for us....i would keep him but he needs better coaching and a more senior man next to him to help his game come along......So a lot of money will need spending on the defence this summer whoever is in charge along with needing a proper striker and a left sided midfielder some creative work in the market is going to be needed that is for sure.

Surrounded where i live by Chavski fans and they were all giving it large about this will kickstart them back to the top lol now i dont like the bindippers but the plastic fans i have had great fun in winding them all up this evening.Billion spent and you cant even beat bindippers youth side and thats with the officials on your side as well lol luv it now they like the manure fans can go lick there wounds and pipe down....COYI

So Thomas Tuchel is to leave Bayern at end of season. Could this be the new direction we crave? And is Sully even aware?

Well hello comrades.

I trust all is well in the garden of .org? certainly less muddied than that of our team and the seemingly befuddled view of our fans these last few months.

What a strange juxtaposition we find ourselves floating around in currently.

The world and his wife (and mistress) seemingly have an opinion and a firm belief, tossed into a melting pot of social media, sprinkled with mental health and topped with lashing of sarcasm. Add into this the growling number of podcasts or YouTube channels, all competing for advertising and clicks (anything to not do a real days work) and it can reach a deafening crescendo. You’ll be forgiven for not knowing which way is up (or down) these days…
Throw into this football fans tribalism, incredibly varied intelligence and supporters knowledge ranging from those who have been watching for 50 years+ and those that have been here 5 minutes, plus those (pesky) armchair fans from far flung corners of the world, and it really is the craziest time to try to reach a fair, balanced view of the current situation.
All have tried it. I have on twitter….but realised quickly that you have to remember humour is incredibly important, as is respect. I’ve been drawn into many an argument and realised the rabbit hole was becoming dangerous. Some people aren’t there for a debate, it’s about causing maximum confusion and grief.
So how to unpick this? Noone can really, but for what its worth, I’ve tried to contextualise my thinking below. You may not agree, and that’s your opinion and that’s just as credible as mine, but that’s what makes the world go round.
I won’t be referencing Sullivan and Brady, as we all know they should have gone a long time ago and will eat away like parasites until they are gone.
So.
David Moyes
So, for the most part, for me, an undoubted success. Top half finishes and a trophy. Irrespective of everything else, that, from this club’s history, is a top achievement. There have been some great results, some great journeys, some great buys, some excellent counter attacking footballing.
But.
And this is perhaps the crux of the argument for me.
But.
If we have a manager that has achieved this, has a trophy, has us in 8th, the fact there are “but” statements, from a fan base that for my 40 years of attending have been bereft of any meaningful cheer, the fact that word exists among a rational, balanced fanbase, in my opinion, speaks volumes.
And no, it isn’t because we’ve got above our station, it isn’t because we demand more or better. Far from it. I know no fan that believes we deserve to be top 6 or challenging for top honours, not really.
What I do know, from every game I attend with friends and family and speaking to people around me in the Sir Trevor Brooking upper, is that they are bored.
Bored to tears with what they watch, week in week out.
And that, for me, is the worst thing that could have ever happened to West Ham.
More than the stadium move, more than losing our best players.
Boring.
That’s a real killer.
West Ham, and when I first attended in 1984, was about fun. Attacking, 4-2-4, one touch, creative, ball playing defenders, keeping the ball on the ground.
Looking to score at every opportunity.
And of course, it always failed! But my god it was fun. Laughing at bad players, mistakes. Crying at bad players and mistakes. Pulling my hair out. But that was the point. You never knew what you were going to get (well, mainly defeats!)
But the buzz, the thrill. Beating the big boys, losing to the rest.
Now I know things move on. Times change. Owners change.
But what I’ve never seen is that fundamental basis of “fun” change until now.
What we now have, is a more cautious than ever approach from a manager that has caution intravenously delivered into his blood stream.
The first creeping of the fun reducer was the baffling lack of use of the bench.
So the rules allow 5.
You can have a total of 9 on the bench. So virtually a whole new team, and you can change half of them.
So that’s potentially 20 players out of the 25 you are allowed in a squad, can potentially be involved on matchday. So, 80% of your squad can feel involved to some degree. Push on in training, try to get the managers attention…
You can see where I’m going with this.
The lack of bench usage by Moyes has many catastrophic consequences in the modern game.
Firstly, it’s an inability to tactically change matches (that would mean having a plan B though so…)
Secondly, the first XI are driven into the ground.
Thirdly the 9 on the bench, get little or no time to change/influence the match or showcase their talent and show their worth.
It begins to build resentment from reserve players that they feel they could be challenging, it builds resentment toward the manager, and it will increase frustration, and cause a players to either try too hard and make mistakes, or not play their natural game.
And I feel that’s what we’ve seen an accumulation of in the last 18 months. Ex first teamers, being marginalised, but given no glimmer of hope or incentive to get back in.
The running joke was who would we see on 78 mins, Benrahma or Fornals…just so predictable, late and pointless. And that wasn’t because the first XI were doing so well. We were bottom half last year. Bowen went through a shocking loss of form, played every game, Soucek has been woeful for a huge amount of time, plays every game. Players know this.
We now have almost 40% of the squad looking to move away, or when they (ever) get on, know its almost pointless.
This means another mass squad rebuild in the summer. An aging squad. No youth brought through (despite them winning everything last year).
Oh hold on, he’s played Mubama a handful of times….no, doesn’t count does it…
This lack of production being trained through and rotating a squad that has good players in it, is, in my opinion, neglect.
Tactics.
Now here, I can’t really apply to much negativity, as we knew what we were getting here. It’s what he does, negate. His history is solid foundations, well organised and hard to beat. Everton were always beige under him. Punching above their weight.
However, even by his standards, we’ve retreated so far into our shell, the defence are holding the line just outside Stratford station.
Sure, the front 3, when firing and fit, are among the best in the league. But you cannot keep expecting your troops to win battles on scraps. Nor enjoy it.
The possession stats are important.
Because the game is football, not “negelctball”.
The league will find you out.
Form is temporary, confidence cannot be bought.
We now have a situation where when we have possession, we almost don’t know what to do with it.
Football is a rhythmical game.
Its tempo, muscle memory, fluid.
You cant keep turning the tap on and off.
As a result we go sideways, sideways, back. Forward, back, sideways. Long. Lose ball. Repeat.
Its boring.
It’s been the main mantra for fans groaning and becoming fed up.
This part is the complete antithesis of why I attend or watch football.
Was a time we used to be a lot of peoples second team, because we were fun to watch. Or at least pleasant on the eye, trying to play the right way.
No (real) striker. No (real) left hand side. Aging full backs and our best centre half cant run. A “midfielder” that plays every game but cannot pass.
We’ve brought in another midfielder to join the other 3 midfielders…
I just do not and cannot see the logic in any of these decisions.
I’ll be honest, that win away to Tottenham, was the first time I didn’t celebrate our goals. I was just dumfounded how on earth we had stolen anything. But the logical part of my brain was saying “you know this isn’t happening again anytime soon, no one gets this lucky, and who would we rather have of the 2 managers).
I know my answer.
Sure. We may or may not consolidate a top half finish.
If we win the Europa, I’ll have to re-evaluate all of my understanding of football! But I think I know the answer to that too.
Which would leave me staring at another season of Moyesball.
Boring.
And that could see me finally hanging up my scarf in terms of attending.
Bored.

iIguess some of you will have already seen this on Youtube, I stumbled across it recently.

Ronnie Stutter, was with West Ham academy until at 14 when Chavski stepped in, looks like a hot property which in fairness the lad would be wasted in our set up never getting a chance. Very quick and reminded me of Tony Cottee :o(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJeN21pLBXs