SHOCKING NEWS; FOREST : 2 HAMMERS : 0
West Ham remain winless in 2024 following another dismal defeat on the road.
Toothless in attack against a struggling Forest side without a clean sheet in a dozen outings prior to today, a lack of concentration with the half time interval minutes away saw an otherwise solid – if not exactly pulsating – first half’s work quickly undone
And while the second goal was ultimately of little consequence – a goal conceded in the closing seconds of the match, as manager David Moyes threw caution to the wind in desperate search of an equaliser – there was little evidence to suggest the Scot is any closer to arresting the team’s dramatic, post-Christmas slump in form.
He was considerably hindered by the dismissal of on-loan midfielder Kalvin Phillips with 71 minutes on the clock, after the midfielder received two yellow cards in three minutes from fussy referee Thomas Bramall. However that can be no excuse for the sorry performance that had left the Hammers 1-0 down at that point and well on the way to a fourth league game in six without a goal.
A fairly uenventful first half, occasionally interjected by a half chance or two for Forest – all of which were superbly dealt with by Alphone Areola – appeared the be drifting towards the interval, both teams reasonably happy with their first half efforts.
Yet a late lapse in concentration cost West Ham dearly as Taiwo Awoniyi gave the home side the lead just in the FIFTH added minute at the end of the first half when he slipped the ball under an advancing Areola having collected a clever pass which cut through United’s hesitant rearguard.
While the Hammers threatened more after the break, it wasn’t until the final ten minutes – following the late introduction of the benched Soucek – when a number of deeper crosses launched goalwards troubled a previously-untested Forest defence. A policy that may not be particularly “progressive”, but one that may well have proven advantageous had it been employed somewhat earlier in the game.
With Nayef Aguerd launching penalty box-bound deliveries from left back, Danny Ings (replacing captain Kurt Zouma) having joined fellow substitute Maxwel Cornet while Bowen and Kudus remained on the field, the Hammers were always susceptible to a counter-attack.
And with the game entering the final moments of the six added on, a tiring West Ham were outnumbered in the box as Forest pressed forward; a loose ball fell to the extra man and Callum Hudson-Odoi scored for the third consecutive game to secure the points for Forest.
Hopes had been reasonably high in the West Ham camp ahead of this one with Forest also struggling to recapture any semblence of form, having gone into the game on the back of six defeats in their last seven home matches.
But the club’s inability to strengthen Moyes’ squad during the recent transfer window was highlighted today by his lack of availability in key postions – none more so than on the left side of midfield.
Deprived of viable options in the wake of the January departures of Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals, Moyes toyed with Mohammed Kudus on his weaker side in the first half today before Michail Antonio, making his return to first team action following a lengthy absence assumed the role – one with which he is at least familiar with – after the break.
Whochever way Moyes tinkered, he was once again unable to get a tune out of a side whose recent performances are beginning to bear similarities to those of Sam Allardyce’s final team, when he too was coming to the end of his managerial contract.
It is quite feasible that the uncertainty generated by Moyes’ contract situation, the product of David Sullivan’s refusal to announce a decision either way before the end of the season is having a destabalising and detrimental effect on the camp as a whole – as it did back in 2015.
However the stakes are far, far higher this year – with European qualification, something the club has used to increase its stature in world football and the fans embraced, also at stake. Whatever the reason/s for the team’s sudden collapse in form, it needs to be addressed post-haste.
