West Ham recruitment and general grumbling

OldCastleSwift

Some words from Moyes:

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/david-moyes-west-ham-transfer-news-b980176.html

So we made three record bids. For Phillips, Raphinha and Nunez. Who play in three different positions. So what was the strategy? Just to make a record signing? Or were we looking to get a striker? Or a winger? Or a defensive midfielder?

He also says Bowen is Antonio's back up, and it's difficult to find a better back up than Bowen. As much as I rate Bowen as a winger, I don't think he's a particularly competent centre forward. We really couldn't find an affordable alternative better than a winger playing out of position?

I'm afraid this from Moyes asks more questions than it answers for me.

Hamstew

Why is he boasting about 3 record transfer bids when none were ever likely to happen and were also in the last few days.
My son's U10 team put a record £20 bid in for Mo Salah as they are so ambitious.

Pearces_Left_Foot

If we have identified Nunez Phillips Raphina as targets then I hope the first day of the summer transfer window we go straight in and try and sign them then we can move on if/when they say no

thornburyiron

That article started on the OS and the three bids mentioned are still speculation in the media because they were not named by Moyes so realistically we still don’t know who they were and what the actual bids were.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Empty words

This window was a joke

OutcastLondoner

Can’t wait for actual football to be back and hopefully it gets this out of our minds because it’s annoying thinking about it

Fortuneseeker

I appreciate some of these points may have already been raised by others. Apologies but this may not be brief as it could be.

I feel there is some truth in the comments made by Simon Jordan on Talksport about how our owners try to go about doing transfer deals, I know he has issues with G & S but you can't put it down simply just to some personal vendetta as there is evidence to give it some merit. DS thinks he is another Daniel Levy but there is only one.

Lots of clubs may not have done much if any, business in the last window but that makes our inability to have done nothing even more galling as we had a good chance to achieve something which is now less likely. We had a similar opportunity last season but had no cover when injuries hampered us & in the same way I can't prove we would have finished Top 4 my detractors can't prove we wouldn't.

I am still frustrated that having mucked up the previous two windows with no striker coming in we suddenly tried to be active in the last few days of the last one. I can't be sure we weren't trying to get someone in sooner but the chaos at the end does indicate we weren't. It's as if we had no intention of getting anyone in as we should have been proactive from the First of January shouldn't we?

This talk about G & S not wanting to invest in the club as they will be selling it in the near future, some may say not soon enough, is a bit like not decorating your house and still expecting it to be viewed as a prime asset in top condition. A club regularly in the top 6 and playing in Europe would be more valuable. This in turn would attract better players which us not qualifying this season will make it harder to get those players in. At the last count was it seven new recruits people felt were needed?

I don't hold with the view we can't be a top six club we moved to the LS on that premise & expect us to be able to regularly be in the shake up for it year in year out moving forward & did I mention I am frustrated that the people who could have made us more competitive to try to achieve that have let me down. I won't say us as some appear to be content with the current state of play. Last season was great but atm I am struggling to see how we can reach the those same heights again for the forseeable future.

Lastly I have heard the "prepared" David Moyes interview about all the support that he has been given by the owners which still doesn't explain why we came up sort yet again in our transfer dealings.

Hamstew

thornburyiron said:

That article started on the OS and the three bids mentioned are still speculation in the media because they were not named by Moyes so realistically we still don’t know who they were and what the actual bids were.

My boys team went for Salah. And it was 20 English pounds I promise you.

Fortuneseeker

Hamstew, My Chairman wouldn't agree to do the deal unless we could have him on loan first.

OldCastleSwift

See, this could explain the Raphinha bid. Bowen as a central option and Raphinha RW. But I still don't think Bowen is good enough through the middle.

Fortuneseeker

OCS, Wrong mindset there, we should be looking for a replacement for Antonio, not a back up for him. That was achievable with the reported funds available.

OldCastleSwift

Fortuneseeker said:

OCS, Wrong mindset there, we should be looking for a replacement for Antonio, not a back up for him. That was achievable with the reported funds available.

Yep, agree. Just trying to make sense of some of our reported bids.

Fortuneseeker

OCS, I question whether we really made a bid for Raphinha who knows he can join one of the top European sides in the summer.

EXETERHAMMER

We know we will be losing some players in the summer e.g. Noble, Yarmo and probably Kral, Frederick's amongst others.
Rice and Bowen will be targets, as will possibly be Fornals.
Let's say we lose just 3 of those, we will need at least 3 in to compensate. We are more likely to need 6 in.
We have seriously left ourselves with lots to do.
Embarrassing window in my opinion.

alderz

For me, I think that the fact we will have so many players leaving makes it even more likely that we’ll refuse to sell Bowen or Rice this summer.

ScotHammer

I can’t believe we actually bid for Phillips. We have Soucek and Rice, so would he be a replacement for Kral/Noble. Certainly not a priority.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Maybe to convince Rice to give us another year by bringing in his England CM partner?

Also gives Phillips time with Rice still here to learn whats required of the role instead of being brought in once Rice has already gone where he'll have no choice but to hit the ground running

Spitballing a bit....

alderz

Rice and Soucek are both very effective getting forward, but we’ve been leaky in the middle of the pitch this season. A midfield with those two bombing on and Phillips sitting behind them would be incredible.

PrestonHammer

Well if we need 6 new players by the summer, it's going to take 3 windows minimum to replace them if it's left entirely in the hands of picky Moyes.

Fortuneseeker

alderz, IF the money is right both Rice & Bowen will leave & we can then possibly spend some of the funds raised on a couple of new players. As Preston said I would be surprised if DM made several signings in the summer window.

claretandbluesky

I can see it now 160m in the pocket and sully is offering 20% under the clubs valuation for a player four clubs are competing for and insisting its a loan with an option.

ScotHammer

When does the limit on loans ruling take effect? Wonder if this may put a stop to the sorts of deals Sullivan seems to like.

Bazshuayi

Fortuneseeker said:

Baz, I was actually in support of you. I think it may have been one of the old Liverpool managers who said no team cannot be improved upon.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10467287/West-Hams-failure-sign-January-left-season-risk-COLLAPSE.html

This makes for an interesting read.

I thought you were It just seemed an apt place to make sure my disagree wasnt in any way personal

ammerinaberdeen

Over 60 years supporting the club and I’ve never been so disappointed even whwn we were relegated. It’s so bad after the last 18 months, it’s the hope that does for you!

ammerinaberdeen

Has there been any statements or reports from the club?

OldCastleSwift

ammerinaberdeen said:

Has there been any statements or reports from the club?

Nothing official that I've seen. They did release the Moyes interview which the cynic might suggest was a statement in itself.

In it he said how great the board have been and that there was money to spend. He mentioned having Cresswell, Zouma and Benrahma back in the squad (again, the cynic in me was surprised he didn't use the phrase 'like new signings') and built up Bowen as a top class centre forward.

I see this morning as well that C&H, with their reported links to Sullivan, are already talking about us signing a '£70m plus striker' in the summer and that "much better will be on the way".

I don't think we'll hear much from GSBK about January in an official capacity. Like Herbie said yesterday, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't, so I expect they stay quiet, and hope the anger and frustration subsides.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

ammerinaberdeen said:

Over 60 years supporting the club and I’ve never been so disappointed even whwn we were relegated. It’s so bad after the last 18 months, it’s the hope that does for you!

I can safely say this isn't even close to the most disappointed I've been as a Hammers fan

Fortuneseeker

WHU, So when was the time you were the most disappointed as a Hammers Fan?

IronHerb

For me it's any relegation.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

So a great potential opportunity for the U23 team to step up, currently 2nd in the Prem League 2 which has its flaws but shows the strength of our current squad

This is probably out best XI excluding loanees (although I think all our current loanees are likely to leave or be behind those below)

GK: Heygi, 19
RB: Ashby, 20
CB: Alese, 21
CB: Baptiste, 18
LB: Longelo, 21
CM: Forson, 20
CM: Ekwah, 20
AM: Chesters, 19
RW: Nevers, 19
LW: Oxo-Flex, 19
CF: Perkins, 17

Some good talent on the books, obviously we'd be doing amazingly if only 2 of those could become a squad members....but would love for Moyes to utilise some