Sunday lunchtime’s FA Cup 3rd round tie at Nottingham Forest ended in an embarrassing 5-0 defeat for the Hammers, who fielded largely a youth team from their under-21 squad, with three or four exceptions.
I can’t say I’m too disappointed that we are out of the cup, if truth be told, what with our Premier League troubles, our huge injury list and upcoming Capital One Cup semi-final, but nonetheless I would have liked our youngsters to have put up more of a fight than they did. Here are five things I learnt about West Ham from that match.
1. Some good signs from some of our youth team.
This may be a surprising thing to say, given the nature of the defeat, but I actually thought that some of our youth midfielders did show some talent on the ball, especially in the first half and at the start of the second.
Although Forest largely dominated possession, when players like George Moncur and Danny Whitehead did have the ball, alongside the slightly more experienced Ravel Morrison, they did show some good touches and passing ability, which was quite pleasing on the eye. Whether any of these players will ever make it into our first team is probably doubtful, but there was some potential shown.
2. Why didn’t Elliot Lee get a chance?
I was quite looking forward to seeing how our youth players would get on, playing against a top Championship side, and the one I would have most liked to seen in action was striker Elliot Lee.
He is the one player out of our Under-21s who has been talked up the most by fans and the club alike, with an excellent goalscoring record this season, and he has made one or two substitute appearances for the first team.
So, I found it rather puzzling why Sam Allardyce didn’t at least bring him on off the bench against Forest. I thought Modibo Maiga was pretty awful up front all game, not really having a sniff against the Forest back line, and fatally hesitating in the one opportunity he had. Lee could hardly have been any worse, and it would have been some good experience for one of our more promising youngsters.
3. Our youth players are not ready for first team action.
There have been quite a few calls from fans in the last few weeks for Allardyce to start promoting some of our youth talent to the first team in light of our injury crisis. However, I hate to say this but today showed why he hasn’t done so.
The inexperience of the youth players was clear for all to see when Forest had the ball. The pressing was poor, and the midfield and defence were constantly caught out of position. The penalty conceded by George Moncur highlighted this inexperience, with a needless foul made in the box in a non-threatening position.
I don’t want to criticise too much, as they were clearly out of their depth against a good team, but no one really stood out to me as ready for first team action. Indeed it was noticeable that we were absolutely ripped to pieces after two of our experienced players in Stewart Downing and Alou Diarra were replaced in the second half.
4. Sam Allardyce made the right team selection today.
It is a sad thing to say, but it was clear that Allardyce wasn’t concerned with winning this tie, and I don’t blame him. We cannot afford any more injuries with players seemingly dropping like flies over the Christmas schedule, and the extra time off for most of our team has to be the right decision, what with the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final being played on Wednesday, before a vital League game against Cardiff City on Saturday.
I know you should try and win every game, but any sort of run in this competition could work as an unwanted distraction when things are so desperate in the league. I firmly believe that reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and semis of the Capital One Cup three seasons ago was a big factor in our relegation under Avram Grant, and we cannot afford these extra games. In addition we now have a better idea of what level our youth players are at.
5. Our supporters deserve recognition.
Despite my last point, I really do feel sorry for all those supporters who made the trip to Nottingham for a 12 o’clock kick-off on a Sunday, only to see a youth team get dismantled by the Championship high-fliers.
They packed out the away end and sang their hearts out, which must have been embarrassing for the home team, who had seas of empty seats in their stands. I certainly wouldn’t go as far as saying the club should refund those supporters for their tickets, but I believe the club should recognise what they have done in some form. Whether that be some sort of discount I don’t know, but the club should put some thought into it.
Interesting article until the bit where you blow bubbles up the asses of your fans.
Good turnout, but mostly silent. Apathetic actually.
As for the seas of empty seats, we weren’t playing Chelsea you know. Just a relegation threatened yoyo team. You seem to be suffering from delusions of grandeur. 14k against your youth side on a freezing Sunday with a noon kickoff on the telly is par for the course.
Maybe if teams took the fa cup more seriously and didn’t devalue it by playing weakened sides, attendances would be higher?
Just a thought.
^This^
West Ham wouldn’t pull in a big crowd on a cold Sunday in January with the game on terrestrial TV with their first team let alone their youth team.
Its only in “East Enders” that everyone loves the ‘ammers.
One other thing. A stat from yesterday.
West ham team average age? 24.24
Forest? 25.90
Certainly did not think Sam put out best team, cannot believe he overlooked Girdlestone, Nasha and Spence in defence, and Lee and McCallum in attack. Pelley Ruddock and Leo Chambers should both have started as well. In my opinion youngsters were set up to fail, and when Sam was smiling to himself when Forest scored summed up everything that’s wrong at the club presently.
It is plain to see even for those with the most colourful tinted glasses that Sam has now lost the most important factor. The dressing room. The body language out there was awful. Still, next season when we are back in the Championship,the “Davids” would have made a lot of money from the sale of Nolan, Reid, Carroll, Noble, Morrison, Downing, Jarvis and Joe Cole.
With this in mind, they would have settled the debt inherited from the Biscuit men. Back to the drawing board and perhaps the new manager – believe me there shall be a new manager – we may be able to become a half decent side. However, without the input of rich owners, West Ham Utd. will forever be a second rate club on the filed. These are plain facts.
Chubby runs from the deep. Fanimo showed signs, unfortunate name?maybe not. Who was that prick hasseling ravel at the end? It was pretty obvious that forest was g’d-up for the match…as was the coverage! There is an arrogance with some fans and expectations but you can go wipe your ass with your yo-yo comments , use the string to floss your teeth thereafter.
^^
Truth hurts eh?
Sunderland didn’t blow the tie did they? and they are below us, & like us, they also have a league Cup Semil final to contend with. No, someone put in a comment in a previous article about what happens when a team plays a non possession game and is constantly chasing long balls. Muscle fatigue sets in & if that happens a player’s performance drops & then if this is gone unheaded? Injury occurs. Sam appears to have burned our players out playing a chasing non possession game, covering many more kilometres per game, than if they held possesion & played the skillfull passing game that West Ham have always be known for. That’s why we have so many injuries, Sam has run them into the ground. Sam would be OK with a big club who have a huge squad that can be rotated, but even most big clubs don’t play so much of a non possesion game as what Sam does. Look at the Chelsea game against Derby. Their possesion was superb & they have the next pass worked out before they even receive the ball, or have the skill to hold the ball & evade opposition players. West Ham used to play like that before Sam came along, & all that long ball stuff is like something out of an era long gone. Sam is stuck in this old fashioned long ball game mindset. I’d like to see someone like Pardew signed this week, before we go to Cardiff. Sorry Sam, I have stuck by you until now, until I realised that you have burned our team out with all of your stupid chasing & non possesion gridiron style of play.
Good point about how our llayers have to do extra running with our style of play. However I don’t exactly remember us being brilliant in possession in the years before allardyce. Maybe for a brief period under Zola but certainly not under curbishley and avram