Player ratings: West Ham versus Southampton

It’s been another week, another game, another home loss, and it’s safe to say the Southampton game was a big disappointment for the players and the fans. It was a poor team performance, and few individuals stepped forward to try to save the day. After an incredible summer of signings (which was perhaps our best lot in the past 5 – 10 years) we know the good times are a-coming, but they sure aren’t a-here right now.

With that in mind, here are my player ratings for the Hammers after their deserved 1-3 home defeat to a very lively Southampton.

Adrián San Miguel

6

Adrian was let down by his teammates, and it wasn’t pleasant to see three goals soar past him, but he also pulled off four tremendous saves. Did his best to stop the third goal on its first time in, but just couldn’t keep the ball out a second time.

James Tomkins

5

Did well initially, but then seemed lost in the second half and couldn’t keep a hold of Graziano Pelle. Looked the most confident of the back four, and didn’t panic under pressure, which was refreshing.

Aaron Cresswell (Booked)

6

Cleared a Pelle header off the line, and did well in other instances, but may not yet be up to the pace of the Premier League, as he looked tired and made more mistakes towards the end of the game (which was similar to his performance against Spurs.)

Joey O’Brien (Booked)

4

Really did not expect to see Joey O’Brien getting so much game time this season. His yellow card was deserved, and he wasn’t quick enough to see off the threats from a lively Southampton.

Winston Reid

5

Looked better positioned than on Tuesday, but still isn’t back to his best since his ankle injury last season. It wasn’t a good day for our defence.

Mauro Zárate (Ra’vel Morrison – 57′ )

6

Gets points for his fantastic build up to Noble’s opener – he dispossessed Southampton goalscorer Morgan Schneiderlin in midfield and set up Noble to hammer the ball home with the help of a well timed deflection. Loses points for being unable to get away from tight marking and unable to contribute more – particularly in the second half.

Cheikhou Kouyaté

7

Did well to recover the ball when dispossessed, even running the length of the pitch to win back the ball on occasion. Didn’t do as well as he had done in previous West Ham games, but was active and involved enough to cement his starting position in the team. Expect big things, and watch this space.

Stewart Downing

4

Started lively and was unlucky to have a decent free-kick blocked, but struggled in the second half and lost the ball far too often—and far too easily.

Ricardo Vaz Te (Mohammed Diamé – 58′ )

4

Has some work to do to convince the fans that he is deserving of his starting position. Did okay work defensively on the wing, but didn’t deliver much in the way of crosses. Was very unlucky not to score after Fraser Forster managed to get a foot on his shot in the first half, but didn’t contribute enough.

Mark Noble

7

One of our better players, and scored a great and well needed goal, but suffered from fire-fighting syndrome and spent most of the game running around cleaning up after others’ mistakes. He spent so much time trying to be a safety net for the side that he didn’t move forward enough, apart from his first half goal. Needs to trust the players around him more.

Carlton Cole (Enner Valencia – 79′ )

3

Suffered from the same tight marking that kept Zarate quieter than usual, which resulted in a shadow of the performance we saw against Crystal Palace. Cole should have been replaced by Enner Valencia or Diafra Sahko at half time at the latest, but lasted instead until the 79^th minute. Not his finest game, not by a long shot, but had very little support.

Substitutes:

Ra’vel Morrison – 57′

5

Not as impactful as he was against Sheffield United on Tuesday. Did well to get a hold of the ball and move it around, but kept running out of options.

Mohamed Diamé – 58′

3

Barely touched the ball and regretfully brought nothing to the side after coming on. Also contributed to the build of Southampton’s third goal. Would have kept Vaz Te in over him. Yeah, I said it.

Enner Valencia – 79′

6

Pacey, aggressive, and comfortable with the ball at his feet, but was brought on far too late to make a difference to the result.

Alex Song – unveiled

10

Signed autographs, wore a shirt, clapped for the Hammers fans, did everything expected of him. Get him in the squad. Soon.

How would you rate the players’ performances on Saturday? Who did you think put in a good performance, and who do you think could have given more? Did you rate any of the substitutions? Let us know below.