Another stunning victory, this time against the champions of Europe, and still the tawdry, dismissive reaction from the pundits... it's more like pulling teeth.
It has been a bone of contention for our fans for as long as I can remember. We beat a so-called big team, and all the analysis and debate is centred on the failings of the fallen giants.It’s annoying, to say the least, that credit is not given where it is due. None of them seem to want to admit that they have underestimated us, that their smug, arrogant attitude is proving to be wrong. How dare we keep beating the high and mighty.
And it’s not as if West Ham’s current progress to a deserved place in the top four is a shock, it’s been coming for months and months. This is no fluke, no flash in the pan. We have only lost ten of 45 games in all competitions so far in this calendar year.
We are punching so far above our weight it is embarrassing. But the faint praise seems grudging, all based on how much running we do and how our intensity is amazing. And, oh yes, how we terrorise visiting goalkeepers, as if it’s some sort of crime.
Take a look at the Premier League table. How many of the top seven were in the forefront of the despicable, money grabbing bid to form a European Super League, and stuff the rest of the Premier League? All six of the English conspirators. Who is the odd one out? Little old West Ham, in fourth.
That alone should have the praise cascading down. The team of the people. Chance would be a fine thing. It’s been much heralded that we have beaten Liverpool and now Chelsea, plus Spurs as well as both the Manchester clubs in the League Cup.
But it’s so much more than that. Spurs, Leicester, Aston Villa, Everton and Leeds have all been beaten twice each by us in 2021. There goes the fluke theory. So why don’t the pundits and the media generally start to acknowledge these facts?
Moyes is 88 games into his second spell at the London Stadium and he’s won 42 of those matches. We’ve been in the top four now since mid-October. Is anyone taking this seriously? Obviously not.
We lost two on the trot, one at Wolves when we were dreadful and then in the snow at Manchester City, just 2-1 against one of the best sides on the planet. The knowing smiles were all too obvious from the pundits and then we let Brighton equalise in the 89th minute. On the slide, was the view.
Then Moyes manipulates his side who lost two defenders to injury, he leaves out a couple and changes the shape of the side three times in a match. And leaves leaders Chelsea resorting to trying to shithouse Manny Lanzini at a penalty - something Reece James will not do again in a hurry after his chastening exchange with the little Argie. If looks could kill.
Declan Rice’s mate Mason Mount decides to goad the Bobby Moore lower - something he will live to regret. Even Rice’s frozen look to his pal said it all. And then there was Jorginho, supposedly the third best player in Europe trying to convince the referee he had been stamped on. "They don’t like it up ‘em", I think is the correct expression.
Chelsea ‘keeper Edouard Mendy came off with the look of someone who had just had an unfortunate meeting up a dark alley with some aging members of the ICF, much the same as Liverpool’s boy scout ‘keeper Aleson after an equally unhappy afternoon in Stratford a few weeks back.
After his manager Jurgen Klopp had whinged about it all for a week, the Brazilian ‘keeper tried to be smart arse on twitter about us. He’ll certainly not enjoy his visit to east London next season.
But the pundits were quick to point all this out. Rio Ferdinand reckoned the defeat was all about Mendy giving away a penalty and flapping at the winner.
Match of the Day pair Danny Murphy and Jermaine Jenas - who is a last beginning to learn how to read the autocue these days - struggled to have a constructive word, it was all about Chelsea’s failings.
Jeff Stelling on Sky droned on about Mount’s excellent goal and Mendy’s howlers but nothing about us coming back twice from a goal down and having to handle two significant injuries. At the moment all of our first choice back four are injured, but that’s a serious problem for Moyes to solves in the weeks ahead.
Murphy, quite rightly, said that we have to invest significantly next month if we are not going to waste this golden opportunity of Champions League qualification. Something our owners didn’t do in the season when Slaven Bilic got us within touching distance of a top four finish.
Moyes has always been short of a good additional striker and cover in midfield. Now he may need to buy or loan players to cover for injuries. Points Murphy made forcibly. Then he went and spoilt it all by writing in his column that David Sullivan had brought in Jesse Lingard. What is he watching?
Generally our lads deserve better than to be labelled as runners and hard workers. We are better than that. Jarrod Bowen was outstanding, winning the penalty and scoring a cracking equaliser. He tormented Chelsea’s defence to distraction. How he is not in the England squad escapes me.
But all over the park there were players who were adapting to changing tactics and formations. They really are a joy to watch these days, even if it is always about the failings of Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs inparticular.
As for Moyes, in recent weeks he has out-thought Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, two products of the Bundesliga, which is becoming the new flavour of the month around the Premier League.
Now I’m going to be hammered for this, but I don’t really rate German club football, it’s not good enough or entertaining enough to get a top TV contract, which is the root of its irritations with the Premier League.
During the early part of the pandemic, when the German league was the only one playing, we all sat down for our football fix. But apart from me adopting Union Berlin, a really interesting club, the interest soon waned.
Moyes has produced a side worthy of a top four spot, it’s worthy of some serious analysis that goes beyond intensity. KUMB’s podcast boys are worthy of a visit in comparison.
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