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Reset, deep breath, and take stock after the sort of programme aspiring top six clubs take in their stride. It's what West Ham must master if they are to truly progress.

We have just battled through seven games in 23 days, three competitions before the current International break. Overall it’s gone pretty well.




Then there’s another seven games next in 22 days - the same competitions - after this international break and before the before the next shutdown.

And Sunday’s last-second defeat to a grimly determined, functional Brentford has put the dampener on the progress momentarily under David Moyes. How quickly folk forget the two wins in Europe and successive victories at Manchester United and Leeds.

But we have issues, don’t we? How does Moyes use, or not use, his substitutes? Does he not trust his bench? Is he driving into the ground his favoured first choice eleven, in particular Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek?

They are all off on international duty again; two, sometimes three tough games in the next fortnight for the likes of Rice, Soucek, Vladimir Coufal, Nikola Vlasic, Alex Kral and Michail Antonio to name just a few who will get no rest.

Now this is going to annoy people who are already drunk on the whiff of Europe, but our priority without doubt has to be the Premier League. We have to finish in a European qualification spot again and again and again to make any real progress.

My ear was bent ferociously about all this by my mate who owns a large chunk of Surrey as well as spiky bits of the French Alps. He must know a bit about money, I grudgingly accept, but football finances and management? He at least talks a good game on any given concourse with a glass of wine (or three) in his hand.

Why did Moyes not use his substitutes, Kral and Vlasic? Why not use fit again Arthur Masuaku down the left, with either Pablo Fornals or Said Benrahma running on empty? Why no sign of Manuel Lanzini?

The one side you would not really want to face after a gruelling week in Europe surely is Brentford. Superbly coached, very fit, in your face pressing right to the end - not the half-hour Leeds managed against us the previous weekend.




The west London side producing a brand of streetwise attrition way beyond what is expected of a newly-promoted club.

I am not sure I fully go with the overstated Thursday/Sunday theory, there's not a lot different to playing Sunday/Wednesday - and certainly when there is no European travel involved.

But Brentford are diligent, persistent and full of themselves. They have now beaten us, Wolves, Arsenal and drawn with Liverpool. They will stay up.

Now my mate accepts all that, and voices the view of many asking why didn’t Moyes use any substitutes when we were flagging. Let’s face it, we gifted them an injury-time free kick from a poor free kick and the winner came from a substitute, Yoane Wissa, one of two the Bees sent on in the final ten minutes.

Moyes didn’t use any, although Manuel Lanzini was there to take on a midfield role or Kral who could have replaced a flagging Soucek.

Yes, it’s easy to be a smart arse after the event, but Moyes’ use of substitutes has long been a debate amongst our fans. His argument was that we were on top, had equalised and looked on course to be the next scorer. There were chances.

It was a supremely frustrating afternoon. And has left us in ninth position. Not where we want to be.

And that throws up another issue. Our home league form. Only one home league win this season, and if you go back to the end of the last campaign, it’s just two wins from eight home league matches. Overall we have won five of our last 12 at home in the league.

Teams, as you would expect, have started to work us out. We are a counter-attacking team. So when teams defend deep and work their socks off denying space across midfield, we seem to struggle.

We have lost five of our last 20 away from home, are unbeaten away this season and unbeaten away in our last eight. This is no fluke, we are vastly better on the counter with pace. The winner at Leeds is a classic example.




At home, sides are increasingly giving us the initiative and trying to hit us on the break and we struggle with that approach.

The argument goes that we should make far more use of our bench in the current climate and we need to concentrate on the league as our first priority.

Europe is exciting, and we have looked forward to this for so long. The atmosphere last Thursday against Raid Vienna was exceptional, like the Boleyn of old. But although bookies make us one of the favourites for the Europa League, that’s going to be a tough slog with Champions League clubs still to drop into the competition.

We have a chance against Manchester City in the League Cup. Our women’s team beat City’s at the weekend, but few would bank on us winning the last 16 tie against their men on October 27.

So to underline my point: we must make the Premier League our priority above anything else, Moyes may confidently talk of trying to progress in every competition, but I’m not sure even he really believes that, especially when he does not seem to trust his bench.

Of course the other talking point of the weekend was Hammers United’s continued protest to remove our owners. The Pink Palermo of this parish has explained the virtues of the protest and just why people should be allowed to protest peacefully without being abused and insulted.

There is far too much of that around, where ridicule and sneering insults seem to be the norm. Some from extremely disingenuous folk, who would lose their privileged position as well as tickets if there was a change of ownership.

The essence of good journalism is to report what happens and to give people a platform, rather than snipping away from the sidelines. Too often there is a lack of dignity and respect.

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