Green Street Hammers
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Results show West Ham are missing a vital ingredient

By Scott Johnson

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: Joshua King of AFC Bournemouth in action with Mark Noble of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium on August 18, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: Joshua King of AFC Bournemouth in action with Mark Noble of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium on August 18, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
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West Ham are currently sitting in the relegation zone of the Premier League, with 0 points. Is the club close to producing a good dish? Or are all the ingredients, or the chef, wrong?

It’s not been a great opening few games for West Ham. A 4-0 loss away followed by a lacklustre 2-1 loss at home doesn’t make for Happy Hammers. But we made good signings and a good new manager over the summer, shouldn’t we be pushing up the table? Or is something still missing?

When listening to the latest Totally Football Show one of the presenters put it nicely. We have assembled a supposedly good mix of players and talents, but there is still a stale taste at the end we’re not quite expecting. For my money, Mark Noble is probably the root cause of that unexpected aftertaste.

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A good Jambalaya

On the podcast Carl Anka likened the current issue at West Ham to adding soy sauce at the end of a good Jambalaya mix, and then wondering why it tasted like soy sauce. Whilst I think Mark Noble is probably more HP sauce, the point stands. HP sauce, when used properly, is a good addition to a dish. But in this current squad, I don’t think he adds much positive.

Sanchez, for all the grief he got from the Hammers fans when he was signed (including this writer), looked to anchor the play far better than Noble had done when he came on on Saturday. Obiang is one of my personal favourites at the club, and I think he could be a great asset in the current lineup. Someone who is willing to sit and act as a pivot for the attack and a shield for the defence. That is what our meal is missing.

Pellegrini may not be the chef (keeping the analogy going here) he once was, but he knows what he wants to achieve. But he has to realise where the bad tastes are coming from at the moment. That may even mean resting Anderson for a bit as well, because the rest of the team isn’t settled. It’s far easier to enter a star man into a working side than throwing it all in the pan at once.

Next. 3 Things we learnt from Bournemouth defeat. dark

Whilst Noble may be West Ham through and through, it may be time to start pushing for a side without his name on the team sheet. Nothing should be off limits in searching for the best side possible.