West Ham’s lack of fight may see them relegated

West Ham fans would be forgiven for thinking that they’d just witnessed a pre-season friendly.

Hammers players, conversely, must have also forgotten that they are in the midst of a relegation battle, with now just eight games to re-subscribe to their Premier League membership.

The lack of effort from the get-go was evident, as the team’s lethargic attitude was wayward from the promising performances that they had produced in the three games prior to the three-month hiatus.

That long absence from football could be used as an excuse for their dismal display, but Nuno Santo’s Wolves side, while not looking exhilarating, simply carried on from where their impressive season had left off, as they proved to be organized with every player knowing their role on the pitch.

David Moyes started with a 4-4-2 formation despite missing top goalscorer Sebastien Haller, which raised eyebrows amongst the West Ham faithful. The two-man midfield of Mark Noble and Tomas Soucek looked as though they would get overrun every time Wolves went on the offensive, which brought back memories of many matches under Moyes’ predecessor Manuel Pellegrini.

The Scot did try to switch it up for a brief period in the second half, but his efforts proved futile, as the introduction of Adama Traore to the Wolves team happened to be the decisive moment in the game, as he made mincemeat of Aaron Cresswell – not for the first time – before providing the cross for Raul Jimenez to head home.

This goal summed up the attitude of the Hammers players, as they decided to go into hiding rather than attempt to even tackle the admittedly devastating Traore.

With important games now coming thick and fast, as Spurs await on Tuesday, Moyes quickly needs to find solutions to today’s horror show, not just in terms of tactics, but attitude and commitment on the pitch.

The Hammers have now lost 16 of their previous 24 Premier League matches, which is certainly a lot more than just a poor run of form. Time is running out in east London, and if the rot doesn’t vanish within the next few games, relegation is looking more than likely.