WHZ View: Are West Ham contenders to win the FA Cup?
West Ham breezed through to the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday with a 4-0 win against League One side Doncaster Rovers.
It’s the first time in five years that we have made it this far, for the past three seasons we’ve been knocked out by opposition in lower leagues. Most notably was our 4-2 defeat away to Wimbledon in 2019, that one really hurt.
Despite our previous cup heartache, you can’t help but feel like times are changing at the London Stadium. David Moyes has amassed a squad of players who are hungry for success and oozing confidence at the minute.
This season marks 41 years since our third triumph in England’s oldest contested trophy. We here at West Ham Zone want nothing more than a cup run, and we think Moyes is aware of that.
So the real question is, can we go on to win the FA Cup?
Who’s left?
There stands to be no more than twelve teams from the Premier League left in the FA Cup by the date the fifth round ties begin to be contested.
There could be as many as four all-Premier League ties. Some of the biggest clashes include Wolves v Southampton, Leicester v Brighton and Liverpool or Manchester United v West Ham.
We arguably have the most difficult draw of the lot, having to travel to one of Anfield or Old Trafford will be envied by none. West Ham have won all of their five fixtures in 2021 thus far, so we believe anything is possible.
Do the players want it?
If the performance yesterday is anything to go by, then yes they absolutely do. West Ham completely dominated for 90 minutes against Doncaster, who have their goalkeeper to thank for keeping the score so low.
Seeing a group of our fringe players, such as Mark Noble, Ryan Fredericks, and Andriy Yarmolenko have excellent games very pleasing for the fans.
Despite being thin up top, this is one of the most promising West Ham squads in recent memory. Maybe even more so than the last season at the Boleyn.
Yes, that campaign we did have one of the best players in the world. But now we have a group of players sharing the workload, all fully buying into the manager’s philosophy.
Does Moyes want it?
Moyes made a big statement in fielding a strong side against Stockport in the third round of the competition. To go and do the same against Doncaster indicates he’s in it to win it.
That aside, both Moyes and Declan Rice have said separately in the last week that they want to lift the trophy for the club.
We should expect a strong XI when we line up at either Anfield or Old Trafford in the fifth round.
In other West Ham news, this club legend has voiced concern over our reported transfer target.