Ally McCoist shares ‘crazy’ West Ham, Wolves verdict he knows many will disagree with
Ally McCoist acknowledges supporters will disagree with his belief West Ham look worse off than Wolves in the Premier League this season.
Julen Lopetegui went back to square one at the City Ground on Saturday [2 November] as Nottingham Forest marched to a resounding 3-0 win against his depleted Hammers side.
Wolves sit at the foot of the league table after 10 matches without a win, but McCoist believes Gary O’Neil’s side have been less fortunate than West Ham as he was asked if both sides face must-win games next weekend.
“I’m not sure I’d go that far, but we’re getting to the stage where they have to win games. I’m slightly more worried for West Ham,” he said on talkSPORT [4 November, 8:52am].
“That might be a crazy thing to say because Wolves are bottom of the league, but I just see Wolves getting results. West Ham I’m concerned about. The starting front four in normal circumstances really is excellent.
“I just worry about them at the back. The sending off clearly didn’t help but they looked all over the place. It’s a big concern for them, whereas – and people might disagree – but Wolves have been a little more unlucky than they have.”
What needs to change for West Ham United?
Lopetegui endured a tough start to life in East London with losses to Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea in the opening five fixtures of the season.
While the fixture run was far from kind to the Irons, the simple fact remains the side has lacked a sense of direction under the Spaniard. Even now after 10 matches played, there is still no clear identity at the London Stadium.
Edson Alvarez piled further misery on West Ham after his needless sending off with the side only trailing by a goal, leaving his teammates with an extremely tough challenge heading into the second half.
The Mexican’s dismissal was the third for the Hammers in six matches after Mohammed Kudus was sent off for violent conduct in the 4-1 loss against Tottenham, while Alvarez was himself dismissed against Liverpool in the EFL Cup.
The side’s conduct is becoming beyond a joke now for the supporters.
Lopetegui must rectify the situation while he still has the chance. He may be the recipient of support from those outside of the club, but it will only be a matter of time before he is sent packing if the results do not improve.
West Ham are showing flashes of the side they could become under the Spaniard but those performances are proving to be very few and far between, and playing large periods with only 10 men on the pitch is not doing the side any favours.
The Hammers are on the brink of descending into a relegation battle this season with only a six-point gap to Ipswich Town. The match against Everton at Goodison Park will be yet another must-win for the club but also could be the final straw for Lopetegui if he returns to East London empty-handed.
In other West Ham news, injury news has emerged for Niclas Fullkrug ahead of the Irons clash against Everton.
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