Footage shows Thomas Soucek joking around with Newcastle’s Martin Dubravka after 3-2 defeat
West Ham fell to a bitterly disappointing 3-2 defeat to Newcastle but Thomas Soucek was captured joking around with opposition goalkeeper Martin Dubravka at the final whistle.
It is a surprise to see the midfielder in such a good mood as the loss threatens West Ham’s top four place.
The pair were previously rivals at their previous clubs, too, with Soucek at Slavia Prague for several years and Dubravka having a short spell at Sparta Prague.
The duo each had an arm around each other and Dubravka’s comments caused a big smile to spread across Soucek’s face, per Football Daily.
It is disappointing to see one of our players display such a mentality, particularly one as important as Soucek.
His arrival last year introduced a different kind of attitude amongst the squad and coincided with us grinding out important wins.
That has continued this season, with Soucek key to our success due to his contribution in both boxes.
His form has stagnated of late, however, with the Czech Republic international scoring once and assisting only once in the last 11 league games.
We need Soucek back to his best as we cannot continue relying on Jesse Lingard to grab the goals – particularly with Michail Antonio out injured.
And yet instead of showing a ruthless attitude or being disappointed by defeat, Soucek was busy joking with the opposition.
David Moyes will probably not be happy with his player if he sees the footage, and nor should he be after such a disappointing game.
The Newcastle result was an unexpected one and it is important we put it behind us quickly. We have Chelsea up next in a crucial game for our top four ambitions.
Soucek and our other experienced stars have to stand up and make a positive contribution as we will need to be at our best to grab a win.
In other West Ham news, ‘Extraordinary’ – Sky Sports pundit thrilled by ‘brilliant’ West Ham ace at FT v Newcastle.