Frank McAvennie shares verdict on ‘magnificent’ West Ham United Europa League run
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
West Ham crashed out of the Europa League because of how thin their squad was, according to former Hammers ace Frank McAvennie.
David Moyes’ side fell in the semi-final after defeat both home and away to Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt, ending their hopes of European glory.
But despite the defeat McAvennie believes that it was a ‘magnificent’ run in the tournament and that Irons fans should celebrate that rather than dwell on their exit deep into the tournament.
“It was a great run, you know,” he told West Ham Zone.
“It was a magnificent run. For me it just shows you how thin the squad was.
“They’ve done wonderful in the tournament. They’ve done brilliant. So just enjoy it, rather than a case of what would be.”
Thin
It has been a long and hard season for Moyes’ side and in the end the lack of depth in the squad really hit home at the business end of the campaign.
Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson have been battling injuries but played through the pain, while Michail Antonio has been a shadow of himself for months with no competition up front.
Ultimately the lack of options available to the manager to change games cost them when they needed a result most, but fans and the players can still be proud of what they achieved.
Nobody would have expected them to push for a Champions League place all the way up until May when the season started, so they deserve plenty of credit and praise for it.
Now they can address those issues and hopefully go again next season and try to go one step further.
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