Moore’s the pitiful display! Published 14/03/18 on Moore Than Just A Club

West Ham fans arrived at the London Stadium on Saturday last to spur on the team to better performance and result, to march in protest and to remember a fallen hero some 25yrs past. It was meant to be so much Moore but the spectacle was anything but and it was hardly befitting his great memory.

In all of the hullabaloo it seems many had forgotten what the day was supposed to be about. There were videos on the screens prior to the game, flags paraded around the perimeter of the pitch as if welcoming different nations into the opening ceremony of the Olympics…Interviews with fine gents from the 1964 FA Cup win who played alongside West Ham’s most famous son and there was a fitting display in the club cafe which made a bygone era rekindle in recent memories.

In spirit, there can be no denying the fan’s admiration and love for the man who played from 1958 to 1974 for the club, winning the FA Cup and European Cup Winner’s Cup, being club captain…and also that little thing of being the only English captain to win the World Cup, able assisted by Peters and Hurst of course.

Perhaps there is call to separate the memorial, the man and legend from the current plight of the club and the frustration felt by each and every one, regardless of which side of the fence one resides. If only the West Ham defence had any of the grace and composure he regularly displayed then much of what is written would be of glory as opposed to mediocrity and any failings to emulate his great presence.

There is much to lament about the issues surrounding the club and the owners at the moment, however the combination of ill feeling, public dissension and vitriolic abuse…whether anyone feels it is warranted or not…has partially contributed to the cancer spreading around the team with recurrent poor performances being indicative of the depression and fragility within each player and the manager too.

The players may feel aggrieved for all criticism received whens battling opponents in weekly encounters and also from supporting fans. They may be frustrated pussy cats that need to have their egos caressed but as fans, there is also need to drop such petty insecurities and act as lions, come out fighting for the cause and challenging any dissenter to reverse charge, alter path to celebrate and cheer!

All players, whether currently engaged or past their ‘play by date’, will rally together to claim how fans can and will negatively affect the team performance…as if a debt is due. However, when loyal supporters urge players on to better days…is there a debt to be paid in return also? Surely this isn’t a one way street where players receive all support, all encouragement and financial reward but at the slightest hurdle, turn on fans and ask for more commitment?

Under Bilic, the fans were righteous in protestation however most conceding that the ownership were to blame in part, if not entirely. However, there was much sympathy for the manager who had failed but also was let down by a squad of players that could not perform…or would not endeavour to do so.

When Moyes arrived, it seemed that many of the players responded. Certainly Noble remerged as the leader on the park that most had always hoped he could return to be, Arnautovic was to become a revelation, whilst Ogbonna and Collins improved with each game…as did Adrian when he was reintroduced in the Man City game. Fitness had been a major concern, but that seemed to be a distant memory after Moyes had worked with the motley crew for a couple of weeks. The performances improved, albeit not electrifying and fitness levels were heightened too. The team were responding to the new man in charge, they were buoyant, there was togetherness and it looked like the man at the top, who was derided on initial sounding, would turn out to be a fine acquisition indeed. Oh how that bubble has burst and how the team have reverted back to old ways.

One could look again to the club and owners for not being ambitious enough in the appointment of Moyes in the first instance, nor going out into the transfer market with outstanding gusto. One could rest upon injuries and suspensions that have foiled any plans of one-upmanship and fans could look upon pitiful cup encounters and disastrous ejections that failed to secure any momentum but generated spirited blows to confidence and fluidity.

If only Moore was alive today…what would he make of the club, the owners and the fans in general? Would he be resolute in defiance, sympathetic to floundering lawn heroes or be steadfast loyal to the club and the money men…who don’t seem willing to spend any of it either?

Surely, there would be condemnation on activities both on and off the field, as so many of other past heroes would be so bold to offer. Even Di Canio recently was asked if he would love to help rescue the club’s fortunes but he quickly retorted with a resounding…no, never and not on your nelly…if Sullivan and Gold are in charge! If ever there was a doubt of where the problems lie, then this in itself is the true reflection of the current state of play.

Saturday’s woeful performance was nothing to be surprised about as there have been clear indications over recent weeks that they are returning to their former ways. Whilst Noble and Collins would appear to be the fan’s favourites to lift the spirits and be the leaders in the pack, they themselves need someone to hold their hands and lead them to where fortunes can be found and not where hiding.

If only Moore was there in person, to give voice and to guide this band of misfits back together again, to form a team that could play with and for each other as opposed to playing for themselves. The club and the fans remembered him on that day but they needed him in so many other ways too…Moore’s the pitiful display!