A week is a long time in football…

Returned from a week in the Lake District to find West Ham have got their injury crisis in early and we're 2-1 down in the Europa League. Our party managed to survive walking along Helvellyn's Striding Edge, but I'm not sure too many West Ham players would have completed the ascent without slipping into the abyss below. The most disastrous news is that Aaron Cresswell is out for at least four months with a knee injury obtained in the friendly against Karlsruher. We'll miss his magic hat and great partnership with Payet.

Bilic clearly has little faith in reserve left-back Stephen Hendrie who will not be recalled from his season-long loan at Blackburn. Against NK Domzale in the Europa League qualifier Bilic played Sam Byram at left-back, where he looked out of position and Antonio at right-back, who was caught out for the Slovakian side's winner. West Ham clearly need a new left-back and current rumours claim we're after Hull City's Andrew Robertson (who is a decent overlapping left back) and former Liverpool payer Jose Enrique. who would be a big gamble. 

Then Manuel Lanzini got crocked with Argentina and there was talk that he might be out for four months, though thankfully the latest news is that he should be back for the Watford home match. Another worry though is that new signing Gokhan Tore is now having a scan on his injured knee.

The Domzale game might have been a good game to play James Tomkins in had he still been at he club, though even he's got injured at Palace like the true Hammer he is. Nordveit was played as an emergency centre back on Thursday though the return to training of James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna after the Euros might help our defensive crisis. It's hard to read too much into our first competitive game of the season, though obviously we should do better against a Slovakian side making their debut in Europe. 

Feghouli had a promising first half claim my pals watching the game at the Water Poet near Liverpool Street, but Carroll and Valencia need more games to look sharper up front. For the return leg I'd play Byram at right back, stick Antonio back into midfield and consider playing Ogbonna (or even Lewis Page, Reece Burke or Reece Oxford?) at left back.

Meanwhile it's 50 years today since West Ham won the World Cup through Moore, Hurst and Peters. Irons!