Irons in Qatar

Plenty of interest for West Ham fans so far in the World Cup. Equador's Enner Valencia scored the first two goals in the competition (as predicted by Mystic Matt); Declan Rice bossed the midfield for England against Iran; gaffer Lionel Scaloni is under pressure at Argentina (just kick it into touch, Lionel); and Morocco's Nayef Aguerd has just come up against Croatia's Nikola Vlasic (still a WHU player) for Croatia, though Vlasic went off at half-time in the goalless draw. Lucas Paqueta had 70 minutes for Brazil. Now Enner Valencia has scored again and someone called Andre Ayew scored for Ghana. All World Cup roads lead back to West Ham.

Questions for Moyes to ponder during the break

Thanks to the decision to play the World Cup in winter in Qatar we're effectively playing two seasons in the 2022-23 campaign. With relatively few players at the World Cup and a break of six weeks David Moyes and his staff can work hard on the training ground and look at re-setting the team. There are a number of issues for Moyes to ponder:

CAN ANTONIO AND SCAMACCA PLAY TOGETHER?

It's surely time to consider playing Scamacca and Antonio together for longer than ten-minute cameos. Yes it would mean depleting the midfield but Antonio could easily play wide right and get forward in support of Macca when necessary.

HOW DO YOU BUILD A TEAM AROUND PAQUETA?

At £51 million we have to play Paqueta and build a team around him. How can Moyes get him on the ball and in positions where he can really affect games? Too often his fancy backheels and close control are done in areas where he doesn't hurt the opposition.

WHO IS WEST HAM'S BEST RIGHT-BACK?

The right-back position has been shared between Johnson, Kehrer and Coufal. Kehrer looks more at home as a centre back while Johnson's form has declined and he sometimes looks unsure going forward. My money would be on playing Coufal for his crossing prowess and helping him get back to the levels of two seasons ago.

WHY HAVE WEST HAM STOPPED SCORING AT SET-PIECES?

Despite a lot of height in the side the Irons have hardly scored from a set piece. Dawson used to cause mayhem, Ogbonna was a threat and Soucek scored his fair share of headers. The departed Stuart Pearce did a lot of work on set-pieces and it's something the management now need to work on.

HOW TO HANDLE BENRAHMA?

Said Benrahma has probably been the Hammers' best player so far. Moyes needs to be less harsh on him and give him confidence with the arm round the shoulder approach, rather than qualifying every statement with a criticism. 

SHOULD WHU PLAY FOUR OR FIVE AT THE BACK?

With Aguerd fit Moyes will be tempted to play Zouma, Aguerd and Kehrer or Dawson as three centre backs together. But that would mean an isolated striker and less support for Paqueta in midfield and a crucial role for the overlapping wingbacks.

HOW TO GET THE BEST OUT OF BOWEN?

Jarrod Bowen was on fire last season but playing for England at the end of the season did his his body no favours. He should benefit from a six-week rest and needs to have his confidence boosted by the management and be encouraged to get his shots away as of old.

HAVE OTHER TEAMS RUMBLED THE DEEP BLOCK?

Perhaps the biggest issue is have other teams rumbled how to play against West Ham. Sitting deep and breaking at speed used to work, but it hasn't been effective this season. While the policy of sitting back for the first half of away games usually leads to the team going a goal down. It's surely time to be more proactive away from home.

Mr West Ham at the Newham Bookshop

A great turnout at the Newham Bookshop yesterday for Mark Noble signing copies of Boleyn Boy. The queues stretched round the block and the shop sold all 400 copies – demand was so great Mark even had to fetch 20 copies from his car boot. The queue started at 9am and one fan had travelled up from Dorset. 

Nobes was obviously very impressed to meet local legend Vivian and as ever proved a diamond geezer. He had a word for everyone during his two-hour session and was great with kids and starstruck fans alike. We also learned that Said Benrahma is fantastic in training, the most stressful thing about retirement is watching West Ham and that Mark likes a Bounty when his two sons were dispatched to the car to get some chocolate. Top man and as many fans said, we could do with him on the pitch now. 

Maddison men mug Irons as slump continues

West Ham 0 Leicester City 2

In the Best Cafe Matt is quizzing us on the nine current and past West Ham players likely to be going to the World Cup. He's particularly pleased that we stumble on Edmilson Fernandes with Switzerland and Javier Hernandez of Mexico, though we did get Cheikhou Kouyate with Senegal.

Inside the stadium the sun is in our eyes despite the promises of the reservation centre at Westfield six years ago. At first we think the Cockney Rejects have mellowed and got a brass section, though the band on the pitch prove to be here for Remembrance Sunday and do a version of Bubbles which brings back memories of the old 1970s band.

West Ham start with some attacks for a change but still go behind after eight minutes. Kehrer jockeys Barnes away from goal but Paqueta hasn't tracked Dewsbury-Hall who crosses for Daka. The Leicester striker miskicks but it falls to Maddison who is more alert than Cresswell and fires into the roof of the net.

Fabianski has to make a great save from a long-distance shot from Amartey, while Zouma, who pulled up in the warm-up, has to go off to be replaced by Aguerd. Faced with adversity the Irons do make a spirited response, helped by Maddison departing with an injury. Benrahma does really well to wriggle through and force a one-handed save from Ward. The Leicester keeper then makes another fine save after Paqueta's header is looping into the top corner and Soucek has a goal disallowed for offside. 

But the Hammers then crumble at the back again. Dawson tackles through Daka before getting the ball and though the ref rules play on VAR decides correctly that it's a penalty. Thankfully Fabianski makes a great save to keep out Tieleman's well-struck spot-kick.

Nigel's lucky banana and lucky banana case aren't working. The second half sees West Ham produce one of their better performances of the season only to lack any kind of clinical finish. Kehrer gets in a fine cross but Scamacca hasn't gambled to get on the end of it. Rice puts a free header over the bar and shoots wide. A series of corners come to nothing as Moyes replaces Soucek with Fornals. Rice is everywhere, but we miss the crossing ability of Coufal. Bowen, who looks tired and is often too deep, has one shot deflected over and is then foiled by a great block as Faes and the Leicester defence excel.

The game is sealed with 12 minutes to go as Perez plays in Barnes, who gets past Aguerd too easily and slips the ball past the onrushing Fabianski. Worryingly, West Ham heads go down even though the match is still redeemable. Leicester see the game out comfortably.

It's off to the Eagle for our last drink until after Christmas. Three home games and three defeats in six days — it doesn't get worse than this. Moyes has done a great job in the last two seasons but his project has stalled. He deserves time over the break to try to get Paqueta, Scamacca, Kehrer, Aguerd and the injured Cornet playing in a united team, but it's all looking disjointed and the side needs the elusive elixir of confidence. European progress has been excellent, but having spent big WHU have to be better than this, otherwise a relegation struggle beckons.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 7; Kehrer 5, Dawson 5, Zouma (n/a) (Aguerd 5), Cresswell 5; Rice 8, Soucek 6 (Fornals 5), Benrahma 7, Paqueta 6, Bowen 6; Scamacca 5. 

Saturday at 3pm?

Strange news indeed that tomorrow's game against Leicester is taking place at 3pm on a Saturday. Surely this goes against all football tradition? West Ham play on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays but never on a Saturday. Can't see this Saturday football business catching on myself.

Rovers and out: Hammers pay penalty

West Ham 2 Blackburn Rovers 2 (Carabao Cup) (Lost 9-10 on pens)

In the Best Cafe Michael has purchased an unusual gift for Nigel, a plastic case for his lucky banana. It is yellow, banana-shaped and comes with a fork. We're joined by Matt and Lisa who are quaffing red wine in the style of Malcolm Allison in the Central. The daytime greasy spoon menu is off in the evenings, so it's falafel and chips all round.

Somehow Nigel gets his rigid banana case through security and we join Fraser in the stadium. As ever the Irons start slowly against Blackburn's second eleven and a Nayef back pass from Aguerd almost gifts Rovers the lead. They do score after six minutes as Vale gets behind the defence to stroke home.

The mainly squad players have to raise their game and Antonio starts to cause problems, dribbling down the left to cross low for Fornals to fire at the keeper. The same pair manage to fashion an equaliser as Antonio's run from the right causes confusion and his cross is miscontrolled by a defender into the path of Fornals who finishes crisply for his third goal in a week. 

After the break a terrible back pass by Conor Coventry almost gifts Blackburn a second, though Aguerd does well to block on the line. Lanzini has a goalbound shot blocked and sub Benrahma gives the side an instant lift. He sets up a chance for Antonio to fire at the keeper but then Said wastefully blasts the rebound over the bar.

Moyes brings on Scamacca and Bowen to support Antonio and Benrahma in a bid to settle the tie. Antonio hits the post from a corner. Aguerd plays a long ball into the box, a Blackburn defender gets a boot in ahead of Bowen and Antonio lashes home the loose ball to make it 2-1 with 12 minutes left.

But the Hammers have not heeded the threat of sub and rumoured West Ham target Brereton Diaz, who has already cut in from the left and fired wide. After a poor free kick straight into the arms of Pears, Rovers break and Brereton is given too much time by Johnson and Aguerd to cut in and fire into the top corner.

It goes down to penalties, which are surprisingly well-taken. Areola doesn't get close to any of them though nor does Pears. Behrahma, Bowen, Scamacca, Antonio and Lanzini score the first five as do Blackburn, and then it's sudden death. When it reaches 9-5 last man Ogbonna steps up to fire against the bar. "How shit must you be, our first team's at home!" chant the Rovers fans.

"We won't ever see a Moyes team score eleven again," reflects Fraser. Nigel's lucky banana case has failed to work any magic, though it has resulted in a 23-goal thriller. But we're out of the League Cup which was a good chance of a trophy. It might help avoid fixture congestion if there is a Europa Conference run, but even so it piles pressure on Moyes to get a result in the Leicester game, though he certainly deserves time to reset the squad during the World Cup break.

Inspired by a half-time meeting with the Gav, who is sporting a 1970s Middlesbrough away shirt, as you do, we head to a bar above a Chinese restaurant in Westfield. Meantime is available at £6 though the soft lighting gives the place a distinct 1970s James Bond vibe, which rather like West Ham leaves us shaken but not stirred. Had we won the shoot-out this might have been regarded as fairly routine progress, but we didn't and the slow starts and defensive lapses are increasingly worrying.

PLAYER RATINGS: Areola 6; Coufal 6 (Bowen 5), Johnson 5, Aguerd 5, Ogbonna 5, Emerson 6 (Cresswell n/a); Downes 6, Coventry 5 (Benrahma 7), Lanzini 6, Fornals 7 (Scamacca 5); Antonio 8.

Palace coup and Antonio lapse leave Hammers feeling bad all over

West Ham 1 Crystal Palace 2

It's rained all morning and the Overground is down yet again — it's not a promising start to Sunday. Inside the stadium are Fraser in his Humphrey Bogart raincoat, Matt wearing a yellow hoodie (is he now a Watford fan?), Lisa, Michael the Whovian and Nigel, fresh from completing his 92 league grounds at exotic Barrow.

Up against a team that hasn't won away all season — what could possibly go wrong? Palace have much the better of the first 19 minutes, as Eze tests Fabianski with a free kick and then drags a good chance wide. Eze, Zaha, Olise and Ayew are a fluid attack for Palace while West Ham look strangely jaded despite resting the senior players on Thursday.

Bur slowly West Ham get into the game more and take a surprise lead. Paqueta finds Benrahma with a short ball and the lille Algerian sidesteps a defender to send a rocket into the top corner. A great goal.

It looks like the Hammers will take the lead into the break until Fabianski rolls the ball out to Dawson, whose overhit pass is miscontrolled by Kehrer. Eze pounces and sets up Zaha for a crisp finish. Maybe it's all because Nigel has not eaten his lucky banana.

Scamacca has played a few decent balls out wide but generally struggled to hold the ball up in the first half and is replaced by Antonio at the break. Gianluca still seems to be adapting to the PL and his form has slumped in recent weeks, which is worrying. 

The Irons improve a bit but quire often the passing is woeful. When the lively Benrahma is subbed by Lanzini there's open dissent from the crowd and a chant of, "Oh Said Benrahma!" Moyes later reveals that Benrahma was carrying a knee injury but also adds that he didn't think Said did much after his goal — Moyes really needs to stop digging out Benrahma, as he's clearly a confidence player. The substitution of the previously untouchable Soucek for Downes gets ironic cheers.

Antonio is struggling to hold it up just as Scamacca did, but causes problems with his strength. When Lanzini finds Antonio he loses his defender with a great turn, nears the goalkeeper and then rather than shoot or pass to Paqueta, falls to the ground. The ref gives a penalty, only for VAR to correctly overturn it.

"Why can you not pass it?!!" asks the incensed Vicar's Son as the Hammers continue to lose possession, with Bowen working hard but toiling and the Hammers missing Coufal's attacking runs. Dawson almost turns the ball into his own net but is saved by Fabianski, while a great tackle from the defender denies Zaha. Have both sides now settled for a draw?

ANTONIO WOE

With four minutes of added time West Ham stream forward in search of a late winner. Antonio bounces off a defender and races into the right side of the box. He could fire it hard and low to try and get a deflection or a corner. Or just waste some time. But instead he lofts a feeble chip into the arms of Guaita.

The next 15 seconds seem pre-ordained. Guaita plays it out, Eze finds Olise, and the Palace winger's shot takes a wicked deflection off Cresswell to fly into the top corner with the last kick of the game. The Palace fans go wild, while we feel bad all over. The scoreboard reads WHU 1 CRY 2, which seems very apt.

At least the Eagle has bottles of Spitfire in the fridge as we resort to drink and Spurs versus Liverpool. Nigel tells us about Barrow and wants to wind-up Klopp. Matt recalls Terry Pratchett stories and Michael pumps us for information on Stranger Things — which being about kids in an upside down world sounds curiously like West Ham. Moyes has declared, "we shot ourselves in the foot", prompting Matt to quip that it's surprising we didn't miss. 

A very unsatisfactory afternoon with a difficult game against Leicester to come before the World Cup break. Urgent improvement is needed.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Kehrer 5, Dawson 5, Zouma 6, Cresswell 6; Rice 6, Soucek 5, (Downes 5), Benrahma 7 (Lanzini 5), Paqueta 6; Bowen 5, Scamacca 5 (Antonio 5).

If the kids are United

FCSB 0 West Ham 3 (Europa Conference League)

So a perfect six in Europe for the Irons and another great result with a side of squad players and kids. Of the two debutants 16-year-old Ollie Scarles got in some great crosses from the left while 18-year-old striker Divin Mubama was a handful all evening and very nearly scored early on from Scarles' cross. Downes also went close and before Johnson's long ball was expertly finished by Fornals on the half-volley.

Next Aguerd had a header cleared off the line. The Hammers' second goal looked to have been headed home by young Mubama from Coufal's cross, though it took a deflection off Dawa and was sadly deemed an own goal. The third came when another excellent cross from Scarles was fumbled by the keeper and Fornals lashed home. More of that in the Premier League please, Pablo.

Scarles almost stroked home a fourth when he shot just wide. But overall a very satisfying evening and another game for Aguerd to gain match fitness in, plus late substitute debuts for Casey, Simon-Swyer, Appiah-Forson and Potts.