Written by @farehamhammer

It is not all doom and gloom is it? A good performance in beating Watford 2-0. The transformation of Bambi on ice Angelo Ogbonna, too a top defender, is a miracle on par of when Jesus turned water into wine. I don’t know what Moyes has done with Angelo on the training ground, but it certainly works. The Italian international has been turning in top class performances for some time now. It is nice seeing Hernandez’s confidence ebb back into him, thanks to a couple of goals. Mario, although he faded, was skilful and showed great awareness of what was going on around him, certainly knows how to use space. Kouyate is also back to his best. In goal Adrian made a few sharp reflex saves, and his distribution was excellent. West Ham have always been at their best when they’ve got a talisman in the team. A player who is a bit special, one who can produce that bit of magic, to almost single handily win a game on their own. It’s painful but I will say it: Payet, before that Benayoun, Tevez and Di Canio spring to mind.

Marko Arnautovic is certainly that type of player. Most that is good about West Ham’s play, flows through Arnautovic. Pace, power, skilful and goals is what Arnie brings to the party. At 6.4 he is obviously difficult to knock off the ball, but what impresses me most is his quick feet, enabling him to beat people so easily. True, it was not a perfect performance, but the team is developing nicely under David Moyes. There is a unity between the manager and team, a far cry from the last few weeks of Bilic’s reign. David Moyes has been up against it from the start, a poor unbalanced and paper-thin squad, lacking fitness in general. Not backed at all during the transfer window. But, make no mistake about it, Moyes is a tough tough cookie. Tougher than any managerial appointment Gold and Sullivan have ever made… and he has boxed The Chairman into a corner.

Moyes, is as skilful at manipulating the media as The Chairman are. At the beginning of the transfer window Moyes had this to say. “The squad is not big enough, we need midfielders”. Sullivan said, “We are going to sign young players of 23, 25, 26 from places like South America “About a week later Moyes said: “We are looking to add quality, NO lucky dips”. In other words, he told Sullivan: “If you can’t get me a decent player, I will rather make do with what I have than have a bum of the month dumped on me” At a later press conference he said: “We have put bids in but none of them are near” Then a hint of phantom ‘bids’, “I have quickly discovered how things work at West Ham, we are linked to about thirty players” All the time subtly pointing fingers at The Board. Drip drip as a result the fans really turned on The Board. Moyes has beaten Gold and Sullivan, the ultimate media whores at their own game. Game set and match to the canny Scot.

You only have to see Sullivan’s latest interview and statements to the written media, to realise that they would like Moyes to manage The Club for years to come. They are going to go all out to secure the Scot on a permanent deal. Once they do get around the table to discuss a new contract, Moyes will want full say over transfers and what his budget is, he will make sure everything is cast in stone. He will be calling the shots, it will either be his way or be gone as simple as that. The days of leaks, cheapies, freebies will be a thing of the past. How Gold and Sullivan react? Well they must know the game is up, the days of giving a manager 25m in the transfer window are gone. Sullivan subtly admits that in the interview: “We have not been ‘ambitious’ enough “I can see them giving Moyes between £50m-£70 million in the transfer window. Yes, it may not be 100m that some are demanding, but if you know what you are doing it will allow you to bring some quality in.

Whether one likes Gold and Sullivan or not, when they really want a player they get them. Payet, Hernandez and Arnautovic spring to mind. It will be up to them to deliver Moyes top targets, not third fourth or fifth targets. Granted you don’t always succeed in doing so, but working in tandem with Moyes, I foresee a far better window than the last couple of years. When I listen to other fans moaning about their Clubs, I realise the big problems with ALL Club is expectations. Whether a Club can afford it or not fans want to see their Club competing with the top six Clubs. If someone says to me: “Where has the dough gone?” I can at least say: “Perhaps some is being put away in preparation to buying The London Stadium “Not feasible Fareham?” The pressure must be growing on Sadiq Khan to cut his losses and strike a deal. The tax payer is not going to fund The London Stadium forever. Try being a Southampton or a Liverpool supporter. The Saints are in the bottom three having sold Virgil van Dijk for £75m and only brought in on player for £16m. This has been the pattern at Saints for the last three years.

Big fears and questions on the South Coast, where the money has disappeared to. Same story at Liverpool, they sold Coutinho for £142m bought Van Dijk for 75m. Fans begged them to bring in a replacement for Coutinho, not a bloody chance, £100 million profit stayed in the bank. West Ham’s support has always been a broad ‘Church’, different viewpoints and opinions, but at the same time extremely loyal with an intense passion for The Club. We have a real hunger for success and deserve success, I believe that is what we will achieve. At Everton, Moyes controlled every aspect at The Club-the virtual Godfather. That stood Everton in good stead. I can see him doing EXACTLY the same at West Ham! G&S the self-styled ‘Messiahs’? The Godfather will sort them out! The rest of the season? Licking my lips at the prospect of seeing; Lanzini! Super Mario! Hernandez and Arnie on the same pitch. Flowing, inventive football on the deck? The West Ham way? Got it in one!

We are more than a football Club, we’re a way of life!

COYI!!

Farehamhammer!!!

(Edited by Danny Twigg)