Ugly day just gets worse...
Tough for Moyes and Carlo
IT says something troubling about West Ham that the most powerful act to occur in their colours yesterday was a supporter protest against the club’s ownership. It says something worse about Everton that they were occasionally overrun in this trudge of a draw.
But it was probably a fair result, since neither side deserved to win. It was mediocre, mundane and proof that, while David Moyes and Carlo Ancelotti have inspired improvements, they each have an awfully long way to go.
And they know it, as does everyone, because the weaknesses are so obvious. For Ancelotti, it is about reaching sufficient defensive organisation to cope with set-pieces — Issa Diop’s opener for West Ham was the ninth from a dead ball that Everton have conceded this season — and from there, he also needs to reduce the individual errors. Goodness, how many they made in the first half.
But the progress comes in knowing they are getting points from games t hat Marco Silva would lose. By virtue of Dominic Calvert-Le win’ s leveller four minutes after Diop’s header, they have now taken 10 points from a possible 15 since he came in.
This one was ugly and it was disjointed but it wasn’t a defeat. That matters.
Much the same can be said for Moyes. He has brought a structure to West Ham and a defence that is increasingly fit for purpose — they have conceded only twice in his four games — a ratio that seemed beyond Manuel Pellegrini. But they remain in trouble in this division and reinforcements are essential this month, especially in attack.
Mo yes admitted as much, highlighting how he looked at his options on the bench as Everton controlled the second half and found little. ‘I am happy to take the responsibility to get a good team but I need time,’ he said. ‘ The second half I was looking at what we could change and we didn’t have enough.’
The onus will shift to the club’s ownership to back him. In fairness to David Gold and David Sullivan, money has gone into the playing staff in their decade in charge, but it is more for other decisions that around 900 fans protested their involvement before kick-off.
Moyes said: ‘I want the supporters to stay behind the players. The club have been great with me and I want t o gi ve t he s upporters a team.’
Without Lukasz Fabianski, it is a tricky spot to be in. Felipe Anderson was also missing with a back problem. But in new keeper Darren Randolph, West Ham are likely to avoid the calamities that came last time Fabianski was injured and the trials of Roberto began.
In Randolph’s favour, here was an Everton attack that offered almost no threat in the first half beyond Calvert-Lewin’s ninth goal of the season. They improved significantly in the second half, but landed no major punches. Ancelotti, who was missing Richarlison, Gyli Sigurdsson and Michael Keane with injury, said: ‘I think we can improve and we have to improve. Some parts of the game are good and some are absolutely not good.’