🔗 Share this article

West Ham are not a poor side, not by any means. They possess talent in their roster, and desire. You can see it in each challenge, each exhausting sprint and in the disappointed gestures when a pass doesn’t quite come off. That energy is matched on the sideline, with Rehanne Skinner animated throughout their 2-0 defeat to the visitors – “hold the line”, “come closer”, “talk to her” and “close the space” were part of the numerous instructions from the technical area, as spectators behind the bench treated to the views of the manager while the action is in progress. Skinner is in it, she is engaged, the players are committed, so what is not working?

Worrying Numbers Tell the Tale

After five matches and they have no points, have let in sixteen goals and netted twice. They can score though, five different goal scorers in a rout of Charlton in the League Cup on 24 September a momentary relief from losses before Chelsea scored three in a quarter-hour last weekend to return them in their position. Facing Chelsea the Hammers performed decently for large parts, that quarter-hour disastrous period was an outlier and, while many feared a total after the break meltdown, they regrouped, excelled with their under pressure, and only conceded one more to the title holders.

Consistency across a full match has been a consistent issue. The first five minutes and second half against Chelsea were periods to be pleased with, as was the first half versus the Gunners and second period against Brighton.

Recurring Story Against Villa

In the match with Villa the story was repeated, the away side controlling the ball in their home ground but the Hammers creating opportunities too, nine shots to Villa’s 11. They were in it in the opening period, challenging, playing well enough to be able to take something from the match, the difference though was that West Ham had just one shot on target, as compared to the visitors’ four.

The team are not being let down by their style, determination or managerial decisions, they are being let down by players not being clinical when they find scoring opportunities. It is that decision making in the final third that requires improvement, the five goals netted against WSL2 side Charlton perhaps points to the problem: when they have time on the ball they choose correctly, when they are being pressed and harried by top-tier rivals it’s as though they struggle to make rapid decisions.

“In my view we were sharp enough in the final third and we just were missing that cutting edge where the final ball was sometimes a bit over hit, lacking the right quality and then just being prepared to take on shots a little bit earlier,” stated Skinner.

“Considering the individuals, when I observe them one by one, it seems like they’re all a little bit hesitant compared to where we were previously. The willingness to take on defenders and be quite assertive was extremely high and we just must restore that fight back where we’re a little bit more clinical in and around the penalty area, where we are a bit braver to go one-on-one and where what will be will be but we’re committing players and we’re attempting to create opportunities. This is an area that we’ve just somewhat eased up a bit on and we’re looking for passes as opposed to being a little bit more straightforward and being a bit more self-assured in our own ability.”

Costly Moments Result in Loss

During the match that was damaging again. Moments after a forward directed a header off target, they were made to pay at the other end, an opponent receiving her set-piece back from Lynn Wilms before driving the ball into the opposite side. Seven minutes later and the visiting team had a bigger cushion, Wilms’s set-piece lobbed over the wall and in.

This proved a further difficult day for West Ham and their lack of results on the board will certainly lead to questions being asked about Skinner’s future. This is wholly unjust though. Much improvement to be made for sure, confidence and speed in decision making needs to get better, and the players must bear some responsibility for that, but they are a team that is having difficulties from a shortage of support and attention from the club as a whole, and Skinner is a casualty of that rather than the architect of the team’s struggles.

Wider Challenges at Play

During the off-season, nine players departed and just a handful arrived. The standard of those joining this time round was possibly higher in general, but a tight budget has meant that year after year the club have seen depart their top talents to more successful sides. Before questions are raised about the manager’s reign, she deserves a chance to demonstrate what she can do without constraints and that means the team improving its support – and the identical applies for several WSL clubs.