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The Hammers are not a bad team, far from it. They possess skill in their roster, and determination. You can see it in each challenge, every gut-busting run and in the frustrated gestures when a ball fails to connect. That energy is mirrored on the touchline, with Rehanne Skinner animated during their loss to the visitors – “hold the line”, “come closer”, “communicate” and “Fion can’t get out” are among the many commands from the dugout, as spectators behind the bench treated to the thoughts of the coach while the action is in progress. The coach is in it, she is engaged, the squad are committed, so what is not working?

Concerning Statistics Tell the Story

Five games in and they have zero points, have conceded sixteen goals and netted only two. They can score though, five different goal scorers in a rout of their opponents in the cup competition on last month a momentary relief from losses before the Blues put three past them in a quarter-hour last weekend to return them in their place. Against the Blues the Hammers performed decently throughout, that 15 minute calamitous spell was an exception and, while supporters worried about a complete second half collapse, they recovered, thrived with their backs against the wall, and only conceded one more to the champions.

Consistency over a full match has been a consistent issue. The opening stages and after halftime versus the Blues were spells to be pleased with, as was the first half versus the Gunners and closing 45 facing the Seagulls.

Recurring Pattern Versus the Opponents

Against Villa the narrative was familiar, the visiting team dominating possession in their home ground but the Hammers having chances too, nine attempts to Villa’s 11. They were in it in the first half, competing, playing well enough to be able to earn a result from the match, the difference though was that the home side had only a single shot on target, as compared to the visitors’ four.

The team are not being let down by their style, grit or coaching choices, they are being let down by players not being clinical when they get in good positions. This is that decision making in the final third that requires improvement, the five goals scored versus WSL2 side their cup foes perhaps points to the issue: when they have time on the ball they choose correctly, when they are under pressure and harried by WSL-level opposition it’s almost as if they struggle to make rapid decisions.

“I don’t think we were clinical enough in the final third and we just lacked that cutting edge where the last pass was sometimes a bit over hit, lacking the right quality and then just being prepared to attempt efforts a sooner,” said the manager.

“Based on the players, when I’m watching them individually, I just feel like they’re all a little bit hesitant relative to where we were before. The desire to run at people and be quite assertive was really, really strong and we just need to get that aggression 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 sending attackers forward and we’re trying to create opportunities. That’s something that we’ve just sort of eased up a little bit on and we’re looking for passes as opposed to being a little bit more direct and being more self-assured in our own skills.”

Expensive Moments Lead to Loss

On Sunday afternoon that was damaging again. Shortly after Viviane Asseyi directed a header off target, they were punished at the other end, an opponent collecting her short corner back from a teammate before driving the shot into the opposite side. Seven minutes later and the visiting team had a larger lead, Wilms’s free-kick lifted over the defensive line and in.

It was a further difficult day for West Ham and their absence of results on the table will certainly lead to questions arising about Skinner’s position. That would be completely unfair though. There is improvement to be done for sure, self-belief and speed in choices needs to get better, and the squad must bear some responsibility for that, but they are a side that is struggling from a lack of love and care from the club as a whole, and Skinner is a victim of that rather than the architect of the team’s struggles.

Broader Issues at Work

This summer, several individuals left and just a handful came in. The standard of those coming in this time round was arguably higher in general, but a limited funds has resulted in that year after year the club have lost their best players to better teams. Before questions are asked about the manager’s reign, she merits a opportunity to show what she can do unhindered and that requires the team improving its support – and the identical applies for a number of WSL clubs.