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The Hammers cannot be considered a poor side, not by any means. There is talent in their roster, and desire. It is evident in every tackle, every gut-busting run and in the disappointed body language when a ball fails to connect. That energy is mirrored on the touchline, with Rehanne Skinner vocal throughout their loss to Aston Villa – “maintain shape”, “tighten up”, “talk to her” and “close the space” are among the many commands from the dugout, as spectators behind the dugout treated to the thoughts of the manager while the action is under way. Skinner is fully involved, she is engaged, the players are engaged, so what is not working?

Concerning Numbers Tell the Story

Five games in and they have no points, have conceded sixteen goals and netted twice. They are capable of scoring though, five individual scorers in a rout of Charlton in the League Cup on 24 September a momentary relief from losses before the Blues put three past them in 15 minutes last weekend to return them in their place. Against the Blues West Ham weren’t bad throughout, that 15 minute calamitous spell was an outlier and, while supporters worried about a complete after the break collapse, they recovered, thrived with their under pressure, and let in just one additional goal to the champions.

Consistency across a full match has been a ongoing issue. The opening stages and second half versus the Blues were periods to be pleased with, as was the opening 45 against Arsenal and closing 45 facing the Seagulls.

Recurring Story Against Villa

In the match with Villa the narrative was repeated, the away side dominating possession in Dagenham but the Hammers having chances too, nine shots to their opponents’ eleven. They competed in the first half, challenging, playing well enough to be able to take something from the game, the distinction though was that West Ham had only a single shot on target, as opposed to the visitors’ four.

West Ham are not failing by their approach, determination or coaching choices, they are failing by individuals not being clinical when they get in scoring opportunities. This is that decision making in the final third that needs work, the five goals netted against WSL2 side Charlton perhaps points to the problem: when they have space and time they make the right moves, when they are being pressed and challenged by WSL-level opposition it’s almost as if they struggle to make rapid decisions.

“In my view we were clinical enough in the attacking area and we just lacked that cutting edge where the last pass was at times a bit over hit, not quite the right quality and then just being prepared to take on shots a little bit earlier,” stated Skinner.

“Considering the players, when I’m watching them one by one, it seems like they’re all a little bit hesitant relative to where we were before. The desire to take on defenders and be very direct was really, really strong and we just must restore that fight back where we’re a little bit more ruthless in and around the penalty area, where we are a bit braver to go one-on-one and where we accept the outcome but we’re sending attackers forward and we’re attempting to create opportunities. That’s something that we’ve just sort of taken our foot off the gas a bit on and we’re seeking assists as instead of being a little bit more direct and being a bit more confident in our own ability.”

Costly Moments Lead to Defeat

On Sunday afternoon that was damaging again. Moments after a forward directed a header wide, they were punished at the opposite goal, Kirsty Hanson receiving her set-piece back from Lynn Wilms before lashing the shot into the far corner. Seven minutes later and Natalia Arroyo’s side had a bigger cushion, a player’s set-piece lobbed over the defensive line and in.

It was another tough afternoon for the Hammers and their absence of results on the board will certainly prompt doubts arising about Skinner’s position. This is wholly unjust though. There is work to be done for sure, confidence and quickness in choices needs to get better, and the players 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 the coach is a victim of that as opposed to the cause of the squad’s problems.

Wider Issues at Work

During the off-season, nine players departed and only four came in. The standard of those joining this time round was possibly higher in general, but a limited funds has resulted in that season-on-season West Ham have lost their top talents to better teams. Prior to doubts are raised about Skinner’s tenure, she merits a chance to show what she can do without constraints and that means the team upping its game – and the identical applies for a number of WSL clubs.