I wonder what it’s like to support a team that’s sixth in the table and with their best half season points tally in a Premier League campaign, and in a European quarter-final too?
Well we all did, last December. Some have short memories, some would prefer not to look back, some still think this current shambles is acceptable. You know, higher possession, high line, that sort of thing.
It grieves me to keep harping back to last season at this time, but the comparison is so tragic, so painful, that the culprits are many and should not be let off the hook. So here’s another crack at it.
Saturday’s draw with Brighton was another of those shapeless, mind-numbing excuses for a Premier League match.
Maybe it’s harsh to be critical of Julen Lopetegui after his sad loss, but we all still have to work I’m afraid. To make it personal, I lost my dad, mother and brother during various Decembers in recent years, you just have to grit your teeth and get on with it.
And what we saw from Loopy was more muddled thinking in that second-half. A switch to a back five, then back again, substituting our most skilled, unpredictable midfielder in Lucas Paqueta who was occupying more than a couple of markers. The fact the referee couldn’t spot a cast iron red card right in front of him should not pass scrutiny either.
But we gave Brighton the midfield, we were strung out across our penalty box line and had to thank the oldest player in the Premier League, Lukasz Fabianski, yet again, for the point.
I noticed Ashley Williams, former Wales captain and top flight performer with Everton and Wolves, on Match of the Day saying he can’t see much difference to last season and has no idea what the coach is trying to achieve. You and me and a few hundred thousand too, mate.
And then you think back to this week a year ago. A home win over Manchester United and away win at Arsenal, all in five days. That win at the Emirates was the conclusion of a 12-match run in all competitions, nine victories and 33 points from the first half of a league season -our best tally in Premier League history.
Nine of the players who figured in that 2-0 win at Arsenal are still at West Ham. We played that day with Angelo Ogbonna and Dino Mavropanos as centre backs with Oggy barely able to run but he produced a wonderful defensive display.
He didn’t need to run, all he had to was stand still and repel all borders in the penalty area. That day he was truly magnificent, and even Mav scored.
Tomas Soucek - who else? - also scored and the night was capped for the visiting hordes who witnessed Declan Rice concede a penalty right in front of them... which Said Benrahma managed to miss in amid hilarity and delight at our former captain’s calamity.
To be fair, Declan handled that as well as can be expected. “Should have joined a big club” attacked his ears, well I suppose he did. You don’t hear that chant much now.
Now whenever I mention this exact period last season, the Moyes Out! brigade are on my neck. The fans who want some sort of mythical footballing utopia. ”We don’t mind losing as long as it’s entertaining”, that sort of nonsense. I give you Leicester away earlier this month, happy with that?
Of course the statistics of the post-Christmas collapse and all the reasons for getting rid of Moyes will be trotted out. And I get that; a squad fell apart, we finished ninth but it should have been so much better following the pre-Christmas form.
But you know I loved those days, when we were relevant. We were respected for what we were, we were in the mix with the best. Those Thursday afternoons watching us in Europe on TV, going to games believing we had a chance anywhere. It didn’t always work out but beating Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs and winning in Europe made up for everything.
But look at us now. Utterly dismissed by Match of the Day, almost laughed at. An irrelevance and not competitive against the big clubs.
When you are not a big six club you have to find ways to win matches. It's not always pretty, but you have to make big clubs take you seriously. Moyes, infuriatingly defiant of his style did that. Always functional and pragmatic, but that was better than what we are watching.
We now head for Southampton on Boxing Day, how confident are you all? Then it’s Liverpool and Manchester City next. January sees us facing Aston Villa twice (good luck with that) and in February there’s Chelsea, Brentford and Arsenal.
Then follow supposed winnable games with Fulham, Crystal Palace and Leicester City, but our decline has been so poor those games take on a massive importance.
Of course Moyes must take some blame for his own stubbornness and defiant use of a counter-attacking style, but we at least used to go into games believing we had a chance, not so now.
The culprits are obvious. Ownership that seems to be split, even dysfunctional. Expensive appointments back stage, some truly poor signings, the sacrificing of a decent Premier League midfielder who offered 19 goals and assists last term.
You can go on. But on the shortest day, the shortest guy is short sighted enough not to make the decision that is increasingly obvious. This won’t get better, so we are drifting towards even an unthinkable relegation fight.
Yes there’s Wolves, Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton who look inferior to us, and I keep being told we have talented players who will dig us out of the mire regardless of whatever the coach is thinking or trying to impose.
At the moment that’s a lot of responsibility on Jarrod Bowen, Fabianski, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Max Kilman, plus the honest toil of Soucek. I'm not sure I trust the rest to tie their shoelaces.
Happy Christmas everyone, see you all again in the new year.
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