[**West Ham’s**](https://www.claretandhugh.info/hammers-need-brit-backbone/) former captain Nigel Red – Coker – not the most uniformly loved of previous wearers of the armband- hit the nail on the head _over a year ago_ when he identified the problem running through the dressing room. Lopetegui, Steidten and Sullivan had presided over the biggest summer spend-up in most fans memory with something over £140 million spent on ten players. Red Coker, though identified the inherent weakness even then.
Speaking on Radio 5 live nearly a year ago, the former Hammers captain said: “_I spent a bit of time with them this pre-season when they were on tour in America, and I think when I look at their performances now and all the change and what’s going on, my biggest worry is the lack of characters that I saw there, especially with how things are going. For me, Bowen is someone who can be a character and personality, but I just think now it is too much for him to do it by himself.”_
Fast forward twelve months and former West Ham six year veteran between the sticks Rob Green has made virtually the same comment – this time on SkySports after the humbling by Chelsea:
_“Right now, you’re looking around and going, (_apart from skipper) _Jarrod Bowen, where are the leaders?_ _You’re looking around the game, you’re looking around the dressing room, and it feels like there’s not that drive there. And it’s a horrible thing to say. It’s a horrible thing to say about a dressing room. \[But\] **you just don’t feel like there’s there’s the nastiness in there to turn it around.”**_
Kilman, Aguerd, Todibo, Ward Prowse, Soucek – none of them chose to get stuck in when Chelsea’s tippy-tippy mickey taking 2 metre back and forth passing ( _was it – Fernandes and Caicedo_?) took the ‘p’in the middle of the pitch on Friday night: _In another era, there’d have been a huge, boot-shaped reminder to the Chelsea duo engaged in taking such liberties that you don’t do that here, mate._
Say whatever you like about Edson Alvarez, but I don’t think he’d have stood for it either: Yellow card or no yellow card.
And that, in a nutshell, nails it. No defiance, no passion. Fine words in pre-season but within half an hour, a white flag run up the London Stadium flagpole in a limp lettuce surrender.