Barry Glendenning
2026-01-07 15:40:00
HAMMER TIME
While precisely nobody else thought to say so at the time, when those West Ham fans who were howling for the head of Tin Pot-winning saviour David Moyes two years ago, Football Daily wondered if – whisper it – they should be careful what they wished for. While the turgid meat-and-potatoes fare served up by Moyes’s Irons was undeniably unpleasant on the eye, arguably the sole benefit of the club’s relocation to the London Stadium was that those fans were now seated in a different postcode from the pitch, meaning they couldn’t actually see what was happening anyway.
At the end of that season, the fans were granted their wish for a “progressive” head coach – a decision so inspired that the club hierarchy has since felt compelled to grant wishes for two more. Less than three seasons after winning Tin Pot and trousering £105m of Declan Rice money, the Hammers faithful now find themselves supporting a collection of misfits currently mired in the relegation zone, dreaming of nothing more exotic than a 17th-place finish and the avoidance of further embarrassment in the FA Cup against QPR.
Following their recent humiliation at Wolves, West Ham went into Tuesday night’s home game against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest primed to answer their most strident critics. And while tens of thousands of their most strident detractors wisely elected to stay at home instead of braving the cold to go and barrack their team and the club’s owners, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side gave a much better account of themselves … but still lost. “It’s not over yet, we will keep on going,” bravefaced Nuno, who could only have looked more forlorn upon seeing his side concede a late penalty if a portly Greek shipping magnate who used to employ him had wandered down from the visiting directors’ box and started flicking the Vs.“We understand the supporters’ sadness and frustration, we are the same. What can we say? Keep helping us. Again today they showed that when the team gives, they give back the support we need. The boys showed today we have fight.”
While Nuno’s boys may have showed a modicum of fight, the fans’ reaction to the latest loss suggests most already seem resigned to their team’s apparently unavoidable fate. West Ham are seven points from safety with almost half a season remaining, and though it’s difficult to see where the next is coming from, at least a potentially restorative visit to the noted physician that is Doctor Tottenham is only 10 days away.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Niall McVeigh from 7.30pm GMT for hot clockwatch coverage of all the evening’s Premier League action, while Daniel Harris will be on deck at 8.15pm for bespoke MBM updates from Burnley 1-3 Manchester United.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I don’t like to make any major decisions without speaking to Sir Alex” – Darren Fletcher, there, making us wonder (beyond getting help with choosing to take the interim job at Old Trafford) what other kind of guidance he has been given by the legendary manager. Broadband provider? Pensions advice? Sim-only or contract?
The year 2026 isn’t even a week old and already it has torpedoed the Premier League ambitions of Ruben Amorim and Enzo Maresca. And, as if his first name wasn’t a big enough clue, Nancy joined the long list of things in Glasgow that are taken away after being deep fried at Celtic. On top of that, poor Gianni Infantino will have to create a new Fifa award celebrating armed exploration for South American oil. Roll on February” – Mark McFadden.
Re: yesterday’s Football Daily. I’m probably missing some clever point about football financing here, but why on earth would Chelsea give Liam Rosenior a contract to 2032? Including interim managers/coaches/whatever else they insist on calling themselves (because, let’s face it, who knows who’s actually interim, and who isn’t, any more), Chelsea have had eight different managers in the previous seven years. Surely they are just setting themselves up for a massive payout when they change managers again in (statistically) no more than 12 months’ time?” – Phil Taverner.
No idea how many (mainly Scottish) pedants will point out that Noble Francis’s claim – that Celtic ‘don’t have to play Hearts again [this season], obviously’ (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) – is false. Because, in fact, Celtic have to play Hearts again in the league at least once (scheduled for 25 January). In addition, since both Hearts and Celtic are almost certain to be in the top half of the Premiership after the split at 33 games, then probably Celtic still have to play Hearts again twice in the current league season. Also, they could end up playing each other at some point in the Scottish Cup” – Dylan Drummond (and 1,056 other mainly Scottish pedants).
Send letters to [email protected]. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Mark McFadden. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning and the Football Weekly pod squad as they discuss bleak times for West Ham and the latest EFL action.
RECOMMENDED WATCHING
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NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA … BATMAN!
Neymar, discuss. Is he any good at football? Certainly. Is he up there with the greats? Nope. But is he the Goat when it comes to spending lavish amounts on ridiculous items? Absolutely! Over the years he’s bought a £6m yacht named after his mother, dozens of eye-wateringly expensive cars, an island and £40,000 teeth. He was even given a golden crown with his achievements inscribed on it (£430,000) by his dad (though that helped raise money for charity, so credit where credit’s due). But, looking at another recent purchase, clearly the 33-year-old was not happy with his lot. What he really needed was a Batmobile (£1.3m) to go with his Batcopter (worth around £10m) and his black Dassault Falcon 900LX private jet (value of around £35m) to complete his collection. The Tumbler Batmobile, that can’t even be driven on the road, was finally delivered to the forward this week from a museum in São Paulo. “Dreams can come true,” he gushed on one social media abomination or another. In other news, he has just agreed to extend his Santos deal until the end of 2026, which is just as well, as he’ll need to keep earning to pay for all this stuff.
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Police chiefs facing scrutiny over a decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa have insisted the move was not politically influenced.
Hugo Ekitiké is in a race to be fit for Liverpool’s daunting trip to league-leading Arsenal. “He hasn’t trained with us up until now,” sighed Arne Slot. “Let’s see if he can train with us today. Two or three days ago, when we played against Fulham, I said he wouldn’t be out for long but it’s hard because the games come so fast.”
Slot, meanwhile, isn’t best chuffed with the champions’ form. Asked if they’re dull to watch, he sniffed damningly: “I find it really hard to hear but I would not completely disagree.”
England winger Katie Robinson is this close to making a shock move from Aston Villa to Bristol City as the WSL 2 club make a significant signal of their ambition.
Oliver Glasner expects to decide in the coming weeks whether he will ink his name all over a new contract at Crystal Palace, adding that Marc Guéhi could be sold this month if his “threshold” – whatever that is – is met.
Antoine Semenyo is only a cough for the doctor away from sealing a £65m move to Manchester City from Bournemouth.
Is Wales boss Craig Bellamy worried about Ben Davies’s limited gametime at Tottenham. Nope. “I’ve been here a year-and-a-half now and Ben has never been a regular [at Spurs),” he blathered. “[But] I’ve got to be honest, he’s been our best player.”
Gary O’Neil has jumped into the Liam Rosenior-shaped hole at Chelsea’s French bureau Strasbourg.
And Erik ten Hag is set for a big return to a former club, but don’t worry Manchester United fans, he’s agreed to become technical director at FC Twente from next season. “I think it’s wonderful and special to return to [a club] where I’ve been a supporter since I was a young boy,” he cheered.
RECOMMENDED PLAYING
The Guardian has kicked off a new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first daily football game, On the ball. It is now live in the app for both iOS and Android … so what are you waiting for? Get stuck in!
STILL WANT MORE?
“If coaches were once chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out of the box.” Jonathan Liew on the supremacy of Manchester United suits.
Luke Entwistle explains why Liam Rosenior’s tenure at Strasbourg was ideal prep for Chelsea.
Jonathan Wilson previews the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals, with the hosts, Morocco, feeling the pressure.
With the Indian Super League season delayed amid commercial uncertainty, City Football Group has dumped Mumbai City. John Duerden reports.
Which teams play closest to airports? What was the last top flight goal not recorded on camera? The Knowledge knows.
And Rashford to PSG? Trent to Chelsea? The Rumour Mill churns through the latest transfer gossip.
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MEMORY LANE
Sticking with the chilly theme and casting an eye back to December 1967, when Arsenal’s Division One match against Sheffield Wednesday at Highbury had to be abandoned due to heavy snow. Ref ET Jennings is surrounded by players here, inspecting the lines before calling the game off. Not a glove in sight. When the game was replayed the following April, Arsenal won 3-2.
