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West Ham cannot be considered a bad team, not by any means. They possess talent in their roster, and determination. You can see it in each challenge, every gut-busting run and in the disappointed gestures when a pass fails to connect. That energy is matched on the sideline, with the manager animated throughout their 2-0 defeat to the visitors – “hold the line”, “come closer”, “talk to her” and “close the space” were part of the numerous instructions from the technical area, with those behind the dugout treated to the views of the manager while the match is under way. The coach is fully involved, she is engaged, the players are committed, so where is the issue?

Concerning Numbers Tell the Tale

Five games in and they have zero points, have conceded 16 goals and netted twice. They can score though, five individual scorers in a 5-1 defeat of Charlton in the League Cup on 24 September a brief respite from defeat before Chelsea scored three in a quarter-hour last weekend to return them in their place. Facing Chelsea West Ham weren’t bad throughout, that quarter-hour calamitous spell was an exception and, while many feared a complete second half meltdown, they regrouped, excelled with their backs against the wall, and let in just one additional goal to the title holders.

Consistency over 90-plus has been a consistent problem. The first five minutes and second half versus the Blues were spells to be proud of, as was the opening 45 against Arsenal and closing 45 against Brighton.

Recurring Story Against Villa

Against Villa the story was repeated, the away side dominating possession in Dagenham but the Hammers creating opportunities too, nine shots to their opponents’ eleven. They were in it in the opening period, competing, playing well enough to be able to take something from the game, the difference though was that West Ham had just one shot on target, as opposed to the visitors’ four.

The team are not failing by their style, grit or coaching choices, they are being let down by players not being clinical when they find scoring opportunities. This is that decision making in the final third that needs work, the five goals scored against lower-league opponents Charlton perhaps points to the problem: when they have time on the ball they choose correctly, when they are under pressure and challenged by WSL-level opposition it’s as though they struggle to think quickly enough.

“In my view we were sharp enough in the final third and we just were missing that cutting edge where the last pass was at times a bit too strong, not quite the right quality and then just needing to take on shots a little bit earlier,” stated Skinner.

“Based on the players, when I observe them individually, I just feel like they’re somewhat reluctant relative to where we were previously. The desire to take on defenders and be quite assertive was extremely high and we just need to get that fight back where we’re a more ruthless in and around the penalty area, where we are more courageous to go 1v1 and where we accept the outcome but we’re sending attackers forward and we’re attempting to generate chances. This is an area that we’ve just somewhat taken our foot off the gas a little bit on and we’re looking for passes as instead of being a more direct and being a bit more self-assured in our own skills.”

Expensive Instances Result in Defeat

On Sunday afternoon that was damaging again. Moments after Viviane Asseyi glanced a header off target, they were punished at the opposite goal, Kirsty Hanson collecting her short corner back from Lynn Wilms before lashing the ball into the opposite side. Seven minutes later and the visiting team had a bigger cushion, a player’s set-piece 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 inevitably lead to doubts being asked about Skinner’s future. This is completely unfair though. Much work to be made for sure, confidence and speed in choices needs to get better, and the squad must take a share of the blame for that, but they are a team that is struggling from a shortage of support and attention from the organization as a entirety, and the coach is a victim of that as opposed to the cause of the team’s problems.

Wider Issues at Play

During the off-season, nine players departed and only four came in. The quality of those coming in in this window was arguably better overall, but a tight budget has resulted in that season-on-season West Ham have lost their best players to better teams. Before questions are raised about Skinner’s tenure, she deserves a chance to show what she can do unhindered and that means the team improving its support – and the identical applies for several women’s top-flight clubs.