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Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of West Ham United’s 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth was the amount of breaks that fell the Hammers that failed to be capitalized on. Two failed Bournemouth penalties, chances muffed, and poor crossing led to prolific disappointment. A lot of the failure on the pitch can be derived from the stubborness and lack of creativity from Hammer manager, Slaven Bilic. We’re going to get a bit harsh here so let’s start with the positives
The Good
Manuel Lanzini - 8 - I need to get this off my chest, I love Lanzini. LOVE. I think he’s going to be a great West Ham player very shortly. He just needs a bit more patience and be a bit more assured in front of goal. However, he’s clearly the main creator and distributor on the pitch. Another good match from the young Argentine, it’s a shame the rest of the line couldn’t capitalize on his service.
Darren Randolph - 8 - There’s only so much a keeper can do to help his team. Randolph did well to stop a terrible Benik Afobe penalty spot. The scoreline is not indicative of the work Darren put in on Saturday as his defensive line really let him down. Another solid effort with nothing to show for it.
Andre Ayew - 7 - Once again, Ayew scores from the bench and outplays his squad nemesis Feghouli. If it wasn’t for the manager’s vanilla tactics, Ayew would be starting on the right side every single match. Though after two dreadful displays from Feghouli, you would think Bilic must be mulling over the idea. You would think...
Michail Antonio - 7 - The last of the bright spots, if you can call them that. A beauty of a goal 10 minutes into the match that came from seemingly no where. A quick dip of the shoulder and the ball found the back of the net. When he plays in the right position, Antonio is a force.
Sam Byram - 6 - While only a late match substitute, he provided the assist to Ayew to level the match. His defensive work was a bit unpolished but that’s to be expected when you just don’t play. Why Byram isn’t on the field every single match at right back is anyone’s guess.
The Bad
Pedro Obiang - 6 - This is the latest notch on the disappointment belt for Pedro Obiang. Ever since his sensational goal against Southampton in early February, we really haven’t seen the same show stopper. He wasn’t the worst on the pitch Saturday, but he certainly didn’t help the cause.
Cheikhou Kouyate - 5 - How can you blame a guy who is playing a position alien to him and his natural ability? His best position is center back, though he’s been successful in the holding midfield role as well. Where he’s not successful is running up and down the right side, while getting caught out of position 8-10 times a match.
Andy Carroll - 5 - Can someone get Carroll something to eat? He looks exhausted after 20 minutes on the pitch. He also looks skinnier? Just me? Maybe. His slow jog up and down the pitch is just sad to watch. Maybe it’s time to step it up in training to get him match fit, at the risk of injury.
Robert Snodgrass - 5 - I leave Snodgrass in the bad, and not ugly, because while he was awful, he didn’t reach the latrine level of form the rest of the list descends into. Poor crossing, but the effort was there. Never really settled into the match coming in late for Noble.
The Ugly
Aaron Cresswell - 4 - It’s almost as if he’s asking Slaven to swap him out for Arthur Masuaku. The fans have been asking for it, I’ve been asking for it, and now Aaron is asking for it. He was burned more than a few times on defense and was made to look silly trying to work the ball into the box. Do we really need an attacking left back when we employ a thousand wingers on the squad as is?
Mark Noble - 4 - The four might be generous but I love Nobes. He’s Hammer through and through. Which makes his no-show in Saturday’s match that much more puzzling. He never found a rhythm and looked as if he was chasing more than creating.
Winston Reid - 3 - Might seem harsh but Reid and Fonte have not found their partnership at all. Fonte was the weaker of the two, sure, but Reid let up his fair amount of bonehead fouls and poor decision making that led to a goal.
Jose Fonte - 2 - Perhaps the worst performance on the year for the former Southampton captain. Jose looks unsure and lacking confidence, which is translating to late challenges. If Reid and Fonte can’t figure it out, we might be in for a long final stretch of the year.