No home comforts for West Ham

AFP, LONDON: Southampton condemned West Ham to another miserable experience at their new London Stadium as Charlie Austin and Dusan Tadic inspired the visitors’ 3-0 victory on Sunday.
West Ham’s move from Upton Park to the former Olympic Stadium just across east London was supposed to herald the start of a successful new era.
But instead they have been beset by problems on and off the pitch and a fourth successive Premier League loss left Slaven Bilic’s side languishing in the relegation zone.
The series of ugly brawls that broke out during a recent defeat by Watford raised fears about fan safety in the arena and, although there was no repeat of the crowd problems against Southampton, the lacklustre efforts of Bilic’s players ensured the supporters would continue to feel uncomfortable in their new surroundings.
Austin put Southampton ahead before Tadic and James Ward-Prowse wrapped up Southampton’s fourth successive win in all competitions.
West Ham were left to count the cost of a third defeat in six matches in their new abode and, with the worst defensive record in the league, they look destined for a season of struggle.
“We deserved to be defeated. It’s hard to change it. The team is down,” Bilic said. “We have good weeks of training but when the game comes it’s simply not good enough.
“We have to work hard but it’s not happening.”
After conceding 11 goals in their last three league games, West Ham were in dire need of a vibrant performance, but it was Southampton who seized the initiative and they threatened when Ryan Bertrand picked out Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the edge of the penalty area.
Hojbjerg had time and space to pick his spot, but Angelo Ogbonna made up the ground with impressive speed and stuck out a leg to block the strike.
West Ham winger Michail Antonio has scored 10 headed Premier League goals in 2016 and his aerial prowess was acting as a magnet whenever his side attacked.
However, seeking out the lanky Antonio with high crosses proved a dubious strategy, with Southampton’s towering centre-back Virgil van Dijk winning virtually every headed duel.

 

No home comforts for West Ham

AFP, LONDON: Southampton condemned West Ham to another miserable experience at their new London Stadium as Charlie Austin and Dusan Tadic inspired the visitors 3-0 victory on Sunday. West Hams move from Upton Park to the former Olympic Stadium just across east London was supposed to herald the start of a successful new era. But instead they have been beset by problems on and off the pitch and a fourth successive Premier League loss left Slaven Bilics side languishing in the relegation zone. The series of ugly brawls that broke out during a recent defeat by Watford raised fears about fan safety in the arena and, although there was no repeat of the crowd problems against Southampton, the lacklustre efforts of Bilics players ensured the supporters would continue to feel uncomfortable in their new surroundings. Austin put Southampton ahead before Tadic and James Ward-Prowse wrapped up Southamptons fourth successive win in all competitions. West Ham were left to count the cost of a third defeat in six matches in their new abode and, with the worst defensive record in the league, they look destined for a season of struggle. We deserved to be defeated. Its hard to change it. The team is down, Bilic said. We have good weeks of training but when the game comes its simply not good enough. We have to work hard but its not happening. After conceding 11 goals in their last three league games, West Ham were in dire need of a vibrant performance, but it was Southampton who seized the initiative and they threatened when Ryan Bertrand picked out Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the edge of the penalty area. Hojbjerg had time and space to pick his spot, but Angelo Ogbonna made up the ground with impressive speed and stuck out a leg to block the strike. West Ham winger Michail Antonio has scored 10 headed Premier League goals in 2016 and his aerial prowess was acting as a magnet whenever his side attacked. However, seeking out the lanky Antonio with high crosses proved a dubious strategy, with Southamptons towering centre-back Virgil van Dijk winning virtually every headed duel.