Written by Katie S @flump9

Well the season is over and although most of us probably couldn’t wait for it to end, we are now probably desperate for it to start again.  Having had a little time to reflect on the season as a whole and how each player performed, got me thinking how I would rank them out of ten and whether I think they should stay or go.  These are my views based upon my personal feelings and not if we were to buy players in these positions this transfer window or if anyone would actually make an offer etc.

So here it goes, from 1 to 10:

Enner Valencia – Not played for West Ham, but sell

This is hard for me to judge, as I personally haven’t seen many of Everton’s games this season, but he has made 21 appearances and scored 3 goals.  I was quite positive about Enner when he first joined us, but in my mind he just isn’t good enough.  There was talk that Everton wanted to sign him permanently, if this is true and not some sort of joke, then sell him now!

Diafra Sakho – 2 out of 10 = Sell

I didn’t even have to think about this answer.  I have lost patience with Sakho, yes he may be injury prone which is awful for any player, but too much has gone on with him off of the field.  Like Carroll, he is never going to be fit for long and we can’t afford to be paying his wages for him to never play.  Sadly though, I can’t see anyone buying him!

Håvard Nordtveit – 3 out of 10 = Sell

I felt a little sorry for Nordtveit earlier in the season, fans were very quick to write him off and felt that it was a bit soon to be so critical.  The low point had to be giving away a penalty to Tottenham in the 90th minute, after only being on the pitch five minutes.  Like quite a few players this season, Nordtveit was being played out of position though and was probably unfair to judge.  He showed what he was capable of when playing in his natural position against Everton and was probably man of the match, but sadly there are too many negatives for me to.  I will never forget that sight of him jogging back watching Coutinho score.

Robert Snodgrass – 3 out of 10 = Sell

He has been a real disappointment for me, I don’t know if he just hasn’t settled well but I can’t recall any real high points from Snodgrass this season.  He said himself that he has played out of position and struggled slightly, but I just consider it as a panic buy from Bilic and can’t see him bringing much to the team next season.  He has to go.

Ashley Fletcher – 4 out of 10 = Sell/Loan

This will probably be an unpopular decision, but I have chosen to sell Fletcher.  It is hard to judge him as he hasn’t been given enough chances and playing five minutes at the end of a match is difficult for anyone to prove themselves, however I can’t help but feel he isn’t the natural goal scorer that we are so desperately needing.  Maybe he needs to get some experience on loan in the Championship this season and see how he goes there.

Andy Carroll – 5 out of 10 = Sell

This ranking may seem a little harsh, but I think my patience has finally run out.  There is no doubting his ability and the goal against Palace alone could have made me rank him much higher, but I cannot keep being positive about a player who misses half the season.  If we had a few other top strikers, maybe we could put up with it, but we don’t.  I feel for him but we have to look at the bigger picture.

Sofiane Feghouli – 5 out of 10 = Sell

This was actually my toughest decision, as I like players that work hard and give their all.  This is exactly what Feghouli does.  He has scored four goals and whenever he plays he gives 100% and tries to create things (which can’t be said for lots of the team), but for me I don’t think he is a top player and would like to see someone else instead.

Cheikhou Kouyaté – 6 out of 10 = Keep

Kouyaté is one of my favourite players, as I believe he is one of the most consistent every season.  The reason his ranking isn’t higher, is purely down to Bilic playing him out of position most of the season, which obviously is not his fault.  He is much better playing in midfield and hopefully next season this will be his only position.  Having said that, I still think he has had a pretty decent season and would never contemplate selling him.

Aaron Cresswell – 6 out of 10 = Keep

This is the first season that Cresswell has received some criticism and with good reason.  He was injured for the early part of the season and came back for the Palace game, where he made a big difference and I thought he was what we had been missing, unfortunately this didn’t continue and Aaron’s season was a bit of a let-down compared to his first couple.  Saying all of that, I highly rate him and I believe he is a fantastic left back that we will be lucky to keep hold of him for more than a couple of seasons.

Mark Noble (captain) – 6 out of 10 = Keep

Noble is another player that has come under a lot of criticism this season, it certainly wasn’t as good as the previous season, where he had the season of his career.  However, I still think some of the negative comments were a little over the top.  The stat about us not winning without Noble in the team was quite alarming, (thankfully that ended against Burnley) but also goes to show what an influence he has on the team, which I think goes unnoticed.  He is a fantastic captain and is a pivotal player.  I hope he spends his whole career with us.

Darren Randolph – 6 out of 10 = Sell

There has been lots of talk of signing another keeper and if that is the case, for me Randolph has to be the keeper to make way.  He had a brilliant campaign during the euros last year and has made some impressive saves for us this season, however I think he’s lacking some key attributes and I would like to see someone else come in.  If we aren’t going to bring in another keeper, then Randolph is a decent back-up, but I think he will want to be No1 and can see us selling.

André Ayew – 6 out of 10 = Keep

Hit and miss is how I would sum up Ayew’s first season with us, quite literally!  I can’t quite believe some of the opportunities he has missed.  He isn’t an out and out striker, so I do not think he should be used in this position, but there is no excuse for some of those misses.  Saying all of that, I still think he will improve next season and be quite an important player for us.  His passion and desire to win against Tottenham, really made me warm to him and even with those misses he has still scored some crucial goals for us.

 Adrián – 6 out of 10 = Keep

He had a very shaky start to the campaign, but the same could be said for most of the squad.  I believe Bilic was right to drop Adrián, but I felt some of the negativity towards him was a bit strong.  Last season we all loved him, surely he couldn’t fall apart that quickly?  I was very pleased that he finally made it back into the team at the end of the season and I think it was apparent that the defence felt a lot safer with Adrián between the sticks.  I am pleased that he has signed a contract extension and hoping he continues the way he finished last season.

Sam Byram – 6 out of 10 = Keep 

I was really pleased when Bilic finally decided to play Sam, it meant we actually had a natural right back.  I think people have mixed views on Byram, I don’t think he is the finished article and I think he can be a bit of a liability sometimes, making rash challenges.  In spite of this, I think overall he did well and the game against Swansea with James Collins encouraging him was his season highlight.  It cannot have been easy for him, when your manager insists on playing everyone out of position, rather than use you.  We have now signed Zabaleta so he won’t be number one choice, but I think he is a great back-up.

José Fonte – 6 out of 10 = Keep

I think it is fair to say that Fonte didn’t start as promisingly as we all hoped and like many probably came under a bit of criticism.  I believe he improved as the season went on and I think he is a decent player that is worthwhile keeping.  Like Byram he might not be first choice, but we all know what happens with injuries and he is a solid back-up option.

Angelo Ogbonna – 6 out of 10 = Keep

This is quite difficult to judge as he has been out injured since January and before that I didn’t think he was having a great season.  However, Bilic revealed that he had in fact been injured all season and continued to play until we signed a replacement, even when he was due to have an operation.  It was great to see him return against Burnley and play an impressive 90 minutes after being out for four months.  I rate Ogbonna and look forward to seeing him play next season fully fit.

Edimilson Fernandes – 7 out of 10 = Keep

Fernandes won Signing of the Season and I would say that this was well deserved.  He has consistently performed when called upon and scoring the winning goal against Chelsea in the EFL Cup was a fantastic moment for him.  At 21 years of age, he has shown a lot of maturity and impressed enormously.  I think he is one for the future and we need to keep hold of him.

James Collins – 8 out of 10 = Keep

What can I say about Ginge?  He epitomises leadership and passion, he is an old-school player and I love that about him.  As I mentioned earlier, Collins’ passion and encouragement for Sam Byram really was instrumental in Sam’s performance against Swansea and that is priceless.  There has been talk of other clubs being interested in him, which is understandable, but I really hope he stays as he still has a lot to offer the team, squad and club as a whole.

Arthur Masuaku – 8 out of 10 = Keep

Now this ranking is probably a little high, as he has not made many appearances this season, however, I couldn’t ignore how remarkable those performances were.  I didn’t understand why so many fans thought he was great straight away, I thought he was brilliant going forward but lacked defensive skills.  I was completely wrong, the latter part of the season he showed exactly what he was capable of and I was gutted that he ended up not playing the remainder of the season.  It will be tough to pick between him and Cresswell next season, but what a great dilemma to have.

Michail Antonio – 9 out of 10 = Keep

The fans Hammer of the Year Michail Antonio, was always going to be ranked high, I don’t think it is one that many people would dispute.  If I am honest, I don’t think he had as an impressive season as his first season with us, but that is probably me being a little harsh and actually I don’t think any player has played as well this season.  He is our top goal scorer and without him, there is no doubt we would have been in real relegation battle.  I love watching him, although he does sometimes look a little clumsy, he is capable of creating something and his desire is fantastic to see.

Pedro Obiang – 9 out of 10 = Keep

What an outstanding season Pedro had, he has been immense.  My man of the match on many occasions this season, which is a real turnaround from last season, when many fans would not have been cared if he was sold in the summer.  The stats speak for themselves and I really hope (I am confident) he continues the impressive form after his injury.

Winston Reid (vice-captain) – 9 out of 10 = Keep

In the same way I didn’t have to think about Sakho, I didn’t have to think about this either.  There is no way I would be choose to sell Winston.  Once again, Reid has had another solid season and he really makes a big difference to our defence.  He was my pick for Hammer of the Year!

Manuel Lanzini – 9 out of 10 = Keep

I said last season that I thought Lanzini was creatively a better player than Payet and since Payet’s departure he has really proved himself.  He started the season off a little slow, almost in Payet’s shadow, but he has flourished since then and just gone from strength to strength.  I pray we keep hold of Manu, as I regard him as our key player that is also incredibly popular with his teammates.

These are all my personal views and I know that even my family members don’t agree, but what do you think?  Would you agree with my rankings or is someone completely out of place in your mind?  Let me know, @flump9 on Twitter.