By Louis Nixon

Tomas Soucek has recently spoken out, saying that he hasn’t appreciated some of the efforts made in training, given the Hammers’ tricky first half of the season. 

Soucek has always been a hidden leader at West Ham, not exactly captain material, but one who is a leader, a voice in the dressing room and a player who truly has Claret & Blue in his heart. Despite not receiving many minutes due to others getting the go-ahead, he’s still showing his best efforts off the pitch, and ensuring that everybody puts in 100% effort to solve the poor performances that currently leave us in the relegation zone. 

The direct quote that Soucek spoke out saying was that “I don’t like when some players don’t train hard and you have to tell them.” – Whilst Soucek had the best interests in the Hammers’ hearts, it doesn’t provide a bit of a bigger picture that is quite concerning… is this an indication as to why we’ve been so poor this season and looked lacklustre in some of the games?

Unfortunately, Football is now full of players’ egos rather than attempting to become a cornerstone of a club. In moments such as these, you have to dig deep and dig out of dire situations to not see the ship sink, and in this given moment of time, we’re sinking quickly. 

It’s a shame that a player even initially has to speak up at this rate, it should be a given to train at 100%, not an order that has to be made, and what is even more concerning, is that Soucek suggests it’s multiple different players… numerous figures who aren’t proving their all for the club, it’s an embarrassment and something that those individuals have to reconsider in the mirror. 

Whilst there’s no direct accusation of a specific individual, as expected, it’s all down to insinuations, but given that Igor, Ward-Prowse, Fulkrug, Guilherme and Kilman have all been dropped from the matchday squad, you might suspect that it could be one of those named individuals. 

Whether it is someone who has or hasn’t been dropped from the squad, it raises alarm bells and provides inside information as to one of the many reasons why West Ham could be struggling so much this season.