antonio

As if being sent off for a 2nd bookable offence in the closing stages of the game against Southampton wasn't bad enough, many fans were extremely concerned to see Michail Antonio in obvious distress following some 'dark arts' defending by the Saints back line prior to his sending off.

Ahead of Hammers 'next cup final', the words used by Mark Noble to describe the sequence of seven games that will determine the club's European destiny, a crumb of 'injury' comfort has been revealed, it may be conjecture or 'porkies' but David Moyes stated the following in his pre-match presser this morning.

Big Mich Antonio, or Mikey as his manager likes to call him, is the ever popular and effervescent 'false' striker employed by David Moyes to fill the expensive void left by the club's most expensive signing Sebastien Haller. The sale of the aforementioned to Ajax at an astonishing £25 Million loss, necessitated more game time for Antonio who has struggled with hamstring and thigh issues, mainly hamstring, ever since his arrival at the club from Nottingham Forest.

One by one little records are being broken by a West Ham side that has been rejeuvinated by a rejeuvinated David Moyes. The Hammers manager looks like an entirely different person now from the cadava like image of 'ghostliness' that first turned up at the London Stadium, the 57 year old Scot has the air about him of someone who knows exactly what he is trying to achieve and precisely where he is trying to take his players.