Legendary West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie has told David Moyes where he is going wrong with Sebastien Haller.
Forgotten man says he has been boosted after surprise over his standing at West Ham
Haller splits the West Ham fanbase right down the middle.
Some think he is moody, lazy and simply not good enough to be a success in the Premier League in West Ham’s setup.
Mismanaged, misunderstood or simply not good enough? Haller continues to polarise opinion at West Ham
Others believe Haller has been painfully mismanaged by both Manuel Pellegrini and Moyes ever since signing for West Ham for a club record £45million.
It has been clear Moyes does not rate Haller. He dropped the Ivorian and took a big risk playing a half-fit Antonio against Aston Villa.
And his slip when facing an open goal and the chance to put West Ham 2-0 up against Manchester United last time out came back to haunt the Hammers in a 3-1 defeat.
It sums up Haller’s situation at West Ham that the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko and Said Benrahma are being touted to take his place at Leeds on Friday night despite him being the club’s only fit recognised forward.
Hammers legend McAvennie tells Moyes and Haller where they are going wrong
One person who knows a thing or two about being a successful striker at West Ham is McAvennie, who scored 50 goals in two spells for the Hammers.
And speaking on The West Ham Way Extra Time podcast (December 10th), McAvennie told his fellow Scot Moyes where he is going wrong with Haller and where the player himself must improve.
“The boy Haller is not his (Moyes’s) kind of player, I can tell you that,” McAvennie said on The West Ham Way Extra Time podcast (December 10th).
“The boy Haller I don’t get him, he comes to every ball. He comes forward to the ball. And I’m thinking ‘they don’t want you (doing that every time)’.
“He’s not the best at keeping the ball if I can say that. So why would you want to keep coming forward? I think he would come into his own if you can get the ball down (the flanks) and get it in the box.
‘He’s built like a Greek god… use it!’
“If he’s in the box they’ve got something to fire at. He’s 6ft 6in, he’s built like a Greek f**king god you know. Why would you not want to get that ball in the box. The ‘keepers won’t want to come because they’re scared of getting hurt.
“I just don’t get why he wants to keep coming short. Because he comes short and doesn’t turn, whereas Antonio comes short and if he’s got getting it, he’ll turn and they can hit it over the top for him. And that’s what strikers do, leave space for (the likes of Tomas) Soucek.
“And I think that’s why he’s been quiet because Haller’s not moving as much as Antonio. He’s not leaving the space for him. I think big Haller is a work in progress. I keep wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt and say ‘Look you’ve got the chance to be a great player and be loved by the crowd, put a smile on your face and look as if you’re enjoying it. You know you must be getting a good wage’.
“I don’t get these boys that don’t want to smile. It’s as if they’re doing what they do because it’s their job. Everyone I played with loved the game.”
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