Life just doesn’t feel fair sometimes and that’s certainly the case for West Ham fans who watched the latest performance from former hero Pablo Fornals.
When Pablo Fornals was sold to Real Betis last January, eyebrows were raised at West Ham.
As always seems to be the case with West Ham and transfers, the club fetched well below the true market value of the gifted Spaniard – recouping just £8m of their original £24m outlay.
West Ham fans adored Fornals and still do.
Fornals had grown frustrated after dropping down the pecking order under David Moyes. But many felt it was a big mistake to sell.
Especially as it was becoming increasingly clear Moyes would likely be replaced at the end of last season.
The decision looked even more questionable when Fornals’ compatriot Julen Lopetegui arrived as Moyes’ successor.
There is a belief that Fornals would have been one of the first names on the teamsheet under Lopetegui.
West Ham fans forced to suffer geriatric midfield
Even more so now under Graham Potter and the way he says he says he wants to play football.
Fornals was often left on the fringes of matches due to Moyes’ approach.
But now it is hard to shake the feeling Fornals would have emerged as a key player for West Ham had he remained.
The 29-year-old is sorely missed at the London Stadium, 15 months after leaving.
Probably more than ever after what the Hammers served up against Forest and what Fornals did overnight.
Because while West Ham fans are forced to suffer their geriatric midfield, Fornals is scoring worldies.
It is no exaggeration to say West Ham have never had a less mobile, less dynamic, and less athletic midfield than the one Potter seems to have settled on.
The composition of West Ham’s squad and the sale of Fornals are clearly not Potter’s fault.
But he has drawn much criticism for his team selection and tactics.
It is indisputable that West Ham, in terms of results, have regressed even further under Potter.
Four wins in his 18 games so far is evidence of that. It also means Potter cannot now match the win ratio that saw Lopetegui fired – even if the Hammers beat Ipswich in the final game this weekend.
Some West Ham fans celebrated Potter’s decision to tear up James Ward-Prowse’s disastrous Forest loan and bring him back to east London as if it were a new signing in January.
It’s fair to say they’re not celebrating now.
There have been question marks over Ward-Prowse’s contribution in open play from the get go.
He was shipped out by Lopetegui but failed to impress at Forest, who were only to happy to cut him loose when West Ham came calling.
Ward-Prowse has been painfully poor since his return. The former England midfielder is now the wrong side of 30 and it’s starting to show.
he looks for all the world a Championship player. If he stays into next season – and West Ham don’t liven up – Ward-Prowse may well be.
Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez axis among West Ham’s worst ever midfields
In Potter’s infinite wisdom, he chooses to partner the slow, sideways and backwards passing Ward-Prowse with the equally slow and more immobile Guido Rodriguez.
Even when it’s the leggy, unathletic Edson Alvarez in the middle, it’s just as bad.
Each might be ok on their own in a midfield which possesses different qualities, such as pace and power.
But to play them together – along with Tomas Soucek – leaves West Ham with what has to be one of their worst midfields of the Premier League era.
Proof of that can be found in exhibit A – the Premier League table.
Alarm bells should have been ringing when they were literally run over by Wolves’ young, tenacious and talented midfield not too long ago.
Wolves were the only team separating West Ham from the relegation zone at the time. So the fact their midfield was so much better than Potter’s said everything.
Hammers fans were bored to tears watching their lifeless midfield in the defeat to Forest.
Many would have trudged home cursing another insipid display after a season which has seen just five wins at the London Stadium.
They may have turned to the TV or social media for some light relief.
Fornals wordly rubs salt in West Ham wounds
And if they came across Fornal’s goal for Real Betis against Atletico Madrid, they’ll probably wish they’d just gone straight to bed.
Fornals played a one-two with Giovani Lo Celso on the edge of the Atletico area.
Lo Celso’s return pass was a cute, chipped ball into the box.
Fornals ran onto it and launched himself sideways in the air to volley home a beautiful effort to gasps from the commentators and roars from the crowd.
You can watch the goal below – if you can stomach it.
Any West Ham fan watching it can be forgiven for asking how the club has let a player of Fornals’ intelligence, talent and technical ability walk out of the door for a pittance while they have to now watch Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez and co ambling around the middle of the park.
Especially one who loved the club as much as Fornals did. All he wanted was to play more.
It is staggering. And Fornals’ worldie literally volleys home that fact.
Someone make it make sense.
Now Fornals’ attentions turn to winning the Conference League yet again while West Ham go back to the drawing board in the summer to look for players like – you guessed it – Fornals.
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