West Ham and Celtic legend Frank McAvennie went behind enemy lines to watch his old club’s 0-0 draw with Rangers at Ibrox and his verdict is brutal.
West Ham’s pre-season continued with a stalemate at Rangers as Nuno Espirito Santo fielded what was essentially his strongest available team.
The Hammers were only missing injured midfielders Tomas Soucek and Soungoutou Magassa and World Cup full-back duo Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf.
McAvennie says West Ham in for ‘long, hard season’
Nuno says West Ham’s modest pre-season is devised to help them win the Championship title as it minimises games and travel.
But some believe the Hammers are going to be under-prepared for a gruelling 46-game Championship season as a result.
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Many fans are also worried and frustrated by the fact the club is yet to make a single new signing given the season starts in less than three weeks.
Hammers legend Frank McAvennie is clearly among them.
If there is one man who knows what a successful West Ham side looks like it is the former striker, who also played for Rangers’ bitter rivals Celtic.
And McAvennie has issued a brutal verdict on what he witnessed from West Ham at Ibrox labelling the display against Rangers ‘lazy’.
McAvennie met up with his old West Ham strike partner Tony Cottee to watch the match and was far from impressed, predicting a ‘long, hard season ahead’ and saying it is the worst West Ham team he has seen in years.
McAvennie slams ‘lazy’ West Ham display at Rangers
“Got to be honest that’s the worst West Ham team I’ve seen in many years,” McAvennie said on X.
“I know it’s pre-season but no effort at all, could be a long hard season.”
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When a West Ham fan pointed out the team is two weeks behind Rangers in terms of preparation, McAvennie took the point but says his old Hammers leaders John Lyall and Billy Bonds simply would not have accepted the lack of effort on display.
“I understand what you’re saying and to be honest when I played we didn’t win all pre season games but John Lyall and Billy Bonds demanded 100 per cent, everyone strolled about today so not for me,” McAvennie added.
During the match McAvennie, who scored 60 goals for West Ham across two spells, posted a picture of two pigeons that landed in front of his seats midway through the game saying it was the most exciting thing that had happened.
Nuno insists West Ham will be making signings ‘soon’ amid calls from supporters to bring new players in.
Both he and new head of recruitment Nils Koppen, who was roundly criticised over the job he did at Rangers, have insisted it is important to get the signings right this summer by bringing in the right profile of player.
West Ham have one final pre-season match, against German second tier side 1. FC Magdeburg on Saturday, before the competitive action begins a week later against Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup first round.
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