We may have come on leaps and bounds from where David Moyes left us in the summer, but there have still been a few disappointing moments under Manuel Pellegrini.
The sluggish start to the season, the FA Cup humbling to Wimbledon, and losing without much fight to Wolves all spring to mind, and then we have the horror show from the weekend when the players seemed uninterested against Everton.
Now, on the back of one of our worst performances of the season, Football365 have sought to rub salt into our wounds by issuing their most disappointing player list for the 2018/19 season.
It comes as no surprise to hear that Jack Wilshere has been given the far from sought-after honour for us, as the summer arrival has spent more time in the treatment room than on the field at the London Stadium.
All in, the former Arsenal wonderkid has only managed to feature five times, as he battles regular ankle injuries and then faces setbacks on those injuries.
The last time Wilshere featured for us came in our win at Newcastle just before Christmas, and while he managed to record his first – and only – assist as an Irons player that day, he was only on the field for five minutes. Those may also be the final minutes of his season, as there are no certainties he will be fit to play again before the summer.
All of which were reasons why Wilshere was honoured as Football365’s most disappointing Hammer of the year.
“More fool us, really, because it did seem as if his injury problems were a thing of the past. Not so much,” they noted.
“He managed three-and-a-half games before breaking down again in September, then reappeared very briefly at the beginning of December, but another – another – ankle injury has meant that he hasn’t been seen since.
“He is now back in first-team training and should return sooner rather than later, but – come on – it’s over. At his best, he might have been the player around whom a new era was built at West Ham, but that ‘best’ is almost mythical now.”
