Before Tony Cottee had even stepped foot inside the London Stadium ahead of Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur, the West Ham United icon had already suffered a considerable loss of pre-match confidence.
Graham Potter made only one change from the West Ham United side which finally got off the mark against Nottingham Forest on the other side of the international break.
But while Crysencio Summerville was rewarded for his exhilarating cameo at the City Ground – captain Jarrod Bowen says the winger is like a new signing following eight months out with injury – there was no place on Potter’s team sheet for another who made a huge impact off the bench on the banks of the Trent.
Much to Tony Cottee’s bemusement, Callum Wilson was conspicuous by his absence from the West Ham XI.
Tony Cottee baffled by Callum Wilson omission as West Ham United lose to Tottenham Hotspur
While a calf injury denied Niclas Fullkrug a starting spot – the big German was fit enough only for the bench Cottee cannot understand why Potter opted to start Lucas Paqueta as a makeshift number nine.
And if he were in Wilson’s shoes, the door to Potter’s office would be rattling off it’s hinges.
“If I was Callum Wilson, I would be banging the door down,” says Cottee, speaking to talkSPORT. “Because he came on at Forest and made the difference.
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“The manager, to be fair, started with Summerville. But to go into a home game without a centre- forward, I don’t get it. You’ve got Fullkrug and Callum Wilson on the bench, and surely Callum, after scoring against Forest, quite rightly [must be] knocking on the door saying; ‘Gaffer, why didn’t you play me?’.
“I don’t understand that. Perhaps he should have gone with the team that finished at Forest. It [creates] a bit of negativity in the crowd. I’m sitting there in the pub when the team comes out and saying; ‘Oh, they’re not playing with a centre-forward!’.”
Cottee slams ‘shocking defending’ as Graham Potter’s side conceded three more goals
To paraphrase former England international Darren Bent, West Ham have signed a potential 15-goal-a-season striker in Wilson.
While plenty of problems remain at the other end of the pitch – Mads Hermansen conceded three more goals against Tottenham while Gianfranco Zola questioned the positioning of Konstantinos Mavropanis and Kyle Walker-Peters in the build up to Spurs’ crucial second goal – Cottee is better placed than most to explain the importance of a centre-forward.
And how the issues a lack of a striker can cause up against a team like Spurs who prefer to dominate possession.
“The defending is absolutely shocking. Players not taking responsibility. [Tomas] Soucek’s sending off doesn’t help but players have to take responsibility as well as managers getting the players right,” adds Cottee, who scored 146 goals over two spells at Upton Park.
“[Striker] is a specialised position. It’s alright asking Paqueta or even Jarrod Bowen – both fantastic players- but they are not centre-forwards. They don’t know the specific runs you’ve got to make just to put pressure on the defence.
“Callum Wilson is great at playing on the last man’s shoulder. Fullkrug, more of a target man. But it’s a specialised position and, as soon as you don’t have that, you don’t have an outlet. Paqueta and Bowen want the ball into feet, so you lose all your options.
“It gave Tottenham lots and lots of possession. It’s a big game for West Ham, local rivals, but if you don’t play a centre-forward, how are you going to get on the front foot? There was frustration about the team selection.”
Potter told he must start Wilson or Niclas Fullkrug or both against Crystal Palace
Cottee predicts West Ham will keep Potter in situ until the November international break at the earliest. There are a handful of so-called ‘winnable’ fixtures to come before then – against Brentford, Burnley and Leeds United – the manager may be fortunate to survive another heavy home derby defeat.
And while Cottee is more in tune than most to the feelings of the Hammers faithful, it is difficult to imagine the fans brushing off a 4-0 battering by Palace regardless of Potter’s intent.
“Palace on Saturday, you’ve got to play a centre-forward. Maybe even two!” Cottee argues. “Go and have a go.
“If West Ham get beat 4-0 playing two centre-forwards, going gung-ho, the fans will accept that. They won’t accept getting beat 2-0 at home by Palace with no centre-forward.”