WAS there ever a more West Ham week than that?
Beat Manchester United in comfortable fashion to the acclaim of the nation before taking that “we can beat anyone” attitude up the M40 to League One Oxford and get slapped 4-0 in the Carabao Cup.
In short, no.
Manuel Pellegrini made nine changes for the game at Kassam Stadium which has been used as an excuse or reason of sorts depending on your school of thought.
Well unfortunately for those endorsing that rhetoric, Oxford also made six changes to their team that thrashed Lincoln City 6-0 away the previous Saturday.
All in all, not good.
But when Mark Noble said West Ham can’t dwell on these things in his Friday newspaper column, he was right.
Just like the club can’t dwell on the Man Utd victory either.
You can shout and scream about how West Ham toppled the once great Red Devils.
Just like you can shout and scream about how eleven Premier League reserves should easily beat a mid-table team from League One until the cows come home.
But what’s the point?
West Ham are out of the cup now. It’s happened.
But what’s important to remember is that almost everything else is going great guns at the moment.
This isn’t like January 2014 when the Hammers crashed out the FA Cup in even more humiliating style with a 5-0 hiding at Nottingham Forrest.
When under Sam Allardyce West Ham were showing open disdain to Cup competitions in order to grind their way to a 13th place League finish – which is exactly what happened in 2014.
That cup embarrassment was emblematic of the real and underlying ‘ambition’ of the club and the manager at the time.
That was the time to scream and shout.
But now is not. Now is the time to TWIST and shout.
The Hammers are fifth in the Premier League, level on points with third, unbeaten in five and on a positive goal difference despite the opening day pasting by Manchester City.
The squad is in the best shape it’s been in for at least a decade, the manager is leading from the front and Wednesday night – in this era – was just a blip.
But last Sunday’s win over United – when Aaron Cresswell pulled the sword from the stone in emphatic fashion in the absence of ‘King Arthur’ Masuaku – was not.
KEEPER CONUNDRUM
Cresswell’s performance last weekend proved West Ham don’t have too much to worry about if Masuaku is unavailable again this season.
While Wednesday proved quite the opposite between the sticks.
Pellegrini said in the week that Lukasz Fabianski is one of the top three keepers in the Prem.
And while you may or may not agree, Roberto – the Spaniard who replaced him against Oxford – certainly is not.
The Hammers’ decision to let Adrian go in the summer made good business sense.
Senor San Miguel was earning a first-team salary while sitting on the bench and the club managed to acquire Roberto and David Martin in his place and save between £20-30k-a-week in the process.
To see Adrian strutting his stuff in front of the Kop is strange for all of us but it was time for him to go.
Unfortunately, Roberto’s performance at Oxford only added to his rapidly developing reputation as a walking disaster.
Ultimately – if the Hammers’ fine Prem form is to continue – Fabulous Fabianski must stay fit so that Pellegrini does not have to call on El Howler on too many more occasions.
It’s Eddie Howe’s Cherries next up.
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And while Bournemouth have done well this season, victory at the Vitality today should eradicate any remaining bitterness from the Oxford defeat. As it should do.
So for now, onwards and upwards.
William Pugh is a journalist for SunSport and co-founder of We Are West Ham.
