David Moyes just said a draw was a fair result, do you agree?
To a certain extent. I thought for the most part we controlled the game pretty well. It’s a tough place to come and they’re a big strong team, they sit deep and make it difficult for you. You know you’re going to have to be fairly calm in your approach and also really disciplined because they’re always a threat on the counter attack. I thought for the most part we handled that really well.
We obviously conceded from a set piece but we still handled the rest of the set pieces really well, considering they’re a big side and the delivery. I thought we coped with it well. I thought we coped with their counter attacks fairly well. Just probably for us in their final third we lacked a little clarity in thought, in our decision-making. We got in some good areas and probably could have got some much better outcomes. I thought our general play was really good and I was really happy with it.
Was there a knock for James Maddison, hence his recent early withdrawals?
He’s not carrying a knock. If he was carrying a knock he wouldn’t be playing. He’s fine, yeah.
What are your thoughts on his performance?
I thought Madders was really good, especially when he got in their final third. I thought he played some really clever passes that we just didn’t capitalise on. I think for all the guys in the front third area – not just the attacking players, the full-backs as well, we got into some really good areas, it’s just about trying to show them that they don’t need to be so rushed in their decision making and we’ll get better outcomes.
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Why do you think the clarity of thought wasn’t there?
(Laughs) Because they are human beings, it is just football. I would love to have a joystick and put them where I want them, but it does not work like that. Our role is to try and help them through that. It is not easy, again when you’re facing a team like West Ham, physically they are a big side and they sit deep so it feels constricting anyway.
I just think at time we have more time than we think. We scored a great goal but there were others times when the ball was flashed across the box when we should have been in those areas. Those are the things we’re working on but hopefully we can help our guys in that front third.
How do you get better, do you need senior players to show them to take time in the final third?
No, it’s not about seniority. It’s just about development. It is all part of it. That’s why you have coaches and why we develop the system. From my perspective, the players are showing a real willingness to learn. I thought tonight in a really difficult game against a difficult opponent, we showed some real maturity in the way we played our football, but we’re not the finished product. We know that and we’ll keep working on it.
Do you see it as a point gained or two dropped?
I just don’t think about it. I am always looking is it progress for us as a team? Is that a performance tonight that shows we’re developing and I thought it was. We certainly handled it better than say we did at Fulham a few weeks back where in a similar type of game, we just didn’t handle it well. I though tonight especially in our general play, our build-up and our organisation. I thought Biss – Bissouma – was outstanding tonight and the back four handled.
Look at their front four and they’ll cause any team problems. I thought there was a better structural maturity in our game tonight than say like against Fulham so for me that’s progress. Obviously you want to win games of football, that’s the ultimate measure but there was enough there tonight for me to say that’s a team still heading in the right direction.
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