West Ham Fans Urge Coach to Bench Israeli Player Solomon

Despite West Ham's recent success with two consecutive wins, Israeli player Manor Solomon continues to face criticism from club-affiliated media. Ahead of the upcoming match against Daniel Peretz's Southampton on Saturday, a fan website, 'West Ham World,' has called on coach Nuno Espírito Santo to bench Solomon and give Norwegian player Edvin Austbø a chance. Austbø has reportedly shown significantly higher offensive output in his limited playing time.

West Ham is coming off a dominant 6-0 victory over Lincoln City and a crucial 1-0 away win against Championship leaders Swansea. However, the fan site noted that not all attacking players have benefited from these successes. Solomon, who started on the left wing against Swansea and was substituted in the 84th minute, recorded only one shot off target, completed just 15 passes, and created no chances for his teammates. The article also acknowledged that West Ham had only 31% possession, making it difficult for their attackers to perform.

The criticism extends beyond a single game. In West Ham's last three Championship matches against QPR, Lincoln, and Swansea, Solomon played 207 minutes without scoring, assisting, or even registering a shot on target. The fan site described this as "disappointing output" for a winger in a team vying for automatic promotion.

Austbø, 20, is increasing the pressure on Solomon. He has scored two goals and provided two assists in just 218 league minutes this season, averaging a direct goal involvement every 55 minutes. In contrast, Solomon has been involved in four goals over approximately 842 minutes, averaging one every 210 minutes. The article highlighted that Austbø needed only 45 minutes to score and assist against Lincoln, following a goal and assist in 13 minutes as a substitute against Derby County.

While the article clarified that Solomon shouldn't be dismissed due to a few quiet appearances, citing his Premier League experience and ability to lead counter-attacks, it argued that the coach's continued faith should be reflected in his statistics. "Sooner or later, these qualities need to translate into goals, assists, and a real threat in the box," the article stated, noting that Solomon has played over three full Championship games cumulatively without testing the goalkeeper once.

This criticism follows similar sentiments after the Swansea win, where another fan site, Hammers News, gave Solomon a rating of 2 out of 10 and also called for Austbø to start. As competition for forward positions intensifies, Nuno's decision for the Southampton match is highly anticipated. While West Ham remains strong in their promotion bid, the game against Peretz's Southampton could be a significant test for Solomon's place in the starting lineup.