But Monk, that ignores the fact that last year we did accommodate him (apparently against the wishes of his team mates) and we were dreadful. Ravel Morrison played well, and West Ham were shit. Now clearly this year we have seen a reverse of that, albeit you can't ignore that the new players are significantly better than the dross he was playing with.

My broader point is - he doesn't play in a vacuum and having a guy who does whatever the fuck he wants and never gets pulled up on it, has to have a detrimental effect on the team. New West Ham is about hard working players who run all day, and do every part of their job. Sahko scores goals, but he closes down too. Song passes beautifully, but he tracks back too.

I know why you want it to work out, because Morrison playing like he did last year is a tantalising thought, but I think that's too simplistic. What he does all week away from the pitch has an impact on the team, and I can see why Allardyce has had enough.

He'll be back from Lazio within 6 months. He'll be a nice fit up at Hull.