West Ham Utd 0 Aston Villa 1 (20/12/08)

[JonG86]

You posted before I could edit it out

(best statistical striker though)

[smuts]

Zola has to put pressure on the f*ckwits in charge by saying we need some new blood....if he comes out with the usual reducing the squad only bollc*cks....then I wonder if he's just there for the money...

I hope not......stand up to these f*ckers who are ruining us Frankie.

[Clucking Bell]

Just to be controversial, I don't think it's necessarily down to Bellamy or Cole. The fact is we started the game with four central midfielders and, until Collison was pulled off, we played 84 minutes with four central midfielders. We had no width at all in the game and, after Villa scored, they all spent the rest of the game running around the same ten square yards of turf getting in each others' way.

Also, if one of them just occasionally took a shot at goal rather than trying to play another five yard pass :twisted:

[Up the Junction]

Just to be controversial ...

Agree with all of that Mr Bell

[Tel The Hammer]

Just to be controversial, I don't think it's necessarily down to Bellamy or Cole. The fact is we started the game with four central midfielders and, until Collison was pulled off, we played 84 minutes with four central midfielders. We had no width at all in the game and, after Villa scored, they all spent the rest of the game running around the same ten square yards of turf getting in each others' way.

Also, if one of them just occasionally took a shot at goal rather than trying to play another five yard pass :twisted:

Thing is we started with exactly the same side at Stamford Bridge last sunday. I know we were away from home and you#re not supposed to attack as much, but our midfield looked fine, creative and dandy at Chelsea. So there's no need for change in our midfield. Only difference is our main chance at Chelsea fell to Bellamy and he was able to stick it away. Shame the same can't be said about Cole today or last weekend.

The midfield isn't the problem.

[upton girlie]

Zola has to put pressure on the f*ckwits in charge by saying we need some new blood....if he comes out with the usual reducing the squad only bollc*cks....then I wonder if he's just there for the money...

I hope not......stand up to these f*ckers who are ruining us Frankie.

If those 'above' have their own agenda, then whatever pressure Zola applies will not make a blind bit of difference...

[Hammerhead9]

Does anyone know why we took Behrami off....thought he was having a good game personally.[/quote]

Behrami suffered a hip related injury after a collision whilst jumping for a header.

We outplayed Villa, played excellent competitive football. Illunga had a blinder! Zola must now wield the axe on Cole he has been given enough chances. I mean what does this f*****g pretender want a f*****g open goal. Even then we'd hold our collective breaths. Piss F*****g weak Cole.

Is It just me or does Robert Green freeze on the spot when presented with shots on goal that may seem hard to save. Last night he seemed to squat down after the deflection but then didn't go through with the jump. I have seen goals whiz past him in other games where he has looked frozen on the spot watching the ball.

[lopsidedbunny]

Time to give Diego Tristan a start???

Carlton Cole was never a striker at Chelsea but a midfielder, he average 5 gaol in twenty games or so. Not really the quality we need at this level. Good midfielder and holding up the ball but can't shoot.

[lopsidedbunny]

2) not even in the right position to receive the ball. Even his movement towards the ball on that back post chance was all wrong as he got underneath the ball.

He was playing in the wrong position during set pieces he alway played nearest towards the ball when he would have been more suited towards the back for the corners etc. but for some reason it was Bellamy at the back post. It would have been better it the two had swap roles.

[I am Legend]

yeah time to let Tristan and Sears have a game together.

[JonG86]

Just to be controversial, I don't think it's necessarily down to Bellamy or Cole. The fact is we started the game with four central midfielders and, until Collison was pulled off, we played 84 minutes with four central midfielders. We had no width at all in the game and, after Villa scored, they all spent the rest of the game running around the same ten square yards of turf getting in each others' way.

Also, if one of them just occasionally took a shot at goal rather than trying to play another five yard pass :twisted:

Didn't stop us getting 20 shots on goal (9 on target).

The problem wasn't with the setting up, the problem was with the execution.

[Het-Field]

The laco of goal is a true worry. Since the Arsenal game we have scored one at home. We have also only managed three away.


We are a side without strikers, and like in 2002/3 it could be detrimental. We played without Kanoute between October and February, and Di CanIo from the start of december to the end of january. It was out undoing. Cole and Bellamy are not working properly together, and it is clear that they have no understanding.

I was reticent to call for starting Tristan, however, I am compelled to throw ,my weight behind these calls. Unless Cole bangs one in oon, hiis crisis will only get worse.

[Bobby Orangeboom]

Carlton Cole is dreadful...

[pablo jaye]

Time to give Diego Tristan a start???

Carlton Cole was never a striker at Chelsea but a midfielder, he average 5 goals in twenty games or so. Not really the quality we need at this level. Good midfielder and holding up the ball but can't shoot.

I'd agree with that one ... over the last few games, we've looked quite solid at the back, GZ appears to have sorted that out, the midfield looks OK (although could do with a bit more creativity) but it is up front where I find myself spitting feathers - particularly with CFC.

Also, we need to stay fit - not sure there is much back-up beyond the current starting line up....this mornign I'm feeling optimistic and think we'll pick up a few points over Xmas.

[Hugh Jargon (Old)]

No goals= relegation. We should have gone for Defoe and Crouch when we had some money to spend.Pardon?

[Neil.C]

Sickened by the result.

I think we comprehensively outplayed one of the best teams in the Prem for the majority of the game.

The defence looked solid, midfield fine, if only we could score some goals.

Bellamy is trying to do the lot IMO and I'm afraid i have lost any faith I had in Cole. I really think he had 2-3 cast iron chances and didn't take one.

You could see he was frustrated by his own ineptitude but until someone who can score goals from gilt edged chances plays ( I' m sure any of our current strikers could have done better) we are looking at relegation IMO. :cry:

[I am law]

Carlton Cole is dreadful...

Carlton Cole has now missed badly twice in two games (the header yesterday was much more of a howler than the shot at an angle).
This, in itself, is unlikely, in my view, to prevent him from starting the next games that we have, because Pompey and Stoke are both tall, muscular teams.

The reality is that

1. Bellamy and Cole are in truth as good a mix as oil and water
2. Cole is clearly low in confidence (although he had a patch at the beginning of the 2nd half when he played well)
3. Tristan signed for us at least 2 months ago and is still not considered fit to play a full match
4. DDM is not going to trouble the next two teams very much, especially seeing as he appears to have some bizarre balance problem
5. Sears is slight in build and apparently not fit to make the bench at the moment.

Everyone hung their heads in their hands when Cole - practically unmarked - failed to get that header on target yesterday. It was undoubtedly a poor miss.

In my view, the Plan B - playing a full match without Cole - can only be considered against certain opponents. Pompey and Stoke are not such teams.

If Villa buy another striker in the window, I'd personally consider asking to loan Harewood for the rest of the season. If we don't start scoring goals, we will always be ripe for the sucker punch goal that decides games in which we have competed with the best. Villa were not that good yesterday, although they clearly had potential in speed and team cohesion.

One point from 18 at home is a very depressing statistic.

[Devils Advocate]

A few quick comments on yesterday's game.

1) What a ****ing silly time of day to play a football match.

2) Why is it our crowd can boo an opponent loudly and regularly but can't find the same volume or consistency to get behind any of our current players?

3) The "You're not playing 'cos your ****" song was funny though.

4) Defensively we were very solid apart from when (usually Parker) giving the ball away in dangerous areas. I'm struggling to think of any opportunity that Villa genuinely created for themselves, and their goal was a fluke.

5) Collison looked class again for an hour but appeared to tire after that.

6) Bellamy needs to make more of his runs through the middle, instead of into blind alleys out wide.

7) It's a pity we have to rely on Cole to be on the end of chances, because no-one else looks like getting in on them.

[derek zoolander]

Just got in. We outplayed the now 3rd placed team in the premierleague for most of the 2nd half i thought.

Bellamy was very good, apart from not scoring, i felt he ran their defense raged all match and was the starting point for nearly all our good attacking moves.

Carlton Cole had one of the worst games iv seen for us. In the first half i honestly cant remember him getting the ball and then managing to either shoot or pass it next to another west ham player. He literally lost the ball every single time. 2nd half was an improvement in those terms and he got into some scoring situations but how he missed that header i just dont know. It almost seemed harder to miss it than to actually score. Its not like the lanky ****er was striggling to get up to it, if it had been bellamy then maybe.

Again i didnt see any real problems with the defense and i thought we stiffled their attack very well. Especially considering how they've ripped teams apart before.

Does anyone know if there was anything wrong with Parker because he had an off one before he was subbed at half time? I thought he might have been ill or something because he just didnt seem on the pace.

Behrami and Bellamy were our two best players for me. Once again the nutty swiss didnt stop running and generally was a pain in the arse for villa the whole time. Bellamy much the same.

We actually played well but Bellamy needs somebody up there with him who knows how to shoot and knows how to play football. There was one painful example in the 1st half where bellamy broke through went to pass it through the cole and as he did Cole just ran in the opposite direction.

I however, wouldnt blame Cole for our situation yesterday, he was out there trying to score, it wasnt working and evryone where i was sitting was saying get Tristan on. Zola waited and waited until we were 1 - 0 down and it was too late. He needs to learn to not let games pass him by. Thats why i would say us losing comes down to the manager. It wasnt working because Cole was getting the chances and we needed someone on there who is good in front of goal, Zola was happy to let cole carry on missing chance after chance. Not good enough quite frankly.

[sendô]

Sickened by the result.

I think we comprehensively outplayed one of the best teams in the Prem for the majority of the game.

The defence looked solid, midfield fine, if only we could score some goals.

Bellamy is trying to do the lot IMO and I'm afraid i have lost any faith I had in Cole. I really think he had 2-3 cast iron chances and didn't take one.

You could see he was frustrated by his own ineptitude but until someone who can score goals from gilt edged chances plays ( I' m sure any of our current strikers could have done better) we are looking at relegation IMO. :cry:

Sums it up perfectly. The way they scored made it that much harder to stomach. How did Cole miss that header?