West Ham Utd 0 Stoke City 1 (27/03/10)

[debaser_74]

Though the performance today was much better than Tuesday, there were the same failings up front i.e. no-one seems to want to take responsibility in front of goal. Thought Noble did ok today as did Da Costa, inspite of getting mugged for the goal.I can't make my mind up on Behrami, has a lot of energy but not much else and looks scared to shoot. Diamante looked sluggish again and I really can't believe that Cole is fit, certainly never looked a threat today. Spent a fortune this week watching us lose twice, may have to try Herion instead - it's cheaper and can't do any more damage to my self-esteem than 36 years of following West Ham

[tugboatpete]

Why was Daprela dropped for Spector today?

It is not spectres fault -he plays whereever hes told
the tactical no how is rubbish

[neil_d]

Haven't read through everyone's comments yet, but here's my thoughts about today's football:

We dealt with Stoke's set-pieces (including them bloody throw-ins) no problem...and, against Stoke, that's the game as good as won...Right?!

Well, apart from forgetting how to tackle (just before they scored), I thought we were fine at the back. Not brilliant, but no massive worries.

But going forward we didn't seem to have a clue. I don't know what Dyer has against the fans in the East Stand, but he didn't want to go near them. So much space over there, he was clearly quicker than their left back, but neither he nor Faubert actually went down the wing. Meanwhile, Mido seemed to do more defending than going forward. Cole looked pretty out of it. Diamante was pretty shocking. And me after a few large drinks would have had more impact than Ilan.

So that's the football. Off the pitch, I don't who's to blame or who should've done what. But things ain't good, and if Zola goes I can't say I'd be sad. We need to change something and (as nice as the guy is) the only thing we can change right now is the management.

Here's hoping for a change in fortunes, but I feel now (for the first time this year) that we are more likely to go down than stay up.

[hammersgirl7573]

This was my view today! Goodness only knows how the little kids next to me saw anything. As i missed most of the game unless the ball was in the air - needless to say i'll be complaining to the club on Monday as it was was a waste of money.

[chigwells finest]

if you were stuck in front of a firing squad, youd want our strikers holding a rifle wouldnt you..?

[bubbles1966]

That waste of money, along with the sale of Collins and the signing of Dyer, Davenport, Quashie, Boa Morte, Ljungberg and Faubert when we thought we had cash to burn, will go down as the idiocy that sunk the club.

Look at the near £30 million that's been spent on Ilunga, Behrami, Savio, Diamanti, Kovac, Jimenez, to see where the money has been wasted......

Ljungberg, Faubert, LBM, Davenport were so **** we never dropped out of the top half virtually all season with them in the team under our previous manager....

Time to stop grinding your heavily flawed axe.....

[Hammerite]

This was my view today! Goodness only knows how the little kids next to me saw anything. As i missed most of the game unless the ball was in the air - needless to say i'll be complaining to the club on Monday as it was was a waste of money.

Strange as that's where the balls was 90% of the time Agreed with the waste of money bit, but that's probably true of another 33,000 odd home fans, so you're not on your own.

[Cardiff here we come.....]

In January last year we sold Etherington and Bellamy - sacrificing nearly all the pace and width in the team.

£8-£9 million was wasted on Savio - the worst signing in years.

Our form post Bellamy last season was bottom 8 standard.

We then further weakened by allowing Neill to go - not only do we miss his leadership and defensive qualities, he was a pretty accomplished passer of the ball. Add Collins, while Davenport became unavailable. Ashton also vanished.

We effectively replaced Neill and Collins with DaCosta and Daprela - choosing to punt the real money on Kovac and Diamanti - players we never really needed.

We ended the summer transfer window with:

1 experienced goalkeeper
1 fit, experienced Premiership centre half
12 midfield players - incl, 4 tip of the diamond ones
1 forward.

It was fairly obvious back then - many commented on it.

Superb post

That sums it up for me...we're just not good enough & lost some major players along the way.

F**king crazy when you think of the players we've let go Zamora,Etherington,Bellamy,Collins,Neill...Madness

Yep,we've got a few decent individuals but overall the squad is quite poor.

I cant't keep hanging onto the dream that we're gonna stay up...cos i'll be bitterly disappointed.

We're down...

But happy to see the break up of this squad.Cant support c**ts that dont want to fight & give everything for West Ham.

[libero]

[
Look at the near £30 million that's been spent on Ilunga, Behrami, Savio, Diamanti, Kovac, Jimenez, to see where the money has been wasted......

Ljungberg, Faubert, LBM, Davenport were so sh*t we never dropped out of the top half virtually all season with them in the team under our previous manager....

Time to stop grinding your heavily flawed axe.....

If you want to quote me then quote me in full. I specifically mention the signing of Benni McCarthy but you mis-quote me to further your own obsessively pathetic agenda. Why exactly did you choose to leave out any mention I made of McCarthy in quoting me?

If you haven't got the ability to take me on on the posts make, then please don't distort them to further your own paranoid and pointlessly irrelevant obsession.

If you want to debate, then try to play fair, addres the questions i am referring to - if not then carry on misrepresenting the points I make

[chigwells finest]

you cant keep selling diamonds, and replacing them with zirconium......parker is visually and mentally knackered holding this shambles together.....

[upton o'good]

I'd just like to say to everyone well done for keeping the support going today in light of Tuesday. We've got to give it a right go at Everton. We battle on to the end. I don't think it's entirely Zola's fault - he had his legs cut from under him selling off some key players.

For what it's worth Curbishley is the only affordable manager who could do a job for us. And he is West Ham.

Yes, it absolutley is Zola's fault.

Sure he has had his legs cut from under him. But he still has a squad that most bottom half managers woudl be happy to have. He's jsut used them abominably. The lack of width is his choice. when he plays a genuine wide player he always puts them on the side they'll cut in. And he cant motivate his team to compete against the likes of Bolton or Wolves.

With our lack of quality in centre midfield we absoluteley have to stretch the paly at home to ahve a hope of getting ball in to the fwds.

And Curbs dont make me laugh.

[the pink palermo]

In January last year we sold Etherington and Bellamy - sacrificing nearly all the pace and width in the team.
Raising c. £14m in transfer fees and slashing the wage bill - without which the club would have run out of money
£8-£9 million was wasted on Savio - the worst signing in years.
Later recouped , but the chances are his wages were a fraction of the two we sold - the banks were caning us for breaching wages:turnover ratios , so what choice did the club have ? Maybe just don't bother getting a player in ?
Our form post Bellamy last season was bottom 8 standard.
Yep , agreed , but we had to sell him for financial reasons
We then further weakened by allowing Neill to go - not only do we miss his leadership and defensive qualities, he was a pretty accomplished passer of the ball. Add Collins, while Davenport became unavailable. Ashton also vanished.
Clear Zola misjudgements
We effectively replaced Neill and Collins with DaCosta and Daprela - choosing to punt the real money on Kovac and Diamanti - players we never really needed.
Agreed .

We ended the summer transfer window with:

1 experienced goalkeeper
1 fit, experienced Premiership centre half
12 midfield players - incl, 4 tip of the diamond ones
1 forward.
Agreed - the Collins for Diamanti issue is the one thats destoyed the team .Collins was first choice for the first 2 games of the season .

Bellamy went because we were desperate even then , Etherington went because of his gambling . Your points about the players coming in are the real issue .
.

[bubbles1966]

If you want to quote me then quote me in full. I specifically mention the signing of Benni McCarthy but you mis-quote me to further your own obsessively pathetic agenda.

Why exactly did you choose to leave out any mention I made of McCarthy in quoting me?

If you haven't got the ability to take me on on the posts make, then please don't distort them to further your own paranoid and pointlessly irrelevant obsession.

If you want to debate, then try to play fair, addres the questions i am referring to - if not then carry on misrepresenting the points I make

To Stupidity and Beyond

How about you face facts?

The players you so enjoy whining about were actually pretty good- so much better than the ones we have now.

Benni McCarthy - £2 million - whoopty do......that's the price of a top striker's excrement these days...

[nickkarkie]

I agree with your ratings Dodger, exactly as I saw them

[bubbles1966]

Bellamy went because we were desperate even then , Etherington went because of his gambling . Your points about the players coming in are the real issue .
.

I know Pinky.

It's the judgements - not just in players, but the positions that were bought for, and not bought for.

[garage]

My 10 year old nephew made me laugh earlier he excitedly told me west ham was buying the olympic stadium not anymore :lol:

[Muddy]

Basically the way i saw if was : Mido is a fucking usless fat lazy cunt, i hardly say Diamanti touch the ball, Illan was invisiable, and Green conceded a **** goal which he really should've saved. The high point of the match was signing "Let him die" to that stoke player what hurt himeself (couldn't see who it was, but i was worth the 35 quid ticket just to sing it :lol: , pretty sad when that's the highpoint of the match tbh).
The ref was a wanker, and them stoke fans were right cheeky gits.

[Jon]

I've been a Hammer for 35 years and that today was about as bad as it gets. It was truly awful.

The make up of the squad, the selection, the tactics, the mindless long balls.. It was dire. How people applauded at HT staggered me.

Zola must take a huge amount of blame. No idea what happened to Dyer but to bring on Diamanti and play him AGAIN on the right beggared belief. At one point, Noble had the ball, Diamanti was square of him (of course..) Noble gives it to him. Sure enough he lacks the pace and right foot to go down the line, so he cuts in side and plays the ball back to Faubert at right back... Momentum lost.

If those are the tactics then they may as well appoint the kid sat next to me who was no more than 8 years old. Noble needs runners inside the full backs, strikers who will run the channels...

Did anyone else notice how quick Mido ran off the pitch when he was substituted? It was hilarious. Never ran like that all game. Overweight and a League 2 player at very best. Cole was a disgrace too. Didn't want to be there. Is he injured? I hope so because if that's the workrate and energy of a fit player then we are history.

[speculator]

Having watched the extended highlights to go over it again a few points: we are losing virtually every 50/50 ball in the air. By now Mido and McCarthy should have lost their excess weight. Why did Dyer go off at half-time? We are not creating enough goal scoring opportunities. Why are so many players not playing as well as they have done earlier in the season or last year? We must stop buying players at the end of their career.

It didn't look as bad as it seemed - if Mido had of connected could have been a different story.

[Muddy]

Having watched the extended highlights to go over it again a few points: we are losing virtually every 50/50 ball in the air. By now Mido and McCarthy should have lost their excess weight. Why did Dyer go off at half-time? We are not creating enough goal scoring opportunities. Why are so many players not playing as well as they have done earlier in the season or last year? We must stop buying players at the end of their career.

It didn't look as bad as it seemed - if Mido had of connected could have been a different story.

We didn't look to bad in the first half. Again, we wasn't pulling the trigger when we should. But bloody 'ell,Green really should've saved Fuller's 'shot', i was right behind him and it shoud've been a simple save, yeah the shot was taken at close range, but still. It looked as it Green was trying to swat a fly infront of him. Pathetic.