West Ham Utd 2 Nottingham Forest 1 (21/01/12)

[dapablo]

So it's our fault we were outplayed by Forest

Not really the same issue is it, but yes if we were a crowd that supported our team then they would play better than our opponents in the majority of matches in this league, promise.

[Turns to Stone]

Maybe as many as Noble's but whose counting...Not Sam that's for fkcuing sure....

Funnily enough, whilst everyone's clamouring for Allardyce to say how good Noble has been this year, Mark Noble is actually in the form of his life. Personally, I reckon Allardyce should keep doing exactly what he's doing with Noble.

Everyone needs managing in a different way.

[Yea Why Not]

So it's our fault we were outplayed by Forest

In some ways it is. I bet if the crowd were beind the team instead of against them we'd have played a lot better football this season

[Turns to Stone]

Not really the same issue is it, but yes if we were a crowd that supported our team then they would play better than our opponents in the majority of matches in this league, promise.

The players look nervous. We're top of the league?

The fans do play a part, sadly it's not always a positive one.

[hawkins_hammer]

Look, our tactics first half were to get attacking throw ins. Every once in a while Noble thought "**** it" and tried to pass to a player. Now most of his passes weren't up to scratch first half, but can you blame him when he is being coached to aim it so that the other teams knocks it out of play in their half?

[the pink palermo]

But Hawkins, the play for throws tactic worked really well away at Watford .

I don't see how anyone can balme the fans - this time last year the players were being deafenned by booing , now they get to play in almost complete silence .

Tennis players prefer that . Why not footballers ?

[joyful]

The players do look nervous and I certainly don't think the crowd helps. But doesn't anyone think that there is bound to be some nervousness when players schooled in one way of playing are then asked to adopt another way?

I know the obvious response is that they weren't doing very well at the first way of playing. And perhaps Sam is right, and the players need to play this way to get results. But it's bound to take some adapting to -- for both the players and the crowd.

[Turns to Stone]

The players do look nervous and I certainly don't think the crowd helps. But doesn't anyone think that there is bound to be some nervousness when players schooled in one way of playing are then asked to adopt another way?

I know the obvious response is that they weren't doing very well at the first way of playing. And perhaps Sam is right, and the players need to play this way to get results. But it's bound to take some adapting to -- for both the players and the crowd.

I think it probably has a lot more to do with the fact that the only players that aren't new signings this summer are all under at least their 3rd West Ham manager. There 3rd West Ham coaching team. Some of them are on their 5th!?

It's not Allardyce's fault that he's the 3rd manager in under 18 months. But the fans are waiting for mistakes rather than waiting for good football. Allardyce can encourage what ever the hell he wants, if our midfielders are struggling with 10 yard passes, then what do you do?

[joyful]

if our midfielders are struggling with 10 yard passes, then what do you do?

Hire a better sports psychologist?
Seriously, it is the "England before Sven" issue, isn't it -- actions which are automatic become actions which need to be thought about under stress.

I agree the crowd aren't helping -- despite the bubble machines, celeb fans etc. What would really get the crowd onside is a few goals from run of play...it's a vicious circle.

[Myron T Buttram]

I took a non West Ham mate to the match (he supports Tottenham) and his main observation was how poor Green's distribution was and how many of our problems attacking stem from that. He always allows ample time for the opposing side to regroup and we're starting every single attack from the same point whereas with a well aimed throw we could bypass the first line of defence on a few occasions.

To my mind during the match Green went to bowl the ball out quickly on several occasions but a quick glance to the bench he would stop and hang on for the mighty hoof to bounce off Carlton's head hopefully in the general direction of Baldock to be easily dealt with by Forest. Its hard to blame the bloke for doing what his manager orders.

On the subject of crowd noise; there was a period of about 10 mins in the second half where we were actually running at Forest, putting quick passes together and piling on the pressure and crowd was buzzing, there was COYI ringing around I thought the players may take a cue from that and keep piling in. But then we got the second pen and it was business as usual.

[The Sherriff]

I think more responsibility lies with the crowd than with the manager, the players do not like playing at the Boleyn it seems a pretty obvious thing to me even all they way from down here, I doubt it's the training as his teams haven't been noticed in the past for being particularly incompetent with the ball, but the crowd are certainly still on the teams back, a monkey even!

Aside from the odd season, for the last 5 years its been a real struggle, losing more games than winning, the club stumbling from one disaster culminating in relegation. The club have wasted millions upon millions of pounds on wanky commercial decisions yet somehow the sombre atmosphere at the Boleyn is ultimately fans responsibility?

Fans asked to pay for over 30 bucks to watch negative, boring football in a **** league. Season Ticket holders getting ripped off by stumping up their hard earned cash in line with clubs deadlines, only for them to be reduced later on.

The club are lucky to have us I can assure you ….

[Yea Why Not]

But Hawkins, the play for throws tactic worked really well away at Watford .
I don't see how anyone can balme the fans - this time last year the players were being deafenned by booing , now they get to play in almost complete silence .

Tennis players prefer that . Why not footballers ?

I just feel that there is an uneasy atmosphere inside the stadium. It's almost like the players are scared to put a foot wrong as they know the fans will moan

It’s not a nice atmosphere to work in. It’s almost like having an office job under a boss who is an absolute ****. You can’t get on with your job and express yourself as you’d like to because you know you are always being watched and criticised every opportunity. So what do you do? You play it safe. You do the simple things and don’t try anything that might infuriate your boss if it were to go tits up

That exact same thing is happening with us. The boss being the fans obviously

[Sweeney Bod]

In hindsight, I miss the days when most games were played on the same day. If the events of the weekend had happened in days gone past, the atmosphere would have been a lot better. Imagine the news trickling in after Leicester went one up, it would soon get around the ground and the decibels would have increased.

Apart from the performance, people were deflated as we thought that we were not be truly top of the league until Southampton played. I am sure we would have not felt like this if Southampton had played Saturday.

[dapablo]

The club are lucky to have us I can assure you ….

I do one hundred per cent agree, the club have extremely loyal fans, the issue of the fans role was purely to argue the point it's not all "the managers" fault, we all have a collective responsibility and shouldn't shirk that which is ours.

[the pink palermo]

purely to argue the point it's not all "the managers" fault,.

Good luck arguing that point on this board .......

[dapablo]

purely to argue the point it's not all "the managers" fault,.

Good luck arguing that point on this board .......

Some do to good effect i.e, without recourse to wild and exiting adjectives.

[MS in the West]

[quote="Yea Why Not"]
I just feel that there is an uneasy atmosphere inside the stadium. It's almost like the players are scared to put a foot wrong as they know the fans will moan
quote]

Ah the fans. The difference between home and away is astonishing. Our fans away from home are generally outstanding. At home? The Boleyn often at best sounds like a mortuary and at worst like a bunch of left wingers responding to a Margaret Thatcher speech.

Pardew commented out the problems of confidence experiences by players in our promotion season, created by the highly critical stance of much of the crowd. It's a persistant problem

Seems to me that our home record has not been what it should have been - given our general performance in any one season - since at least 2003. If the WHU fans at home games behaved like the WHU fans at away games the Boleyn would be a fortress

[Yea Why Not]

If the WHU fans at home games behaved like the WHU fans at away games the Boleyn would be a fortress

Yep

[Matt of iron]

I've actually heard it all now.

How on earth are we the fans supposed to get excited when watching crap football against a relegation threatened team in the championship?

Notice how the person who brought it up is the person who has a pop at TPP every chance as well. I.e the bloke who never goes.

[dapablo]

I know of one set of fans who sing wholeheartedly even though their teams plays "crap" football, are we not as good as them ?