West Ham Utd 1 Middlesbrough 1 (20/03/12)

[Doc H Ball]

big chalks

Heard that mate and felt for whoever it was. Think he also announced that it was someone's 70th and I wasn't sure who to feel the sorrier for.

Good luck to him

[Plashet Grove Pete]

There are mixed views on this thead about Cant Control's performance but for me last night (and many times this season) he has been very poor.

Trapping the ball and passing to a team mate are basic footballing skills. If you can't do it consistently, you shouldn't be in the team.

[Upton Larks]

There are mixed views on this thead about Cant Control's performance but for me last night (and many times this season) he has been very poor.

Trapping the ball and passing to a team mate are basic footballing skills. If you can't do it consistently, you shouldn't be in the team.

Very harsh! ... he does often control the ball, but loses it because he has 3 men around him in an instant, under the knowledge they have no other fcker in their half to worry about so can swarm both centre halves and one of the full backs onto Carlton. He also misplaces passes because, again, he is very often closely marked and has his best otpions blocked off by covering men who don't have any other forwards to occupy them.

[Up the Junction]

A quick apology for the delay in transcribing last night's press conferences... they'll be with you later today.

[Morocco Mole]

another thing, tomkins as a midfielder. i'm ok with that, but if he plays that role, he should be the one carrying the ball from the defence, not noble. when i see noble near our box and tomkins past midfield i always feel like something's wrong. might be just me tho...

I noticed that too. Tomkins was quite often in advance of Noble which is arse about face - Noble trying to get on the ball out of frustration maybe...?

[warp]

I noticed that too. Tomkins was quite often in advance of Noble which is arse about face - Noble trying to get on the ball out of frustration maybe...?

maybe, but it happened in other games too.

[carnage]

Its sickening that boro didnt even try and got a point.

I have read some absolute cobblers in my time, on here and elsewhere, but this is the worst for me. Do you honestly think Boro were not trying?

Are you old enough to vote, please tell me you are not.

[rare as rockinghorse shat]

Yeah, you do speak some over exuberant b*llocks at times, hawking.

[kaybee15]

Just seen Sam's Sky interview. Firstly, does he like Baldock coz he's forever digging him out? Perhaps if the ball had been played to his feed rather than his head (he's not very tall afterall) he would have a better chance of scoring, perhaps if Sam played him for more than 5-10 mins here and there but actually gave him a run in the team, he'd score. Never mentions other players misses/poor performances. Not good man-management, imho.

Thought he was shockingly rude to the interviewer and very arrogant as well. Don't like the man at all.

I mentioned this last night, only for HD1 to kindly point out I was talking b*llocks. In one respect he's absolutely correct - I said BFS had blamed Baldock for the *loss*, when of course he'd done no such thing - but I still maintain he played too much on that missed header. On rewatching it, I'd suggest BFS was playing deflection tactics, concentrating on that one miss that was fresh in everyone's mind, and mentioning Baldock's name twice in ten seconds, to plant the seeds of 'Hey look, we nearly won, if only Baldock could finish', and hope that the rest of that turgid, depressing display - and more importantly it's architect - would be forgotten. Had he not utterly embarrassed himself for the rest of the interview, it may even have worked...

[smuts]

on a seperate note, did anyone hear Jeremy Nicholas give a mention to big chalks at half time? Off to war again at the end of the week

We didnt send him off overly happy, and his wistful look round the stadium as we were leaving wasnt the nicest of moments

Best of luck to Big Chalks

I did have to wonder as well what happened with Cole when the ball bounced at about 2 mph off his face...he shook his head then went down holding his head as if he'd been spanked with a mallet.

Fancied a breather I suppose.........or watching Drogba's play acting last week.

[Cuenca 'ammer]

Maybe we should get every opposing centre half to wear a John Terry mask. He just goes down too easily or gets out muscled for a big man. Sorry, but most of the time he's on his arse looking for the ref to bail him out.

[The Moth]

Just watched his sky sports post match interview....how embarrassing. The blokes a complete tool, imo.

[EvilC]

Sam just sent me an email.

Some of the great play will be forgotten due to the fact the final ball was missing.

Did I blink and miss it?

[Hambrosia Stu]

He just goes down too easily or gets out muscled for a big man. Sorry, but most of the time he's on his arse looking for the ref to bail him out.

I disagree completely
I think the opposite is true. He just isn't nasty enough

There was one occassion last night, I'm sure it was in the penalty area, where he got flattened as the Boro defender jumped into his back, with his elbow going into the small of his back, and no attempt to play the ball. A blatant penalty I thought, yet Carlton didn't even appeal. He barely even blinked. Just got up, dusted himself down, with that look of "I never get anything like that"

If that was Drogba he'd have been screaming penalty before he'd even landed, would have sprinted after the ref, then collapsed on the floor in agony once he'd got his attention!

[Cuenca 'ammer]

Stu

Wasn't I kind of saying that ? He absolutely bossed John Terry. But never does to even the lamest Fizzy Pop centre half.

[BubbleBoy]

I, like most, would like to see us play a little more adventerously and certainly with a bit more balance when we go forwards.
The injuires are hurting us, particularly Fabuert and Vaz Te being out, both of whom allow us to play that that 4-5-1 into 4-3-3 much better.

But this says it all for me and I can't say I miss going to home games anymore.

I thought our team came and did what was expected. It was our prerogative to come here and make life difficult for them and to see if we could create some anxiety in the stadium. I think we did that.

The crowd get frustrated - every bad pass, every interception, there's a groan.

I think the expectation of the fan base is they should be in the Premier League. They see it almost as an insult that they're playing their football in the Championship.

I'm sure Big Sam is dealing with that every day.

[hawkins_hammer]

I have read some absolute cobblers in my time, on here and elsewhere, but this is the worst for me. Do you honestly think Boro were not trying?

Are you old enough to vote, please tell me you are not.

Got a masters degree mate

Of the recent games I have been to at UP: Palace, Donny and Watford...they all tried much harder than Boro did in my opinion. Boro sat deep and played a very casual counter-attacking game. They looked lethargic and demoralised. They never, ever looked like scoring until they got a random equaliser. We weren't doing a good job attacking considering how much space and time they gave us even in their half. If we had bothered to mark Emnes inbetween the defenders and midfielders they would have had even less possession. All their attacking moves came from us sloppily giving the ball away or making needless fouls giving them a platform to put the ball in our box.

The point I was trying to make was that it is not difficult to defend against us providing you sit deep and can head a ball.

[LincolnshireHammer]

Allardyce's tactics were awful last night. Partly to blame for the draw.

[jacko]

Got a masters degree mate

You could be Doogie Howser MD for all we know.

[Upton Larks]

I'd suggest BFS was playing deflection tactics,

Indeed. Sam Allardyce is only interested in Sam Allardyce. He'll do anything to deflect criticism away from himself, and will stoop to the level of blaming a young, newly signed prospect, digging him out to avoid personal blame. I really do dislike our manager.