West Ham United 1 Aston Villa 1 (10/09/06)

[carnage]

Etherington was dreadful when he came on today...but that aside, he is so important to us.
I know the argument goes on about how important he is and that people think he created loads of goals last year when in fact he never.... .

This is bollox RARS, Etherington created plenty of goals for us last year.

[Larry]

Now way! I think Konchesky just needs to be a bit more composed, but overall hes good for us, he was part of the goal today.

don't get me wrong I like Konch, and think he's good at defending and going forward but as I said it's just his passing that worries me..

[rare as rockinghorse shat]

This is bollox RARS, Etherington created plenty of goals for us last year.

Get the stats up... bet he never created as many as you clearly think he did.

[JimmyHammer]

Get the stats up... bet he never created as many as you clearly think he did.

just the one in the play-off final lol :lol:

[carnage]

I reckon more goals came from the left than the right last season.

[rare as rockinghorse shat]

I reckon more goals came from the left than the right last season.

Doubt it....
But to the specific point, Matty never really created that many goals last season mate.

[rendog2]

I didn't see the game becaause my ****ing electricity was cut off yesterday afternoon (before anyone calls me an armchair supporter, or a lazy hippiy who should pay his bills, i live in China aka the New Wild West, and the bastards cut me off before giving me any ****ing bills).

Sounds like we played crap, but hey, people need to temper expectations a little. We always draw with villa. was yesterday worse than the 4-0 defeat at home by sheffield wednesdayy a few years ago, for instance?

[soporific]

Yeah, can everyone lay off the "drop him!" solution to our performance yesterday? Rather than can the man, why not offer some insight to WHY some of our players should be dropped other than they were SH*TE. We don't have any players of this sort on our books, so HAVE SOME RESPECT!! What we do have are players lacking in some areas of their play and that's the comments i'd like to read, thank you very much.

The game i watched on the net: Well, after the first 10 minutes I was gobsmacked ... we were already behind, but not by a soft goal - it was by one of those lucky goal mouth ones, but then Marlon misses an absolute sitter. He nearly fell as he tried his shot. He has much more balance than that so what happened? Not comfortable on the ball. Some have said he doesn't have the talent but ANYONE who has played 350 career games COULD have EASILY scored. I think the whole team wasn't comfortable (with the exception of Gabbers, and also Anton who knows nothing else) --- and we also kept giving these hospital passes to team mates, especially in midfield, that everytime meant the villans had the ball back within two seconds. The Konch does this too often, and Benayoun too. It smacked of a lack of urgency and not of a team already one goal down.

We weren't comfortable on the ball at all, whereas Villa were. Maybe I'm singling Marlon out but Villa in comparison were composed, composed, composed. Why? I think the biggest reason is the acres of space each Villa player gave his team mate. I remember being impressed with their passing because each time they had an eternity on the ball because the pass they received was very good. In contrast, West Ham's hospital passing meant that our attacks 'spluttered' -- in rugby union, a team with good control will put many many phases together. Normally West Ham ARE quick on the ball, ie able to move the ball around quickly with crisp passing -- we have a reputation for this -- but Villa showed us exactly how to do it in the first half. We can't afford to take 60 minutes to start playing good 'phase' football.

Then the reason I love this club comes into play. By the last 15 minutes it is the Irons who look more likely to score because we finally wake up to the fact we have to really really think hard about trying to get the ball into the oppositions net. Everything picked up -- we weren't giving the ball away so often, our attacks had purpose, and so Villa's goal was under constant threat.

But it was Tevez who showed up some of the problems we have. His best move of the match had him deliver his final ball into acres of space 3 yards out from goal, but Bobby was heading towards the near post (albiet with a defender hanging off him) where, even if Tevez had managed to get it to him, he would have had a hell of a time scoring. The commentator made the point that a hungrier team would have scored, but I disagree, the players have to put each other into SPACE, they have to THINK like this and also have to LOOK up every once in a while (hello Marlon).

We've only had 30 mins of Argentinian influence to see so far but I think Tevez has given us an indication that he knows this in his bones. Let's hope so. One of my favourite jokes of all time is:

Q: What do you do when you see a spaceman?
A: You park your car, man.

(hilarious, isn't it?)

In my dreams, all the players have adopted the mantra:

Q: What do you do when you see a spaceman?
A: You put an inch-perfect pass for your team mate into it, man.

[rippyuk]

don't get me wrong I like Konch, and think he's good at defending and going forward but as I said it's just his passing that worries me..

http://football.guardian.co.uk/Columnis ... 40,00.html

....In an intriguing contest, brimming with subplots, it was notable that both English left-backs on show turned in excellent performances. In Konchesky and Barry we have two genuine full-backs of quality. Both can tackle and pass and can disguise a tiny lack of pace. Ashley Cole had better stay on his toes...

[Canadianhammer]

:lol: Definately not mate.... the wife was pretty incredible.
Both a couple of miserable bastards though to be honest.

I really don't like the look of this Kia bloke.

I agree...he looks sleazy or something...
As for the game...I think Villa really took it to us today in the 1st half and we were lucky to come out of it with a point. They played at such a pace that we were completely unsettled by it. We came out and wanted to stroll and play obvious football...Villa were having none of it. We never did fully recover. I think that's why so many of our players had a bad game...they were all thrown off. We've gotta be ready from the first whistle cos we spent the first half trying to keep up. They really took it to us, kept us on our back foot, and made many of our players look terrible. It's no coincidence that so many of them could not pass, Konchesky, Mullins, NRC even...poor finishing. I'll bet Pard's will be setting that right this week.

[Bobby Orangeboom]

to be honest I've had my doubts about Konchesky for quite a while now and I think Pardew, should seriously consider bringing in another left back in January so as to give us more options in that position..

100000% agree...

Konchesky is at best an average left back...

We definately need a better left back if we are to progress as a football club !!

[Countryboy]

100000% agree...

Konchesky is at best an average left back...

We definately need a better left back if we are to progress as a football club !!

He already has ... George McCartney. We just haven't seen him yet owing to injury.

As to the rest of the game, it was an embarrassment to put on such a shoddy performance in front of our two new players. But ...

We can and will play much much better, particularly once Matty is fully fit.

Villa are a tough team with an excellent manager and they made Arsenal look like mugs at the Emirates, too.

We were always going to have a negative reaction after the insane amounts of hype surrounding the club over the past fortnight.

Last season, we'd follow dismal home games like this - Portsmouth anyone? - with massive improvements in tougher games the following week. So I'd expect improvement against palermo and newcastle.

And it could be worse. We could be Tottenham. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!

[Bobby Orangeboom]

He already has ... George McCartney. We just haven't seen him yet owing to injury.

As to the rest of the game, it was an embarrassment to put on such a shoddy performance in front of our two new players. But ...

We can and will play much much better, particularly once Matty is fully fit.

Villa are a tough team with an excellent manager and they made Arsenal look like mugs at the Emirates, too.

We were always going to have a negative reaction after the insane amounts of hype surrounding the club over the past fortnight.

Last season, we'd follow dismal home games like this - Portsmouth anyone? - with massive improvements in tougher games the following week. So I'd expect improvement against palermo and newcastle.

And it could be worse. We could be Tottenham. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!

George Macartney is NOT a better left back than Konchesky..

I'd rather have Linda Macartney's Pies playing there !!!

[Alf Garnett's (Ex) Missus]

My quick twopenneth...

Petrov bossed the whole midfield for them.

Should have been 3-0 down at half time

Marlon off pace - lacking confidence big time and didn't seem up for it

We lacked width - both Yossi and to some extent Bowyer failed to use the width often enough and even when Etherington came on he also cut inside too often

Defence looked very shakey at times and Carroll doesn't convince me he can manage his defenders

Pardew cut his nose off to spite his face IMHO - I pick the team therefore I'll leave a £20m+ midfielder on the bench and play the shower of ***** that is Mullins

Tevez obviously is not a traditional peanlty area striker and we are going to need to see more players in the box when he drifts out - something we are generally not good at

And wtf was the cake **** all about after the game Pardew? :shock:

[reo_coker20]

correct me if I'm wrong here but is'nt it a strikers number one priority to score goals and how good or bad he plays in a match dose not matter..

yes it is but tevez and cole was desperate to come on and im saying he should of been changed with harewood for these two as a joint sub not when pards done it

[reo_coker20]

to be honest I've had my doubts about Konchesky for quite a while now and I think Pardew, should seriously consider bringing in another left back in January so as to give us more options in that position..

konchesky doesn't take hes time he just wants to put the ball in the box with out picking a player out he needs to take hes time in this situation

[reo_coker20]

i see people are saying about mullins, he wins so much of the ball and breaks there attacks down but basically does that and does the simple pass. but mascherano would do all that and chip in a few goals and set up some.

so mullins i think your time is up and enjoy your role on the bench

[I am law]

I'd rather have Linda Macartney's Pies playing there !!!

You're not going to get much in the way of blood sweat and tears out of them, though, are you?

[w4hammer]

My quick twopenneth...

Petrov bossed the whole midfield for them.

....ERRR- YES, MOTM by a mile- he was everywhere

Should have been 3-0 down at half time

...At least - it was like Pompey last year lol

Marlon off pace - lacking confidence big time and didn't seem up for it

just seemed very lacking in confidenecewhich is understandable, he got fuk all service tho

We lacked width - both Yossi and to some extent Bowyer failed to use the width often enough and even when Etherington came on he also cut inside too often

I can only think it was the game plan-we were constantly coming in-field to take on three or four villa players---i.e. no plan B

Defence looked very shakey at times and Carroll doesn't convince me he can manage his defenders

If thats the way they are going to mplay this season-we're doomed--I think carroll was concsious of his injury and that fear spread elsewhere

Pardew cut his nose off to spite his face IMHO - I pick the team therefore I'll leave a £20m+ midfielder on the bench and play the shower of ***** that is Mullins

Tevez obviously is not a traditional peanlty area striker and we are going to need to see more players in the box when he drifts out - something we are generally not good at

And wtf was the cake sh*t all about after the game Pardew? :shock:

all in all, it was pretty much what i thought would happen.....we looked very distracted and disjointed....a nice little wake-up call which we have got away withy--i think we'll be alot better on thursday and sunday.


the worst performance today by far was from our crowd....fuk me....a few rentacrowd bubbles at the start of each half, does not a good atmosphere make....lets stop moaning and get behind them hey?

[upton o'good]

The press keep suggesting mascherano and tevez might struggle to adjust, what about Petrov, i think he's gonna be a waste of money!

As ot turned out Matin O'neill was right nd you were wrong. petrov was outstanding... MoM?