West Ham Utd 0 Manchester City 2 (11/08/07)

[chalky]

I like your style, remember Nauseating Positivity, it gets results.

FACT.

Good day off the pitch, got nicely pissed and the sun shone. It is always good to catch up with people at the start of a new season.

West Ham are trying to establish themselves as a Premier League side. That will take time and people should adjust their expectation levels accordingly IMO.

I agree, but it would be rather helpful if we could cobble together a decent enough team to at least give the appearance of competence! Nicht war?

Yesterday was a ****ing shambles. Other than Green and Matty's efforts, I can find no redeeming feature, and certainly few valid excuses. Hoofing speculative balls upfield was always going to be a useless exercise, or can't AC read a team sheet?

[BrownFatwa]

I take NO positives from that performance. It has taken me 24 hours to calm down. Absolute grade A ***** from 1 to 11.
Smashed my optimism to threads on the first ****ing day, you ****ers.
We have made zero progress from January in the absence of Tevez. Zero. What we have bought simply replaces what has been sold. No more.
Crystal clear to Curbs I ****ing hope to god are:
1. Full backs muct be able to over=lap and take the game into oppo half. Never play Spector again
2. Midfield players, especially central ones, must be able to pass to our own. Never play Bowyer again.
3. central strikers must be able to a) control the ball and hold up play or b) score prolifically. 2 of out 3 current strikers (I ignore Cole for humantarian reasons) can do neither. To wit we need another striker and one who can score 20 a season - EG is not the answer to this problem.
4. Actaully some foreign players really are quite good.

Not time to panic yet obviously. But we better use the last 2 weeks of the window well becuase if we field that sort of team we aint gonna finsih mid-table for ****ing sure.
We must get 2 CM's - one to be creative becuase there is nothing there at present - and a proper striker. I make that a priority over LB, RM or LM.

oh I forgot -
5/ Eggy will not tolerate this **** beyond December. just marking yer card Curbs, but I guess you know that.

[chalky]

5/ Eggy will not tolerate this sh*t beyond December. just marking yer card Curbs, but I guess you know that

A classic case of someone promoted to a job well over his capabilities. He had a quiet life at Charlton, nothing much was demanded, and he made and mended with what he knew. Just a relatively small parochial club.

He's landed in 'shark waters' now, where you're expected to know where the good players are lurking, and to have the tel#s to call up, and do a deal. NOT just follow a scent that all the others were already on to.

Much as we like to take the piss out of Fat Sam, and decry Bagpuss, they both went up and stayed there by buying astutely, and still have enough margin left to offload the dogs.

When it comes to money or acquisitions, I'm scared that AC doesn't know what day of the week it is? I mean to say, he's never been exposed to this before has he?

He shows little passion, little nous, harbours grudges, and, the worst sin of all, (besides ignorance) seems set in a closely defined way of thinking?

I'm not in the 'lynch mob' mentality, nor would I ever be a 'boo boy', but he hasn't got what it takes, no way, pay him up, and move forward while time is on our side.

Yesterday was an absolute example of; ill preparedness, tactical naivety, and actually, not deploying adequate resources already on hand.
That's about it?

[Harveys_HammersLH]

Oh and the one thing I can say Curbs got really wrong yesterday was droping Etherington back to left back. He was right to bring Ashton on (who should of started) but for McCartney? Etherington was causing a lot of problems.

3. central strikers must be able to a) control the ball and hold up play or b) score prolifically. 2 of out 3 current strikers (I ignore Cole for humantarian reasons) can do neither. To wit we need another striker and one who can score 20 a season - EG is not the answer to this problem.

Who are these two strikers?

I find it hard how you can have a pop at Bellamy or Ashton. They lacked service which every striker needs. Bellamy had to work back all of the time just to get the ball and Ashton just had long balls to try and get something out of.

Zamora was rubbish but i'm not going to write him off after one game. Remember he was fantastic for us towards the end of last season.

[BrownFatwa]

3. central strikers must be able to a) control the ball and hold up play or b) score prolifically. 2 of out 3 current strikers (I ignore Cole for humantarian reasons) can do neither. To wit we need another striker and one who can score 20 a season - EG is not the answer to this problem.

Who are these two strikers?

I find it hard how you can have a pop at Bellamy or Ashton. They lacked service which every striker needs. Bellamy had to work back all of the time just to get the ball and Ashton just had long balls to try and get something out of.


Zamora was rubbish but i'm not going to write him off after one game. Remember he was fantastic for us towards the end of last season.[/quote]

Zamora is neither a) or b) as his record testifies. Bellamy is NOT a hold-up or 'play others in' type nor a 20 goal a year merchant. Hence 2 of 3. Ashton being the exception and I'd say more a) than b).
I actually like him Bellamy as a player but I fear his best work always is in wide areas, he can be lead into blind alleys by good defenders and does very little damage froma central area.
We need another proper striker for ****ing sure.

[Thunder Downunder]

I take NO positives from that performance. It has taken me 24 hours to calm down. Absolute grade A ***** from 1 to 11.
Smashed my optimism to threads on the first f*cking day, you ****ers.
We have made zero progress from January in the absence of Tevez. Zero. What we have bought simply replaces what has been sold. No more.
Crystal clear to Curbs I f*cking hope to god are:
1. Full backs muct be able to over=lap and take the game into oppo half. Never play Spector again
2. Midfield players, especially central ones, must be able to pass to our own. Never play Bowyer again.
3. central strikers must be able to a) control the ball and hold up play or b) score prolifically. 2 of out 3 current strikers (I ignore Cole for humantarian reasons) can do neither. To wit we need another striker and one who can score 20 a season - EG is not the answer to this problem.
4. Actaully some foreign players really are quite good.

Not time to panic yet obviously. But we better use the last 2 weeks of the window well becuase if we field that sort of team we aint gonna finsih mid-table for f*cking sure.
We must get 2 CM's - one to be creative becuase there is nothing there at present - and a proper striker. I make that a priority over LB, RM or LM.

oh I forgot -
5/ Eggy will not tolerate this sh*t beyond December. just marking yer card Curbs, but I guess you know that.

Man, you've calmed down after 24 hours! Maintain the rage, brother!
Oh yes, I agree with you too! excepting that bit about december. December will be too late - haven't we seen that already last season?

Soon, soon, soon must be the answer, for business reasons if nothing else.

[jonnyboy]

Thought Noble was one the better players - just because he kept showing for the ball when others were hiding!

First time I have been in the East stand for years (usually LC) and it was like a library - it it always like this - noone dares even shout! Couldnt tell whether it was just poor atmos around the ground. Also - do we give a higher %age to away fans than other teams - seemed to be loads of sity!

[smuts]

You know what they say about opinions and arseholes.

To me it seemed plainly obvious all summer that the squad was nowhere near strong enough and lo and behold, a few injuries and Bowyer is back in the team.

If Eggy has seriously given Curbs money to spend, then I think he needs to start asking why we seem to be limited to signing English league players only.

I still say Faubert was signed due to Curbs hearing about the Rangers bid and then watching the youtube video! :lol: