friday's news 23rd march includes west ham

[beckton]

BOO

As I’m often saying, I don’t live in the world of perception, I inhabit the world of reality.

There has been criticism this season that we have loads of strikers yet I play just one up front. My answer to that is that it is antiquated nonsense. The reality is that I usually play three up, not one.

When we change it and play two up front and don’t score, as has been the case, no one seems to mention that.

No one has more knowledge and data at this club than me. That’s fact. It’s not arrogance but it is self-confidence and there is an important difference.

I thought he'd stopped claiming we play 3 up front. What a load of old twaddle. Reality? I think he's inhabiting a world of make believe!

[PrawnSandwich]

So playing

Green

JOB - Faye - Tomkins - Macca

Diop

Noble - Nolan
Faubert --------------------------- Taylor







Cole

Makes Taylor and Faubert strikers now?
Or is it just when we sub on Maynard or Baldock for one of them with 10 minutes to go?

[blaze.s8n]

Cheers CH.

I like the championship, cool normal and down to earth teams. Everyone wants to be in the prem of course, but this league is not easy, and the west ham way is to keep things interesting...we haven't played great, but if the chances we've created had gone in, it would be working. The strikers are just not converting the chances...someone will get hammered by us soon if we keep it up. Ipswich converted chances, stuffed us. Forrest converted chances and whacked leeds, if we can convert the chances we get, we'll have a similar positive result. At home is really strange though...I've been to several games this season, all late equalising goals, and the atmosphere totally becomes obvious...the expectant late goal...and the draw. It's like a few years ago when we hadn't won at home for about 10 games, and even when we were beating (I forget the team, Burnley maybe) 4 nil, they still scored 2 goals coz we got nervous! Funny old game.,

[lukeWHU]

He never changed the tactics three times,simply the formation. The tactics remained route one.

[Pop Robson]

I thought he'd stopped claiming we play 3 up front. What a load of old twaddle. Reality? I think he's inhabiting a world of make believe!

Get Jeremy to play 'The Land of make believe' by Bucks Fizz pre-match for BFS !

[Logarithm]

So playing

Green

JOB - Faye - Tomkins - Macca

Diop

Noble - Nolan
Faubert --------------------------- Taylor







Cole

Makes Taylor and Faubert strikers now?
Or is it just when we sub on Maynard or Baldock for one of them with 10 minutes to go?

You wouldn't be arguing if Ferguson said he was playing 3 up top with Nani - Rooney - Valencia and they're as much forwards as Faubert - Cole - Taylor are.

[lukeWHU]

]
You wouldn't be arguing if Ferguson said he was playing 3 up top with Nani - Rooney - Valencia and they're as much forwards as Faubert - Cole - Taylor are.

I'm not sure it's a valid comparison.

[PrawnSandwich]

[
You wouldn't be arguing if Ferguson said he was playing 3 up top with Nani - Rooney - Valencia and they're as much forwards as Faubert - Cole - Taylor are.

Ah I see you didn't see the laughing yellow thing or the deliberately huge space in the formation...


Further to your point:
No I probably wouldn't, because Whiskey nose would be playing Rooney up top with two pacey wingers who would get up and support the frontman quickly and stand a high chance of scoring when in position...
As opposed to a Frenchman who has been pinging back and forth between right wing and right back, can't seemingly pass, cross, trap, shoot, run with the ball or Matty 'not exactly speedy' Taylor.

Putting it on paper as the same formation for the lovely Sky graphics doesn't change the tactics and playing ability during the game.

[Chicken Run Supreme]

Cheers CH, as always.

.The truth of the matter , however much it hurts our pride, is Allardyce didn't take us down .The atmosphere at the Boleyn for a couple of seasons has been awful .Remember when Tomka made an error against Wolves .......when Zola was still here .........this is the environment our youngsters are learning their trade in .The players are scared to make a mistake : in effect we have got the Manager we deserve , one that plays it safe .[

I am not a huge fan of his, never wanted him here , but we cannot keep changing Managers every 5 minutes , we really can't .We're starting to look like Manchester City of around a decade ago, a bit of a laughing stock .As recently as when Pardew got the job , this was one of the most coveted jobs in British football , and yet , by the time we appointed Grant the chairman admitted in a fans forum the list of candidates that applied wasn't great .............that's the reality : from the job anyone would want to the job nobody decent wanted in around 6 years .

Keep the faith

Unlike you Pinky, I did want him here but I had a bit of a rant in Hoofball thread the other day about Big Sam which I will admit was of the knee jerk variety but I guess some of my frustrations boiled over a bit - I just dont like the way this season is panning out like many others no doubt.
That said, you make some very good points in your post, to get rid of Sam now would be suicidal.

[MrBen]

Not wanting to steal CH's thunder, but Sam's Evening Standard column is up:
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/football/sam-allardyce-facts-count-not-opinions-7583119.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He's embarrassing himself there.

[Logarithm]

Further to your point:
No I probably wouldn't, because Whiskey nose would be playing Rooney up top with two pacey wingers who would get up and support the frontman quickly and stand a high chance of scoring when in position...
As opposed to a Frenchman who has been pinging back and forth between right wing and right back, can't seemingly pass, cross, trap, shoot, run with the ball or Matty 'not exactly speedy' Taylor.

Putting it on paper as the same formation for the lovely Sky graphics doesn't change the tactics and playing ability during the game.

If Taylor had pace and Faubert could do all of those things you described then they would not be playing for West Ham United FC in the Championship. They are the best we have to implement that formation.
Perhaps we just we don't have the players to play it like them but that doesn't mean that's not what he's trying to emulate.

[PrawnSandwich]

If Taylor had pace and Faubert could do all of those things you described then they would not be playing for United FC in the Championship. They are the best we have to implement that formation.
Perhaps we just we don't have the players to play it like them but that doesn't mean that's not what he's trying to emulate.

Well both have been premier league players and given Taylor's contract he will be again but you are comparing us to the top of the league above us so whilst I wouldn't expect all the qualities but I'd expect some given their top flight CVs.
Faubert we're stuck with until his contract is up, Taylor we went and spent money on so we had a choice there.

If you honestly think that because he says he's playing 4-3-3 then he is playing three up front then fair enough, I just disagree.

It's harsh to blame Nolan at this point but I don't think we set up with three strikers 'up front' as suggested, but then I'm talking my opinion and Allerdyce deals in facts so what do I know?

[nobleforengland]

Cheers CH

[Hammer Smith]

Thanks CH

[whitechapel hammer]

That is a pretty incredible article this week from Allardyce. He seems to have been stung by a bit of criticism of late and is fighting back with some fairly strong stuff.

He deals in facts and all that but to continue to put the case forward for us playing 3 forwards just makes him sound ridiculous. Even if you give him the benefit of the doubt and say he is lining up 4-3-3 the players out wide have barely offered anything in terms of support for the lone striker who is nearly always totally isolated.

At Man United Nani/Valencia/Young are fluid movers who support the striker regularly, our guys are a combination of former full backs and strikers being played out of position who don;t have the skills to do the job. If Taylor and whoever were able to get forward and Nolan was pushing on a bit more to support the lone striker then it may work better but as it is we are playing one forward not 3 and to suggest anything else is just mad.

I think this fact vs opinon thing sounds a bit odd as well. The fans aren't blind, we go to games and we see the football that is being played and it is fact to say that a lot of people are not happy with it, that is not perception that is what is actually happening. If he is saying that we are playing no differently to previous years it doesn't matter, what is happening now is that many fans are not enjoying the style of football and feel it is too direct. It doesn't matter if he thinks we played well against Boro or not, if fans don't think we did then his opinion is of little consequence as the fans will voice their displeasure according to what they think, not what Allardyce thinks or 'sees'.

[RyanWHUFC]

Cheers CH

[riksdodgydeals]

these journo's loving getting the boot in dont they, time is running out for the manager is it!

as for Sam's comments he doesnt know how to endear himself to our faithful does he, cant stand the bloke and have never liked him I have always thought tho that he will do the biz and take us up but I cant see I will ever like him and dont enjoy the football especially and reading that sort of thing doesnt help

[Logarithm]

At Man United Nani/Valencia/Young are fluid movers who support the striker regularly, our guys are a combination of former full backs and strikers being played out of position who don;t have the skills to do the job. If Taylor and whoever were able to get forward and Nolan was pushing on a bit more to support the lone striker then it may work better but as it is we are playing one forward not 3 and to suggest anything else is just mad.

You are giving reasons as to why it's not as effective, not why it can't be the case that he's trying to do that.

It's obvious what he originally planned - Taylor and Bentley whipping balls onto a penny for the big men to knock into the net or onto Nolan's feet, while occasionally smashing in a few screamers themselves. That would work best if they're as high up the pitch as possible.

Allardyce is a clever man, he knows people think he tries to play 1 up top, if he wasn't trying to do that then I doubt he'd state that he is.
There's some questionable things about what he says but I don't think lying is one of them.

[whitechapel hammer]

You are giving reasons as to why it's not as effective, not why it can't be the case that he's trying to do that.

It's obvious what he originally planned - Taylor and Bentley whipping balls onto a penny for the big men to knock into the net or onto Nolan's feet, while occasionally smashing in a few screamers themselves. That would work best if they're as high up the pitch as possible.

Allardyce is a clever man, he knows people think he tries to play 1 up top, if he wasn't trying to do that then I doubt he'd state that he is.
There's some questionable things about what he says but I don't think lying is one of them.

I don't think he is lying, he may well believe that he is playing 3 forwards but it is fairly evident or it is at least the opinion of many that he only plays 1. If he was instructing Taylor and (hypothetically) Faubert to push on more, pop up in the middle to support Cole or get in scoring positions then they would be doing it a lot more than they have. How can he claim they are strikers when they've barely managed a goal between them? (mainly because they don't get into the positions on anything like a regular basis.)

[Logarithm]

I don't think he is lying, he may well believe that he is playing 3 forwards but it is fairly evident or it is at least the opinion of many that he only plays 1. If he was instructing Taylor and (hypothetically) Faubert to push on more, pop up in the middle to support Cole or get in scoring positions then they would be doing it a lot more than they have. How can he claim they are strikers when they've barely managed a goal between them? (mainly because they don't get into the positions on anything like a regular basis.)

There is a difference between a forward and a striker, not being on the pitch to score goals doesn't stop you being a forward. I doubt many would argue that Victor Moses of Wigan is a forward yet in 64 games for Wigan he has 5 goals and Antonio Valencia has 9 in 62 for Manchester United. Faubert's stats are slightly worse and Taylor's are notably better than them both.
Under Allardyce neither will be able to shirk from defensive responsibilities so they can not goal hang, however I have noticed Faubert getting closer to goal far more than he did under previous management. I recall when we last played Millwall he has playing further forward than our striker most of the time and he nearly scored a beautiful header in the middle of the box because of it.

3 strikers? No. 3 Forwards? Perhaps.