West Ham Utd 2-1 Southampton (28/12/15)

[The Green Man]

Cullen on for Song. Lanzini for Zarate. Carroll for Antonio.

[Humbug]

Trash!!!!
Noble , Zarate and Jenkinson can't execute 5 yard passes. Jenkinson looks like a condemned man playing out of position and can't even pick our player out from about 6 throw-ins. Zarate has lost the ball countless times but Collins remains a warrior. Enner Valencia needs to do more tackling (which he won't) and pressing of their defenders while Song and Kayoute look a bit bemused by their positions. If we get a point it will be a miracle but I think 3 or 4 nil to Soton looks a real possibility.

[mattyD]

Zarate is a ****.

no one on for the pass though

[61dicksey]

Booed off at halftime at the last match of our last full year at the Boleyn.

How shameful is that.

Might be a monkey off our back when we do leave, our home form has been tragic for ages now.

[fjthegrey]

Valencia has been hopeless. He just can't lead the line on his own. I'd get Carroll on immediately, the ball needs to stick up front. I think all our problems are stemming from the ball just coming straight back, there is no respite.

[Simply Moore]

The only surprise is that Southampton only have one and we have as much as nil

[fmgod]

Absolutely awful doesn't help when your front three are

Valencia - Awful player, sub-standard, we need to get shot of him instantly, what anyone sees in him baffles me, he is absolute rubbish
Antonio - Works hard a bit kick and run but no real quality
Zarate - Has quality, decision making very random, an annoying player as he has all the talent just not when to use it most of the time

The sooner we get some real quality back like Lanzini, Payet, Moses, Sakho, thank god

Also Jeknsinon looks like a nervous wreck at left back, not his fault to be fair, he just looks bereft of confidence altogether

[WorcesterWHU]

I think Jenkinson is being picked out as a very easy and, today, a particularly harsh scapegoat. He's not the problem, especially given he's been shoved into the left back slot.

The problem - to my untrained eye - still looks like the midfield.

[DDHammer]

It's almost like if one of Song, Kouyate or Noble are closing someone down one of the others moves towards them leaving the opposition huge amounts of space to play around with. We seem to be using both our defensive midfielders to close one player down, it's baffling and has caused problems for the last 3 or more games. We're constantly being overrun.

[Stepney]

This is going EXACTLY as we all thought. No ball retention, no ideas in the final third, team looks dis-jointed. Like at Villa and Swansea, nothing will change at half time. It will just be more of the same second half. Now it's just a damage limitation exercise.

[Lee_WHU]

I think Jenkinson is being picked out as a very easy and, today, a particularly harsh scapegoat. He's not the problem, especially given he's been shoved into the left back slot.

The problem - to my untrained eye - still looks like the midfield.

This.

[american 'ammer]

He's got Song forward because Kouyate has been so bad and has lost the ball so many times that Bilic is trying to limit his passing and just use his physical side.

The problem is that Kouyate has no positional sense, so he's actually **** as a holding midfielder. Add that to the fact that he still takes the odd run and that he can't even make a five yard pass with no pressure and you can see why we are all over the place.

His terrible form has forced our slower ball playing midfielders up, where, since they do not have possession, have to chase and close down opponents, using them in the worst way possible.

Bilic should have had the balls to drop Kouyate and put in Obiang, who has looked very good. That's bad management.

[DrVenk]

The problem - to my untrained eye - still looks like the midfield.

+ throw in some dubious defending, and you have the embarrassment before us

[Joey00]

After the Villa result people actually thought we'd be able to beat Southampton at home.

I cannot comprehend that. I would f***ing bite your hand off if you offered me a draw now

[BarryGreen]

Terrible half. How bad must hendrie be if we would rather play a badly out of form right back in his position and what a knock for the young full back Page to not even make the bench. Zarate cannot be played as a winger if he is not going to track back, especially with a left back with no left foot.
I would take zarate off and play carroll up top if we are insiting on hoofing it up. In fairness we are struggling to put passes together so might be the way forward against these.

[Beavis Danzig]

i reckon the combined football IQ of payet and lanzini is higher than the rest of the team out there today.

[wasserburg_hammer]

Same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?

Same procedure as every year, James.

[Jumby]

Saved by the bell. How we're only 1 down I don't know, they've had us on the ropes and we've not been throwing anything back but a half time team talk and some smelling salts up the snouts of some ours might kick us into gear and hopefully tonight will be another case of a game of two halves, with the second half being considerably better for us, it bloody needs to be!!!

[Iron Spine v2.0]

Down with the decorations again.

[IngatestoneHammer]

Midfield shape is wrong...not creating any space or picking men up.

Puts pressure on back 4 ....and creates nothing for the forwards to feed on.

I'd take Zarate off for Lanzini ( for creativity).....and bring Obiang for Song ( to patrol in font of back 4)

Leave Carroll to come on for last 20 mins.

Lucky to be only 1 down ....we can get back into this.