CCR2: Newport County 0-2 West Ham Utd (27/08/19)

[Ladzini]

I have no doubt we would have conceded last night if Ogbonna had played. Balbuena made so many aerial clearances whilst Diop had a tough battle but ultimately came out on top.

Roberto had a good game as did Sanchez.

Hugely concerning that Cresswell was being skinned by league two defenders.

Anderson looks scared to get stuck in whenever we play lower league teams, understandable given the agricultural approach they often take, and he was a class above everyone else bar Wilshere last night.

[Knighter10WHU]

Zaba - For me the game seemed to pass him by. Of course he battled and ran (as to be expected from a model pro) but I think I would have preferred to see the young lad start

I agree. I think we made a mistake renewing his contract for another year, I would rather we give Johnson more minutes.

[Clacton-ammer]

Talking about young players, I know there are high hopes for Holland within the club. I'm getting old as he looked about 14!

As for Zaba, thought he done alright, still overlapping in the 90th minute, man is a machine. Great interview afterwards as well. Think his experience, professionalism will only help us, Fredericks is No.1 & rightly so. I wouldn't have fancied sending in the young guns to start, Newport tried to bully us, with some success to start, a young lad facing that early doors with some of those tackles, not for me.

[S-H]

How swift has Cresswell's decline been? He looks finished to me. I would have preferred to have seen Johnson on the right or left last night.

Full back and central midfield needs serious investment.

[pezza20]

Pinky - look at their record against top sides, they've beaten premiership teams at home quite a few times, we did a professional job. As for clear cut chances, I counted three and a pot shot that hit the bar.

We had around the same number but scored - point I was making is it's irrelevant what you think other better teams would do as Watford did the same Saturday, you can only score on chances you have.

Lower league teams are always a handful in the cups, you and I both know that, and we rested several key players and still ran out winners by 2 goals.

[Faithless]

I agree. I think we made a mistake renewing his contract for another year, I would rather we give Johnson more minutes.

I thought they might have tried Zaba as a DM this year but that doesn't seem likely. His pace is more of an issue up front, he just couldn't get on the end of the through balls.

[mushy]

Talking about young players, I know there are high hopes for Holland within the club. I'm getting old as he looked about 14!

.

I dont think he was there mate. Are you talking about Coventry?

[Graza]

Roberto had a good game as did Sanchez.

Sanchez seems as polarising as always.

He broke up play well and put himself about, but his passing was absolute dogshit and he dithered on the ball more than once. Just look at the shameful attempt at a pass before the 2nd goal, or the ball he handed to them at the start of the second half and it wasn't the first time his inability to play the ball nearly cost us. Perhaps he was off the pace, perhaps he's not being given the breaks that we would give say Coventry for his attempt to set them up for a goal, but he's not a kid, he's supposed to be an international with years of experience in the Prem. For me he was noticeably one of our most error prone players and had we conceded or lost there is a non trivial chance it would have come off the back of one of his many many mistakes.

[Clacton-ammer]

.

I dont think he was there mate. Are you talking about Coventry?[/quote]

Yep, I'm a plum

[Aceface]

Get a sense that a few are getting a little twitchy re. Fornals and the pace of him settling in, but in his defence he easily could have had a hattrick last night – he was millimetres off getting the opener and the one late in the first half was simply a good save from their keeper rather than anything he did wrong. If nothing else it shows he's getting into good positions.

[Patito]

He won the ball back well for his goal as well.

[S-H]

Last night would have been hugely beneficial in terms of Fornals adjusting to the English game.

Once he had scored, you could see the confidence that gave him, he played with a bit of a swagger thereafter.

[JustJoe85]

Last night would have been hugely beneficial in terms of Fornals adjusting to the English game.

Once he had scored, you could see the confidence that gave him, he played with a bit of a swagger thereafter.

What I did like about him and Wilshere last night was that even 1st half when it wasn't going well the kept wanting the ball. Yes the opposition are weak but it's a good sign they weren't shirking the responsibility

[JLCABA]

Bar the thickness of the post and a good save from their keeper we are looking at Fornals scoring a hat trick

And a thread on here questioning if he is better than Di Canio at his best

[Patito]

[YorksHammer]

How swift has Cresswell's decline been? He looks finished to me. I would have preferred to have seen Johnson on the right or left last night.

I think it's been quite a slow decline since whichever Karlsruher player it was levelled him. Not sure how it works, but he was trepidatious when he returned initially and I don't think he ever really got back to the same level, just gradually took pigeon steps backwards.

[Billy Hunt]

I have no doubt we would have conceded last night if Ogbonna had played. Balbuena made so many aerial clearances whilst Diop had a tough battle but ultimately came out on top.

Roberto had a good game as did Sanchez.

Hugely concerning that Cresswell was being skinned by league two defenders.

Anderson looks scared to get stuck in whenever we play lower league teams, understandable given the agricultural approach they often take, and he was a class above everyone else bar Wilshere last night.

Are you seriously having a pop at Ogbonna for something that didn't happen as he wasn't playing?

I'd imagine the reason that Pellegrini has rotated his central defenders a bit, both in pre-season and since it started, is that each of them has had a relatively poor start to the season, last night included.

But it seems it is fashionable to single out Ogbonna, and in this instance even when he wasn't on the pitch ...

[Rasp]

My thoughts,

Sanchez was excellent last night

Yeh his through ball for the second goal was magical.

[prophet:marginal]

I can't stop chuckling about our second goal yesterday

Anderson lays on a peach of a touch

Ajeti simply falls over
Fornals scores and is then wiped out by a defender
Snodinho, making sure its gone in, then gets wiped out by the keeper

In that moment, three of our players have hit the deck It's like a Carry On caper.

[S-H]

Lincoln, one up after a minute..