Sheffield Utd 1-0 West Ham Utd (10/01/20)

[HammerAl]

I don’t think we were great, but I don’t think we were as bad as many have made out. We had the better chances and a goal harshly ruled out, while their goal came from a bad mistake.

And we also can’t get to far ahead of ourselves. We’re West Ham United, not Liverpool or Man City - a point away at any team in the PL is nothing to be scoffed at.

[Graza]

Interesting read of opinions on here, as I was really disappointed with our performance and thought that we were rubbish last night.

It was a **** game of football all round. They were compact and buzzed about. We were slow and loose in possession.

The only goal that stood came from a Sanchez level pass from Martin.

I'm not convinced the handball rule was applied correctly if you read the changes on the PL website "So a handball will not be awarded if the ball touches a player’s hand/arm directly from their own head/body/foot or the head/body/foot of another player who is close/nearby. " But it is how they have been giving them this year so it is consistent if crap.

There were 4 clear cut chances in the game, the goal, Anderson through on goal, Lanzini profiting from a slip but not playing the first time ball to Haller and their boy who was through but off center which Martin stopped. Haller had a half chance early when he nutmegged a defender and failed to hit the target and again with a header at the back post that I don't think he thought was coming to him.

We deserved a point at least really and the ending with VAR was doubly harsh not so much because we were great or better, but because both were rubbish and no one really created.

[jacko]

What an odd opinion. They are bad simply because of who they are? It'll be 'we should be beating teams like this' next.

THey aren't a good side in my opinion but they are better than us at the moment.

[horsham_hammer]

Thought we deserved a draw there which would have been a decent result. As other have said, the handball rule is a joke. Poor error from Martin/Balbuena, cost us a vital point.

Disappointed to lose Fabianski again - huge loss and we need to focus on getting a solid back up in now. Or even someone who’ll push him for Number 1.

Early days still but we’re looking better under Moyes - more fight, desire and intensity. I’m optimistic he’ll keep us up and build on it next season.

[Arnold Layne]

I was bored silly

Agreed,even at home with beer,had one eye on the foota,one on blinkin eastenders!

Big ups to all who travelled up to watch that cack.

[jacko]

I read someone say the mix up was 100 percent balbuena's fault. I think he shares some of the blame but Martin hit it too hard and in the wrong direction.

[ageing hammer]

Call it sour grapes if you want and yes we have a shiit team but :

Does anyone feel that West Ham players would have to be decapitated in most games before a player gets a card.

It happens every game they get creased and nothing given sometimes not even a free.

Yet if we brush off someone out comes the card.

When a team scores against us the ref ignores Var yet if we score they nearly have a summit to try and see if there is any way of cancelling it.

[kaisersose]

Deflections
Premier League players will be allowed extra leeway when it comes to ricocheted handballs.

It is often impossible to avoid contact with the ball if it has deflected off the body of an opponent, team-mate, or even another part of the own player.

So a handball will not be awarded if the ball touches a player’s hand/arm directly from their own head/body/foot or the head/body/foot of another player who is close/nearby.

If that part of the rule didn't apply last night - then when does it?

[neathiron]

It was a **** game of football all round. They were compact and buzzed about. We were slow and loose in possession.

The only goal that stood came from a Sanchez level pass from Martin.

Bit unfair to blame Martin on his own, if Balbuena had been a bit sharper he could have received that ball and dealt with it.

[hammer1975]

Few thoughts.
formation was ok imo - expectations of some eureka moment where we’re suddenly this fluid, pretty footballing and effective team are nice but it’ll take hard work and time to improve performances and confidence. We’ve played worse and got points before.

Thought we started really well. Did that drop off when Fab went off or was that my imagination?

Our passing in transition was terrible, worst I’ve ever seen Noble play (was he still injured) and Zabaleta never looked like doing anything with the ball. We need full backs or wing backs who can transition quickly - the only times we actually transitioned quickly was when Anderson or Lanzini dropped deep and then they weren’t up the pitch to support. Masuaku’s approach play was decent but decision making for final ball not great.

We looked better down the left i thought. Lanzini was ok first half but faded second (don’t get the vitriol directed towards him), a confident Lanzini scores that chance..disappointing finish where he went for power over accuracy. Could have taken him off earlier for Fornals but I’d have been tempted to take Noble off first though tbh. Seemed to have very little down the right - Zabaleta isn’t the answer. I’m torn on Haller - I think he had a physical battle last night and certainly stood up to having lumps kicked out of him....however his movement is far more ‘Carroll’ than ‘Sakho‘ and a couple of intelligent runs at times would create much more attacking threat from us imo.

Enough been said about VAR and their goal (albeit I thought Balbuena was more at fault and had a poor game overall despite one very good block).

Thoughts going forward:
We need a first choice goalkeeper as Bubbs said - Fab could easily miss the rest of the season,
Does Antonio play right wingback or behind the striker? Can we clone him as we could do with him for both,
We really could do with a battling, physical centre mid signing ahead of Everton,
We’re running out of winnable games,
Felt there were positives in terms of effort and commitment but we clearly have a battle on our hands and I’d say we’re 50:50 to go down,
I expect Diop will be off like a shot if we do get offered £40m,
Owners strategy for January will increase our chances of going down - too little, too late if we wait until the last week for non English league proven loans,
Everton home game almost becomes must win.

[btajim - mcfc]

I watched it up until Sheffield United took the lead. Dreadful match by that point.

[SammyLeeWasOffside]

THey aren't a good side in my opinion but they are better than us at the moment.

His point seemed to be they are bad because they are only sheff utd.

[jacko]

Well, yeah, i don't buy that logic. THey are a strangely assembled side. A bit like Frankenstein's monster but they seem to function.

[bubbles1966]

To those mentioning the delayed arrival of Fornals, I'd suggest that was a by-product of having to use a substitution on a goalie in the first half.

If we're 1 down after an hour without having had to use that sub, my guess is that Fornals comes on with Snodgrass.

If he does that at 60 minutes with Martin already on, all three subs are used and then what if there's an injury? Hence, the delay.

I felt, and still do, that we played the better football in the first half and crafted a couple of reasonable chances. Second half we had nothing much until Snodgrass arrived - but we have had huge problems at GK, RB, CM for most of the last season , and frequently before - when the odd decent player that we have is missing.

Some of our players are so obviously not PL standard.

We can get away with having one on the field at times, but when there are a group of them simultaneously we can't.

[Korea Hammer]

The way that game ended was just about the most gutting feeling there is. That said, I thought we played really well, fought for everything and worked hard as a team. I'm not unhappy with the performance.

We might be going down though. I think we've already thrown away too many points, and we need a better striker.

[OohAahButler]

A poor game, but that’s exactly what Sheffield Utd do - win poor games. Thought our performance under the circumstances was ok. Not great, not poor and certainly not pretty. If we’d taken one of our earlier chances it would all feel very different this morning. Fine margins etc.

I though Balbuena was as much to blame as Martin for the goal.

As for VAR and the stupid handball rule...absolutely killing the game. Not just because it went against us.

[Absolutely Hammered!]

Unfortunately I think that was one of those pivotal games that we had to get something out of.
I really do think we are in real relegation trouble now.

Sadly i agree...we have 17 games to go & we still have to play liverpool twice and city away, so effectively we need 6 wins from 14 games which gets you to almost needing to win 1 in 2. Its a very real possibility that we drop as the points tally to stay up will be high this year imo

[HammerPDC]

This. But I'm sure a bunch of anti-moyes helmets with 32 posts will beg to differ

Oh dear :lol:

So you understand this is exactly how he set us up last time and we saw what happened then right? 29% win ratio and some pretty appalling football to boot

The guy hasn’t been affective in top flight football in over seven years and because fans don’t want to go to Sheffield United and park the bus they’re helmets?

I feel for you fella

[Korea Hammer]

Leicester twice too

[jacko]

To those mentioning the delayed arrival of Fornals, I'd suggest that was a by-product of having to use a substitution on a goalie in the first half.

If we're 1 down after an hour without having had to use that sub, my guess is that Fornals comes on with Snodgrass.

If he does that at 60 minutes with Martin already on, all three subs are used and then what if there's an injury? Hence, the delay.

I felt, and still do, that we played the better football in the first half and crafted a couple of reasonable chances. Second half we had nothing much until Snodgrass arrived - but we have had huge problems at GK, RB, CM for most of the last season , and frequently before - when the odd decent player that we have is missing.

Some of our players are so obviously not PL standard.

We can get away with having one on the field at times, but when there are a group of them simultaneously we can't.

Fornals has been on form. I can't understand why you wouldn't have started him the first place.