ELPO: Astra Giurgiu 1-1 West Ham Utd (18/8/16)

[Clarksville]

Starting line up

1/ Anyone but Valencia
2/ Anyone but Valencia
3/ Anyone but Valencia
4/ Anyone but Valencia
5/ Anyone but Valencia
6/ Anyone but Valencia
7/ Anyone but Valencia
8/ Anyone but Valencia
9/ Anyone but Valencia
10/ Anyone but Valencia
11/ Anyone but Valencia

You can probably guess the subs

Brilliant :lol:

[Belgian Iron]

tough one to call team wise with sunday to really think about. I guess if it was me I would go along the lines of

Randolph

Burke --- Collins --- Oxford --- Byram

Noble Obiang

Antonio Koyate Valencia

Calleri

Bench : Adrian, Carrol, Nord, Fletcher, Reid, Ogbonna

We would get raped with that side.

It still baffles me how many people think that the Europa League qualifiers (let alone the group stages) are there for the taking with some youth players. Last year and the previous leg against Domzale proves that reserve teams or youth players are not going to get us in the group stages or beyond that.
The teams playing in there are no gimmies. They treat the Europa League as more important than their domestic league.

I love West Ham, I love the Premier League for its intensity of play. But make no mistake: some other European leagues are not miles off it in one off games. Hence the amount of times English teams get knocked out the last few years in European Cups. Remember we drew 2-2 at home to Astria with a strong team last year?

We should put out a full strength team, certainly away from home in an Eastern European country. You need experience up there with the crowd circumstances. And we should do the exact same thing in the return leg to make sure we get through. In the group stages we can rotate with the likes of Burke, Fletcher, Obiang, Oxford,....but not all at once because then there is a next Nottingham debacle waiting to happen.

[trick88]

So far from all the pictures and videos, confirmed as traveled are:

Adrian/Randolph/Spiegel
Ogbonna/Reid/Collins/Byram
Noble/Kouyate
Tore/Valencia/Antonio/Browne
Carroll/Calleri/Fletcher

Hope Spiegel is a decent full back

[ads78]

Put a strong side out, then we can bring on youngsters if we get 2/3 up. Also, play players in their best positions.

Randolph
Byram Collins Burke Ogbonna
Nordtveit
Noble Kouyate
Antonio Tore
Carroll

Bench: Adrian, Reid, Oxford, Obiang, Valencia, Fletcher, Payet

Hopefully we will do well enough to bring Fletcher on for Carroll and Obiang for one of Noble / Nordtveit so they are not too tired for Bournemouth. But then again it is only the 2nd league game of the season so no-one should be too tired.

[Lee_WHU]

Absolutely baffled by the amount who would still persist with a 3 of Nordtveit, Noble and Kouyate/Obiang! It might scrape us through at this level but not at Prem level, start as you mean to go on surely.

As much as I think Valencia is manky I'd still play him in the middle of a 3 with Tore/Antonio behind the striker than accomodate 3 DMs.

[ohsnap]

We would get raped with that side.

It still baffles me how many people think that the Europa League qualifiers (let alone the group stages) are there for the taking with some youth players. Last year and the previous leg against Domzale proves that reserve teams or youth players are not going to get us in the group stages or beyond that.
The teams playing in there are no gimmies. They treat the Europa League as more important than their domestic league.

I love West Ham, I love the Premier League for its intensity of play. But make no mistake: some other European leagues are not miles off it in one off games. Hence the amount of times English teams get knocked out the last few years in European Cups. Remember we drew 2-2 at home to Astria with a strong team last year?

We should put out a full strength team, certainly away from home in an Eastern European country. You need experience up there with the crowd circumstances. And we should do the exact same thing in the return leg to make sure we get through. In the group stages we can rotate with the likes of Burke, Fletcher, Obiang, Oxford,....but not all at once because then there is a next Nottingham debacle waiting to happen.

what choice do we have but to play that sort of side? Sorry to say but I priorities the PL over Europa, I don't think we have a good enough squad to play both at the moment. There are only two youth players in that starting lineup, one who is touted as the next big thing and the other who has just had a very good loan - if they aren't ready to step up then get rid of them - this is exactly the sort of game they should come into and have a chance at. Last year there was way more youth players in the starting lineup - personally I don't see anything wrong with the above and it means some can rest for the sunday game.

[the pink palermo]

https://www.gov.uk/government/world-loc ... vel-advice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nice of the FCO to point out the age of consent is 18 .

I'm a lot older than that and I'm still living in hope .Saving myself until we win a trophy .

Honestly, any cup will do ....

[Burnley Hammer]

How about an attacking midfield 3 of Tore, Quina, Antonio? Calleri or Fletcher up front.

[DDHammer]

Absolutely baffled by the amount who would still persist with a 3 of Nordtveit, Noble and Kouyate/Obiang! It might scrape us through at this level but not at Prem level, start as you mean to go on surely.

We've looked an absolute bag of piss with no creativity 80% (estimated) of the time we've tried to play 3 DM's and can't seem to pass the ball 5 yards in front of us. We end up with 3 slow defensive players on top of each other and a lack of movement in front of them.

[ageing hammer]

Edited due to team news below

---------------------Randolph
Burke --Oxford ---Ogbonna--- Byram
--Antonio----------Noble--------- Kouyate -----Tore
---------------Calleri------Valencia

Bench : Adrian, Carroll, Reid, Obiang, Burke, Quina, Collins, Samuelson, Fletcher

[Ludo1973]

Has Antonio traveled? Haven't seen him in any of the pics but maybe I missed some as someone up further said he was in them.

[ageing hammer]

Has Antonio traveled? Haven't seen him in any of the pics but maybe I missed some as someone up further said he was in them.

Maybe he was left back

[YorksHammer]

Absolutely baffled by the amount who would still persist with a 3 of Nordtveit, Noble and Kouyate/Obiang! It might scrape us through at this level but not at Prem level, start as you mean to go on surely.

As much as I think Valencia is manky I'd still play him in the middle of a 3 with Tore/Antonio behind the striker than accomodate 3 DMs.

Depends on what formation we play, I guess - 4-1-4-1 would mean we didn't have another central midfielder to play in those roles other than those three at the moment because Lanzini is injured.

Of course, if we're going 4-2-3-1 than Nordtveit alongside one of Noble or Kouyate would work, as you'd then have a more dynmaic CAM in front of them - but with no Feghouli or Ayew and Payet and Tore not match fit you're somewhat struggling for options for a front three. Hurrah, our first injury crisis of the season and it's only a handful of games old! I guess the option there is to drop in someone like Quina or Samuelsen in there, but then you have the issue of throwing a youth player in to a tricky atmosphere for a big game.

[Carlton's Left Boot]

Absolutely baffled by the amount who would still persist with a 3 of Nordtveit, Noble and Kouyate/Obiang! It might scrape us through at this level but not at Prem level, start as you mean to go on surely.

As much as I think Valencia is manky I'd still play him in the middle of a 3 with Tore/Antonio behind the striker than accomodate 3 DMs.

Completely agree with the above. 4-2-3-1 is without a shadow of a doubt our best system. Kouyate box 2 box and Noble holding playing the Pirlo / Iniesta role and letting the creative players influence the game. I understand we are missing a number of them but this is surely the best way to go.

If we must go 4-3-3 with 3 holding midfielders I cannot for the life of me understand why Obiang doesn't get a game. Looks composed on the ball and offers more agility at the base of the midfield and a bit more on the ball compared to Nordveidt.

[Up the Junction]

(Exclusive?) team news:

http://www.kumb.com/story.php?id=130205

[EvilC]

Has Antonio traveled? Haven't seen him in any of the pics but maybe I missed some as someone up further said he was in them.

He is on a clip on the West Ham Twitter feed with the rest of the squad (at least I think he is, I hope I'm not going all David Gold). I assume he is meant to be there and he hasn't turned up there by accident in a futile attempt to find out where exactly right back is.

[peter49uk]

^^^ defo https://twitter.com/WestHamUtd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Up the Junction]

The names of those who've travelled (and those who haven't) can be found on the link I posted above.

[Ludo1973]

^^^ defo https://twitter.com/WestHamUtd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yep...just saw that also. Hope to god he gets a good run out tomorrow and not as RB. Would be great if Bilic let him off to do his thing and try to get confidence back.

[Hammer1972]

I can confirm he is on the plane

He was supposed to be in 10F but for some reason Slav put him in 14F