Relive every moment of every first team game since the beginning of the 2005/06 season. Our archive of matchday threads originally posted in the General Discussion Forum.
One Peter Butler wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:43 am
So, we probably can tell this Saturday if this bunch have a spine, or we have yet another bunch of deserters on our hands.
I think we all know what’s going to happen. Only question is whether we bounce back against Sheffield and Newcastle or this is a slide all the way to Christmas!
scatts wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:39 am
I think we all know what’s going to happen. Only question is whether we bounce back against Sheffield and Newcastle or this is a slide all the way to Christmas!
Got an horrible feeling it's the latter. Think that Oxford defeat was a major turning point in the season. It stopped the momentum and knocked the confidence out of a lot of the players. Still say if we played Fabianski in that game he might not have got injured at Bournemouth, hindsight I know. I was so optimistic going into games, more so than I have been in previous seasons, but now I'm dreading playing teams who are on a bad run because these last few performances have shown the team up to be not as good as a lot of people originally thought. I hope I'm wrong but the only way i can see West Ham finishing in the top 6 is on a game of FIFA!
Just feel we're missing Antonio big time - even just to have as a sub. Anderson, Lanzini and Yarmo are all great but they all play in front, they're all passers not runners. It's just too much of the same and easier to nullify without someone to stretch the game. Yarmo was trying to get behind against Palace and Fornals can do it a bit from central midfield but it's not as effective. Antonio has changed the game more than a few times this season - kind of need Diangana back - or to shake up the system, it's twice we've blown going third. We need to be careful the season won't lose momentum.
jhammers wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:24 am
Anderson needs to wake up if he is to get a goal. I wouldn't even start him the way he has been strolling around recently
2 assists in his last 3 starts. B'mouth keeper made a great save from his acrobatic volley. He's 14th in the league for tackles made this season already, 2nd highest amount for a winger. Covers 10km a game.
psychoscoredthelot wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:33 pm
tough one to predict - what does john bentley think ?
Probably need to go and check on Blue Moon for that.
I'm tempted to suggest we should rest Rice for this one - two England away games, probably not back from Bulgaria until during the day tomorrow, then a turn around for 12:30 Saturday. I don't think we will, as we don't have the playing staff to replace him adequately, but wouldn't be against such a move.
We'll lose 2-1, regardless of what team we put out.
jhammers wrote: ↑Mon Oct 14, 2019 11:24 am
Anderson needs to wake up if he is to get a goal. I wouldn't even start him the way he has been strolling around recently
Are you one of the miserable ****ers that sit near me in 140?
According to them we bought the only Brazilian that cannot play football :lol:
I do find the Anderson criticism a little bit strange. If we were bottom of the league, losing week in week out, then I'd understand it a BIT more. But we're actually doing alright! He may not have scored as many as he / we would have liked over the last 20 odd games, but he's so much more involved in our all-round play than he's given credit for. Tracking back and dispossessing his opponent, a bit of skill or an amazing pass which starts an attack - most of these go under the radar when compared to X goals in X games. Do the criticisers not think that just having him on the pitch allows players around him to have more space, more time on the ball or to not be marked as tightly, making them more dangerous to the opponent? I guarantee you that opposition players / fans would be worried to see him in our starting line-ups, regardless of his form in front of goal. And in those 20 odd games he's scored one goal in, we've played some pretty decent football, had some pretty decent results and have been in a pretty decent league position.
not sure it's overall criticism per se - more needing to take the weight just a little bit more.
for me I would love to see him be a bit more "dynamic" for want of a better word. drive at the other more, keep them more on the back foot.
now all of this is more likely instructions from Pellers which is fine - who knows ?
IF he could keep the opponents on the back foot more it might keep the opposition more in their own half numbers wise. then it would also help Haller out some as (imvho) he is so isolated most of the time he isn't as dangerous as he could be more of the time.
that's all it is to me. not criticism from me, more a "want" - there's a reason he scored a load last early season and I for one would like to see him more in the opponents box (or in and around) winning free kicks, penalties and working the opposing keeper more.
I don't care so much if he is right up there winning tackles etc. - that's what my defenders and CM/DMs are for. yes, help out for sure but he's a winger. create and score more - help Haller out a bit more.
as I say, that's more than likely Pellers wanting us to be more solid at the back at the expense of scoring more (as a team that is).
Cuenca 'ammer wrote: ↑Sun Oct 13, 2019 11:24 pm
that was really 1 out of 2 he (Haller) needs more than 2 clear cut chances a game. he looks good in the air too and it doesn't look like (from memory) that we are giving him loads of those chances either. that knock down the other week that got us a goal.... let's give him some more ammunition.
wonder if that's because a) he isn't any good in the air (which I don't agree with) or b) we are not putting enough/decent crosses for him.
recall early doors when he was here he had a great effort with his head and he did head down was it for Cresswell to score ?
we put in an average of 15 crosses a game which is 15th Norwich are bottom with 11.
we're 6th in aerial duels won - 19.5 - but I can't seem to find a breakdown between attacking and defending.
Lanzini is 9th in the top 10 key passes per game with 2.4 which we probably need to up and 2.6 dribbles per game. for example Zaha is at 4.8 which maybe is "a" reason Palace win so many penalties
that's what I mentioned elsewhere relating to Anderson - more direct attacking opposition and getting into the box (or around the edge) for more penalties and/or free kicks ?
okay Haller wins 7.1 headed duels per game and I would have to "assume" that most of those are attacking although it isn't broken down.
all stats from whoscored.com
going back for a minute to Anderson he has 2.3 dribbles per game but 2.1 dispossessed per game so again I "assume" he isn't quite as successful as we would like.
now people will say that I am obsessed with stats - I took a course on it which is like the ProZone thing.
this is how all managers break down their success rate and/or lack of. players are ranked in their team and/or again league averages so unfortunately like it or not, this is how things are done these days. if it wasn't, teams wouldn't use ProZone to the extent that they do.
People going on about Anderson strolling around is a bit ridiculous. He's clearly putting in a shift.
Going forward he's putting in decent numbers in terms of assists. However, he's consistently receiving the ball in good areas and has more space due to the intelligence of the players around him. In my opinion he's not doing as much with those opportunities as he's capable of. I wouldn't drop him, I'm just holding him up to the high standards we all know he can match.
I feel we’re trying to be a bit Man City lite, manoeuvring the ball to find space out wide, get to the by-line then low across the box for a tap-in. Haller has got a few goals like that already.
that's fine but city have players who run hard and fast and get back into position. augero silva x 2 sterling all work harder than our lot !
slight doubt on snoddy with a strain but I expect him to be fit. rice with a virus is more concerning but again he was on the bench last night so should be ok.
all should be back by tomorrow including Arthur from africa !