✍ Alex Král

[iLoveLasagne]

Didn't one of our European posters (username maybe begins with K?) who was familiar with the player warn us he would be a poor signing to make? Was Kral another DS signing? The try before you buy element certainly has hallmarks of this.

[S-H]

Didn't one of our European posters (username maybe begins with K?) who was familiar with the player warn us he would be a poor signing to make? Was Kral another DS signing? The try before you buy element certainly has hallmarks of this.

He offers us squad depth.

We won't see him play unless we lose both Rice and Soucek.

Whether he's good enough or not, I have no idea.

[yakandyeti]

I think he has also suffered a bit by it being Noble's last season. I think Moyes is more inclined to give Noble the odd 5-minute cameo to tighten things up at the end. Is some of it sentiment? For the long term would it be better if Kral got more of those minutes? Would someone of Noble's current ability get the nod as often if he didn't have the history with the club? I'm not saying it's wrong or digging Noble out, but it hasn't helped Kral.

[yakandyeti]

Also a few weeks ago we were all saying Vlasic was pony and what a waste of money, he got the opportunity and opinions changed quite quickly. Would be pleasantly surprised if that happened for Kral too.

[Ozza]

Didn't one of our European posters (username maybe begins with K?) who was familiar with the player warn us he would be a poor signing to make? Was Kral another DS signing? The try before you buy element certainly has hallmarks of this.

Is he a poor signing? Done ok since when he's come on and is clearly here as backup to Rice, Souey and then Noble.... the deal allows Moyes to have depth and have a look at him every day in training and whether he has the potential to improve, f*** all to do with Sullivan

[HammerMan2004]

Also a few weeks ago we were all saying Vlasic was pony and what a waste of money

*some impatient people were all saying

[Cockneyboy311]

Has played so little I think it's impossible to judge him.

Having said that, in the full game he did play (Man Utd in the cup) I thought he did well.

Definitely hamstrung by having Rice, Soucek and Noble in front of him.

As somebody else mentioned, give him a run out against Kidderminster alongside Rice or Soucek.

[Aztec Hammer]

i don't quite know why people are comparing kral to lanzini?
completely different roles.
kral is more like soucek, a defensive midfielder who wins the ball and breaks down attacks. That's not Lanzini's game is it.
You need different types of players for different games/teams.
ok we went more attacking v norwich because we could afford to against a side that doesn't score goals. So fornals, lanzini and vlasic played.
That's not going to be the same scenario for many other teams is it?
if that match was against another team with a tougher midfield and better attack i doubt we could afford so many attacking players.
but if kral is simply not going to get a game even if we need a defensive midfielder and soucek and noble aren't available, then there isn't really much point in keeping him.
But it seems to me we are never going to see what he is like in a west ham shirt.
He looked ok, if nothing special so far, but that's as a defensive midfielder, not an attacking midfielder.

There have been a lot of matches this season, against all different types of teams. Kral barely gets a look in. Lanzini does. I am confident that even against a tougher midfield as you put it, we would play Lanzini instead of Kral as a partner to Rice, if they were the only two options.

Lanzini is really good. Kral isn't. Noble is ahead of him.

[DublinDave]

Mark is out for at least a month with a knee injury & Tomas is getting over Covid...
If Moyes doesn't play him on Sunday we'll have our answer...
If Lanzini gets the nod in midfield ahead of him against a high pressure attacking team he'll never get a shot baring a catastrophic injury crisis...

[Hermit_Road]

Mark is out for at least a month with a knee injury & Tomas is getting over Covid...
If Moyes doesn't play him on Sunday we'll have our answer...
If Lanzini gets the nod in midfield ahead of him against a high pressure attacking team he'll never get a shot baring a catastrophic injury crisis...

I agree, strange that he hasn't had more game time or even the odd cameo "last-few-minute" opportunities.

[Wilko1304]

Mark is out for at least a month with a knee injury & Tomas is getting over Covid...
If Moyes doesn't play him on Sunday we'll have our answer...
If Lanzini gets the nod in midfield ahead of him against a high pressure attacking team he'll never get a shot baring a catastrophic injury crisis...

Not sure I'd agree, Lanzini makes sense in a game like this. Need to be confident and comfortable on the ball under pressure, and I would say Lanzini is our best on that count, Rice included.

Noticed in the cup, Lanzini seemed to be the only one who used the pressing to just move the ball around the man rushing him. Was quite funny how simple he made it look.

[BobbyMooreLower]

Mark is out for at least a month with a knee injury & Tomas is getting over Covid...
If Moyes doesn't play him on Sunday we'll have our answer...
If Lanzini gets the nod in midfield ahead of him against a high pressure attacking team he'll never get a shot baring a catastrophic injury crisis...

I personally think Lanzini suits a high pressing team much more than Kral who, let’s be honest, looks a bag of nerves everytime he gets the ball.

[DublinDave]

I personally think Lanzini suits a high pressing team much more than Kral who, let’s be honest, looks a bag of nerves everytime he gets the ball.

How do we know though..? He was shaky the first 15 mins of the Man U cup game but that was the first time he'd kicked a ball in anger in ages, felt he grew into the game & accounted himself well...
Lanzini may very well play some killer passes for goals from midfield on Sunday or, he could leave us open on the press as I feel he did in the second half against Norwich, we needed more steel in there then & I think Kral needs this game otherwise it's back to Russia as it's his best chance to prove himself...

[DublinDave]

It all could be a moot point however as according to Sullivan's mouthpiece, the Spartak Moscow sporting director expects the loan to be cut short due to lack of playing time...

[RaddyKovac]

Heard he's likely to start today.

[Bubbles Fortuna]

Heard he's likely to start today.

Heard wrong...

[hammerman11]

no point being on the bench really. Stick another kid in there , who has a future at west ham

[BobbyMooreLower]

How do we know though..? He was shaky the first 15 mins of the Man U cup game but that was the first time he'd kicked a ball in anger in ages, felt he grew into the game & accounted himself well...
Lanzini may very well play some killer passes for goals from midfield on Sunday or, he could leave us open on the press as I feel he did in the second half against Norwich, we needed more steel in there then & I think Kral needs this game otherwise it's back to Russia as it's his best chance to prove himself...

Man United, Zabreb, Euro 2020 matches. I’m not sure I’ve seen a player look so awkward and nervous in possession.

Must be the same in training hence his 5 mins of premier league football so far.

[Bond Holder 59]

Hope he gets a substantial go today. Probably not going to get a better time given Soucek and Noble missing. Time to show what he’s got. We need some evidence to judge him on. Looking forward to rating him.
⚒

[yakandyeti]

no point being on the bench really. Stick another kid in there , who has a future at west ham

Who? If you played Coventry who looks most ready he couldn’t play for another club this season. I presume he’s only been in the 23s so he can go out again. If he’s here in Feb he may well make it to the bench.