West Ham Utd 2-3 Leeds Utd (16/1/22)

[Georgee Paris]

I did kinda warn you all that thought we’d win.

[Crouchend_Hammer]

Just got home from the gane and watched the highlights.
That Bowen miss at the end really was a shocker. We should have escaped with a draw

[Mr_incredible]

Moyse cant have it both ways. He likes a small squad so he doesn't have to make too many decisions, then moans about fixtures piling up. If we are to be a regular top 6 club which is a BIG if with this club, hes going to have to make better use of the squad places. Of course Diop and Dawson weren't good enough today....was he not paying attention when the same thing happened last year. I said to my dad before the game, this is gonna be a game too far for them together just like the Newcastle game was last year. I knew our lineup was never going to match Leeds for workrate and yes looking at the bench there wasn't really an obvious fix. The players are blowing out of their asses and players like Diop and Dawson have 'gotten us through' but Moyse has to take this on the chin. He's had a month to sort out another defender. I would have preferred that he'd made the squad decisions he needs to make on Masuaku, Yarmalenko and co last year and we could have moved on. This isn't intended to give the players or Moyse a coating for today...We get it and were happy to be where we are, afterall we could spend 250 million in Jan and still be no higher in the league!!!.....but if we are to truely move forward as a club we cant stand still and make the same old excuses about having no options

[S-H]

I'm not one to single out players for criticism.

But when you look at the work Moyes has done, with improving players, since he arrived, you have to wonder if this is a good as it gets for Diop.

Maybe a move back to France would be best for everyone, he seems like a decent lad, and I'm sure he trys his best, but if he isn't progressing now, in this team, under Moyes' guidance, then I don't think he ever will.

Such a shame, as he was brilliant in his first season, I know I had high hopes for him.

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

Once again we're made to look like relegation candidates by a side that knows if they press early and get in our faces, don't let us settle on the ball, then we have no counter. The list of teams a page or two back where we got two points also played this way and it worked for them too.

It needs addressing.

[Doyley72]

Today's game has to ring alarm bells in regards to our defence, if it hasn't been bleating out before.

Diop is just an awful defender. We would be better off with 10 men. He has no awareness, positioning sense and is so slow on the turn. His passing is poor and heading is amateurish.

Surely youngsters Baptise or Alese are better options.

Also, why oh why does Yarmo get onto the pitch? At one point, Rice had a good chance but Yarmo got in the way! He is a hindrance!! Get Oxo-Flex on! If he isn't good enough then don't have him on the bench!!

We missed Soucek so much. Those who question him really don't understand football or field positioning. You can't get away with Lanzini next to Rice against good attacking teams. Which again questions why Kral is on the bench. If we don't trust him to be in place of Soucek then get rid.

Then there is the elephant in the room.

CRESSWELL.

He was to blame for the first two goals AGAIN. It seems to always be from our left side and it's so blatantly obvious where our problems are and any half decent manager will set their team up to attack our left, especially when Cresswell is playing.

How does he let their winger cross the ball for their first? Why does this happen so often? And for their second, even at cub football you are taught to goal side mark your player and keep tight. But again he loses his player who walks pass him to score. He HAS BEEN brilliant for us in the PAST but he has to go.

On to the next gsme as we wait and throw away more points because the board are so amateurish that they STILL haven't brought any new signings in, which could and probably will decide on where we end up in the league.

[mumbles87]

Well before kick off I said to my mates we would lose today. I mean 3 wins in the league on the bounce .. palace being undeserved really . it was due

leeds played well.. but both defenses were shocking.

cant wait for zouma to return (i would say ogbonna but he is miles away zouma is closer)

shame dawson missed the free header and that miss from bowen wow..

but hey it was one them days

we move onto the next game

[Georgee Paris]

We definitely need a knee jerk reaction - we need a fresh injection of energy. We look spent.

[il_martello_di_genovesi]

The only sub Moyes needed to make was to take off Vlasic and bring on Kral to push Lanzini further forward. Bringing on Masuaku just seemed pointless. Not having a go at Masuaku, but can’t think of a worse position to bring him on in than when you’re losing against a side who were pressing as high and fast as they were.

[Georgee Paris]

Zouma is not going to change much. Perhaps a goal today…

[YorksHammer]

That was a damn good game of football. Don't really even care that we lost, I had as much fun watching that as I have watching us win some of the big games against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea this season.

We could have escaped with a draw, whether we should have or deserves to is questionable, but Bowen missing the target at the very end is such a shame. Thought we put on a generally good performance and although we had our defensive issues that we've all long known about, weren't especially poor in any department.

[Samba]

DISCHUFFED!

[Daytonahammer]

Leeds sandbagged in the cup and brought their press today. I can't say I'm surprised we lost, as most of us knew it would be a different game. We're still in a decent spot in the league but should focus on europa as our path to champions league football. Some of the vitriol towards some of the lads is unwarranted considering our lack of depth. Onwards and upwards!

[Crouchend_Hammer]

That was a damn good game of football. Don't really even care that we lost, I had as much fun watching that as I have watching us win some of the big games against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea this season.

We could have escaped with a draw, whether we should have or deserves to is questionable, but Bowen missing the target at the very end is such a shame. Thought we put on a generally good performance and although we had our defensive issues that we've all long known about, weren't especially poor in any department.

Yeah i agree with that
Two teams going all out to win with a lot of good attacking play on show

[Centre Half]

Terrible today. We really miss Soucek, the midfield looks imbalanced and weak without him, gaps all over the pitch for Leeds to exploit. I noticed today he is the only one that offers for the ball at throw ins, no one today was even looking for the ball!

We couldn’t string two passes together all afternoon unless it was going backwards to the defence, which never ended well.

We look such a poor team passing backwards all the time. We are at our best moving the ball forwards quickly at pace.

[smuts]

Diop wasn't great in his first season...got dropped towards the end for constantly switching off and not doing the basics.

He's not going to get any better and I think today's performance was probably an all time low.

[Centre Half]

That was a damn good game of football. Don't really even care that we lost, I had as much fun watching that as I have watching us win some of the big games against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea this season.

We could have escaped with a draw, whether we should have or deserves to is questionable, but Bowen missing the target at the very end is such a shame. Thought we put on a generally good performance and although we had our defensive issues that we've all long known about, weren't especially poor in any department.

I can’t believe anyone would call that a good performance!

We couldn’t string two passes together.

[costa75]

Poor performance today. The back four were dreadful. Diop looks like he could benefit from being left out because the poor lads confidence has totally gone. Antonio was poor and even Bowen was well below his recent standards.

Leeds are easy to play against and you cannot lose to them at home if you want top six.

We need a centre back and a forward sharpish. I won't hold my breath though.

[Centre Half]

When we played this mob last season I thought they were dead easy to play against. Stay strong and resolute in midfield and defence, they come forward in numbers, we break up their attacks and then move forward with ball carriers at pace.

Think we were weak in midfield massively missing Soucek. Benhrama usually plays well against this lot as well- we missed someone with the ability to carry the ball forward directly and quickly. Lingard would have also been perfect.

Also not a game for Lanzini to play deep! You need two ball winners in midfield against this lot.

[RichieRiv]

There appears to be a lack if tempo at the start of games and then we seem to get over excited when we get back into a game, you think we're going on to win it but we tend to leave the back door open,thats at least twice we've done that.

A little more control required, perhaps its Rice's lack of experience, he will learn.
Equalise consolidate, go again

Sums up this afternoon perfectly.