Are we the dirtiest side in the Prem?

[brothernero]

Having just finished reading the OV View from yesterdays game I saw there were quite a few comments on what a dirty and snide side we are. Have seen these type of comments on other OV'S in the past.

Also when talking to a Liverpool fan the other week the day after they beat us 1-0 he mentioned the same thing. Said the ref was letting us get away with so much. Have also hear these remarks about being a dirty side and a snide side from various other fans these and last season.


Now perhaps I am watching with my claret and blue rose tinted glasses on, but I really do not see it at all. In fact quite the opposite.

I think we are a little to soft. Very few of our players dive, we hardly ever get in the face of the referee or surround him. There are plenty of occasions where our players stay on their feet in the penalty box where other players of teams would go to ground waving their hands for a penalty. Cant recall to many of players waving for imaginary yellow or red cards ethier.

Moyes himself is quite understated on the touchline. None of the rubbish theatrics that managers like Arteta do, or getting in the 4th officials face.

So what Am I not seeing that all these other fans are?

Personally I am quite proud our team are not like Liverpool, Villa or Arsenal ect.

[Ironing Board]

They forget football is a physical sport and not a synchronized diving competition!

[davids cross]

I hope so.

[Aztec Hammer]

Not even close.

We just have a lot of tall, strong players and when opponents weakling players can't keep up, they cry about us being dirty. Most of the teams we play are far dirtier than us with myriad snide tactics that we do not employ.

One could make the argument it would be in our best interests to do so.

[The Straw]

No. We are not a dirty side. We are big and strong. If other teams want to throw themselves on the floor constantly and act like snide c**** then that's up to them. Doesn't make us dirty. I actually think us and maybe Leeds try to play with some sense of sportsmanship. Teams like Arsenal are utterly contemptible.

[bubbles1966]

We have committed the lowest number of fouls per game, and are just one off being the lowest number of yellow cards.

If anything, we don't 'take one for the team' often enough. Diop should have wiped Broja out in the home game, for example. Man City would have pulled him down four times between halfway and the penalty area.

When it is said that we are dirty, it's usually an admission by the opposition that they are soft. Villa were yesterday. All the feigned head injuries were a tactic borne from the fear of how good we are in the air relative to them.

The oft repeated "West Ham are good at set pieces" is well and truly in the heads of everyone we play.

[El brooko79]

We have committed the lowest number of fouls per game, and are just one off being the lowest number of yellow cards.

If anything, we don't 'take one for the team' often enough. Diop should have wiped Broja out in the home game, for example. Man City would have pulled him down four times between halfway and the penalty area.

When it is said that we are dirty, it's usually an admission by the opposition that they are soft. Villa were yesterday. All the feigned head injuries were a tactic borne from the fear of how good we are in the air relative to them.

Excellent facts and response.
All committed and hard working players.
Can't think of anyone in our squad that would leave one on someone. Dawson can be rash but no malice.

Even that so called "vinnie Jones leveler" from Rice on Coutinho, it looked like the ref wasn't gonna blow until Rice was checking on him.

Far too many sunny day players at other clubs expect to be able to turn up for a 5 aside knockabout. Not on our watch.

[steveyrockstar]

we were far dirtier when Julian played for us

[Wilko1304]

I’d have us down as the most naive and honest team. We have no snides, the closest being Dawson but he isn’t a snide, he’s basically that 40 year old bloke at Sunday League who loves a tackle and isn’t trying to hurt anyone, but smiles as he clatters people cos he just loves it.

[funky chicken]

The title should surely belong to Man Utd. How many players of ours have gone off injured against them the last few years in all competitions against them?

Ogbonna arguably hasn’t been the same with regards to injuries since that FA Cup game.

[prophet:marginal]

There's the now popular tug of shirt and nudge off balance. I hate it, but loads do it.

But there's a select few who play in a manner dangerous to other players. Jota is one, with his elbows.

Arsenal, though, as a team, are snide AND dirty (i.e. dangerous)

They're the worst.

[LeonRivers]

What’s dirty:

Tackling hard, standing your ground when you’re a massive unit and running powerfully with the ball

or

Diving to the floor under no contact, pretending to be injured and time-wasting from the 1st minute.

A recent match vs Villa was the angriest I have ever been after a match, and we won it!! They are a disgusting side. Worse than Gerard’s Liverpool, Bale’s Tottenham and Vardy’s Leicester. Proper ****ing scum.

We’re pussycats in the dirty-team game.

[D C]

Don’t forget leople like Liverpool fans will remember Ogbonna’s elbow that we all forget about all fans are biased at the end if the day like how they’ll conveniently ignore Salah winning dodgy pens and Mane kung fu kicking people

Personally I think dirty sides like Pulis’ Stoke that set out to potentially injure players or constant fouling to try to intimidate the opposition is worse than than the frustrating time wasting and exaggerating fouls that teams like Villa and Brentford do

Every player appeals for a throw in or corner kick that they know came off them last so all players are cheats in todays games really, some just worse than others and I don’t really expect any better as frustrating as that is

[HammerTime86]

You should have asked that Liverpool fan if Jota plays for us? He's a snide little ****.

[brothernero]

We’re pussycats in the dirty-team game.

Agree. As i say I don't want to become like Villa or Arsenal but at the same time we do need to toughen up a bit.

[mattyD]

We're too nice if anything. Need to get on the opposition's face a bit more, and the refs ear. Tactical fouls etc

By way of comparison the games involving Villa have seen the ball actually in play for the least amount of time. The rest is spent with them holding their heads.

That said I'm glad we're doing it the way we are. Arsenal are the worst example right now. Just cheats, pure and simple.

[Bubbles Fortuna]

We're not even close.

It's a perception driven by a few things:

Unfashionable British Manager.

Media driven cliche that we're a 'set piece' team.

Big tall players like Dawson, Soucek, Zouma just get lumped in as 'brutes'.

Other teams making excuses for why West Ham are 1, above them in the table, and 2, have beaten them this season.

[prophet:marginal]

Andy Carroll was a dangerous opponent.

Some of his challenges were wrestling attacks!

[Gnome]

Does make me laugh when Liverpool supporters accuse us of bring dirty. Coming from the team whose no.1 tactic is to break down play with fouls ten yards either side of the halfway line, spreading the load over the team to avoid cards.

Nastiest side in the country.

[Skandi Brudson]

We're not even close.

It's a perception driven by a few things:

Unfashionable British Manager.

Media driven cliche that we're a 'set piece' team.

Big tall players like Dawson, Soucek, Zouma just get lumped in as 'brutes'.

Other teams making excuses for why West Ham are 1, above them in the table, and 2, have beaten them this season.

I’d normally just hit the new like button but this is so on the money it deserves a quote. Absolutely nailed it there BF .