⚽ West Ham Utd 1-0 Southampton: (2/4/23)

[Colours never run]

It’s all about results

If that was the case, then fans would just wait to see the results in the paper, rather than pay good money to go watch games live.

[Sir_Trevor]

If that was the case, then fans would just wait to see the results in the paper, rather than pay good money to go watch games live.

Simple point but actually quite profound when you think about it.

[IronZ-79]

In our current position we need points and I don't care how we go about getting them.

[goa127]

Leeds could've been 2-0 up. But guess what? they lost 4-1. I'm not saying we should therefore not take risks but that example really doesn't support your argument. I think we'd all like to see better football but yesterday's game really was a high pressure game, which we won. A loss would have been a disaster and players became risk-averse. Hopefully a few more wins might restore belief

[jabbaglob123]

If that was the case, then fans would just wait to see the results in the paper, rather than pay good money to go watch games live.

If you're getting the results but the play isn't great that's fine.

If the results are poor and the play isn't great, that's a real issue.

The latter unfortunately has been the story of this season so far

[roblo]

It’s all about results

100%, at this stage of this season.

Had a good day out and watched my team win a must-win game with one of the new favourites scoring. Wasn't that long ago we leaving Molineux, Amex and WHL without a kick.

[delbert]

Alone it won't. The team needs to move 15 yards up the pitch and press properly.

Stick Lanzini or Fornals in that set up yesterday and they'd have been having a tea party with Ings while the game passed them by.

That's the weird thing though, for the first 5-10 minutes we were, then we slowly withdrew and for long periods before we scored we struggled to get out of our own half.......

[MB]

That's the weird thing though, for the first 5-10 minutes we were, then we slowly withdrew and for long periods before we scored we struggled to get out of our own half.......

That was just their pressing IMO. Once they got going we really struggled like we always do against any team which presses us. But I do wonder sometimes if Moyes expects us to be as deep as we are. A lack of confidence clearly not helping on top of the manager's approach. Bowen playingbthe ball back to Fab for example.

Maybe Laznini or Fornals would have helped a bit against the press but what we really needed (IMO) was some pace on the pitch. So much space behind that we just couldn't exploit.

[JohnnyLyall]

Maybe Laznini or Fornals would have helped a bit against the press but what we really needed (IMO) was some pace on the pitch. So much space behind that we just couldn't exploit.

I would love to see Benrahma moved into the ten with Cornet on the left, at least we'd have more chance of breaking and keep the ball on the floor.

[Burnley Hammer]

I thought Paqueta really grew into the game more in the 2nd half. In the 1st half, he was okay. But frustrated me at times how cheaply he sometimes gave the ball away.

One thing I do respect about him though is he never shies away from a challenge. Something quite a lot of players would happily do. He has a bit of bite to his game.

On the whole it was one of his better games, but whenever you go home from a game, you do sometimes leave with the feeling you wanted a little bit more from him. Maybe it’s the price tag we paid for him. For £50m you want the best player on the pitch, the star of the show. And from what I’ve seen from him up until now, I’d say we paid double what he’s really worth. Though that’s not the player’s fault.

Just had a look at the stats for the first time on whoscored. They had Paqueta down as making 10 tackles. In all the time I've been checking out our matches on there, I don't think I've ever seen a single player with a stat that high before.

[Colours never run]

Just had a look at the stats for the first time on whoscored. They had Paqueta down as making 10 tackles. In all the time I've been checking out our matches on there, I don't think I've ever seen a single player with a stat that high before.

That's because of what is being asked of him to break
up Southamptons play whilst having had 57% of possession and able to make 141 more passes than us. And he did what was asked of him defensively very well.

[Ironing Board]

Just had a look at the stats for the first time on whoscored. They had Paqueta down as making 10 tackles. In all the time I've been checking out our matches on there, I don't think I've ever seen a single player with a stat that high before.

We thought we were getting a creative playmaker and have instead got a slightly silky tough tackler!

[mushy]

That was just their pressing IMO. Once they got going we really struggled like we always do against any team which presses us. But I do wonder sometimes if Moyes expects us to be as deep as we are. A lack of confidence clearly not helping on top of the manager's approach. Bowen playingbthe ball back to Fab for example.

Maybe Laznini or Fornals would have helped a bit against the press but what we really needed (IMO) was some pace on the pitch. So much space behind that we just couldn't exploit.

I agree with this, and I've mentioned this before.
When teams high press us we lack either the technical ability or the the tactical awareness to pass the ball comfortably out of defence.
You need players coming to get the ball and forming little triangles to make this work.
It's not like we sit back on purpose, it's just that when teams pin us in it looks grim.
We should be able to counter this by playing through the opposition with slick passing and pace. As you say, this team lacks pace and often the ball will end up at Benrhamas, or Bowens feet and there is no obvious forward or attacking pass. Then we go into safety mode, the ball gets knocked back to the full back and then under pressure hoofed up front.
I agree that both Lanzini and Fornals would help with the passing but again, both lack the pace to break quickly. As does Soucek.
We don't have any tactics that actually suit our current crop of players in my opinion.
People say we have a really good squad with plenty of good players but the more I watch the more I think that these players aren't suited to the style of play incorporated by most teams these days. We've stood still.
Having said that, we did really well in the past few seasons so it's hard to work out what's changed.

[mushy]

We thought we were getting a creative playmaker and have instead got a slightly silky tough tackler!

You may have done based on the Brazilian factor but five minutes of research will have told you we got exactly the player he already is.

[mushy]

I would love to see Benrahma moved into the ten with Cornet on the left, at least we'd have more chance of breaking and keep the ball on the floor.

This is another decent plan.
In recent weeks (up until Sunday) both Benrhama and Bowen were playing closer to the striker and not hugging the touch line as much.
Who would you drop for Cornet?

[Ironing Board]

You may have done based on the Brazilian factor but five minutes of research will have told you we got exactly the player he already is.

That's the question though. We looked all in for Onana, lost out, and then Paqueta became available. TransferMarket has his main position as attacking midfield, but he seems much more an old-fashioned no. 8.

[Ethanadict]

Moyes v Southampton… it was an ugly win but that is what he does, and no one should be that surprised.

It amuses me to see Everton fans lauding their fighting spirit and getting back some defensive backbone and team spirit with Dyche at the helm. Reminds me of us when we we’re facing relegation and Moyes joined us and saved us, not so long ago.

Dyche and Moyes, two old school British managers cut from similar cloth. Both effective at what they do, whether you enjoy it or not. Everton continually punched above their weight with Moyes in charge but the fans turned against him because of the poor quality football.

Honestly, I was excited for a new Dawn of exciting football when Pellegrini joined us, but then relieved when Moyes came back. Now, I think fan pressure will see him out again because of the poor quality football. I think this will now be irrespective of our finishing league position and any European glory.

What next? Probably a European manager embarking on everyone’s favourite word, a “project”. And then the real litmus test… will we be turning to Rogers, Dyche or Moyes again next January to save us?

Rinse, wash, repeat…

[London Fields Hammer]

What next? Probably a European manager embarking on everyone’s favourite word, a “project”. And then the real litmus test… will we be turning to Rogers, Dyche or Moyes again next January to save us?

Rinse, wash, repeat…

You are not wrong but it does now seem to be standard practice amongst any club not in the top half of the table by Christmas. We are the exception this year because we didn't sack our coach. But as you say, he'll probably be gone in the summer.

[Ethanadict]

This is another decent plan.
In recent weeks (up until Sunday) both Benrhama and Bowen were playing closer to the striker and not hugging the touch line as much.
Who would you drop for Cornet?

I think you pick and choose your games for when Soucek plays (who I personally still rate highly as a great squad player).

There are games, like Southampton, where id like to see us play Bowen, Cornet, and Benrahma behind the striker, with Rice and Paquetà behind.

Personally that would be my team for Bournemouth, but not Newcastle. I’d keep Tomas in for the barcodes.

[Ethanadict]

You are not wrong but it does now seem to be standard practice amongst any club not in the top half of the table by Christmas. We are the exception this year because we didn't sack our coach. But as you say, he'll probably be gone in the summer.

I was going to say it will be interesting come the end of the season to see if clubs who have sacked managers for fear of relegation do any better than those who stood by their manager, but there’s so few left now there’s not much of a sample.

Moyes and Cooper v the rest.