⚽ UCLQF1L: KAA Gent 1-1 West Ham Utd (13/4/23)

[DannyboyDJL]

Got back through the door at around 2am this morning. Must say, really really impressed how quickly we were back to the car after the game. Literally made it back to Calais around 10pm UK time but unfortunately had to wait for the 12.20 Eurotunnel as we didn't want to gamble missing it.

As for the game itself, we were lucky to come away with a draw from that in the end. The only positive (if you want to call it a positive) is that it will make for a cracking game next Thursday and not a dead rubber like the Larnaca game effectively was.

I get the feeling these players, like the fans, are expecting Moyes to depart come the summer.

How did you like the City? I had my stag do there 10 years ago and loved it.

[master]

Yeah, it's a ' cashless ' stadium.

Whereas we have a 'classless' stadium.

[Writtle iron]

Judging by ticket sales a week out from the game, I’m not sure.

Yeh it will be a bit embarrassing if we can’t even get a good crowd up for the quarter final 2nd leg .

Might not be int Europe again for years !

[Colours never run]

Whereas we have a 'classless' stadium.

I think of it more as a "carcrash" stadium.

[Colours never run]

Judging by ticket sales a week out from the game, I’m not sure.

What's been sold so far?

[Aztec Hammer]

What's been sold so far?

Looking on the site, most of the upper tier is available. Doesn’t help that some of those seats are as much as £67.

[Happyhammer52]

Terribly sad news coming out this morning that a fella has passed away after being hit by a train in Belgium.

[Ozza]

News that one of ours was hit by a train in Gent yesterday and has died.

Very sad news RIP

[Aztec Hammer]

Awful, awful news.

RIP

[prophet:marginal]

I thought Johnson did OK, personally, showing commitment and running.

That's not however to say that I felt it was necessary to deploy 3x CBs.

[Knighter10WHU]

Terribly sad news coming out this morning that a fella has passed away after being hit by a train in Belgium.

Blimey. RIP hammer.

[djbubbles]

Shocking news about a hammer being killed by a train. R.I.P.

I reckon if AZ score earlyish against Anderlecht they'll turn around the 2 goal deficit and await us in the semi final. We will win 2 or 3 nil. COYI

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

...........

For example, how often do you see the full back/wing back have to check their run to receive the ball rather than have it in front of them to take in their stride?

This happens so often they have to be under instructions to play the ball to feet rather than into space. I have no idea why because as you point out, it slows play down.

[WorcesterWHU]

What continues to frustrate and surprise me is that the kind of performances we're watching at the moment are the complete opposite of the "if you don't run, you don't play" philosophy.

It's just so laboured and slow, with and without the ball.

Nothing about this season makes any kind of sense at all.

[chigwells finest]

i'm just concerned that Gent will do to us 2nd leg, what we did to Lyon last season , we thought we'd just turn up last night and should've got well turned over .

[EastleighHammer16]

Looking on the site, most of the upper tier is available. Doesn’t help that some of those seats are as much as £67.

I can’t blame people for not going tbh. The football is awful to watch.

I used to love watching us every game. I still watch obviously but couldn’t tell you the last time I was excited to watch us play.

[Gsbgsb]

This happens so often they have to be under instructions to play the ball to feet rather than into space. I have no idea why because as you point out, it slows play down.

Not an issue if you play the ball to where the feet will be rather than where they already are. There is a distinct difference to playing the ball to feet in a progressive manner and playing it into space. City play the ball to feet but in a way that encourages the player to attack not cause him to stop and go backwards.

Last night was summed up for me about 5 minutes after Benrahma came on. He received the ball wide in acres of space. Did he take it into that space at whatever pace he has. No he simply controlled it (for once) and stood still. Eventually passing it inside to a player with less time than he had not having advanced it an inch.

If players (whatever instructions they might have been given - I simply do not believe in that case Benrahma’s were do not attack at all costs) cannot read and exploit a situation offensively or defensively the performance is going to be bad.

Their goal Rice lost the runner but Downes was totally asleep inside him, he provided zero cover because he failed to read the situation. Individual errors that have nothing to do with tactics.

[Belgian Iron]

Yeah I really liked it mate, it was small of course but it was quite modern inside and made for a good atmosphere. There was a weird process in the concourse though, where you had to buy vouchers at a fixed price to then purchase food and drinks.

Weird? That's just robbing extra money of people. You're bound to have some euro's left on your voucher so you lose that.
Is used a lot in continental Europe, and will be used everywhere in Europe in 5 to 10 years, also for concerts.

[Belgian Iron]

Well that was brilliant.

Gent is a great place, the fans were on top form, in and out of the ground and i got pissed on Belgian beer.

Whats not to like

I was in the ground, just next to the away section. I thought our lot had a VERY quiet game. Probably because of (too much ) beers and the torrid performance, but there was almost no atmosphere.
The home fans were very quiet as well. Certainly for a European QF which is a once in 10 year occasion for them (and us, most probably).

Dreadful game from us. I still expect us to go through but our defence will need to be extra sharp next week because there will be even more space in behind them for Orban.....
The crowd will have a big impact, positive or negative. If we go behind or get stuck 0-0 at 60 mins , I hope we get behind the team. If not, it will suck the last bit of confidence (is there any left?!) out of our team and we be out.

[Belgian Iron]

Looking on the site, most of the upper tier is available. Doesn’t help that some of those seats are as much as £67.

67?!

Good lord, you would be crazy to pay that kind of money after last nights performance.
We need a sell out crowd, not a cash cow.