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⚽ AEK Larnaca v West Ham - Official Match Thread
charleyfarley 12:49 Thu Mar 2
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.   V  AEK Arena
Thurs 9th March 17:45 GMT 
Espen Eskås (NOR): (8) - 13  0  Pirić, Casas, Miličević, Tomović, Englezou ©, Mamas, Ledes, Sanjurjo, Rosales, Jakoliš, Lopes
Subs: Toumpas (GK), Stylianidis (GK), Gonzalez, Tričkovski, Faraj, Christoforou, Naoum, H. Andreou, Altman, Nikolić
 Areola, Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell, Rice ©, Lanzini, Downes, Fornals, Benrahma, Antonio
Subs: Hegyi (GK), Anang (GK), Johnson, Emerson, Ogbonna, Souček, Paquetá, Cornet, Bowen, Scamacca, Ings
 AEK Larnaca 4/1: Draw 14/5: West Ham 8/13
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
gph
1:23 Sat Mar 11
Re: ⚽ AEK Larnaca v West Ham - Official Match Thread - Preview
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He got one against Brighton in one of our many defeats against them.
They'll keep beating us, won't they, until we're in different divisions...
Liverpool are a respectable bogey side, but fucking Brighton...
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Ron Eff
1:19 Sat Mar 11
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The other was Brighton away last season. Not memorable because we got thumped then as well.
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onsideman
1:10 Sat Mar 11
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Couldn't remember another. If there was it wasn't in the league was it? 
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gph
11:42 Fri Mar 10
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Antonio's second was his second ever for us from outside the box, wasn't it?
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onsideman
10:40 Fri Mar 10
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Gaffer58 10:13 Fri Mar 10
We are, yes... but we would have to pretty much chuck it. Not a chance we could compete in that and still play 46 championship games and hope to get promoted
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rumford
10:24 Fri Mar 10
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Swindon hammer
You are correct. I remember Arsenal and Spurs saying similar things like how can West Ham finish above us 2 seasons ago.
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Far Cough
10:18 Fri Mar 10
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Yeah, why not?
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Gaffer58
10:13 Fri Mar 10
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So if we win the conference thing but get relegated are we allowed into the EUFA Cup next season?
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swindon hammer
9:35 Fri Mar 10
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El Scorchio,
All good points but remember this is just one season.
Let’s see if Brighton, Brentford & Fulham can maintain this beyond this season. I suspect they won’t and at least 2 of those will be back fighting relegation next season.
Similar clubs to us like Everton, Villa & Newcastle were looking enviously at us a year ago when we were in the top 6 and beating Seville in Europe. It can change very quickly.
That’s my main point. Any team can have one good season but finishing in the top 8 on a consistent basis is a lot harder.
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joyo
7:49 Fri Mar 10
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Fulham,Brighton and Brentford ain't in Europe so I'm not embarrassed,though one of them will be next season
9 wins outta 9 ain't bad
"We're going down with a European Cup,a European Cup!"
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El Scorchio
7:09 Fri Mar 10
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swindon hammer
No worries- fully take your point too. It is incredibly hard. I had a look at the table when I typed that (as I am sure you did too) and outside of those six and inevitably soon Newcastle as well, there is not one team that I think we compare unfavourably to in terms of resource and support. MAYBE Villa and Everton- although Everton are in trouble at the moment, but all the rest and arguably them too, we are bigger or wealthier than (which may sound C+B specs but i don;t think too much) and with a better and more consistent strategy/setup at the club, we'd be right up there.
The likes of Fulham, Brighton and Brentford are completely embarrassing us by doing immeasurably better with immeasurably less, and we really shouldn't be below everyone else either, with the playing staff and resources available. We have England and Brazil internationals in midfield. A German international and a bloke who's country got to the WCsemi final in defence. An Italian international up front, plenty of other players who are no slouches, and we are floundering below teams who have inferior players and squads. I will accept we have a lot of chaff in our squad too, but that's us falling foul of the strategy/setup point and investing incorrectly or erratically rather than methodically. It's also down to poor management that several if not all are underperforming.
Most seasons should be like (most of) last season and the season before that. Sadly far too many of them end up like this season. We've had cheapskate or incompetent or shyster owners for basically all of the last 40 years (and probably further back) who are simply wasting this club's potential.
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swindon hammer
6:54 Fri Mar 10
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El Scorchio,
thanks for the reply.
Although I don’t think it’s pie in the sky for us to do most of the things you mention I do think that without big big money it will always be a struggle for us or anyone else to consistently finish in the top 8.
You probably have the “big 6” (Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal & Man Utd) who will always be up there due to their financial backing, huge fan bases & history of winning lots of things.
If you look back at history there aren’t many clubs if any that have be able to constantly finish in the top 8 without huge financial backing.
Leicester gave it a go for a couple of years and have now revert back to type, we finished top 7 for two seasons then went back to type, the same with Wolves.
You look at the likes of Forest, Newcastle, Leeds & Villa. Similar clubs to us and all either won the league or nearly won the league in the 80s/90s and then all got relegated and have never really established themselves as a top 8 club again.
Without huge money it’s difficult to be consistently in the top 8 every season.
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El Scorchio
6:52 Fri Mar 10
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Where am i saying he shouldn't be blamed? He absolutely should for being incapable and inflexible, but that blame needs to be shared with the owner who I am certain has gone over this manager's head as well most others he's employed here and made his own decisions on certain players who have ended up at the club and haven't been wanted. That will never work.
It's what is happening at Chelsea right now and look at the comparative almighty fucking mess they are in too.
The owner has to learn to fucking butt out. And yes if Moyes can't work with a forward that doesn't have Antonio's attributes in this day and age when the modern manager has to be adapatable and resourceful, then he should be put out to pasture, but as long as the owner is backing him or hiding behind him, he should be providing the bloke with players that at least match whatever the fuck it is he's trying to accomplish in terms of a gameplan strategy. If it's really as basic as defend deep and punt it up to a sprinter in football boots and a lanky midfielder, (as it seems) then that's what he should be providing the means to do while he employs and backs him.
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Ron Eff
6:34 Fri Mar 10
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So what we’re saying is any job Moyes goes into, he has to have a headless chicken already in place up front otherwise it’s not his fault he can’t adapt?
Emerson is another classic. Doesn’t trust him at left back, so makes you wonder why he (if he did) signed him.
I think Antonio is quite unique in world football. Not many clubs employ something akin to a broken tumble dryer lumbering about up front who is built like a heavyweight boxer. If he can’t he can only play with that type of forward he should be put out to pasture.
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El Scorchio
6:22 Fri Mar 10
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CONSISTENTLY top 8 of the premier league, Quarter finals of domestic cups, being there to win one on those years the opportunity arrives instead of Portsmouth, Wigan or Leicester and in Europe semi regularly. Not touching that every so often and spending most of the rest of the time either flirting with or getting relegated. There are only 6 or so clubs in the country we might accept that we shouldn't be able to compete and get the better of regularly
You might call that pie in the sky but there's no reason with competent ownership we shouldn't be there or thereabouts. If we were half as well run as Brighton, with our resources, we'd be a real force. We are outthought and manoeuvred on and off the pitch consistantly by teams with a lot less at their disposal than us.
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BRANDED
6:13 Fri Mar 10
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6/7th winning all games in Europe.
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swindon hammer
6:09 Fri Mar 10
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El Scorchio,
out of curiosity where do you want and feel the club deserve to be?
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El Scorchio
5:29 Fri Mar 10
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Agree with a lot of that, but at the same time if you ask your boss to buy you a hammer to get a job done the way you need it to be done and he comes back with a pair of shears and then a hosepipe because he liked the look of them more or thought he knew best, you're simply not going to be able to do the job with them that you needed the hammer for.
I'm not trying to absolve Moyes as I strongly believe whether he chose or was lumbered with certain players against his wishes, a lot is on him to make it work regardless, but at the same time your job is infinitely harder when you are never given what you want or need when you ask for it.
TBH I blame both of them as much as the other. Between them they've made a right mess of things. Both thinking they each know better and their way is the only way.
Moyes will be gone soon, i have no doubt, but this club will never be where we want it or where we feel it deserves to be until the other is also gone.
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Ron Eff
5:03 Fri Mar 10
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I‘d suggest if you wait for Moyes to sign a striker, you’ll be waiting a long time, so maybe Sullivan did step in!
He clearly wanted Broja and chased him like a lost puppy as he did Lingard until he signed a new six year deal. The bonus for him with Broja is he could have said he’s not playing him because he’s too young and still learning.
He doesn’t want strikers. He has no idea what to do with them unless they are a headless chicken or a bruiser. Hence minor success with Yakubu and Antonio in his entire career, and some with Rooney who is the all-action type with added bonus of being world class.
Get someone in who knows how to play more than one way rather than blame the player everytime and continuously write off £m’s
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El Scorchio
4:10 Fri Mar 10
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Moncurs Putting Iron 3:19
i fully agree- square peg for a round hole, just like Haller was. I have always maintained Haller was a good player in a shit situation and I think the same about Scamacca as well. He's been asked to do something that just isn't what he does. Glamour signing from Sullivan, I reckon, which speaks to the disconnect between what the owner wants and what the manager wants in terms of a signing. But Moyes clearly could have made far better use of him by adapting, even Scamacca doesn't have the attrubutes he wants.
The lad is clearly a very smart finisher and a very good player as we have seen when he's actually been given good supply. You don't play CF for Italy if you're not a good player. When watchng how he was used at Sassulo etc, he was fantastic at getting the ball, holding it up and putting runnres through, which we had the ideal setup for with Bowen and Antonio. We really haven't played him to his strengths in the slightest and it's no wonder if he's struggling, lost, disillusioned, and oft injured. 100% he's off in the summer, I am sure of it and like Haller, he will bang in goals elsewhere.
We should have/may as well have just brought a big fast bruiser as our second striker. Poor Ings doesn't fit how we play either. We will never know but i would love to see what Moyes wanted vs what we ended up with. Maybe he DID want Scamacca, but I reckon he likely wanted a different type of player- not to say we'd be doing any better if so, but still.
I think a good 4-5 of the players in our squad or that have been in the squad in recent times are Sullivan choices.
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BRANDED
4:07 Fri Mar 10
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When you employ people on a higher wage and call them next level but they arent you fuck up morale. Its not rocket science.
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