Football Forum | Ticket Forum | Off-Topic Forum | All

Razzle 11:22 Wed Jan 30
Season is finished - time to build

Start building for next season now to hit the ground running.
Jettison the dead wood and the hangers-on and build a team that that is gelled and cohesive for the start of the season.
Plan now. Understand the costs for planning and not planning - we tend to rely on luck rather than good judgment.
Time for a step change. No pissing about, identify targets bring them in early.and build..
Every season is the same, sometimes all i want is a good cup run whether that is the FA or Mickey Mouse I aint bothered - give something back to the supporters.

Eerie Descent 11:25 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Have you had the crystal panther polished this morning, Dave Jnr?

Razzle 11:29 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

The panther is now in Andys house, with Billi spreading her legs round it to try and sell the shag palace

Takashi Miike 11:32 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

the dwarves haven't got a clue how to rebuild, I'm just waiting on the new Carroll deal. as someone said on another thread, for them the job is almost done for the season, 4th from bottom is success

Northern Sold 11:34 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Season is finished - time to build.....

... a full size lego pterodactyl.... YES!!!!

boltkunt 11:53 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

It was always going to take more than 1 season for MP to have his own squad, I've no doubt there's players in the squad he doesn't want.

WE're so inconsistent it's unreal, but clearly the Arnie situation has had a massive effect on the squad.

Stubbo 12:03 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

In fairness this season has shaped up better than last...there has been no relegation battle (assuming there isn't one to come) and we've not been able to say that since Bilic's first season with a world class top of his game Payet running the show as a largely one man team.

In that respect it's been a step forward. On our day we look a good side (but pitiful on others).

The injury side of things is frankly ridiculous now, and our squad looks dire in places.

Some of this is on Pellegrini...signings of Wilshere, Perez, Sanchez very poor (and one can only assume at his behest).

Jury is out on Fredericks and Yarmalenko, with Balbuena, Diop, and Anderson excellent.

Sadly though we remain weak all over the field, and the players are clearly suffering from the small squad that is available currently.

Noble looks like he's running in treacle. Anderson looks jaded. Snodgrass has lost some of his effervescence.

But no club in the league could cope with out current injury situation:

Defence - Balbuena, Cresswell, Reid
Midfield - Lanzini, Yarmalenko, Wilshere, Nasri, Sanchez
Attack - Arnautovic, Perez, Carroll (not injured, but the product of his injuries)

Plus then there are a number of players that clearly we can't afford to lose, but that don't want to be here:

Obiang, Chicharito, Perez.

In terms of building, what is realistic?

Obiang is saleable - but won't make us enough to replace him
Chicharito is saleable - but won't make us enough to replace him and we'll probably have to cover some of his wages
Perez is barely saleable we'd likely have to cover some of his wages
Masuaku 'might' be saleable. Again unlikely we get enough to replace him.
Arnautovic is now going nowhere. Broken foot until season's end...no one spends £45m on a guy who is coming back from injury like that
Wilshere - whether he's worth keeping or not who knows, but he can't be relied on to be available
Noble - no resale value
Ogbonna - is saleable - but won't make us enough to replace him
Sanchez - might get buttons for him - has another year on his contract
Adrian - off on a free - will cost to replace
Carroll - off on a free - will cost to replace
Reid - broken, no fee could be had, but may retire?!

7 of the above likely to be off: Obiang, Chicharito, Perez, Ogbonna, Adrian, Carroll

Only Fernandes to come back into the squad...probably just about replaces Obiang with like ability. Lanzini and Yarmalenko due back but will be an unknown quantity after serious injuries.

Realistically we might have 50m plus sales available for the Summer (last Summer's spend being from a build up of a warchest over previous times). That just about gets us a Maxi Gomez or similar as a forward.

Unless Pellegrini has some more Balbuena's in his back pocket, or more in the Academy are ready to 'do a Rice' it's hard to see that we'll be any stronger next year than this.


Squad 2019/20 will in my opinion be something like:

GK: Fabianski, New Keeper (5m), Anang

RB: Zabaleta, Fredericks

LB: Cresswell, Masuaku

CB: Balbuena, Diop, New CB (15m), Ogbonna (4th choice)

CM: Rice, Wilshere, Nasri, Lanzini, Noble, Sanchez

RW: Yarmalenko, Snodgrass, Diangana

LW: Anderson, Antonio, Holland(?)

CF: Arnautovic, New Striker (40m), Perez, Xande Silva.

Outs: Obiang (Sold - circa £8m), Adrian (EoC), Chicharito (Sold - circa £8m), Carroll (EoC), Reid (Retired), Oxford (nominal fee), Cullen (nominal fee).

60m to spend, 10m of incoming funds (after fees and payments etc).

BRANDED 12:08 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Good post Stubbo.

I dont think you can underestimate the effect that bad personalities have on the work place.

You need to start from the top and eradicate bad personalities.

OH

J.Riddle 12:24 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Anderson is lovely to watch, superb skills. We need to build a team around him. Last time I said that about one of our players Payet left.

We need another £95m net spend minimum + whatever we get for Arnie, (Brady's figures) thought it was approx £87m still let's not pick hairs, otherwise we will go backwards, because other teams coming up will spend big, as Wolves and it showed last night. Six points they nicked of us.

folkestone iron 12:33 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Stubbo 12:03 Wed Jan 30

brilliant summary

LeroysBoots 12:38 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

You would seriously keep Masuaka ?

I'd kick him out today if we could

One move first half, promising chance of a goal, he fucked up...again

Bloke is a fucking liability

Sniper 12:48 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

That’s a great post stubbo

We are hugely inconsistent but then we struggle to name the same team two games running. The only times we can are when we’re massively depleted by injuries and the same almost second string team has to play numerous matches in quick succession in a system we have to play because of the players we’ve got available

There are things we can do to help ourselves though. Some errors keep being made that are obvious

Carroll just shouldn’t start any more. I’d rather get calleri back and stick him up front! He’s spent. Last ditch hoofball optionate in the game sub, but no more

And Carroll and Hernandez as big man/small
Man striker partnership is even more ludicrous

Noble hasn’t been able to play in a central midfield two for years. His best games this season came in a three with obiang and rice. He lacks the pace to play in a two and we don’t have a midfield partner for him who has the pace energy or all round box to box ability to cover for that

Masuaku and Ogbonna cannot play the left side ofndefence together. Arthur is andefnsive liability - he can’t tackle, positionally is all over the place and doesn’t have have great football brain. Playing alongside Ogbonna, who is inconsistent at best, the pair just seem to exacerbate each other’s weaknesses. Masuaku best form last ear was as a wing back with Cresswell on the left of the back three effectively filling a full back role behind him and covering his gaps

Also in a game like yesterday we just needed to accept the battering and try to batten down the hatches. Sometimes it just is t your day, regardless of the opposition. But any team should be able to revert to a solid formation that at least stems the tide a bit, we just capitulate

The squad needs an overhaul, that much is obvious. but as stubbo points out, a lot of our squad aren’t worth that much. So buying decent replacements will be hard. Even things like thebsavings on Carroll’s wages aren’t that amazing any more - when he signed it was a huge contract but the money in football now is at a level where a good player coming in will probably want more than Carroll is on anyway.

It’s still a far better season than last year, and though we have little to fight for, it’s worth looking at it that 7th-13th is likely to only be separated by a few points and the higher you finish, the more attractive you look to new signings especially when we’ll be competing with the teams around us for their signature. So we need to keepmsoldiering in and the only way to effectively do that now is if the board do what they did last January and at least allow a couple of new players to come in

Stubbo 1:19 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

I personally wouldn't keep Masuaku. He's not able to play left back or left wing, and we don't play wing backs.

However, my suspicion is he won't be deemed priority and will still be here next season.

ludo21 1:26 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

We should certainly give players like Silva, Holland and Coventry plenty of time on the pitch over the next four months, it's the only way we are going to be able to see if they have what it takes.

The often cited example is Kane... he did nothing out on loan at various lower league clubs and was only thrown into the 1st team as they had no other options.

I know Oxford has looked completely disinterested for the last 12 months but what about telling him he will play the next 6 games and it's his chance to stake a claim? Can't be much worse than how Ogbonna has been playing>

Alex V 1:31 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Masuaku's contract has only 18 months left - the club probably should have taken the decision on selling him or giving him a new deal already.

It might be that by the Summer he'd rather run down the deal than agree a move anyway.

zico 1:32 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Stubbo 12:03 Wed Jan 30

Great post Stubbo and it's worrying on what you say about the resale of many of the players. One who would sell is Anderson and I'm pretty sure some will come sniffing at the end of the season. Sadly that's the West Ham way, we get in a maverick you can build a team around and it never lasts.

I said in a post on the match thread we seem to have players that fit into two categories. Slow and can read a game, Quick and can't read a game. Even if Lanzini and Wilshire come back and we had a technical midfield in say Anderson, Noble, Wilshire, Lanzini whilst technically very good we will get battered the way Pellegrini seems to prefer just two in there so it's an incredible balancing act you have to make.

We have made a rod from our own back though with the injuries. Whilst some are extremely unfortunate others you could have foreseen a mile off with their history.

Keep dreaming 1:33 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Good opening post. Cant agree more, but you have to be careful so theu dont end up like the scared shitcunts we have at the moment.
Bring the kids, at least they remember how to pass a fucking ball

Ogbonna, Masuaku, Obiang can wash the kits until the summer

Stubbo 1:41 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Suspect the team next season might look a bit like:

Fabianski

Zabaleta
Balbuena
Diop
Cresswell

Rice
Nasri
Lanzini

Yarmalenko
Arnautovic (or maybe new striker)
Anderson

"Interesting" about that is that all but possibly a new striker are already in the squad, but as of now 6 of them are injured.

SurfaceAgentX2Zero 1:49 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

Pelle is caught in a bit of a cleft stick at the moment.

His mission was to build the club towards regular high finishes AND to play better football than Allardyce and (a bit unjustly) Moyes.

Taking aside the past couple of games, most would agree that the football is better. Our possession statistics must be through the roof, though I haven't checked it. And we are usually passing on the floor.

However, we have a decent side, not a very good side. This means we can usually beat the poor teams and get better results than before against the top, footballing outfits, but are vulnerable to the counter-attacking dross that inhabits much of the middle of the table and achieves what success it does by playing the Allardyce/Moyes way.

These things take time.

Chill, fellahs.

And... um, peace, man.

Alex V 2:11 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

>>> Our possession statistics must be through the roof

They aren't.

LeroysBoots 2:17 Wed Jan 30
Re: Season is finished - time to build

ludo21 1:26 Wed Jan 30

100% right

Page 1 - Next