Man City vs West Ham | PL | 20.12.25 | Predictions & Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

I'll stick up all the usual match content a bit later, but thought I'd get the thread up:

---------------------------------
This weekend brings what has been in recent times arguably the most daunting match of the season 

Away at the ever fluent, ball-dominating Manchester City...a club that in previous times we had much in common with and a certain kindred spirit, but that in more modern times merely emphasise the difference that getting owners of means with a true desire for sporting success versus barrow merchants with no interest in the Club beyond buying it cheap, taking advantage of circumstance, and like house prices....doing just enough to keep it viable while watching the market trend see it's value appreciate.

We go into this game notably affected by the departure of two largely ever presents to AFCON.

AWB and Diouf are off in search of glory at the International stage. Füllkrug is unlikely to be risked with a move to AC Milan (!) seemingly on the agenda, and with January feeling as far away as ever our lightweight squad and it's meagre offerings take in one of the juggernauts of the North.

Predicted Line-up:

All eyes will be on the full-back slots, as well as if Nuno reverts to a 3 at the back.  Scarles is fit again.

Areola

Mavropanos   Kilman.  Todibo

KWP.     Magassa.  Fernandes.     Scarles

Paqueta

Bowen (c).    Summerville

Subs: Hermansen, Igor, Myers, Rodriguez, Soucek, Potts, Wilson, Earthy, Irving

Predicted Result:

Man City: 4 - 0 :West Ham

Can't see anything but a heavy defeat in this one after too much PTSD with the Sky Blues. Expect Haaland to run amok as usual.

Hope for the best. Expect the worst. But a 1-0 defeat would feel like a win.

COYI.

 

[northbankfrank]

The knee jerk drivel on this site is incredible. So we are now a yo-yo club after at least 14 years at the top level. 

[Sir Alf]

The one time CALVERT lewin avoids injury and starts producing. We’re cursed !!

[twoleftfeet]

Useful player that Calvert-Lewin

[Meerkat]

You’d have to think Nuno will get 2 or 3 in next month and it might be enough to keep us up .
I’d still part company with him at end of season irrespective.
its just too grim to watch - Moyes was gung ho by comparison.

[Beef&Tomato]

Plenty more games left to get ourselves clear.   Don't panic.

[Sir Alf]

Nothing going our way as Leeds deservedly go ahead to Palace. Were fooked

[Sydney_Iron]

Hardly a surprise this result! Didn't watch and won't be watching the highlights so can't comment on how we played, but not that bothered either

This is a shadow of the club i grew up supporting, shed tears for and watched through thick and thin, but all i can see now is a name only especially since that move to the LS, final nail in the coffin maybe? Just another yoyo fodder side for the "big clubs" to get the routine points.

The PL is just about the same 5 or 6 clubs getting all the attention, most of the sponsorship money, pity they won't fuck off and form that super league in many ways, although the media and big business will just focus on that and what's left behind on a domestic level would soon diminish, younger generation won't have the same connection or loyalty to the local sides and swallow the razzle dazzle of a SL hook line and sinker.

[cup of tea]

I am 51 years old, I have seen us in good and bad times, I have seen us relegated numerous times, I have seen players come and go but you know what kept me going? Yes its the same old repetitive line but to me and others it meant something, it was the fact we'd be at Upton Park with the crowd behind the team and a realistic chance of promotion.

That absolute shithole we play in is bad enough in the PL let alone the Championship. If (when) we go down the club will have to shut the top tiers down and make it a 30-40k shithole as it ain't selling 60k seats v Lincoln no matter how good our support is.

Don't be fooled into thinking relegation will mean an instant return, there are some massive clubs in the Championship that will up their game against us more than others. We could end up rotting down there for years or even get relegated again, and don't say it'll never happen, look where Man C, Sheff W, Leeds, Forest etc ended up for years.

To me the club died when we left UP, it would have been an easier pill to swallow if we were moving to our own owned FOOTBALL stadium but no, we've ended up with an absolute toilet that is an embarrassment to everyone bar the cancerous owner of our ONCE great club who couldn't care less, the parasitic midget cսnt.

I care to some degree but not enough to worry about it anymore. We go down we're done as a club for YEARS. We stay up its same old shit season after season. We deserve more but have been left with nothing, not even somewhere to call home.

Merry Xmas

[Massive Attack]

I don't like the fact Nuno will not settle on a back 4 or 3 in defence, constantly chopping and changing. I suspect the Defence probably feels much the same way too. Not only is the shape constantly changing but so is the personnel and it's been like that ever since he arrived.

[honky cat]

Nuno needs 2 strikers and with both able to finish. He needs another physical, dominant CB that is also reasonably quick to be picked ahead of Kilman definitely and Mavro 

Will we stay up? Without these 3 addtions we have little chance. Imho

 

 

We were unable to sign these players after winning a cup and had guaranteed European football, so how are we going to persuade anyone to come to a bottom three club in January. I'm not digging you out, you're right - we need these players, but the club is a shambles. 

I know we've lost the afcon players, but KWP and scarles weren't terrible replacements. It's that fucking kilman. He's the kiss of death for everything. We've looked so much better without him. 


​​​​​​

[Mad Ferret]

Another game surrendered by melanin Moyes.

Spurs are in freefall.

Love to see it, my guy.

Hopefully Frank available soon. Would take him in a heartbeat.

[Tomshardware]

Another game surrendered by melanin Moyes.

Spurs are in freefall.

[Tomshardware]

Be the same old with this board.  Plugging holes in a sinking ship.  It works for a while but eventually you will go down.

[twoleftfeet]

Another game surrendered by melanin Moyes.

Your boys getting a battering, fed up with Kudus already 

[Mad Ferret]

Another game surrendered by melanin Moyes.

[Massive Attack]

Club needs a complete rebuild. Relegation is the answer.  

No it ain't. Fuck that. We shouldn't be accepting relegation yet again so we can have another clear out. We should be demanding they find the answers to prevent the drop, not accepting it as a solution. Not that I believe it would solve anything anyway and actually seriously harm the Club where the appeal of it all will rapidly drift away in that unloved shithole. The Club has to stay up or it will be in a world of trouble. 

[Tomshardware]

Club needs a complete rebuild. Relegation is the answer.  

[Tomshardware]

Starting to think I'd rather see us relegated, so boring season after season with the same old predictable shit at places like Man City.

[Sir Alf]

70-80% of the problem currently is the squad. With the previous 3 managers it was more 50-60% the squad. 

Nuno does not play the football most fans would say they like if we are honest but with the squad we currently have and even with 2 - 3 quality additions ( should that unlikely event happen in Jan ) we still wont have the squad to play a fast possession style with lots of high pressing ( aka the mystical “front foot” football many demand ) imo.  Loppy and Potter tried just to get us playing higher controlled possession and we were even worse.  

Nuno needs 2 strikers and with both able to finish. He needs another physical, dominant CB that is also reasonably quick to be picked ahead of Kilman definitely and Mavro if we are honest.

I think we also need another athletic, ball carrying, hard working central midfielder to rotate with Magassa, Potts, Fernandes and Paqueta as we literally have no one to replace any of them at the 60-70 min mark as they tire. Ideally this CM is able to start a lot of games too. Its a squad game and we have no options through the spine of the team. 

Will we stay up? Without these 3 addtions we have little chance. Imho

[nychammer]

Ok so now this “inevitability” is out of the way let’s see if we’ve really got what it takes in some kinder fixtures. 3 or 4 absolute cup finals coming up and little to no room for error. If we can’t take 8-10 points from those we’re really screwed.

But honestly we are our own biggest enemy. Naive defending, wasting chances and sometimes mind boggling tactics all hand a willing opposition the initiative.

[southbankbornnbred]

Shouldn’t judge a struggling side by a game against the team likely to win the league.




 

It's two things. It's not the result that's aggravating so much, it's the wank approach and intent from minute 1 to the last, as well as a cumulative of bad results/performances. It's worrying signs of a continuation of what's been happening for the most part. 

Agree entirely, fella.

There was absolutely no ambition, of any sort, from anybody, today. Mostly, it’s been like that for 17 games so far this season. And all of last season. And the one before that.

Today was just a reflection of the shit we’ve seen since Prague. With a group of highly-paid players not good enough to stay in this division.

We’re a complete mess.

[Tomshardware]

Next 4 games were always the games that will decide whether we look like getting out the bottom 3. 

[Massive Attack]

Shouldn’t judge a struggling side by a game against the team likely to win the league.



 

It's two things. It's not the result that's aggravating so much, it's the wank approach and intent from minute 1 to the last, as well as a cumulative of bad results/performances. It's worrying signs of a continuation of what's been happening for the most part. 

[threesixty]

The players are showing absolutely zero character and belief in what they are doing.

Nuno serves up the most turgid, negative and fearful football I’ve ever seen.

 

I think a fair few of them are not even playing for Nuno or believe in him anymore. He fucks an honest Pro out the building the moment he walks through the door cutting off his nose to spite his face which never sat well with me. Ignores Wilson a lot of the time, the body language of the players generally looks off and showing a real lack of effort today. That was walking Football with no spirit from the very 1st whistle when they were all fresh as a daisy. That shit is alarming and very noticeable and real signs many of them aint playing for him anymore.  

Even Nuno himself doesn't look like he really wants to be here anymore. 

The same honest pro that 99.99% of us wanted gone? 

 

 

I think there must have been a Barney either here or at Forest where words were said privately and that’s that. Maybe JWP doesn’t want to play for him either? It’s a very unusual thing to happen. But that’s life. 

but I doubt Sullivan is happy paying out silly money for a 1st team captain level player who is never on a team sheet and isn’t injured. So this is probably a situation that cannot be resolved and the club understand. 

and to be fair, I don’t think we miss him at all and anyone thinks he would change anything for us is mental. Saw a year of his sidewise passing and no set piece goals to say he’d be a big down grade on mangassa, potts and Fernandez. 

[threesixty]

I'm still not panicking. I think we play well enough to get something out of the second half of the season. As long as we get some forwards in. I dont care about the defence, I think it's ok tbh. But we just aren't putting chances away. I'd spend it all on Ivan Toney if I could. 



 

You must be joking? We have let in 35 goals and are lucky we haven’t conceded about 10 more, due to Areola. Our defence is abysmal

Trying to see out wins in the dying minutes from winning positions has proven we will go down if it isn’t addressed.

 

 

 

I just don’t think defending our way to safety is going to work. In this league we have to score goals. I think it’s the more important and hardest thing to do. Even if we shore up our defence to amazing we still have to score because draws aren’t going to keep us up. 

so yeah, defence is good enough. We need to focus all our transfer energy on players that can finish with very few chances needed. 

I said last week, as much as I like Summerville we need him swapped out for a left winger who actually has a goal threat. After watching several videos of our attackers I’m sure most teams will say the only people we have to really worry about are Bowen and Wilson. So just put any type of pressure on Summerville and he’s not scoring. Wilson isn’t doing 90, so it’s barely 1 in 2 Bowen that anyone cares about. Thats needs to change in Jan.
Experienced pro’s only. None of this “championship see how he does in the PL stuff either”. 

Maybe get Mittovich back to PL could work. Anyone looking to show off to get into a World Cup squad. Jackson at Bayern? 

A striker and a left sided winger and we stay up. All the stats and watching us play point to that being the case.