Moyes Out ( Released )

[Keep dreaming]

"Posted the same last year. Nothing has changed, except win don't win matches anymore. I'm fed up, we can do much better"

[Percy Dalton]

You've only got to watch Moyes on the touchline waving his arms about when we cross the half way line. It's alien to him and that's why it's such a difficult watch.

[Side of Ham]

"I can't really judge any of our players until they are allowed to play with some real attacking intent. Every attacking player we have plays with one eye on tracking back, these players are then isolated so the pass is hardly likely to come off. This also leads to general bad passing due to a lack of confidence in any other players being in the spot the passing player would presume them to be when attacking. He's got the players as paranoid as he is about being caught on the break."

[terry-h]

Vincent Kompany. His performance at Burnley this season has been exceptional. He's a beginner as well unlike the tosspot from Glasgow.

[Manuel]

"Boots - Yep, are we likely to sack a manager when in the last 16 of a European comp, probably wouldn't sack him anyway, but it does seem that Moyes is just doing enough to stay in favour while forever reminding us of the last ''two and a half years''."

[LeroysBoots]

"Isn't that the massive frustration !?! The board wallow in that, more kudos for them, how great we are, more great nights against plumbers and binmen come March, some how we are all doing a great job The reality is we are a mediocre team with a mediocre manager playing a brand of football that drives people away and turns them off. When I say mediocre I mean how we are playing, we could be so much better but we won't ever be because of this dinosaur"

[Manuel]

I can just the rest of the season being a frustrating rinse and repeat of all that has been said below. Don't see much changing and with Europe now booked in March that will weigh in Moyes favour in terms of the season not being a write off. These next two games against Palace and Leicester should give us a good idea of where we are as they are not 'top 6' sides but not poor sides that we have struggled to beat recently. looking forward to it.

[LeroysBoots]

"Truth be known, we are now seeing why NOBODY in Europe was sniffing around Souceck or Coufal when in Prague Both had purple patches when they arrived, but both currently play like the worst players in the Czech equivalent of The Dog and Duck"

[zico]

That's why it's baffling. His strength is aerial prowess in the opposition area so why is he playing so deep? Our height advantage also baffles me with inside forwards on the wrong side to cross it with their better foot. The opposition know what we are going to do. Bowen and Benny are going to cut inside whereas Cress and whoever is right back will overlap. Cress now doesn't have the legs to get up and down. It's so easy for the opposition to cut the danger out. They have all sussed Bowen and he is being crowded out and Benny is so wayward one shot in four may find the target. We are just easy to play against and with the set pieces not coming off at the moment it's showing on the points tally. That's where Lingard was so good when he came in with that purple patch. He would run with and off the ball being unpredictable for defenders. Payet was the same as were Di Canio and Arnautovic for a spell. Players who ran past opposition players with or without the ball. It goes back to what Lanzini has lost. We need a player who can do the unpredictable..

[Sir Alf]

"360 Exactly what we are all asking. Btw Dawsons passing accuracy stats are better this season than Soucek although Soucek has played a lot more games. What does he do that no one else does? Tge unkind / brutaliy honest answer is he wants more time to get under control than anyone else and is able to pass to the opposition or no one better than most :-) The bit I mention below is off the ball work, running to track runners ( albeit he's slower than most players in tge Premiership) and pressing / closing down. But if we kept it better we wouldn't have to do so much running trying to get it back? He is a good aerial presence on set pieces or anything that gets knocked into the air in midfield. That's his differentiation factor. A throwback to big lump players like Vidic at Utd or Fellani or Papa Diop ( ""The wardrobe""ù as he was known) . There were other lumps in midfield a decade or two back when it was less about passing thru the pressing teams you now see. They would dominate physically and in the air. Soucek is a real team man and selfless will th his work rate etc but is too slow and technically inadequate to play a fast pass and move style that most the top teams now play. Soucek must have some dodgy pictures of Moyes at some local dogging site or something? ;-)"

[threesixty]

"I am a bit baffled by the ""undropable"" Soucek thing. Why is it ok to take Benny off, or Fornals, or Scamaca etc.. and not Soucek? If he is so deserving of a guaranteed place in the 1st 11, why isnt any other club after him? I get it with Rice. Every club in Europe would olay him if they could afford it. But Soucek? Easily the least accomplished player on the ball in the team. (And thats including defenders! I'd even say Dawson is better on the ball in someways). Soucek just feels very ""basic"" football wise. So can someone tell me what he does that no other player at the club can do?"

[zico]

"Lanzini linked up brilliantly with Payet, I think that didn't help when Payet went as well as the injury. It's a sad fall from grace because he was a fabulous player. Football is all about partnerships across the pitch and Moyes just doesn't seem to know how to bring the best out of players. If Payet was still here Moyes would probably play him at left back!"

[Keep dreaming]

"Wow Twoleft, if you have read this thread it's been a long while since I posted here before today. So singling me out here is pretty lame. That said, I'm not obsessed with Moyes, you are! I'm obsessed, if you want to use the word, with West ham being better and better."

[twoleftfeet]

Keep dreaming still obsessed with Moyes.

[chedylan 2]

"Soucek is a terrible footballer , he shouldn't be starting games, let alone starting games with downes and rice"

[chedylan 2]

"Soucek is a terrible footballer , he shouldn't be starting games, let alone starting games with downes and rice"

[goose]

"Boots - I think that ""mediocre players who can only turn it on in fits and starts ?""ù sums up 90% of our squad."

[Keep dreaming]

And Vlasic is doing himself proud in Italy. Who would have thought? Moyes would rather play Downes as an attacking midfielder than Vlasic if he still was here. Why? Because Downes is better defensively. Hahaha... What a genius...

[Keep dreaming]

"Moyes admitting he is playing Downes out of position, as a direct substitute for Paqueta. Just wow, how the hell is that possible. Does anyone really think this is the best manager for West Ham? I'm lost for words"

[arsegrapes]

Lanzini didn't always thread the ball through https://youtu.be/sFk5XKEF-Ss

[plankton]

"Of course, I'm forgetting something - someone to get better results out of Antonio when he's one on one...."

[plankton]

"Sir Alfs, I concur with your thoughts - but in a different set-up. Antonio Benny Scammaca, Bowen Rice Paqueta four at the back your choice of keeper"

[LeroysBoots]

"Goose, so basically in summary we have mediocre players who can only turn it on in fits and starts ? I think that is a perfect summing up Appreciate you didn't mean that but hey ho !"

[Sir Alf]

"zico 7:22 Wed Nov 2 Yes it will go into the large, barrel marked ""West Ham Selection Mysteries"" that seem to persist down the years ( anyone remember the constant selection of the hapless Kovac). Incidentally, and ironically, your point about the need for Lanzini pre injury is a good one. One thing we do lack is a player that can navigate their way through the congested defensive line that sits in front of the defence or comprises the CBs etc. Moyes thinks its Paqueta despite Lyon moving him deeper after a failed spell in that role at Milan ( familiar story ? see Vlasic). I reckon, albeit from my highly informed position on the sofa, that Benrahma or Fornals are better in the number 10 role and Paqueta sits central as part of a 3 with Rice and Downes. It might fail dismally but seems to fit with the ""play players in their best positions"" idea ? ;-)"

[Sir Alf]

"Must be Goose or its a real head scratcher. I know things like tracking runners and pressing are ""water carrier"" type jobs in a team that often go unnoticed because, by definition, they are the stuff done off the ball. But Soucek's inability to pass even a short pass sometimes will mean its harder to keep the ball or beat the opposition press. I take my hat off to his work rate, to his unselfish team play and general attitude they are all first class but when, like him, you lack the first touch and control to cushion a simple ball to an opponent in tight spaces it will hamper any effort Moyes makes to us keeping the ball. You are correct though that he is not alone and I would add Bowen to that list and even Paqueta but they are typically trying to create chances. But the point with Soucek is that we have a ""like for like"" player in Downes who is a lot quicker in closing down, getting to the ball and possesses a deft touch and high passing accuracy even in tight spaces. Downes comparative disadvantage is obviously in the air and perhaps not having the same strength on the ball? But I would say the advantages far outweigh the comparative disadvantages? So we are back to the question of why Moyes will not replace Soucek. Perhaps, and this is a hope, Paqueta coming back will be that moment? A midfield of Rice, Downes and Paqueta as its core, on paper ( yeah I know ) , seems to suggest us keeping the ball more effectively and creating more?"

[zico]

"Sir Alf 6:56 Wed Nov 2 Totally agree. It's pretty baffling. I assumed when Moyes purchased Downes it was an attempt to get a similar player to Noble, basically a player who can pass a football. Yet Moyes comes up with this ""Oh we played Noble as a number 10"" rubbish., Yes you did David, and it didn't bloody work! Such a shame Lanzini hasn't been the same since injury as he would be a perfect number 10. Problem Downes has is once Paqueta is back he will be fourth choice and Moyes will play Paqueta as that number 10 even though as you say he plays better deeper."