West Ham vs Brighton | 21.12.24 | League | Predictions, Line-up & Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

Match Centre:

Odds: 

West Ham: 19/10

Draw: 11/4

Brighton: 27/20


Pre-Match Press Conference:
Official Press Conference
Tactical Preview: 
Analytics United Preview

Watch-along:
TBA

Streams:


https://sporthd.live/match/slg-onl-West ... psF5R182SX

https://www.viprow.nu/epl/west-ham-unit ... ine-stream

(With all live streams be mindful they can carry viruses etc.  Don't click on any ads and use a VPN).
  



So....on to the seagulls. Soler is suspended for this one, and Emerson is back...although I'd say Coufal was very good in the last game. Not clear yet if Todibo is recovered from his damaged toe.

My lineup

​​​​​​Fabianski

Coufal.  Todibo.   Kilman.  AWB

Soucek

Alvarez.        Paqueta

Bowen (c).     Fullkrug.          Kudus

Prediction:

​​​​​​The team once again has motivation through tragedy, with JLo's father passing away this week...I'd expect to seem them come out the blocks in this game.  Could be a basketball style match with us at home, Brighton playing a very high line, and also looking to get back with a win.

Score: 2-2 (Fullkrug, Kudus)​​​​

[Fauxstralian]

Most of our ‘playing out from the back’ from goal kicks particularly seems to be 6 passes between Fab & the rest where we don’t carry into any space created or have a midfielder free.
Usually ends with Fab having to launch it or a defender boxed in near the corner flag having to boot it under pressure 

What always stands out for me in games like this is the opposition seem to constantly play the ball to one or more loose players in the middle of the pitch who can comfortably play the ball to a loose wide player. 

[threesixty]

Regarding those passing stats, try removing all the passes between Mavropanos, Kilman, Alvarez and Fabianski and then give me the revised numbers and tell me we've improved.

It was largely garbage

I fully expect us to lose on Boxing Day and then beat the scouse because that's what we do, but if Lopetegui is the answer I dread to think what the question is 

 

 

The thing is those passes are what allows us to play out from the back and retain possession further up the pitch. That’s the point. We couldn’t play out from the back before, far too nervous and inaccurate with passes. If you go long all the time you’re just giving back possession most of the time. Moyes liked doing that because then he’d allow our players to park the bus again waiting for the next wave of attacks. It was by design. He didn’t want us to have the ball. 

[threesixty]

You keep trying to spin the recent seasons as average, whilst complaining others don't give credit to a bloke who is clearly underperforming, having not put in place anything that addresses the problems we had under Moyes.

We're the 18th richest club in Europe. Yet the Sullivan-esque spin is, well were average and PL safety is all that matters?

 

Not at all. 
My point is the same as yours. 

Brighton are one of the better teams in the league yet didn’t destroy us. In fact their goal came from our GK mistake, not from some amazing play. We must have done something right to stop them beating us! 

It wasn’t that bad a performance given our league position, change of manager and the task of completely changing the playing style of a team that has never wanted to have the ball. For 4 yrs we’ve had on average around 20-30% possession. So how can todays game be worse footballing wise than the last 2 seasons of anti football Moyes served up?

 

Our current league position is purely down to the manager. The change in style was one fans expected we could easily better, which is why Lopetegui came in and was backed with big money.

You bang on about style over results but yet you’re trying to use spin for being pleased we didn’t get beat. Then complaining others only care about results.

Our football really isn’t any better. Our possession equates to 30/40 odd passes per game more than Moyes. We aren’t any better defensively and half of our goals have come from set pieces which isn’t any real difference than under Moyes.

You’re also missing out the fact Brighton have an inferior average league position and also have a new manager who is in his 30’s.

 

 

I think our football is better. In the sense it’s more conventional and seeks to actually have the ball. There isn’t this confusion about how to progress the ball up the pitch, I don’t see CD’s asking for the ball to be taken off them etc. I just don’t understand how anyone watches football and can’t see we play totally differently than we did before? Maybe if you only watched us a few times a season you would get that impression, but if you watch every week , it’s quite different. 

Whether it’s better is a matter of judgement and what you think is good football. One thing I will say is that no one in Europe played football like Moyes’ West Ham which made it very difficult to integrate players in to our team. There’s a reason why no one could replace Antonio fully. It was an awkward system. Even Rice seemed to have the scales removed from his eyes after moving across London. It was non football. 

I think we are naive to think you can transform players so used to playing a rigid anti football game into something different in 6 months. Some of the transfers haven’t helped. 
whether Loppy is good enough to do it fully, I don’t know. Not sure he is but we are where we are. If we finish mid table or so and manage to completely change our football style I think I’ll be disappointed but I’d accept it as I know the future will be better for it. 

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Ever since Soler went off against Bournemouth, our central midfield has gone to shit. We lack control and tempo without him. It's overkill playing 2 Defensive Midfielders and it's either 1 or the other in Alvarez and Soucek. Thankfully Solers back next game but ideally we had another 1 similar in quality as back up to when he's not always playing. He knits the play together that neither Alvarez and Soucek can when played at the same time. 

It also doesn't help that Lucas Pathetic is basically a wax work dummy. We are carrying far too many passengers not performing - See Paqueta, Fullkrug, Mavropanos.

Soler is alright..tidy enough ..but I wouldn't trust him to hold my cream soda let alone getting to grips with my missus/midfield 

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

What I saw we looked very ordinary indeed. Will have a better look on Boxing Day.

 

Of course we are ordinary. We have been ages. We’ve been much worse this season. So it’s some progression at least. 
Even then it’s still better actual football than anything I saw last season. 
which says everything about our “delusion of grandeur” that so many of us seem to be under. 

Averaging our finishing positions for the last 5 yrs it’s about 10th place. 
pretty much an ordinary team. 

You keep trying to spin the recent seasons as average, whilst complaining others don't give credit to a bloke who is clearly underperforming, having not put in place anything that addresses the problems we had under Moyes.

We're the 18th richest club in Europe. Yet the Sullivan-esque spin is, well were average and PL safety is all that matters?

​​​
Bored of this season already. Limping along to a lower mid table finish.  What makes it worse is that when Moyes left I was looking forward to an exciting new manager and some good football.
[/quote]

I reckon so

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Regarding those passing stats, try removing all the passes between Mavropanos, Kilman, Alvarez and Fabianski and then give me the revised numbers and tell me we've improved.

It was largely garbage

I fully expect us to lose on Boxing Day and then beat the scouse because that's what we do, but if Lopetegui is the answer I dread to think what the question is 

We"ll wallop N17  and gain points against the other shit here and there
I predict a defeat at Southampton  though
Nothing about us at all.

NO LEADER .

WE NEED  A LEADER ...
PUT SOME EGOS OUT OF JOINT .

NOBLE HAD IT 
LUCAS NEILL HAD IT
NOLAN HAD IT
JULIAN HAD IT
BONZO HAD IT

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

By seasons end we'll end up where we are currently...or thereabouts.
The club will be content with that, like they always have been..





 

[onsideman]

Regarding those passing stats, try removing all the passes between Mavropanos, Kilman, Alvarez and Fabianski and then give me the revised numbers and tell me we've improved.

It was largely garbage

I fully expect us to lose on Boxing Day and then beat the scouse because that's what we do, but if Lopetegui is the answer I dread to think what the question is 

[Jaan Kenbrovin]

 

Of course we are ordinary. We have been ages. We’ve been much worse this season. So it’s some progression at least. 
Even then it’s still better actual football than anything I saw last season. 
which says everything about our “delusion of grandeur” that so many of us seem to be under. 

Averaging our finishing positions for the last 5 yrs it’s about 10th place. 
pretty much an ordinary team. 

You keep trying to spin the recent seasons as average, whilst complaining others don't give credit to a bloke who is clearly underperforming, having not put in place anything that addresses the problems we had under Moyes.

We're the 18th richest club in Europe. Yet the Sullivan-esque spin is, well were average and PL safety is all that matters?

 

Not at all. 
My point is the same as yours. 

Brighton are one of the better teams in the league yet didn’t destroy us. In fact their goal came from our GK mistake, not from some amazing play. We must have done something right to stop them beating us! 

It wasn’t that bad a performance given our league position, change of manager and the task of completely changing the playing style of a team that has never wanted to have the ball. For 4 yrs we’ve had on average around 20-30% possession. So how can todays game be worse footballing wise than the last 2 seasons of anti football Moyes served up?

 

 

Our current league position is purely down to the manager. The change in style was one fans expected we could easily better, which is why Lopetegui came in and was backed with big money.

You bang on about style over results but yet you’re trying to use spin for being pleased we didn’t get beat. Then complaining others only care about results.

Our football really isn’t any better. Our possession equates to 30/40 odd passes per game more than Moyes. We aren’t any better defensively and half of our goals have come from set pieces which isn’t any real difference than under Moyes.

You’re also missing out the fact Brighton have an inferior average league position and also have a new manager who is in his 30’s.

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

That Estupinian tackle was horrific, he got away with one there.

Didn't he just.
another shit Ref ...carded the bubble for Jack ....which then rendered him a liability ...not that he required any help in that regard

[twoleftfeet]

That Estupinian tackle was horrific, he got away with one there.

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

We're on the road to nowhere ...or back on the road to nowhere...makes no difference.
Same as it ever was.
​​​​​​a one man army in Jarrod Bowen.... surrounded by dogshit..
​​​​​​
​​​Like many before him over yrs and yrs .

Kudus can fuck right off with that self indulgent cringe ..
Ghanaian stool making ...jesus h christ.

Touching tribute to our fallen youngen.
RIP son
 

[threesixty]

absolute bollocks, "we're an average club". we're a fucking massive club held back by a parasite midget that continues to employ the wrong people

 

 

Missed out the word “potentially”

And I mean average on the pitch. Just to avoid any confusion. But I don’t give a shit if we have 100k in the stadium if we’re playing shit football. If I wanted to spend the rest of my life watching a team not kick a ball for 80% of the game like last season I’d just watch rugby league!

I don’t care how shit Loppy is or will be I’d never go back to the Moyes days. Never. It’s not even just the football. The narcissism of it all. The ego driven lying bollocks. Nah. 

other than that I agree with every word you said…

[Takashi Miike]

how about fuck off to a spurs forum

[Ladysmith]

absolute bollocks, "we're an average club". we're a fucking massive club held back by a parasite midget that continues to employ the wrong people

We have never been massive, if we were that big we would have had at least one outing in the champions league.

loads of others have

[Takashi Miike]

absolute bollocks, "we're an average club". we're a fucking massive club held back by a parasite midget that continues to employ the wrong people

[threesixty]

What I saw we looked very ordinary indeed. Will have a better look on Boxing Day.

 

Of course we are ordinary. We have been ages. We’ve been much worse this season. So it’s some progression at least. 
Even then it’s still better actual football than anything I saw last season. 
which says everything about our “delusion of grandeur” that so many of us seem to be under. 

Averaging our finishing positions for the last 5 yrs it’s about 10th place. 
pretty much an ordinary team. 

You keep trying to spin the recent seasons as average, whilst complaining others don't give credit to a bloke who is clearly underperforming, having not put in place anything that addresses the problems we had under Moyes.

We're the 18th richest club in Europe. Yet the Sullivan-esque spin is, well were average and PL safety is all that matters?

 

 

Not at all. 
My point is the same as yours. We are an average club but we spend money like a top 6 side. But that has been like this for a long time and has been hidden by cup runs. But for at least the least two and a half seasons overall we have been a bad “footballing” team. Bad in terms of the basics of modern football. We have survived because we have money to spend on some top individuals that pull out some magic every now and then. 

so the mission is to get away from all of that. But I feel a lot of fans feel that the result is what dictates a good style of football and not the actual style on the pitch. So I’m bemused by how everyone thinks.

My eyes saw a different game than everyone else it seems. It was described as tepid and we got battered and fab saved us. I didn’t see that. That stats don’t even back up that narrative. 

They had 12 shots, we had 11
they had 6 on target we had 4
they had 3 saves we had 5 

etc

Brighton are one of the better teams in the league yet didn’t destroy us. In fact their goal came from our GK mistake, not from some amazing play. We must have done something right to stop them beating us! 

It wasn’t that bad a performance given our league position, change of manager and the task of completely changing the playing style of a team that has never wanted to have the ball. For 4 yrs we’ve had on average around 20-30% possession. So how can todays game be worse footballing wise than the last 2 seasons of anti football Moyes served up?
unless you only care about the score of a game.and if that’s you, then I don’t know what to say. That’s not what I’m looking for. 

im on the fence with Loppy like everyone else. There have been some shocking displays and choices by him. But today wasn’t one of them. That’s all. 

[RBshorty]

Will Salthouse sitting along side our Glorious Leader this afternoon. Must be looking to see if we need any help.?

[Jaan Kenbrovin]

What I saw we looked very ordinary indeed. Will have a better look on Boxing Day.

 

Of course we are ordinary. We have been ages. We’ve been much worse this season. So it’s some progression at least. 
Even then it’s still better actual football than anything I saw last season. 
which says everything about our “delusion of grandeur” that so many of us seem to be under. 

Averaging our finishing positions for the last 5 yrs it’s about 10th place. 
pretty much an ordinary team. 

You keep trying to spin the recent seasons as average, whilst complaining others don't give credit to a bloke who is clearly underperforming, having not put in place anything that addresses the problems we had under Moyes.

We're the 18th richest club in Europe. Yet the Sullivan-esque spin is, well were average and PL safety is all that matters?

[threesixty]

What I saw we looked very ordinary indeed. Will have a better look on Boxing Day.

 

 

Of course we are ordinary. We have been ages. We’ve been much worse this season. So it’s some progression at least. 
Even then it’s still better actual football than anything I saw last season. 
which says everything about our “delusion of grandeur” that so many of us seem to be under. 

Averaging our finishing positions for the last 5 yrs it’s about 10th place. 
pretty much an ordinary team. 

[Ladysmith]

What I saw we looked very ordinary indeed. Will have a better look on Boxing Day.

Brighton are no mugs and thought at times we contained them well.

Onwards and upwards COYI

[Hammer and Pickle]

What I saw we looked very ordinary indeed. Will have a better look on Boxing Day.

[kylay]

Very forgettable game for me. Second half was more entertaining. As was said, we didn't really kick on or take a step backwards. Playing like we should be 14th in the league. A point is a point, I suppose. On to the obligatory away boxing day game so westfield can have their shoppers unmolested.

[Far Cough UKunt]

If you mean by one touch passes to the opposition, then yes I agree.

It was fucking shite football mate I don't know what you were watching, we only got a draw because of Fabianski's saves.

[threesixty]

I’ve haven’t seen the game, but surely a point against Brighton is a good result? 

 

 

It was. People are just getting a bit silly in here. 
it was an exciting game. We played the ball out a lot. Lots of one touch passes etc. but you wouldn’t know it from the posts on here. It was a good fluid team who have been playing the same way for years now and they managed to get a goal from a fabianski mistake. But you won’t here that narrative either. 

im not a massive fan of Loppy but bloody hell boys.. it wasn’t that bad!
we are lucky but so is everyone else in this league. We could have scored a few times too but again, no one mentions it as it doesn’t suit the “we got battered and we’re hanging on by our teeth thing”. 

The positives are we making teams look average because we are fighting pretty hard to nullify them and stop them playing their natural game. We did it to Bournemouth and Brighton now. Yes we have issues in the final third but we are getting more shots off on average than we seem to last season. 

Fullkrug has had 1 start and barely played football for months. He’s clearly not match fit but must learn the game over here so that he can contribute. I don’t think Loppy thinks he’s the best choice but I think he’s thinking about the future. That’s why he’s introducing the academy players and why he rotates. I get it. I don’t quite believe it’s the best thing all the time but I get where he’s going. 

I don’t agree the performances are tepid etc. tepid is 22% possession with hundreds of millions of pounds on the pitch. We do need time. Whether it’s Loppy or someone else, I’m hoping that the more miles they all get, one day it will click. 

point against Brighton,academy boys playing, that’s a good xmas for me right now!