Southampton vs West Ham | Boxing Day 2024 | Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

Match Centre:

Odds: 
West Ham: 13/10
Draw: 11/4
Southampton: 9/4

Pre-Match Press Conference:
Official Press Conference

Tactical Preview: 
Analytics United Preview

Watch-along:
TBA

Streams:

Sport HD 

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

[Lee Trundle]

I'm obviously delighted we've picked up from points in the last few games to pretty much extinguish any threat from relegation dogfight this season, but the games have hardly been massively entertaining  Unless drawing with the likes of Bournemouth and Brighton, and a couple of scrappy wins against 2 awful teams floats your boat. 

Let's see what the next 2 games bring.

 

Yes, the next 2 games will be interesting.
You can complain about the football quality, but in the last month we have done plenty of attacking. Had very acceptable draws with Brighton and Bournemouth 2 teams doing well in the league and beaten 2 strong relegation prospects Wolves and Southampton. We have distanced ourselves to 9 points off relegation and are 6 points of a Europe place.

 

 

I reckon a lot are being entertained now due to fact that we were the worst footballing team in the league up until 4 games ago.

We should be getting points from all those teams you've mentioned if we want to be fighting it out for European places.  It's the next couple of games are where we'll see if Lopegetui earns his money.  We been losing those types of games badly so far this season.

[goose]

"Holding the ball up" no.  However it was still a good knock-on which Bowen read brilliantly. Fulkrug clearly (to me) needs time,  whether he'll get it or not or whether it will make a difference, is another matter.

 

He’s returning from injury and adapting to the PL. Still set Bowen’s goal up and made his presence felt in the box, which should be enough to say he’s a striker doing what a striker is supposed to do. Did I say he was holding the ball up? I must admit I was in error as I missed the actual goal due to Boxing Day afternoon family commitments and was relying on the BBC’s reporting. I’ve just seen the highlights and yes it was a won aerial dual and flick on.

You can all calm down now.

Hahaha you div.

Stay away from football.

[Hammer and Pickle]

"Holding the ball up" no.  However it was still a good knock-on which Bowen read brilliantly. Fulkrug clearly (to me) needs time,  whether he'll get it or not or whether it will make a difference, is another matter.

 

 

He’s returning from injury and adapting to the PL. Still set Bowen’s goal up and made his presence felt in the box, which should be enough to say he’s a striker doing what a striker is supposed to do. Did I say he was holding the ball up? I must admit I was in error as I missed the actual goal due to Boxing Day afternoon family commitments and was relying on the BBC’s reporting. I’ve just seen the highlights and yes it was a won aerial dual and flick on.

You can all calm down now.

[Mex Martillo]

I'm obviously delighted we've picked up from points in the last few games to pretty much extinguish any threat from relegation dogfight this season, but the games have hardly been massively entertaining  Unless drawing with the likes of Bournemouth and Brighton, and a couple of scrappy wins against 2 awful teams floats your boat. 

Let's see what the next 2 games bring.

 

 

Yes, the next 2 games will be interesting.
You can complain about the football quality, but in the last month we have done plenty of attacking. Had very acceptable draws with Brighton and Bournemouth 2 teams doing well in the league and beaten 2 strong relegation prospects Wolves and Southampton. We have distanced ourselves to 9 points off relegation and are 6 points of a Europe place.

[Lee Trundle]

I do love it when Pickled tries to talk football.

[cholo]

"Holding the ball up" no.  However it was still a good knock-on which Bowen read brilliantly. Fulkrug clearly (to me) needs time,  whether he'll get it or not or whether it will make a difference, is another matter.

[Hammer and Pickle]

I know what I know.

Who said holding the ball up to provide an assist for Bowen to score was "a German cart-horse up top clogging it all up"?

Hahaha do you understand what “holding the ball up” means?
either you didn’t see the game or you have no idea.

id bet money it’s the second one.

I’m going with both

I think that was an attempt at an entire sentence. Now why don’t you have a cup of tea and maybe a biscuit if you can handle the complexity of the task?

Fullkrug did well to hold off his marker to flick the ball into the path of Bowen running in from a deeper position to score: exactly the holding work a number 9 is supposed to do.

[greenie1]

Got a result, wasn't exactly pretty to watch.
Fab kept us in the game earlier on.
Soler hit the bar, should have put that in the net.
2nd half much better.
Alvarez coming on made a difference.
Summerville - I'm not sure on this guy, did he get any crosses or passes in?
Fullkrug - nice flick on for Bowen, other than that, was missing, maybe lack of crosses, fitness etc.
Rodriguez - I don't know what he brings to the squad. For me, nothing special.

Would like to see Irving a bit more.
Downes got stuck in for Southampton, was thinking during the first half, we could do with a player like that.
 

[Takashi Miike]

"It might force Lopetegui to try something different"

the something different will be starting with five defenders, rather than reverting to it with half an hour left. It's some depressing, mediocre, joyless shit

[Keep dreaming]

Soler's available, Rodriguez and Soucek out

At least some good news.
But we will lose heavily if JLo plays like he did against super soton 

[Joe C]

Who told Pickle that he knows what he's talking about of football?

I know what I know.

Who said holding the ball up to provide an assist for Bowen to score was "a German cart-horse up top clogging it all up"?

Hahaha do you understand what “holding the ball up” means?
either you didn’t see the game or you have no idea.

id bet money it’s the second one.

I’m going with both

[Sir Alf]

Soler almost certainly out was last I heard due to reoccurence of a knee injury. He hobbled off at HT so cannot see him making it for Liverpool.

It might force Lopetegui to try something different?  Kudus as the number 10 centrally and Alvarez and Paqueta in midfield?  Would like to see that tried, Summerville out left, Bowen right and Fullkrug up top.  Everyone in their best positions including Paqueta who plays best football imo in a deeper role as he was at Lyon. 

Ok probably still be pummelled by Liverpool and their ability to play at pace and attack from all directions. But trying something different could surprise them, us? ( in a positive way hopefully )

But I suspect Lop will go the Moyes direction, cautious, defensive and bring Coufal into the starting 11 somehow pushing Emerson into midfield or something, put Paqueta at no 10 to be dispossessed at will, Kudus wide left and Cresswell no doubt will get minutes.  Orford can play in the middle, Scarles given more minutes would be a positive but wont happen either.

 

[goose]

Who told Pickle that he knows what he's talking about of football?

I know what I know.

Who said holding the ball up to provide an assist for Bowen to score was "a German cart-horse up top clogging it all up"?

Hahaha do you understand what “holding the ball up” means?
either you didn’t see the game or you have no idea.

id bet money it’s the second one.

[Massive Attack]

 I am pretty sure under Moyes we would have lost yesterday. I 

Yep we certainly wouldn't have tried to win it, that's for sure, just to try and keep the scoreline down.

[Takashi Miike]

Soler's available, Rodriguez and Soucek out

[Lato]

We huffed and puffed for most of the game but, we won ugly with a scruffy goal. I am pretty sure under Moyes we would have lost yesterday. I was impressed with Walker-Peters a good battle with Wan-Bissaka......sign him up!

[Sir Alf]

We will be without Fab, Soler, Kilman, Soucek for the next game by the sound of things?

What to make of us almost half way thru this campaign? An incomplete squad / team to play the system our head coach prefers.  

He ( Lopetegui ) , a bit late, but I suppose to his credit, has lately modfified the tactics a bit and abandoned his attempt at the “3 box 3”  footie  tuatvthe bedt trams play, with a very high line and very advanced wing backs. It was a disaster as we don’t have the players for it. And recruitment in one window was never going to transform things unless every player brought in was perfect for a new way of playing. As we know, at least 2 or 3, maybe more, were not.

We have switched back far closer to the way Moyes left us playing. Relying on fast transitions and Bowen or Kudus to make something happen or a set piece via Soucek etc to notch a goal. So no discernable progress at first glance.

Yes we are trying to keep the ball far more and are better at that but its half baked with “soft” possession in defence and less long launched balls from the back. We had 20 mins at the start of the Brighton game and 10 mins yesterday where we actually pressed reasonably well but we can’t sustain it.  We still cannot beat the opposition press ( dont have the midfield for it ) but we now get behind the ball, keep our shape better when not in possession. Things we were good at under Moyes.

In summary,  not much progress towards playing a fast, entertaining style based on possession we were after but we can keep the ball a bit better to avoid being so deep for the whole 90 mins.  

Lopetegui has then, belated proved,  he is a more flexible tactically than Moyes but his system and ideas still seem dated to me and in a Premiership that evolves every season, we are  “slow followers” rather than “front runners” in how we play. Risk averse, predictable, not dynamic etc which is largely reflects our owner who, as a football iliterate,  still does not see how his involvement in any football matters, and especially recruitment, is a huge barrier to success. And does not see the need for a strategy and philosophy and alignment to it through every part of the club. 

Can Lopetegui prove successful after another summer window ( a Jan window wont fix much )? 
Maybe but its 60:40 against for me and us just stumbling along with a mismash team that is neither one thing or another and mid table mediocrity at best.

Happy New Year
 

[Hammer and Pickle]

Who told Pickle that he knows what he's talking about of football?

I know what I know.

Who said holding the ball up to provide an assist for Bowen to score was "a German cart-horse up top clogging it all up"?

[Massive Attack]

Hammered and Pickled genuinely believes we'd be more defensive with Bowen up top rather than Fullkrug.

(When all available)

Soler Alvarez Paqueta

Kudus Bowen Summeville 

That all day long rather than the lumbering German cart horse up top clogging it all up. 

 

Get back to me when you want to address two things:

• how we actually play

 

• Fullkrug's real performance, especially yesterday,

At the moment you are just operating lazy bullshit stereotypes

"a German cart-horse up top clogging it all up" indeed!

You absolute 

 

Fullkrugs real performance? Absolutely shit. As referenced in commentary and by everyone on this match thread. Same as every time he’s played. He’s just anonymous.

How we play? Much less shit with Bowen as a #9. As pointed out by literally everyone aside from you.

Bit like your inability to recognise how bad Paqueta has been. How do you manage to get it so wrong so often?

Aye and if you actually watch the goal again it was the useless Souceks guided header back in to the danger zone and then Bowen makes a bad off-target attempt at goal a goal from his poacher instincts. 

[Far Cough UKunt]

Who told Pickle that he knows what he's talking about of football?

[Hammer and Pickle]

 

That’s right. Let me break this down for you in a way you will perhaps be able to grasp.

A side can only start with 11 players.

Bowen is a winger. He is not a number 9.

Fullkrug is a number 9.

If you play Bowen in the middle instead of Fullkrug, you still have to fill the other positions. If you do that with another winger, or two other wingers all you still have is an attack made up of wide players. If then you use three midfielders, one of which at least is defensive, you effectively have five defenders at least, five nominally attacking players who don’t really know what they are supposed to be doing and a goalkeeper. 

And what do you get from this recipe and ingredients? Well I suggest you watch the stodge we put out and pretend you enjoy it some more.

You cannot be this clueless, it just isn’t possible.

Afraid so.

 

 

Those who are ready to see it will now be clear you are either a charlatan or a fuck-wit, and possibly both.  

[goose]

Hammered and Pickled genuinely believes we'd be more defensive with Bowen up top rather than Fullkrug.

(When all available)

Soler Alvarez Paqueta

Kudus Bowen Summeville 

That all day long rather than the lumbering German cart horse up top clogging it all up. 

 

Get back to me when you want to address two things:

• how we actually play

 

• Fullkrug's real performance, especially yesterday,

At the moment you are just operating lazy bullshit stereotypes

"a German cart-horse up top clogging it all up" indeed!

You absolute 

 

 

Fullkrugs real performance? Absolutely shit. As referenced in commentary and by everyone on this match thread. Same as every time he’s played. He’s just anonymous.

How we play? Much less shit with Bowen as a #9. As pointed out by literally everyone aside from you.

Bit like your inability to recognise how bad Paqueta has been. How do you manage to get it so wrong so often?

[Massive Attack]

It's just hilarious at this point.

 

That’s right. Let me break this down for you in a way you will perhaps be able to grasp.

A side can only start with 11 players.

Bowen is a winger. He is not a number 9.

Fullkrug is a number 9.

If you play Bowen in the middle instead of Fullkrug, you still have to fill the other positions. If you do that with another winger, or two other wingers all you still have is an attack made up of wide players. If then you use three midfielders, one of which at least is defensive, you effectively have five defenders at least, five nominally attacking players who don’t really know what they are supposed to be doing and a goalkeeper. 

And what do you get from this recipe and ingredients? Well I suggest you watch the stodge we put out and pretend you enjoy it some more.

You cannot be this clueless, it just isn’t possible.

Afraid so.

[Hammer and Pickle]

Hammered and Pickled genuinely believes we'd be more defensive with Bowen up top rather than Fullkrug.

(When all available)

Soler Alvarez Paqueta

Kudus Bowen Summeville 

That all day long rather than the lumbering German cart horse up top clogging it all up. 

 

 

Get back to me when you want to address two things:

• how we actually play

 

• Fullkrug's real performance, especially yesterday,

At the moment you are just operating lazy bullshit stereotypes

"a German cart-horse up top clogging it all up" indeed!

You absolute 

[BillyJenningsBoots]

Never understood the boring football criticism of Moyes, but even so I can't figure out how this is supposed to be better. 

You are not serious are you Blagg.... didnt you watch us in the last 2 and a half seasons, you thought it was entertaining?????

I agree what Lopetegui is serving up is not much better but we have shown we want to keep the ball instead of just sitting back and giving up 70% possession..