West Ham vs Brentford | League | 15.2.25 | Predictions & Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

Match Centre:

Odds:
West Ham: 6/4
Draw: 45/17
Brentford: 39/20


Pre-Match Press Conference:
Official Press Conference


Tactical Preview: 
Babbling Irons


Watch-along:
Hammers Chat Watchalong


Streams:

SportHD 

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

[Takashi Miike]

Yesterday Potter got it embarrassingly wrong in the first half but at least turned it around in the second. IF he starts a game like that ever then yes I will start to doubt. Lessons learned. We have to give him time. There is no immediate new manager bounce with that squad which full of subpar players and some better players who are underperforming. The Owners have to back him. THEY got it horribly wrong with Loppy and THEY have to own that. For the umpteenth window in a row we need to address the striker, Midfield and CB problem properly. Pay the going rate instead of trying to wheel and deal and ending up with overpriced panic buys.

Potter needs more than 6 games, trying to bin a manager off after 6 games is incredulous 

Who's trying to bin the manager? I'm just stating the negativity I see with his approach in most games. If you're happy with it good luck to you, but playing this way on a long term basis is unsustainable

[Maverick180180]

To be fair, I don’t think many are saying bin off Potter,
I think the majority on here that are criticising like myself are just simply saying we’re not impressed 
I’m hearing good things from him, which is an upgrade on Lopetegui but I’m not seeing it on the pitch 
I think he’s making mistakes before we’ve even kicked off in games, especially yesterday 
I personally don’t see any point in getting rid of him, even further down the line if it gets even worse
our chairman has made it very clear how he selects managers, and unfortunately it’s highly unlikely to ever get us any success 
 

[Manuel]

It's not an excuse but I think Summerville being out for a long spell has come as a massive blow for Potter and his plans. In his presser on Thursday he brought it up again after he'd already answered the questions about injuries saying what a blow it is, suspect he saw him as the player that was going to carry the ball up the pitch and be the link man. But he should be giving the Brazilian more time, only 5 mins again yesterday after impressing in his cameo at Chelsea, and why is he still starting Emerson over Scarles? He didn't appear to know where to play Bowen yesterday either, and Paqueta as a 9 was never going to work. In short, it's the same crap as the previous two incumbents, just Potter talks a better game with all his degrees to his bow.

On another note, why did he leave it to HT to make changes?

[Sir Alf]

Potter has not been a quick fix Mike as you say and may be another disaster. I mentioned on another thread, its the home form thats the real issue. We have not got many points away but performances have been far better with an injury hit side.  

The Palace and Brentford home games are what has caused many to reach conclusions imho. If we had got points from them I suspect patience for some would still be intact.

I think, but could be wrong, Potter reverted to mire if a back 4 yesterday but his selection of Soucek and Alvarez and Soler was the root cause of our first half capitulation.  Once he moved Paqueta back into the middle and had JWP in there , it plugged the wide open spaces that Brentford’s fast counter attacking style was enjoying.  He got wrong tactically as simple as that.  

We are at Arsenal next and I expect us to revert to a proper back 3 making a 5 with AWB and hopefully Scarles when we are out of possession.  In central mid the options are so limited. We have no athletes in the squad for that area so will have to play 3 in there. We also need Kudus to work much harder for the team.

Potter may well not work out. Personally I dont know yet especially with so few games and 3 of those in his first week and 5 of them with injuries galore.  

The next 2 games will tell us a lot. I dont expect anything at Arsenal but we need another better performance. And playing away, deeper with men behind the ball suits our midfield options a lot better imo which is perhaps why we have looked ok in his away games? 

Leicester at home is key. Another team that comes to sit deep and counter, expose our one paced central midfield and CBs ( when its a Kilman / Mavro partnership).  If he does not come up with a better solution tactically and selection wise against Leicester and learn the lesson of his first half yesterday, thats when I will start drifting towards the naysayers camp

[nychammer]

Yesterday Potter got it embarrassingly wrong in the first half but at least turned it around in the second. IF he starts a game like that ever then yes I will start to doubt. Lessons learned. We have to give him time. There is no immediate new manager bounce with that squad which full of subpar players and some better players who are underperforming. The Owners have to back him. THEY got it horribly wrong with Loppy and THEY have to own that. For the umpteenth window in a row we need to address the striker, Midfield and CB problem properly. Pay the going rate instead of trying to wheel and deal and ending up with overpriced panic buys.

Potter needs more than 6 games, trying to bin a manager off after 6 games is incredulous 

[Takashi Miike]

the football being delivered by this bloke is truly joyless. I want to be proven wrong, I want him to try something different, the team to actually attack but I just think he's incapable of taking risks. five at the back almost every game, two supposedly holding and he expects the remaining three players to break teams down? no, it's another absolute fucking disaster, and what's made it worse for me and when I started to lose faith was watching him in the press conferences polishing sullivan's ego. "Oh, the board have been perfect", "They couldn't have helped me more", yet all they did was give him brighton's unfit injury prone striker. absolute bollocks, for me (and we had it for years with the jock), once you start gaslighting the fans it's the beginning of the end
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[Maverick180180]

Fraser & Manuel - you’re barking up the wrong tree
Potters only been here for 6 weeks so no one is allowed to criticise him 
take for example, Potters decision to play Soler on the left wing, it’s not Potters fault he was absolutely useless there
its because Potters only been here for 6 weeks, in about 3 months time, Soler will suddenly develop blistering pace and be one of the best left wingers the premier league has ever seen 

that’s the sort of logic you’re trying to argue against 
not worth it, the blokes a clown 

[fraser]

As dire, almost, as Lopetegui.

Knicker wetters you say... 

[Manuel]

Fuck me you lot are a bunch of fucking knicker wetters.

He has been here for 6 weeks, what were you expecting? 

embarrassing 

Now look whose fishing

[nychammer]

He can only do so much with those players, we need a massive clear out.  Sounds like moneys going to be an issue, see C&H is already putting out the claims that we're potless.

[twoleftfeet]

Fuck me you lot are a bunch of fucking knicker wetters.

He has been here for 6 weeks, what were you expecting? 

embarrassing 

[honky cat]

Luckily i missed most of it as we had power out and had to listen to some farmers radio station for half and full time scores.
The headline is The team is shit. Looking at the starters yesterday, i would only keep bowen and AWB and Areola. Paqueta, i like but he has these personal problems hanging over him.  Kilman looked better the last couple of games with cresswell, so why switch back to mavro (who i hear was better than kilman today), the pair of them cant play together.

7 of the brentford players would walk straight into our team. 

Potter, we have to be patient as no one else is coming to west ham. Why is it so hard to find managers - its just a glorified PE teacher job with a bit if motivational chat thrown in, pick your best team and stick with it. Keep it simple.

​​​​​

 

[Manuel]

It's got to be that poxy stadium they were completely opposite to how they played at Villa and Chelsea 

Mmmm, first thought would naturally be what a poxy excuse, but you know what I have always thought that too. Because of how it is it lacks urgency, players and fans can't connect, therefore no home advantage, players don't feel the pressure as much and can hide etc. Everton fans sucked that 97th min leveller into the net last week, would never have happened here, how many late goals have we scored at home, can't remember many but it happens a lot elsewhere. It's the worst stadium in the country and believe it to be true that it works against us.

[Texas Iron]

Potter completely soporific on the sideline…looked Like he was on Qualudes…

Completely non involved…

Absolutely no life in the manager…and the team followed suit…

Poor selection…tactics…no motivation…playing like a pub team.i..Zombies 

I predicted 12 - 16 th early on this season….but never expected such poor performances 

And 2 Multi Million quid a year managers and Technical director delivering such crap performances…

I blame Sullivan for all our problems…He doesn’t know what he’s doing…

2 Bob Barrow Boy running and ruining a Billion Quid Potentially Top  Prem Levelclub…



Poor man’s Southgate…

[Mex Martillo]

We'll play well at Arsenal, but lose narrowly. My stomach turns thinking how the home game with Leicester will go.

[ragingbull]

He's had 2 weeks to put his ideas across to the team and they produced a first half right up there as the worst ever if weren't for Var could have been 3 down.

[David El]

A win at Leicester following the usual defeat at Arsenal is a must.

[Keep dreaming]

Positives from that game was yet again watching Scarles,  playing with a forward. and that we hardly can get any worse.

Not a manager in the world can get anything out of the first half XI.
Mass exodus needed. Areola, Emerson, Soucek, Alvarez, Kudus, Paqueta, Mavropanos won't be missed.

[Mex Martillo]

I'm glad we have a 10 gap between us and relegation.
​​​

[Percy Dalton]

It's got to be that poxy stadium they were completely opposite to how they played at Villa and Chelsea 

[,]

If Brentford had capitalised on their first half chances the ground would have been half empty way before the end. As it was with the hope of getting a late equaliser plenty of us held on.

I think that if we had equalised it would not have been deserved.

Potter has a right job on his hands with us and there seems to be no noticeable improvement with our defending yet.

 

[El Scorchio]

To be honest if we were 4-0 down at h/t we could have no complaints 
Dominated the ball in the second half but didn’t create enough. And when we did we blazed everything over the bar
Ferguson looked promising & JWP was more like the player who started last season.
Kudus & Paqueta were wasteful & we continually lost the ball in our own half in the first 45
That half was worse than the Palace game which is quite an achievement 
Ref was very ordinary as well.
Another fun day in Stratford!

 

 

Ref was a fucking joke. Must have had Brentford in his Acca. Gave everything their way. Penalising Bowen from 50 yards away when the lino right next to it did nothing was insane. Missed multiple obvious fouls in key areas of the pitch. And dealt with the injured player so poorly. Just did nothing for ages and let him lie there instead of getting the stretcher. Not sure how it all only amounted to 4 mins either. 

Very fucking poor officiating today. 

[Sir Alf]

Yep at least 6 better players needed. Central midfield the priority. 

[claypole]

I dont think I have seen a player the wrong side of play more than Alverez, no wonder he picks up so many bookings.
As said below we could be in a relegation battle next year purely based on the amount of shit in the squad, you could clear out 15 players from that squad as not good enough 

[Fauxstralian]

To be honest if we were 4-0 down at h/t we could have no complaints 
Dominated the ball in the second half but didn’t create enough. And when we did we blazed everything over the bar
Ferguson looked promising & JWP was more like the player who started last season.
Kudus & Paqueta were wasteful & we continually lost the ball in our own half in the first 45
That half was worse than the Palace game which is quite an achievement 
Ref was very ordinary as well.
Another fun day in Stratford!