Wolves Vs West Ham | PL | 1.4.25 | Predictions & Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

Will update all the match day stuff in the next 24 hours. Until then...what do you predict the team and score will be?

For me....2-1 to West Ham.

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Match Centre:

Odds:
West Ham: 5/2
Draw: 47/20
Wolves: 31/20

Pre-Match Press Conference:
Official Press Conference

Tactical Preview: 
Babbling Irons

Watch-along:
Hammers Chat

Streams:

SportHD 

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

[Any Old Iron]

Oi, stubbo, wake up will you. There’s a fucking game on tomorrow.  Get yer aris into gear.  

[southbankbornnbred]

Some genuinely interesting analysis on this thread.

But my biggest worry about Potter since he took charge is that we rank bottom (20th) of the league for shots and chances created, while also "enjoying" an average of 46% possession (14th in the league).

So we are neither dominating the ball or looking dangerous on the break etc.

We're a shitstorm of nothingness right now.

Captain Shotshy has to do better than this - and show some improvement before the end of the season. It's why he was sacked at Chelsea. Even Brighton's fans used to shout "shoot" at the players regularly, and Potter threw his toys out of his pram in 2022 and asked them not to because his players were getting stressed! He will get a torrent of abuse back if he tries that here.

[Sir Alf]

Thats it Mex. Since Rice left this has been our biggest problem. Buying a central midfield without one player who is fast, athletic and physically strong. Alvarez is physically strong and protects the ball well and has good passing and vision albeit at the base of midfield mostly. Paqueta too although not quite as physically strong, better vision but like Alvarez slow getting across the pitch relative to midfields we try to match in the Premiership. Soucek, good aerial presence and getting in blocks in deeper positions but slowest of the slow and adequate passing and control but provides a few goals which is why he gets picked.  JWP slow, small so no real physical presence or strength but good at recycling the ball thru accurate albeit short passing. His set piece strenhth? Not seen it much at West Ham.  Soler good passer, quickest of the options but another lightweight.  In short a very slow, not athletic not very physical and unable to cover mych of the pitch.

Hence we play 2 in there, to allow another attacking option, we get dominated in central midfield, chasing shadows and bery vulnerable to pacey forwards and counter attacking midfielders who have acres of space and time. The 2 in there also exposed Kilman if he’s not in a back 3 as he is very slow. 

Play 3 in there we get left with only 2 attackers as none of the midfielders have the speed and strength  to play on the half turn and drive at defences to open up gaps etc.  

A 3,has to be played the risk of being overrun is too great. Unfortunately even with a 3, our CBs, other than Todibo, look vulnerable to attackers running at pace and especially the CBs Kilman who is like a snail getting across the pitch and Mavropanos who when pressed or pressured will make mistakes even tho he’s reasonably quick for a big man.  

Shame no coach has developed Kudus to be more of a team player when we are out of possession. He has physicality, reasonably quick but needs to be like Mcginn at Villa, Gibbs White at Forest and others who are as active with pressing and defensivecwork, intercepting etc   He could play on the half turn, be a better ball carrier but needs to know when to release the ball.  That way we could keep the insurance of 3 CBs and have a central midfield of Paqueta, Alvarez and Kudus with the latter able to receive and link thru midfield to 2 front men but also join them as 3 up front too.  Kudus centrally would have to take his work rate and running to new levels but it does not seem he’s that type and just wants to be foward runming into space which is usually not there

[Rossal]

                       Areola 

         Todibo Kilman Irving 

AWB  Alvarez  Soler  Emerson 

        Bowen    Kudus 

                Fullkrug 

[Mex Martillo]

But on to TOMORROWS game at home to Bournemouth.

Antonio and Summerville remain unavailable.
Late fitness tests for Kudus (hip), Todibo, Emerson and Guilherme (Calves)

The midfield for me is the puzzle, put our attcking midfield and we lost control of the midfield and didn't attack well, put Alvarez and Soucek and we have more ball in midfield but are a bit crap going forward...

Areola
Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell
Wan Bissak, Alvarez, Paqueta, JWP, Scarles
Bowen, Fullkrug

[Mex Martillo]

We won't be relegated. I predict a lot of players in and out in the summer and a lot of anticipation for the next season. We will finish better next season, but impossible to say if it will give us entertainment and or achieve something, Europe or actually win something.

[Pshyco scored all 4]

I've known things to be bad at the club countless times. But this on another level entirely. The players know the clubs ownership has zero ambition  . So why should they be bothered either.  We'll be relegated within the next 2 years unless drastic changes within the club happen . 

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

This season summed up in two words..

FUCKIN GRIM.
 

[Tomshardware]

Give him time.  He deserves a pre season and a transfer window. 

[southbankbornnbred]

Potter should get at least some time, and the chance to sign “his” players.

But, fuck me, he needs to improve things a lot.

We lack quality, and any ambition on the pitch. He’s been the manager since December, so he has to take a modicum of responsibility for the way we now approach games.

That said, I think a lot of players - particularly the many likely to leave when they’re out of contract this summer - have switched off.

We’re just drifting at the moment, including Potter. That interview he gave after Wolves was just puff, piss and hot air. Low-grade corporate speak.

[Maverick180180]

I'm so bored of us being shit.
We were shit from Jan to May under Moyes, shit from August to Dec under Lopetegui, and now shit from Jan to May? under Potter.

We don't have that bad a team, why the fuck are we so poor all the time??

A combination of awful chairman and diabolical managers who both share the trait of having no ambition 

I fully agee with you that this squad is not as bad as the performances that they’re giving 

[Jean-Luc Paul Goddard]

I checked his stats at Brighton. Finishing was the issue not chance creation. At West Ham currently its chance creation.


 

Potter prefers his teams to only shoot when chances are high that they will score. The way he put it at Brighton was that an opportunity to shoot also means a chance for the opposition to block and counter attack whereas one more pass might get you in a better position to score.

I suppose this is a reasonable tactic if you have good team players but not good goal scorers (which is what he had at Brighton). Our team is pretty much the opposite though. Bowen, Kudus, Soucek,  etc. all know where the back of the net is but are much better at scoring than setting up others. If they're being told to be more patient and wait for great chances then we're just going to have a lot less shots on goal and a lot less goals scored, which is exactly what we've seen.

[Manuel]

I love this faith people have in things improving. The stats are there from his time at Brighton - 39, 40, 42 league goals scored (I couldn't give a fuck about chance creation). You've got to be so perfect in defence playing this way, and one of the only teams I can remember doing this successfully were Graham's two Arsenal title teams, yet as regimented as those teams were they still scored 73 & 74 Goals respectively

I'm not going to read too much into his Brighton stats, this is a different club and a different time.

I think there is going to be a huge overhaul of players this summer, I think we could see as many as 10 leave, and no more than a hunch but I think some of those out of contract who are fancied to get another year won't. I think he wants a proper clear out. Can see a lot coming in too of course. Point is we are going to have a very different side next season, will it be better, nobody knows, so we are going to have to wait to find out. 

I'm not disagreeing with what you are saying, generally, but you cannot be sure that next season is going to be another shitfest and that we are going to play like his Brighton side did 5 years ago. Give the fella some credit, he knows we ain't fucking Brighton, and he acknowledged that on day one, and must know he won't last playing like they did every week. We're gonna have to wait.

what is there to read in to? I've shown that his teams scored just over a goal a game in three years at Brighton, and he's doing exactly the fucking same with us (11 Goals in 11 Games). it's shit

Yes, I get it mate, but that was Brighton and it was a few years back now. I'm not impressed either and no doubt it sounds naive but I think we are going to have a very different team next season and hopefully different types of players. Coaches can evolve and change given different circumstances, nobody can say for sure now how next season will pan out. Potter must know that we won't tolerate another season of this shit.

[CanningTown2WA]

For my twopenneth, I think last night’s lineup was for a few reasons.
With a tougher game on Saturday he was rotating the squad and giving some players a chance to see how they do.
Mavrapanos played instead of Todibo because he cannot play 1 full game let alone 2 in a week.  It also proved (again) that Mav needs to be shipped out.
I presume Kudus is injured and that's why Guilherme got a start.  He also needed a start in a game compared with 5 minutes at the end of game to prove himself.
Scarles has played well for the most part in games and is probably a better defender than Emerson but Emerson is more dangerous going forward.  I expect Emerson to start against Bournemouth.
He likes 5 at the back but you need the 2 wing backs and 2 wingers to work hard in the midfield.  AWB was very good as usual but the others did not really get stuck in. The sacrifice of a winger in the second half plus the change of Ferguson made us a lot better and we did get stuck in more but we could’nt take our chances.

I think he expected more from players getting their chance, the team against Bournemouth will be much stronger, but it will also need to be.

I think a starting line up like his first game v Villa with Summerville and Fullkrug playing and them lasting more than a half would give a better indication of how Potter wants us to play and what we can achieve.

[Takashi Miike]

I love this faith people have in things improving. The stats are there from his time at Brighton - 39, 40, 42 league goals scored (I couldn't give a fuck about chance creation). You've got to be so perfect in defence playing this way, and one of the only teams I can remember doing this successfully were Graham's two Arsenal title teams, yet as regimented as those teams were they still scored 73 & 74 Goals respectively

I'm not going to read too much into his Brighton stats, this is a different club and a different time.

I think there is going to be a huge overhaul of players this summer, I think we could see as many as 10 leave, and no more than a hunch but I think some of those out of contract who are fancied to get another year won't. I think he wants a proper clear out. Can see a lot coming in too of course. Point is we are going to have a very different side next season, will it be better, nobody knows, so we are going to have to wait to find out. 

I'm not disagreeing with what you are saying, generally, but you cannot be sure that next season is going to be another shitfest and that we are going to play like his Brighton side did 5 years ago. Give the fella some credit, he knows we ain't fucking Brighton, and he acknowledged that on day one, and must know he won't last playing like they did every week. We're gonna have to wait.

what is there to read in to? I've shown that his teams scored just over a goal a game in three years at Brighton, and he's doing exactly the fucking same with us (11 Goals in 11 Games). it's shit

....and the reason for bringing up George Graham is those teams were hated for being negative (1-0 to the Arsenal) yet they scored almost double the goals of this prick

[Manuel]

I love this faith people have in things improving. The stats are there from his time at Brighton - 39, 40, 42 league goals scored (I couldn't give a fuck about chance creation). You've got to be so perfect in defence playing this way, and one of the only teams I can remember doing this successfully were Graham's two Arsenal title teams, yet as regimented as those teams were they still scored 73 & 74 Goals respectively

I'm not going to read too much into his Brighton stats, this is a different club and a different time.

I think there is going to be a huge overhaul of players this summer, I think we could see as many as 10 leave, and no more than a hunch but I think some of those out of contract who are fancied to get another year won't. I think he wants a proper clear out. Can see a lot coming in too of course. Point is we are going to have a very different side next season, will it be better, nobody knows, so we are going to have to wait to find out. 

I'm not disagreeing with what you are saying, generally, but you cannot be sure that next season is going to be another shitfest and that we are going to play like his Brighton side did 5 years ago. Give the fella some credit, he knows we ain't fucking Brighton, and he acknowledged that on day one, and must know he won't last playing like they did every week. We're gonna have to wait.

[Fifth Column]

I don't think the style of play will drastically improve or the number of goals scored.

I do see enough to think our results will improve given time to bring in some players in particular some dynamic CMs.  How we've managed to collect such a range of slow CMs is beyond me.  It's just incompetence at a structural level ie not down to any individual manager, we should have systems in place not to have let Moyes develop such an old, slow team and then never address that after he left.

[Sir Alf]

Imo we were very fortunate to beat Fulham at home. Our away record under Potter is fine. We lost at Wolves last night sure but I watched them in a couple of games recently and they are much inproved, top 6 in recent form and were unlucky not to beat Liverpool recently.  Potter tried 2 in midfield last night to get 3 in attack. Last tried against Brentford at home. We dont have the midfield squad for it and only got control 2nd half afyer putting 4?central midfielders in there but Wolves then dug in deep, defended well and our lack of legs and only 2 real attackers meant we could not create enough although a tad unlucky with a header against the bar, Soucek showiing that he needs 10 chances to get 2 or 3 goals ( not a good finisher despite some decent goals across the season) and what looked like a good shout for a pen but ignored by VAR.

Our home form is simply awful. Any team that sits back cannot be unpicked because he will not ( cannot?) risk playing more than 2  attackers because we become highly vulnerable to fast transitions.  

I checked his stats at Brighton. Finishing was the issue not chance creation. At West Ham currently its chance creation.

I repeat my opinion that, while its more hope than belief at this juncture, I will wait until a couple of months into next season and after a transfer window before reaching a proper verdict.  I might just be putting off his execution but hope by end August to see a couple of shrewd transfers for central midfield that at least allow me to look forward to next season rather than dreading it. Doesnt automatically mean the transfers will be successful but if they aint he will be gone by xmas or earlier imo.  The current squad is not the proverbial “sows ear” to be transformed into a “silk purse” not by any manager imo and thats probably why I still have some hope  

[Takashi Miike]

I love this faith people have in things improving. The stats are there from his time at Brighton - 39, 40, 42 league goals scored (I couldn't give a fuck about chance creation). You've got to be so perfect in defence playing this way, and one of the only teams I can remember doing this successfully were Graham's two Arsenal title teams, yet as regimented as those teams were they still scored 73 & 74 Goals respectively

[Fauxstralian]

I understand people’s frustration but we will see where we are next season
He needs a good window & a positive start having repaired some glaring holes particularly in our glacial midfield 
Before that he needs to make use of these last 8 games & show some sparks of SOMETHING in an attacking sense

Has been defensive but has at least stopped some of the bleeding 
Moyes conceded 25 goals in his last 10 league games & Lopetegui 20. Both had 2 games conceding 5
Potter has conceded 14 with only Man C scoring more than 2 in a game

[Rossal]

Time for one of my diatribes ( appologies as always ).
Im still sticking with giving him a transfer window and a couple of months next season. More in hope than belief it can turnaroumd at this point.

I’ve driven most insane on this and other sites for years, and especially since Rice went, about central midfield being the key to transforming this squad.  

We would be better to spend most of our budget on this area imo as it will take 2 bery strong, fast, athletic players that run all day in there but they also need to possess good technique. Every team wants that type of player but us more than pretty much any other team.  Kante is one template but also a bigger physical presence that moves at speed.  Alvarez is worth keeping but needs one or both along side to start dominating the middle of the park.  

So by end of August, I will be hoping to see this profile of player brought in. If Macaulay or someone has unearthed a young unknown player or two that fit the profile then perfect we get them at a decent price but if not we will be looking at having to pay 35-50 million and big wages as its that important to build an “engine room” that can dominate most teams.  

If Potter or Sullivan go for a budget, “adequate” option then then the “writiings on the wall” for Potter. We simply cannot connect defence to attack by playing thru a press currently and are loathe to risk commiting enough players forward, we cannot press turnovers or cope with being pressed. It took putting 4 central midfielders on 2nd half to get some control in the middle last night but it left us with only 2 genuine attackers and unbalances the side. We need wing backs overloading down the flanks. All made impossible by not being able to cope with fast counters if we lose possession because we have no central midfielders who ate quick enough to do the chasimg back or recovery runs.  

Potter gets this area sorted and it will go a long way to making it possible for us to attack and create far more chances assuming he will stick to a controlled possession game. Actually having strong, fast ball carriers in the middle opens space and the opportunity to go forward, pinch possession and launch counters.  And far less of side to side and forward then back again as we try to slowly pull teams to make space and openings. Which doesnt work when teams sit deep and compact with 8 or 9 behind the ball.

Anyway, milestone one for me is pur summer business and failure to address our biggest weakness then its highly likely Potter is toast before xmas. I am hoping Potter proves a success but at this stage its hard to see without some big changes.

 

 

I've said this before but when replacing Rice the JWP shout was so bad due to one of Rice's main attributes being ball carrying. He was very very good at getting it from the edge of our box and driving it over half way to give it to the attackers.  

We havent replaced that ability in our team. JWP can't run, Soucek can't run or dribble. We need a athletic midfielder who has a great touch and technical ability and can dribble it from one 18 yard box to the other. 

when 3 of your 4 midfield options are absolute carthorses who can't pass forward you aren't going to do much 

[Eerie Decent]

"Yesterday most of the fans were crying for players to be given a chance, find out what they’ve got, try things and so on.
He does exactly that last night and the criticism comes,"



No one was asking for that fucking team, set up like that. Stop making fucking excuses, it's cringeworthy. The manager has a half a billion pound squad.

Central midfield has been our biggest problem, Stevie Wonder can see that, and from my own perspective, I was asking for Alvarez & Soler in central midfield along with Paqueta, not world beaters by any means but they can at least get about the pitch faster than snails pace and both at least try to look forward when passing. Neither started, however, you saw the difference second half when both were in there.

Would you swap our squad with Wolves'? No you fucking wouldn't, they looked like they were going down when their manager rocked up, they look much better than us now. We were 13th when Potter took over, looks like we might end up finishing 17th, one place behind Wolves.

He has Jarrod Bowen and Kudus at his disposal, and he's made the pair of them look like they wouldn't get in the Barnet team. Kudus didn't play last night, which is unfortunate for Potter, because he's been an easy scapegoat for our shit performances because he's been single handedly been trying to get us up the pitch to at least try to threaten the opposition goal, mostly getting doubled up on all game.

It's about time the excuses stop, and this manager is made accountable. He's had more than enough time to know who should be starting, and to produce so much better than what we are being punished with watching.




 

FFS he has a squad that he didn’t sign. Give the bloke a fair crack and some money to spend. No manager is going to transform us into euro contenders any time soon so stop expecting it. Yesterday’s second half was good, we just lack cutting teeth but we’ve known this for a few seasons. 

 

 

Did the Wolves manager inherit a squad that he 'signed' when they were in the relegation zone? What a pathetic fucking excuse, in a world that is now full of excuses for everything, and no personal accountability. What we are seeing from him, is exactly what he got accused of at Brighton & Chelsea.

As you can't seem to think past the cliched excuses, let's just take Bowen as one example, is he not good enough now? Will he bin him off as well as the other half a billion pounds worth of players he can't seem to get a tune out of? Because he has been monumentally fucking shit under this manager, do we blame the player? The only reason he's not being dug out is we know what he's capable of, yet this manager is making him look like a pub player.

I said on the old WHO a couple of years ago when he got the bullet at Chelsea, that he seems a bit flakey to me, when a few wanted us to get him then. I thought a job like ours, with demanding fans, would be too much as he hasn't got the personality for it. I was definitely on board with giving him a chance, but fuck me, it's dire. And you are watching from the comfort of New York, trying paying to go over that shithole every week to watch this bone-crushingly boring shit football. You might change your tune.

[Manuel]

Certainly not defending Potter, but there is a reason why you hear that it's not good to change managers mid-season. Yes I know it's worked elsewhere, but Potter taking over when he did has been a fucking nightmare, is it really because he's crap? I dunno.

He's no nearer knowing his best team (or formation) now than he did on day one, which begs the old question what do they do in training, and there's been a lot of it. Fuck only knows what he will do on Saturday, but you feel he's now making it up as he goes along. We won't see Ferguson or Guilherme starting again though.

As frustrating as it is, I'm going with Alf at the moment, we ain't really going to know what is what until next season. We are going to have a very different side come August IMO, will it be much better though and more on the front foot? Don't know, but we are going to have to wait to find out, and this season can't end soon enough. The last 8 games are going to be more of the same I suspect.

The crowd reaction on Saturday could be interesting if we go behind.

[Rossal]

I wasn't even that put off with the starting line up last night. Centre midfield has been an issue but Paq and JWP in there?  yeah no problem. Ferguson up top, great lets see what he can do. 

5 at the back, fine....if AWB and Scarels get forward then fine. 

My issue is with the players performances and the tactics. We don't look like a team, just a mess of individuals put out there to try and fine a decent tune. 

Now the players have to take alot of responsibility but its alarming that they arent playing for Potter at the moment. We played well against Fulham and Arsenal but apart from that most the performances have been shit. Only scored more than one once.....Fulham and Leicester. 

[goose]

"Yesterday most of the fans were crying for players to be given a chance, find out what they’ve got, try things and so on.
He does exactly that last night and the criticism comes,"



No one was asking for that fucking team, set up like that. Stop making fucking excuses, it's cringeworthy. The manager has a half a billion pound squad.

Central midfield has been our biggest problem, Stevie Wonder can see that, and from my own perspective, I was asking for Alvarez & Soler in central midfield along with Paqueta, not world beaters by any means but they can at least get about the pitch faster than snails pace and both at least try to look forward when passing. Neither started, however, you saw the difference second half when both were in there.

Would you swap our squad with Wolves'? No you fucking wouldn't, they looked like they were going down when their manager rocked up, they look much better than us now. We were 13th when Potter took over, looks like we might end up finishing 17th, one place behind Wolves.

He has Jarrod Bowen and Kudus at his disposal, and he's made the pair of them look like they wouldn't get in the Barnet team. Kudus didn't play last night, which is unfortunate for Potter, because he's been an easy scapegoat for our shit performances because he's been single handedly been trying to get us up the pitch to at least try to threaten the opposition goal, mostly getting doubled up on all game.

It's about time the excuses stop, and this manager is made accountable. He's had more than enough time to know who should be starting, and to produce so much better than what we are being punished with watching.



 

FFS he has a squad that he didn’t sign. Give the bloke a fair crack and some money to spend. No manager is going to transform us into euro contenders any time soon so stop expecting it. Yesterday’s second half was good, we just lack cutting teeth but we’ve known this for a few seasons. 

Every new manager has a squad they didn’t sign, but part of getting the job is the ability to improve the team/players through coaching. 
On top of that we have a squad of very capable players who are on a par with anyone outside the top 6 or 7.

As for lacking teeth, the problem has been the other end of the pitch. We had no issues scoring goals under Moyes or Lopetegui.