Antonio: can we do any better?

[camel-with-3-humps]

"Let's be honest, he's poor frequently nowadays. So many attacks break down on his clumsy play. Questions: Should he stay in the team? If not, what are the options?"

[gph]

"He said himself he needs competition to be on top of his game. Unfortunately, at this stae of their careers, he's 20 or 30 times the player Ings is, and any mention of Ings as competition is likely to make Antonio collapse with laughter"

[J.Riddle]

"He started well banging them in, then some bright spark decided to give him a new 3 year 100k per week contract."

[Gary Strodders shank]

Did we not have the chance to sign Ollie Watkins but opted for Beni instead ? Having him in the team would quite possibly of seen us in the champions league now. Always presuming Moyes would of played him regularly of course

[Ron Eff]

"If he had remained on the wing, his West Ham career would have been over long ago. His little spell up front under Moyes has given him a few more years because of how Moyes plays. So on reflection I agree, wish he had stayed on the wing."

[LeroysBoots]

Do you think Moyes reviews games with his stats team ?.....no me neither

[ATHammer]

"Good servant. Was funny when he said no one knows what I will do next, not even me. But that is over now. He was so bad Sunday he wasn't throwing himself to the floor under challenge because he was rarely in a place to challenge. As many have said, he is the symptom of a poorly managed team. Had he remained on the wing and we had a team structured to a quality striker things could have been so much better. Sadly he will be remembered for shit like the Villa game rather than his positives. You have to wonder what the next generation make of him, must think I can do better than that, and probably can."

[LeroysBoots]

"That interview on the OS clearly shows he know the writing is on the wall for him, trying to justify his worth. Steidten must be having conversations with Sullivan about the next phase of this rebuild which will mean the demise of Antonio, we hope !"

[Pee Wee]

"He's never been a good player. He's had some good games and his athleticism and strength has caused issues for defenders. but the fact he has been starting striker for us for so long says a lot more about our/Moyes ability to identify a good striker and play to their strengths than it does about him. I get that people see his is our top prem striker and equate that with him being good, but It just makes me wonder how much more we could have achieved if we had a good striker and a manager who knows how to attack."

[Full Claret Jacket]

"Since his hamstring issues he's been on a slide. He has lost his explosive pace, lost his amazing leaps for headers and instead has focused on becoming the new Akinfenwa who has strength but not much else unless he is given a ton of space. Even then he spends much of his time on the floor trying to win free kicks. Don't get me wrong, he's been a great servant, can still do a job for periods of games and will have the odd day where he is unplayable but these days they are becoming rarer and he often looks shot carrying his bulk around after 40 mins. He's made a great career for himself, cemented himself in West Ham history and can have pride in what he has achieved. He just needs to be realistic at where he is now and where he can impact games. West Ham needs to find a more mobile and regular goal scoring threat. He is definitely a player who will struggle when his career ends. He is driven by being a starting player and being the main man."

[Gaffer58]

"Don’t know exactly how the transfer window works but could we sign a player today who is not contracted to another club at the moment, if we can, get Moyes down to the local park on Sunday and sign a centre forward from any of the Dog & Duck pub teams, be more bloody use then Antonio!"

[Pee Wee]

(nt)

[Side of Ham]

We'll have to start calling him Hermes as his all-round package is rarely delivered.....

[scott_d]

"He needs to stop talking. Both on those stupid podcasts where he's claiming he will get the better of Virgil Van Dijk and that West Ham will finish higher than Liverpool and on the official site where he is claiming he is a complete striker. “I feel that if I'm not scoring goals, I’m assisting goals, and if I'm not assisting goals, I'm helping create space for other players,” he observed. “It is the all-round package. I might not get 20 goals a season, but I might get ten goals and seven assists. I might not be scoring goals, but I'm bringing other players into into the game, so it is the package that I bring and it’s what people are struggling to find right now. https://www.whufc.com/news/antonio-when-i-step-field-i-know-what-i-bring-and-i-know-what-i-can-do"

[Bexley Ironworks]

"As has been said, peak Antonio was a useful player. I don't think he really knew what he was doing half of the time, played with pure instinct, but that also made him unplayable and double hard to defend. Over recent seasons we've seen less and less of that, culminating in Sundays performance which has to be up there with the worst I've ever seen. Moyes won't replace him, for the simple fact that headless chickens on steroids are hard to come by and his gameplan is wholly reliant on that type of player leading the line. Moyes is the problem and we'll have to suffer this for as long as he remains in the role. The one sliver of light is Steidten and the hope that he is building a squad for a more competent manager to take over at the end of the season."

[Eerie Descent]

"Is this not a conversation us know nothing fans have been having for fucking years? This is 100% down to the manager. A fucking blind man has been able to see the slow decline, and his out of control ego, but half a billion pound transfer kitty Moyes can't play with anyone else up top. Moyes stays, we'll sign another striker soon, he'll fail, and Antonio will be needed to start once again, at the ripe old age of 35. Rinse & repeat."

[GBHammer63]

I think that he doesn’t get into any other premier league team. He’s only our top premier league scorer because of our abysmal record with strikers. If he was half as good as the player in his head we’d have some striker. Unfortunately we’ve been discussing how shit he can be for years.

[Pav BML]

"Looks like he must just be overloading his legs in the gym every day. Looks like he can barely lift them half the time, Sunday was just embarrassing some of his first touches. Probably hit two of his cleanest strikes at the beginning of the season and unfortunately that led us to yet again having him as first choice. I don't necessarily think Kudus/Bowen playing up there is going to change an awful lot but needs to be done ahead of identifying a proper striker to bring in January. Of course Moyes did his usual give Mubama a couple of games in pre season to appease a few fans but has no intention in playing him in any proper games"

[Pav BML]

"Looks like he must just be overloading his legs in the gym every day. Looks like he can barely lift them half the time, Sunday was just embarrassing some of his first touches. Probably hit two of his cleanest strikes at the beginning of the season and unfortunately that led us to yet again having him as first choice. I don't necessarily think Kudus/Bowen playing up there is going to change an awful lot but needs to be done ahead of identifying a proper striker to bring in January. Of course Moyes did his usual give Mubama a couple of games in pre season to appease a few fans but has no intention in playing him in any proper games"

[Kearley]

I don't think he is being lazy. Remember he is nearly 34. I think by the 2nd half he is just worn out. Best used as an impact sub.

[Pagey]

"stewie griffin 9:53 Tue Oct 24 Re: Antonio: can we do any better? don't think he's ever been any different. He plays well when he's humble, when he has something to play for. As soon as things start going well, he gets charlie big potatoes, acts like a cսnt, and plays like one as well. ‚Ķ‚Ķ‚Ķ. Exactly this. When he‚Äôs on it, he can be unplayable. But when his ego gets the better of him, he offers nothing. I do think he‚Äôs been a great signing for us though and peak Antonio will be hard to replace, as has been proven."

[LeroysBoots]

Stewie has it nailed it right there Against Newcastle I watched him stroll out on to the pitch 2nd half whilst the rest of the team jogged or sprinted out. His whole demeanour spouts can't be arsed He just wanders around hardly breaking sweat looking fucking miserable Its shocking his attitude

[lowlife]

Playing with Antonio must be soul destroying for our players that have technique and can pick a pass. I used to play 5 a side and there was one player who was significantly worse than everyone else. Nobody passed to him as they knew he would lose the ball within seconds or try to do something beyond his abilities. One of the reasons we are shit going forwards is because of Antonio - players will think twice about passing to him for the same reason. PS - I’m expecting him to start vs. Everton.

[dealcanvey]

"Didn't we sign Benrahma from Brentford same window that Villa signed Watkins? He would have been perfect for us. Both similar players, Watkins just better. Many forwards out there that will suit our style of play. When we spend money in that area we always seem to go for players that dont work. Hernandez, Haller, Scammaca, Ings. Not sure why as a club we find it so hard to find what works. From the off we all knew Ings was going to be a failure. Club cant seem to get this right."

[stewie griffin]

"the exile 10:42 Mon Oct 23 Re: Antonio: can we do any better? After his excellent finishes against Brighton and Chelsea I had high hopes that he was re-energised for this season i don't think he's ever been any different. He plays well when he's humble, when he has something to play for. As soon as things start going well, he gets charlie big potatoes, acts like a cսnt, and plays like one as well."

[Huffers]

"I reckon one of us can, yeah."