West Ham Online

So what do we think is going to happen this weekend?

I'm expecting a 3-1 loss, with Odegaard back for Arsenal and them largely at full strength.

Team to start as Newcastle.  Anyone more optimistic on the result?

He's out, Mavronapos will take his place.

What is the latest word on Tobido?

Not having Todibo may be a factor? Mavrapanos just cannot seem to have a game without an error. He's pretty good for most of the game tbf but always you fear a rash challenge for a pen, a handball or getting the wrong side of his man so he has to do something silly to recover the situation.  Its possibly a concentration thing and of course decision making?  You see it with so many players over the years at different teams. They look very good, have the physical attributes, reasonably quick, decent passing most of the time but then like Stavros they make the wrong pass, give away a foul by being out of position or ball watching.  

I suspect he will start and we desperately need him to have one of his better performances.  We may still lose but dont need Stavros making it too easy for them.

The other obvious factor, is can we keep up the running and work rate from the last game? That is now the measure we have to meet every game.  Bournemouth's relative success has been in large part due to their pressing and they consistently make the top 2 or 3 teams for running and work rate each week.  Its the only way to bridge the gap to the best teams. Out work them.   

And of course we will need things like VAR, ref decisions to go our way, Fab to have a blinder and them to miss a few because they will create chances that's pretty much inevitable.   Maybe we can then be in with a shout.   Having said that, If they score first I think we are done and just hope its not another game where we make it easy for them, and find ourselves 2 or more down by half time.  I think we can all accept defeat against the very best teams but you want them to know they've been in a game.   

The Newcastle result has lifted many of us and changed our expectations from a mullering at home to feeling we might have a chance. But with our ageing squad and lack of depth we need some luck.  An injury to Paqueta, Soler or any others of the 11 starting last Monday will probably be telling. We don't have a squad that can compete at the very top of this division IMO but possibly an 11 that can give the better teams a proper game.  Was last Monday a one off or did the "penny drop" with the team on what Loppy wants, as Bowen suggested after the game?  Personally I still think we need more "legs" for that midfield but for now the simple adjustment of Soler in the middle and Paqueta operating deeper and Soucek dropping into the back line when needed was really the key to us looking like we can actually defend, and encouraged the players to run their nuts off.  Soucek said after the game, they started to see that Newcastle were struggling to create much after the opening 10 or so mins.  

Lets just hope our new found hope is not distinguished by a demoralising defeat on our own patch.  As always, its the hope that kills you

I'm setting my expectation level low again, and hope that I'm pleasantly surprised and very wide of the mark like Monday 

Fingers crossed for a good performance. 2-1 to us.
 

4-0 defeat and Lopetegui sacked the next day.

( Exactly what I wrote before the Newcastle game so fingers crossed it works again )

For this game last season I had a massive sense of dread in the days leading up to it. After the performance against Newcastle I don’t have that same feeling. Just hope we put in a good shift and don’t get embarrassed like last season.

Just hoping for a good performance to build on the Newc game. Not expecting to win. 

Manuel wrote: ↑28 Nov 2024, 23:24

Keep dreaming" wrote: ↑28 Nov 2024, 19:45 I gonna be just as sceptical as I were before the Newcastle game, just because it worked out.



 

Yea, that's a great idea KD fella. Now that you are skeptical again that means we may well win. Well done you.

Same team , he better not put Alvarez back in 

Historically seems like our biggest bogey team at home.

Sure there was a period where I'd seen us play them 20 times at home and we'd only won 2 of them.

Played great Monday, but this mob are different level to the geordies. Gonna need to play at our best, but do think they'll win comfortably as overall weve been shit this season.

Keep dreaming" wrote: ↑28 Nov 2024, 19:45 I gonna be just as sceptical as I were before the Newcastle game, just because it worked out.


 

I gonna be just as sceptical as I were before the Newcastle game, just because it worked out.

Just keep the same lineup and the same intensity and this might be fun 

cup of tea" wrote: ↑28 Nov 2024, 12:05 I'll be sitting around a swimming pool supping Cruzcampo in Tenerife so I don't really care as won't be watching.

0-4

Hmm, both Teams playing well in their last match scoring for fun, no Lopetegui, London Derby. A mad 3-3 score draw at 66/1 is looking appealing for a little flutter.

Loved the last time it was 3-3 against these entitled wankers at The Boleyn.

Just hope we don't fold like a pack of cards like we did the last time we played them at home this year under the Gutless One, getting smashed for 6 without reply and that was defending for our lives!

Whatever happens, we try and approach the game the same way as we did up at Newcastle and be brave. We have the players to hurt them.

The performance at Newcastle was a dramatic improvement, but who knows if we can keep it up or even improve on that? If we do, we must be in with a chance. As others have said, against such a quality side, the thing I most want to see is further evidence that we have turned the corner as we head into a run of easier games after Arsenal. Same lineup please.

tight game, 2-1 either way, luck or VAR playing a part. Better teams will lose handily to Arsenal, so wont be disappointed if we play well and still lose, I want to see signs we have continued to turn the corner and ill be happy enough. 

After Monday and Tuesday this could be a great game.  

Expected to lose on Monday night. All that's changed for Saturday is I am looking forward to this one a bit more rather than dreading it. Be mad to predict a West Ham win, but I am optimistic they will put up more of a fight. I suspect he will go with the same lineup.

We were much improved at Newcastle, and Arsenal will be another team looking to come at us but they are better than the Barcodes. This means we need the "margins" to go our way again as they did up at St James Park.  The save by Fab from Gordon and Izak miss went our way and from then on in we looked comfortable.  But had they gone ahead it may have been a different story as we would of had to chase the game and become more vulnerable to counter attacks.  

So not conceding early and ideally getting ahead somehow might give us a chance of getting something over 90 mins but like I say everything has to go our way like VAR calls, ref decisions ( no reds etc) and them missing chances ( because they will get them ).  

All in all a defeat is most likely imo but if we play the way we did on Monday we can at least compete and not be so in fear of another embarassing 6 goal defeat like last season.

Normal service resumed 3-0 to somalia fc

Anyone want to bring back the gormless yellow card freak?

cup of tea" wrote: ↑28 Nov 2024, 12:05 I'll be sitting around a swimming pool supping Cruzcampo in Tenerife so I don't really care as won't be watching.

0-4

I’ll be delighted with a high-tempo clean sheet. Anything more would be outrageous to expect.

2-0