West Ham Online

When the subject of prospective new managers comes up a lot of people tend to focus on win %, trophies won, clubs managed, etc. while ignoring the type of football the manager usually employs. For me this should have far more importance and ideally the club should have a philosophy in mind and continue with it through successive managers rather than change back and forth all the time (as we've been doing for years).

So, if you were to choose a style for the club to work towards and stick with, what would it be?

a) Low block, counter attack
b) Mid-high press, possession
c) High press, direct
d) Other
 

Would be more understandable if we were half way through the season but there's only been 5 games for fuck's sake. Way too early to write off the season as being a dead cert relegation battle unless we bring in a Mourinho type. 

Yeah, people fall in to this trap that Clubs must go for a Defensive Coach because they are at the Bottom. Moyes took Sunderland down pitifully by doing that rock bottom of the League without putting up any fight or quality defensively regardless of his ultra defensive manual working overtime to try and save them. It's a myth it has to be only that way. Compare Allardyces approach to scoring the previous season to save them compared to Moyes fuck up.

It does work on occasions, but bollocks to that, if we are going to go down, let's at least go down fighting and with the aim of scoring our way out of trouble. And who knows, get up a bit of momentum it could sometimes lead to a bit of a renaissance within the Team that inspires them to keep going. Think the Great Escape seasons end. Curbishley was brave enough to chuck the kitchen sink at it inspiring the likes of Zamora and Tevez to fire us out of trouble. It was fucking great fun to watch too as we managed to achieve the almost impossible. 

That Spurs loss at Home 3-4 for being brave was the catalyst and inspiration for to us going on an incredibe run even though we lost.

Of course we still have to decide on the style of play. Choosing the manager dictates that. People here seem to think that a defensive minded coach is the only choice but I don't agree. Don't forget we were conceding shitloads under Moyes the season before last playing that way.

Gary Strodders shank" wrote: ↑21 Sep 2025, 15:15 Where we sit in the table at the moment and with no chance of bringing anyone in until January I would settle for any manager that could get us organised at the back and leaking goals.

The style of play is immaterial until we are safe and have added the necessary additions to improve us and move forward.

I don't want to be playing the West ham way in the championship with the bowl half empty.

To my mind it's a small price to pay.if we have to play an unattractive style of football for a while and let's face it we pretty much have been for a good while now.

I just want to win games of football.


 

I want us to play like PSG ok?  That's what I want.

Next manager: Pragmatic safety first approach. Given our slow ageing squad id like to see us first look solid in defence. Winning balls in the air would be classed as entertaining right now. Once we get the basics right we might look towards having a midfield that carries a threat. Maybe getting Fernandez is a nod in the right direction but we need more. We have to hope JWP is sidelined ASAP. Part of the reason potter has to go is because of his homo-erotic obsession with him when he literally offers you nothing. 
 

Jean-Luc Paul Goddard" wrote: ↑21 Sep 2025, 15:03 Our defence is awful, but it's been awful under 3 different managers. Will another new one definitely turn that around? Seeing as we can't get new personnel until January (and probably won't have the funds to improve it much) then maybe we need to focus now on scoring more than the opposition rather than getting in a defensive minded coach who'll try putting everyone behind the ball.

Where we sit in the table at the moment and with no chance of bringing anyone in until January I would settle for any manager that could get us organised at the back and leaking goals.

The style of play is immaterial until we are safe and have added the necessary additions to improve us and move forward.

I don't want to be playing the West ham way in the championship with the bowl half empty.

To my mind it's a small price to pay.if we have to play an unattractive style of football for a while and let's face it we pretty much have been for a good while now.

I just want to win games of football.

 

Our defence is awful, but it's been awful under 3 different managers. Will another new one definitely turn that around? Seeing as we can't get new personnel until January (and probably won't have the funds to improve it much) then maybe we need to focus now on scoring more than the opposition rather than getting in a defensive minded coach who'll try putting everyone behind the ball.

, wrote: ↑21 Sep 2025, 14:39 A style that enables us to keep regular clean sheets. We are conceding this season 2.6 goals per game which is clear relegation form.

A style that enables us to keep regular clean sheets. We are conceding this season 2.6 goals per game which is clear relegation form.

Jean-Luc Paul Goddard" wrote: ↑21 Sep 2025, 14:29

Massive Attack" wrote: ↑21 Sep 2025, 14:12 I actually want to move away from any such modern day terms as nothing like that was ever a thing growing up watching Football. 

I prefer to strip it all right back and simply ask for entertaining, attacking Football that gets you off your seat, that can also lead to challenging for Cups. If you want a blunt term for it, I'd call it The West Ham Way. 

As far as I'm concerned the West Ham Way is pretty much c). Actively trying to get the ball off the opposition in their own half and then attacking in numbers and trying to score.

 

Anything that doesnt involve losing might be a start.
We're bang in the shit and still have an unbalanced squad. I dont think we have the luxury of choosing a style but it really shouldnt be like that, a disaster since Prague.

Massive Attack" wrote: ↑21 Sep 2025, 14:12 I actually want to move away from any such modern day terms as nothing like that was ever a thing growing up watching Football. 

I prefer to strip it all right back and simply ask for entertaining, attacking Football that gets you off your seat, that can also lead to challenging for Cups. If you want a blunt term for it, I'd call it The West Ham Way. 

goose wrote: ↑21 Sep 2025, 14:23 Sideways & backwards passing, no goal threat and unable to defend crosses.

in summary, why change??

Sideways & backwards passing, no goal threat and unable to defend crosses.

in summary, why change??

Once again those fucking cunts Sullivan and Brady have mismanaged the club so much that expectations are so low it doesn’t matter as long as we stay up in the short term. Anyone who plays the way we want will be unavailable, not have half the players they need to do it and isn’t the sort of manager we need to immediately fix the problem. 

so I guess the answer is twofold because of their continued incompetence. 

Firstly low block counter attack for 12-18 months. It has to be that now if we want to stay up. WITH sustained investment which actually supports what the club is striving for long term with the manager understanding that and working toward it and Sullivan not sticking his fucking sticky fingers in and doing deals with his agents at cross purposes to the above AND just backing what the manager says they need without these constant silly half measures and torpedoing deals. 

Secondly when we are stable working toward D- a mixture of all three styles which can be flexibly used situationally. Emphasis on b and c against teams who aren’t clearly overmatched against us. A where it’s needed. If the same manager can provide all that then great. If not then it’s one sort term manager leading to the appointment of the man who can deliver the second part. 

Of course it’s all futile writing this as the pair of parasites running the club will never deliver anything more than the bare minimum and Sullivan will insist on pursuing his own transfer goals over what the manager wants and setting them up to fail. 

All I really want is them two to pack their bags and fuck off or at the very least stay miles out of the football side and leave it to qualified experts 

I actually want to move away from any such modern day terms as nothing like that was ever a thing growing up watching Football. 

I prefer to strip it all right back and simply ask for entertaining, attacking Football that gets you off your seat, that can also lead to challenging for Cups. If you want a blunt term for it, I'd call it The West Ham Way. 

Ten strikers and the fat kid in goal.

e) one that doesn’t include Ward-Prowse