West Ham Online

Match Centre:


Odds:
West Ham: 13/2
Draw: 4/1
Arsenal: 10/21

Pre-Match Press Conference:
https://www.youtube.com/live/tk8ulBEl9yc[br][/br]Tactical Preview: 
https://youtu.be/5vpFbgNCeQ4

Watch-along:
TBA

Streams:

https://vipboxs.net/match/soccer/west-h ... l/12436914

https://sporthd.live/match/slg-onl-West ... Tnv9y4j2ys

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

The first half and hour on Saturday was embarrassing and I thought we might get hit for double figures even.

A fair few around me headed for the hills before we hit back
Did we improve second half or did Arsenal ease off and consolidate with the game won ?

In reality if Man United had taken their chances in that first half against us we could of been on for a similar hiding and would now be welcoming a new manager.

Why are we nearly always so slow out the blocks ? 

It's not just this season but under Moyes also and other than pressing higher-up the pitch there isn't much difference with Antonio still leading the line and Soucek a permanent fixture in the midfield.

Is this the progressive upgrade we were promised or just more phoney baloney from a Sullivan cheap option?









​​​​
​​​​​
 

I felt the same as I walked back to my car Forest, we showed more fight than in last years 6 nil capitulation,  getting 2 goals back and trying to get forward in numbers hardly ever happened under Moyes, and considering the score line the crowd were brilliant giving the team such vocal support. There's no shame in losing to a better team, especially when the officials are so biased against us, the next 5 games will be a better guage of how Lupetegui is doing, fingers crossed Kudos will be back to his best, running at the opposition to create chances. and maybe the kraut will even put in an appearance though he'll be way off match fit for quite a while! COYI's

[url]tel:[/url]

onsideman wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 20:37 MA

can deliver


 

MA

I honestly can't work out whether you're doubling down because you're so determined not to be proven wrong or whether you really believe that this hopeless and incoherent fool can deliver
 

Massive Attack" wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 20:13

F 129 Row66" wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 20:01 Loppy been sacked yet? 

If not why not?

Because as bad as the performance was, very few expected us to get a result against Arsenal, so the loss isn't a shock at all. And as we played so well only a few days ago showing a lot of promising signs with him on the touchline, I think it's fair to say he should be given time to see if Newcastle was just a one-off, or whether it was the start of something good.

Also if Moyes can get away with not being sacked when we got humiliated 0-6 at Home without reply vs Arsenal not so long ago, then so can Lopetegui for an improved performance on that match where we at least scored twice (the best excellent goal of the game) yesterday, conceding 1 less. 

It's now how he deals with the next 5 or so fixtures back in the dugout leading up to the January window opening that could well decide his fate, not off the back of this fixture, albeit a terrible one bar the odd moment of quality.

F 129 Row66" wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 20:01 Loppy been sacked yet? 

If not why not?

Loppy been sacked yet? 

If not why not?

Amazing how many times Antonio loses possession or is bundled off the ball when all we want him to do is hold it up and then make a simple sideways or backwards pass to a team mate, thus we keep the ball and can then progress forwards, in fact I got fed up of watching him playing deeper then such as Paqueta etc. I think this season has basically come down to not having Fulkrig fit, then we would have more attacking intent so the defenders would not be under so much pressure.

That's how I see it most weeks Keep Dreaming.  Kilman fcked up on one goals but the majority of our problems are that central midfield. Lacks pace and power and ability to get up and down the pitch. A striker who cannot control a football adds to the problem of trying to keep possession.  Its a priority for recruitment but the DOF Sullivan will only allow funding for a striker as thats his understanding always. Get another striker is always his solution. Then he gets another failure and wonders why when they get no service as we cannot control the middle.

Funny to see so many pointing fingers at the defence, when the biggest problem was our midfield with Paqueta and Soucek, and forward with Antonio.

Slow, no creativity, not being able to hold the ball and even giving it easily away when outnumbered.

BRANDED wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 13:56

Forest Gate Ugly" wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 12:00 Actually walked away from the game feeling better than I’d expected. Thought fans and players showed some spirit and togetherness at times. Leicester and Wolves will show if we have turned a corner. Enjoyed watching the Daggers win on the tele after. All in all a lot better than the same game last year. Didn’t let the football spoil my day at the football which is a hard rule to follow sometimes but a good one, I think. 

 

This is how I felt. At 3-0 down I said "Right, now's for the fight back". Everyone laughed……

This game would have been much closer if we'd had the likes of:

Dawson
Collins
Ogbonna
Zouma 

...playing when they were at the top of their game.  What we have today is nowhere near their quality.

Forest Gate Ugly" wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 12:00 Actually walked away from the game feeling better than I’d expected. Thought fans and players showed some spirit and togetherness at times. Leicester and Wolves will show if we have turned a corner. Enjoyed watching the Daggers win on the tele after. All in all a lot better than the same game last year. Didn’t let the football spoil my day at the football which is a hard rule to follow sometimes but a good one, I think. 

 

Arsenal seem much more determined to turn us over since we beat them twice in a row last season , our 2-0 at their place especially hurt. 

Would be nice if we return the favour and upped our game against them next time but I'm not holding my breath.

Well done to all who went and had a good time; we can only hope the players draw inspiration from you. Maybe Lotepegui will also be inspired to select the players most likely to score two games in a row? Or is that too much to ask? 

Be interesting to see how Arsenal do against the Mancs and the manager we might have had. Next game for them I think.  United have a slow midfield and team like us ( albeit much stronger squad overall). Will Amorim make tactical changes and see them run Arsenal a lot closer or even beat them?  We might get confirmation of just how bad we were or how good Arsenal were?

Actually walked away from the game feeling better than I’d expected. Thought fans and players showed some spirit and togetherness at times. Leicester and Wolves will show if we have turned a corner. Enjoyed watching the Daggers win on the tele after. All in all a lot better than the same game last year. Didn’t let the football spoil my day at the football which is a hard rule to follow sometimes but a good one, I think. 

Come On You Irons" wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 11:52

GreenStreetPlayer wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 09:59 Right from the off the mindset was wrong. It’s like they were told to conserve energy the bigger game was on Tuesday. Too many just sticking a leg out, it was half hearted, we got punished.
It was only when we went 4 down the urgency came in as they knew to carry on playing like it a double digit score was possible.
Bloody disgusting as players play less now than they used to.
Still come Tuesday, yesterday will be largely forgiven if we win Tuesday and be acceptable by many such is the fickle nature.

Yes. And it was disgraceful. To go into a home London derby with the team set up like that is a sackable offence IMO. It was gutless. There is nothing else to describe it.

Yet 'loser Lop' will cling on to his job for a few more weeks due to fluking a win at Newcastle. Relegation battle ahead, as I called all summer after the club appointed this clown.

GreenStreetPlayer wrote: ↑01 Dec 2024, 09:59 Right from the off the mindset was wrong. It’s like they were told to conserve energy the bigger game was on Tuesday. Too many just sticking a leg out, it was half hearted, we got punished.
It was only when we went 4 down the urgency came in as they knew to carry on playing like it a double digit score was possible.
Bloody disgusting as players play less now than they used to.
Still come Tuesday, yesterday will be largely forgiven if we win Tuesday and be acceptable by many such is the fickle nature.

Tactics obviously have a part to play but consider this, if we swapped Soucek, Antonio and Paqueta for Rice, Havertz and Odeguerd into our team how much would the outcome change?  I know its a nonsensical thing to say but Im trying to point out that sometimes its only 2 or 3 players that make a huge difference.  We need a player with an engine and speed to replace Rice.  Our midfield is crying out for “legs” and we need a less costly creative influence than Paqueta and a proper striker up front.  
Soucek, Antonio are a level below everyone technically and Paqueta has become a huge liability. He would struggle to get into any of the top 6 midfields based on the last 12 months.  We need better players in a number of positions, younger ones too with energy and pace whoever coaches us if we want to truly progress. But I think we missed our chance and no European revenue means relying on smart recruitment but then thats impeded by Sullivan.

 Mind you a coach trying to bring at least one youth thru would help too



 

Right from the off the mindset was wrong. It’s like they were told to conserve energy the bigger game was on Tuesday. Too many just sticking a leg out, it was half hearted, we got punished.
It was only when we went 4 down the urgency came in as they knew to carry on playing like it a double digit score was possible.
Bloody disgusting as players play less now than they used to.
Still come Tuesday, yesterday will be largely forgiven if we win Tuesday and be acceptable by many such is the fickle nature.

Sometimes you have to accept that brilliant play is going to undo you otherwise Messi wouldn't score any goals. A couple of goals yesterday were because of that. The first penalty should never have been given as Paqueta would have headed the ball if he hadn't been blatantly fouled. The second wouldn't have happened if Fab wasn't so clumsy. Overall I can't fault the effort put in by the players throughout which can't be said for all games this season. Being pragmatic, we have to accept that the very top teams are still a class above and it requires them to have a bad day at the office for us to beat them. I don't accept how we don't seem to be getting closer to them given that we are arguably a bigger club than we were in terms of crowd size and income.

The defending was shit, but for me the worst was the failure to play out, to have some control over the ball. 

Comprehensively brushed aside by Arsenal at home, again, such that all the optimistic thoughts carried into this game following the performance at Newcastle faded and died.

Yet again the most disappointing thing for me was our defending. We simply failed as a team to negate the Arsenal aggression. Anything that went on after we were 4-0 down counts for nothing in the grand scheme of things because we were done for and Arsenal were on cruise control.