West Ham vs Fulham | PL | 14.1.25 | Predictions, Lineups and Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

Match Centre:

Odds:
West Ham: 23/12
Draw: 13/5
Fulham: 29/20

Pre-Match Press Conference:
Official Press Conference

Tactical Preview: 
Babbling Irons

Watch-along:
Hammers Chat Watchalong

Streams:

SportHD 

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

[BRANDED]

If we've not done these things we can't exactly be back but interesting chat by absolute technical nerds. Credit for them. Impressive talking from young men.

[Takashi Miike]

[factory seconds]

i think it means that if soler rolled a D20 with his wand of half-volleying+2, he'd have to get an 18, against which the keeper would make a saving throw by getting a 5 or above with two D4s, with a -1 penalty due to his aura of spastic german goalkeeping.

simple stuff, don't know why they all overcomplicate it.

oh and you've all just regained your virginity by reading this post.

 

[Snodders' Beard]

Bit chaotic and scrappy but we got 3 points, and that with a somewhat cobbled together team led by a bloke whose been in post for a week compared to the slick and well drilled outfit that have had 2 years under Silva. Pleased to see that Potter can be pragmatic but still try to implement his ideas (the high pressing that caused the 2 loose passes which we scored from). Under Moyes we might've painfully limped to a draw, under Lop The Flop we would've been smashed by at least 4.

Still conceding soft goals though, concerning that the amount of money we've spent on centre backs these last few years and still look weak there. Mavro and Kilman really aren't domineering enough as a pair.

[onsideman]

Agreed but Mav is the latest whipping boy.

We need a new goalkeeper in the summer, I like the lad at Sheffield United.

Yes, we need a new goalkeeper. We have done for a while.
That said, for the first goal Mavropanos just leaves the cross, ignoring the fact that Jiminez is behind him. Fabianski is indecisive, for sure, but it should never even have reached him.
Second goal he's far more cuplpable and should have come... although, if Rodriguez tracks Wilson again it possibly doesn't happen

Kilman at fault for both as he somehow cannot play offside and ALWAYS drops behind the last defender. Done it all season and guilty of playing people onside. If he is inline with the rest of the defense then those players are offside and interfering with play regardless of not getting a touch. 
He is a terrible purchase. Worse than Aguerd he replaced. At best a bench filler. Doesnt even win much in the air. If we want to do better we need to find a replacement. 

a lot of truth in that to be fair

[Full Claret Jacket]

I had fabianski at more fault than mav for those goals.  By a fuxking distance 

Agreed but Mav is the latest whipping boy.

We need a new goalkeeper in the summer, I like the lad at Sheffield United.

Yes, we need a new goalkeeper. We have done for a while.
That said, for the first goal Mavropanos just leaves the cross, ignoring the fact that Jiminez is behind him. Fabianski is indecisive, for sure, but it should never even have reached him.
Second goal he's far more cuplpable and should have come... although, if Rodriguez tracks Wilson again it possibly doesn't happen

Kilman at fault for both as he somehow cannot play offside and ALWAYS drops behind the last defender. Done it all season and guilty of playing people onside. If he is inline with the rest of the defense then those players are offside and interfering with play regardless of not getting a touch. 
He is a terrible purchase. Worse than Aguerd he replaced. At best a bench filler. Doesnt even win much in the air. If we want to do better we need to find a replacement. 

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

It was a nice strike to be sure, but there is a world of difference trying to shoot under pressure in front of an organized defence versus wide open with no one in front of you or closing you down, particularly for a professional. Not sure you'll see that goal described as anytime but a horrible mistake by fulham anywhere except on here.

 

I think that in modern football everyone is pretty good so you get your chances by making the other team make “mistakes”. An organised press that we did for that goal is us taking the initiative and forcing the error. There player had no options left and tried to get the ball away and fluffed it. Which is what gave us the open goal.

The thing is this exactly what the big teams do to us. Liverpool did it and kudus gave away the ball and they scored. It’s a tactic. We could just go back to our own halves and get in position etc. but pressing is a skill that leads to good outcomes if you do it correctly.  We did it twice in 1 game! Never seen us do that before. 

My argument isn't that we shouldn't press nor that the goal didn't come from a press. I would be fine with scoring a boatload more this way. It was a gift though and a routine finish. That doesn't mean it wasn't well executed. If it were Antonio that ball would have been in row z. Disciplined teams don't normally give up goals like that.

To be fair, you also thought Fabianski had a good game, so you obviously don't know what you are talking about.

[twoleftfeet]

Despite being played off the park, it was a great result!

Really can't believe how empty the place was last night!

[Ladysmith]

Despite being played off the park, it was a great result!

Really can't believe how empty the place was last night!

[Cabbige Savage]

Fabianski is Polski legend - West Ham no1 for next decade

Good times

[Lee Trundle]

Just read this relating to Soler's performance yesterday

"As per FotMob, Soler recorded a 90 per cent pass accuracy while getting on the scoresheet. His goal had an xG of just 0.07, but that chance was concerted to 0.72 xGOT, just showcasing how well he did to find the net given the difficulty of the opening."


Not so sure I understand what all that  means. But from where I saw the goal, I just thought he's done well there!

Don't put much stead in all these starts that abound today, Unlesss of course they prove me correct

 

I've only just got my head around how they work xG out, so god knows how I'm meant to learn the Game of Thrones version of it!

[onsideman]

I had fabianski at more fault than mav for those goals.  By a fuxking distance 

Agreed but Mav is the latest whipping boy.

We need a new goalkeeper in the summer, I like the lad at Sheffield United.

Yes, we need a new goalkeeper. We have done for a while.
That said, for the first goal Mavropanos just leaves the cross, ignoring the fact that Jiminez is behind him. Fabianski is indecisive, for sure, but it should never even have reached him.
Second goal he's far more cuplpable and should have come... although, if Rodriguez tracks Wilson again it possibly doesn't happen

[easthammer]

Just read this relating to Soler's performance yesterday

"As per FotMob, Soler recorded a 90 per cent pass accuracy while getting on the scoresheet. His goal had an xG of just 0.07, but that chance was concerted to 0.72 xGOT, just showcasing how well he did to find the net given the difficulty of the opening."


Not so sure I understand what all that  means. But from where I saw the goal, I just thought he's done well there!

Don't put much stead in all these starts that abound today, Unlesss of course they prove me correct
 

[cholo]

Soler's goal was the equivalent of a Rafa Nadal forehand.

He looked good last night. As did most of the others that haven't performed to expectations this season. 

No coincidence is it.

[Mad Dog]

I thought solar dod very well yesterday.  Thats the players I expected in back in September.

And yes it was a good goal.  If you look the keeper was rushing back and he put it behind the keeper as his momentum couldn't be halted

[Russ of the BML]

All I would say on the Soler goal is that anybody that doesn't rate that finish and reckons it was 'standard', has either never played football sp can't appreciate the technique required, or has a fucking very high expectation. 

He fizzed that in with power and so much accuracy, knowing the keeper was moving across goal he put it where Leno had come from. Very decent. 

[Alwaysaniron]

A poor performance, but an excellent win.

 

I was also at the game last night but think that, given the circumstances, it was an excellent performance. First 15 minutes were shaky but after that I thought in the main we looked composed on the ball and well organised/drilled. Rode our luck at times, but thought it was very good and another sign of progress. It’s nice looking forward to games again.

Not looking for an argument here btw - just a different view.

lowlife.. you can't come on this website/forum and claim 'not to be looking for a row'.  It's part of the WHO DNA.  Now re your post.  Total bollocks.

[honky cat]

Soler in. Well taken goal. Very good technically. And someone on twitter called him  "hamburglar" so I think we should sign him permanently. Still smiling about the match. Chaotic win, lots to work on, but feeling positive. 

[scott_d]

I think Solar's goal was far from a routine finish.

Could easily have been blocked or gone miles over, just like Traore's chance in the final minutes.

 

[El Scorchio]

As others have said we looked shaky at the start but the well-taken goal from Soler settled us and we were energised throughout the team. 

I’m shaking my head and laughing at the people (not so much on here) that describe the Soler goal as one or more of; lucky, an open goal, not that great a finish, my nan could have scored that, a tap in.

Technically that was a really difficult finish, hitting it first time with that accuracy and just the right amount power, and it was on the bounce. It’s also not lucky at all when the team press as a unit and force the mistake. You make your own luck - as said many times already, Potter seems to have a style and plan.

It was a very tidy finish indeed. Very well taken.

[kylay]

I’m shaking my head and laughing at the people (not so much on here) that describe the Soler goal as one or more of; lucky, an open goal, not that great a finish, my nan could have scored that, a tap in.

Technically that was a really difficult finish, hitting it first time with that accuracy and just the right amount power, and it was on the bounce. It’s also not lucky at all when the team press as a unit and force the mistake. You make your own luck - as said many times already, Potter seems to have a style and plan.

It was a nice strike to be sure, but there is a world of difference trying to shoot under pressure in front of an organized defence versus wide open with no one in front of you or closing you down, particularly for a professional. Not sure you'll see that goal described as anytime but a horrible mistake by fulham anywhere except on here.

 

I think that in modern football everyone is pretty good so you get your chances by making the other team make “mistakes”. An organised press that we did for that goal is us taking the initiative and forcing the error. There player had no options left and tried to get the ball away and fluffed it. Which is what gave us the open goal.

The thing is this exactly what the big teams do to us. Liverpool did it and kudus gave away the ball and they scored. It’s a tactic. We could just go back to our own halves and get in position etc. but pressing is a skill that leads to good outcomes if you do it correctly.  We did it twice in 1 game! Never seen us do that before. 

My argument isn't that we shouldn't press nor that the goal didn't come from a press. I would be fine with scoring a boatload more this way. It was a gift though and a routine finish. That doesn't mean it wasn't well executed. If it were Antonio that ball would have been in row z. Disciplined teams don't normally give up goals like that.

[cholo]

We did it to Huddersfield, at least once, maybe twice at their place years ago. That's the last time I can remember from the top of my head.

[threesixty]

As others have said we looked shaky at the start but the well-taken goal from Soler settled us and we were energised throughout the team. 

I’m shaking my head and laughing at the people (not so much on here) that describe the Soler goal as one or more of; lucky, an open goal, not that great a finish, my nan could have scored that, a tap in.

Technically that was a really difficult finish, hitting it first time with that accuracy and just the right amount power, and it was on the bounce. It’s also not lucky at all when the team press as a unit and force the mistake. You make your own luck - as said many times already, Potter seems to have a style and plan.

It was a nice strike to be sure, but there is a world of difference trying to shoot under pressure in front of an organized defence versus wide open with no one in front of you or closing you down, particularly for a professional. Not sure you'll see that goal described as anytime but a horrible mistake by fulham anywhere except on here.

 

 

I think that in modern football everyone is pretty good so you get your chances by making the other team make “mistakes”. An organised press that we did for that goal is us taking the initiative and forcing the error. There player had no options left and tried to get the ball away and fluffed it. Which is what gave us the open goal.

The thing is this exactly what the big teams do to us. Liverpool did it and kudus gave away the ball and they scored. It’s a tactic. We could just go back to our own halves and get in position etc. but pressing is a skill that leads to good outcomes if you do it correctly.  We did it twice in 1 game! Never seen us do that before. 

[kylay]

As others have said we looked shaky at the start but the well-taken goal from Soler settled us and we were energised throughout the team. 

I’m shaking my head and laughing at the people (not so much on here) that describe the Soler goal as one or more of; lucky, an open goal, not that great a finish, my nan could have scored that, a tap in.

Technically that was a really difficult finish, hitting it first time with that accuracy and just the right amount power, and it was on the bounce. It’s also not lucky at all when the team press as a unit and force the mistake. You make your own luck - as said many times already, Potter seems to have a style and plan.

It was a nice strike to be sure, but there is a world of difference trying to shoot under pressure in front of an organized defence versus wide open with no one in front of you or closing you down, particularly for a professional. Not sure you'll see that goal described as anytime but a horrible mistake by fulham anywhere except on here.

[Come On You Irons]

A poor performance, but an excellent win.

 

I was also at the game last night but think that, given the circumstances, it was an excellent performance. First 15 minutes were shaky but after that I thought in the main we looked composed on the ball and well organised/drilled. Rode our luck at times, but thought it was very good and another sign of progress. It’s nice looking forward to games again.

Not looking for an argument here btw - just a different view.

Yeah, I get that. There were certainly promising signs of improvement and I liked the way we pressed higher up the pitch and looked more organised.

However, Fulham also hit the bar twice and missed a glorious chance to equalise at the end so the win was rather fortuitous to say the least.

In fact, of our 7 wins in the league this season only 1 was fully deserved IMO. So it's been a lucky season in general so far.