West Ham vs Tottenham - 12:30 Saturday 23.9.17 (match thread)

OutcastLondoner

Arnie also constantly ran into deadends and then threw his hands into the air when it went wrong, while play continued a yard away from him. He was unlucky with the Aurier tackle but that was it.

Brother_Sledge

I agree would be nice to have kept Fehouli.
I wonder how Byram would get on playing forward with Zab behind him ;hmm

Lukerz

The decision to go into the season with one winger, whose main strength is to run and be direct, as opposed to whip in quality delivery, was ridiculous. Continues to beg the questions, along with the medical ones, who is making these calls? Did they decide that width is not necessary this season? Ok, the 3-4-2-1 system may be the way forward, we've certainly improved since, but we need to be able to alter the system for certain games. But we decided on Antonio. He's crocked already. None of the other wide options compliment Carroll, as they are more individualist in their approach than team supply. All of them lie in the grey, murky zone between wide man and striker.

I think we now need to seriously consider removing Zab and Cress from the team in favour of Byram and Masuaku, who are going to effectively run as wingers. Zab is just not going to offer anything in the WB role. Considering he didn't offer much in the RB role either, that's looking like another shaky bit of business. Arnie hasn't offered anything yet. Chicharito has been the only relative success, 3 goals in 6 games and could've had a couple more, but even those goals have come in defeats.

The whole team just looks like it's been assembled with no plan. And that reflects in how it plays.

Clactonite

I think Zab has been one of our best players this season, which I know isn't really saying much but he's showed plenty of commitment to the cause.

Lukerz

I think he's shown commitment and professionalism, but as a wing back he doesn't offer anything offensively IMO. And when we played a back four, we let in 10 goals with him at RB (of course not just because of him).

alderz

ASLEF has that bang on imo.

Hernandez didn't play as a winger at all (because he isn't one) which meant that Arnie was basically left to be the creative drive alone. If you have two wide men stretching the play, the space that opens up for those players means they can be so much more effective. Just having Antonio / Ayew wide on the other side means opportunities will open up for Arnie.

OutcastLondoner

When Antonio is injured that still works with Hernandez up front, which is why Ayew should've come on, but not sure two wingers cutting inside works well for Carroll. Hernandez filling that space (or whatever he's doing) is even worse. I actually felt he did stay quite wide after Carroll came on, without being a winger. He just gets lost. The problem isn't just that he's a bit wider but that he's coming deeper when Carroll is on, when all of his goals have been poached. It doesn't suit him, nor does it help Carroll or Arnie.

Yeoldhammer

Clactonite said:

I think Zab has been one of our best players this season, which I know isn't really saying much but he's showed plenty of commitment to the cause.

Better defender than Byram but just as much as a Card Magnet as Byram.

Yeoldhammer

Arnie and Antonio are creative runners they aren't wingers (I think I kind of said this before when we got rid of Feghouli and Snodgrass)

Both Arnie and Antonio are more likely to run at the opponent and then make a short pass or a dash into the box than a cross that say Snodgrass and Feghouli would attempt.

This should actually imo benefit Hernandez as those are the players he wants to link up with in the final third, but STUPIDLY as always we play the complete opposite to whatever striker we have on the pitch and it has been like this Day Dot since even Allardyce was in charge. We are crossing balls to a 5 ft Hernandez !?!?!?!??! then when Carroll is on the pitch we don't even cross the ball for him to attack.

ASLEFshrugged

At Barking station there's a PA announcement saying "if you see anything that doesn't look right report it to a member of staff or the police".

Next time I'll find a member of staff and say "Hernandez playing out of position"

chicagohammer

When ever west ham make a substitution, I bet their phone is ringing off the hook

MrsGrey

I think in this modern age, the internet collapses under the weight of twitter, chicago.

Moore_than_a_nick

ASLEFshrugged said:

At Barking station there's a PA announcement saying "if you see anything that doesn't look right report it to a member of staff or the police".

Next time I'll find a member of staff and say "Hernandez playing out of position"

Unfortunately Hernandez is almost always looking right - because Slav plays him on the left!

SuzanneClaret

Report something odd at Barking ;lol

They might need to define 'odd'!

NEoldiron

Just watched the game for the first time as I was visiting my youngest daughter from where I can look along Old Ford Rd. and see the stadium!
Their 3rd. goal came from the free kick that the cheating piece of slime, Alli, was awarded for diving after a brush with Fonte. I watched it over and over and there is no contact to justify his swan dive. ;angry

MrsGrey

I see the FA have charged both clubs after the ;handbag at the end of the game.

steve

charged both clubs what did we do ;whistle

claretandbluesky

It's a shame we can't charge the FA with supplying officials unfit for purpose as their poor decisions clearly changed the result of the game.

MarkNobleLocalHero

Worse refereeing I have seen in some while so I hope the officials are being called to account as well.