Watford vs West Ham United - 19.11.17 - Match Thread

Vorselaarhammer

I don't think Lanzini is a luxury, I mean he tracks back and gets involved. But Arnie is a Bentley...

I don't think our first 11 will change much but they will be more drilled with a clearer and consistent game plan.

If I can use the S word, that is a team greater than the some of it's parts and that's due to a coach that is very clear in the team concept and Kane of course...

sweepy23

I hope so Vorse ;ok

OldCastleSwift

We need to target three points in this game. For me, playing for the point is not enough. The same goes for the Leicester and Everton games.

After that it's City, Chelsea and Arsenal, where I'd happily take a point from each of those.

DM probably knows he needs to go all out for the win, so I expect we'll see:

Hart
Zaba Rice Reid Cresswell
Obiang Noble
Antonio Lanzini Arnautovic
Carroll

Adrian, Masuaku, Ogbonna, Kouyate, Ayew, Hernandez, Sakho

4-2-3-1 seems to be his preferred formation, so it'll be interesting to see whether he can make it work.

SuzanneClaret

I'd be happy with a clean sheet.

Baby steps.

Cuz1

I’d be happy with a new managee

Cuz1

Manager

SuzanneClaret

You have a new manager.

You cant have two in one week.

OldCastleSwift

SuzanneClaret said:

I'd be happy with a clean sheet.

Baby steps.

Can we afford baby steps with City, Chelsea and Arsenal on the horizon?

MrsGrey

I'd take clean sheets against them.

Those baby steps = giant leap for West Ham...

OldCastleSwift

So would people be happy if we played for the point and drew the next three games 0-0, given what comes next? I don't think I would be.

Whilst I agree that three clean sheets in the next three games would be nice, I don't think I'd be happy taking three points from a possible nine, particularly given that we're likely to get none from the next three games. I have no issue with us playing for the point against City, Chelsea and Arsenal, but against Watford, Leicester and Everton I think our priority should be trying to win the games rather than keeping a clean sheet and respecting the point.

MrsGrey

Sorry, OCS, I mean 'them' as in City, Chelsea, Arsenal, that you said in your post.

brookingsirons

i'd be happy to only let in less than 5 against all of these but for that to happen he will need more time imo. ;weep

SuzanneClaret

I'd be happy with a 0-0 against Watford and ok with a 0-0 against Leicester.

I never truly believe we would get anything against City, Chelsea or Arsenal but for me it would be a massive improvement not to ship in 4 goals...

OldCastleSwift

MrsGrey said:

Sorry, OCS, I mean 'them' as in City, Chelsea, Arsenal, that you said in your post.

Mrs G ;ok Absolutely, clean sheets against those three would be as incredible as it is unlikely. I'd take three 0-0s all day long.

But I don't think that 0-0 is enough against Watford, so the 'baby step' of a clean sheet (which Suze would be happy with (not digging you out Suze ;ok)) would not feel like a success to me (unless, of course, we score).

SuzanneClaret

I do see what you mean OCS...

Cuz1

I’d hope we would beat Watford and hopefully pick up a lucky win or couple of draws against the bigger clubs

baracks_a_hammer

9 points with almost a third of a season gone and games vs arsenal, Man City etc coming up means 3 points v Watford is pretty much a pre-requisite

NEoldiron

Baby and clean sheets - surely a contradiction in terms ;biggrin

EXETERHAMMER

I would expect Carol to play and see attacking fullbacks pinging crosses (Fellaini style)

Hammerwombat

Away win. Smash them.
Or
Nick it with a 90th minute winner.
Either way, I want some confidence restored.

Expat_Hammer

Have we signed Fellaini yet ;puzzled

Lukerz

See Moyes has promoted Martinez to first team training.

MrsGrey

Maybe, maybe not. They need people to make up the numbers while 1st teamers are away on international duty.

(the 'maybe' refers to whether it is a 'promotion', I mean. Martinez has trained with the 1st team on occasion before, I gather.)

IronHerb

Expat_Hammer said:

Have we signed Fellaini yet ;puzzled

Mourinho wouldn't sell him.

Lukerz

OldCastleSwift said:

So would people be happy if we played for the point and drew the next three games 0-0, given what comes next? I don't think I would be.

Whilst I agree that three clean sheets in the next three games would be nice, I don't think I'd be happy taking three points from a possible nine, particularly given that we're likely to get none from the next three games. I have no issue with us playing for the point against City, Chelsea and Arsenal, but against Watford, Leicester and Everton I think our priority should be trying to win the games rather than keeping a clean sheet and respecting the point.

I would say given the players we have and the points tally we’ve mustered, plus those tougher games (on paper) after the next three, then we should be aiming for 3 points at Watford, especially as they have hit the buffers a bit in their last three games (three defeats). Stoke managed to go there and win 0-1 and I can’t see why we couldn’t do a similar job on them. Moyes will have two weeks to get his basic ideas across and prepare the side and I would expect that hard work to be in evidence on the Sunday.

Normally you are happy to avoid defeat after a managerial change, then the manager says something like “we can build on this point going forward”, but as you say we should have the ambition to beat Watford, and get 3 points given our position. I don’t think you can ever really ‘settle for a point’ when you’re in the bottom three.

Hammerdublin

Moyes promotes the young striker Toni Martinez (http://www.talkingbaws.com/2017/11/david-moyes-cleverly-gets-west-ham-fans-onside-calling-reserve-player/) and the young keeper Joseph Anan (http://ghanasoccernet.com/new-west-ham-united-boss-david-moyes-to-hand-ghanaian-goalkeeper-joseph-anan-a-first-team-role) to the first team. I think Martinez deserves his chance in the next game or two. I guess Josh Cullen can be recalled from his loan, if needed. And Reece Burke. I think we need to play the youngsters more often.

OldCastleSwift

Not sure how much of a promotion it is. I mean, Martinez has trained with the first team before. I hope that Moyes isn't just using him as a pawn to get the fans on side (although if he has, it appears to have worked), and I guess we'll find out once the squad is announced for Watford.

As for Anang, have we actually signed him? I saw his name in the summer but I don't remember seeing anything official. If the report is correct and he has work permit issues then I guess we can't actually register him until they're sorted ;hmm

Lukerz

All I would say is after the change I am looking forward to this game with renewed optimism which I wouldn't have if Slav were still here.

SuzanneClaret

When I said I'd be happy with a 0-0 that didn't mean I didn't want us to go for the win.

BUT - lets not send EVERYBODY up in an effort to get it.

OldCastleSwift

Lukerz said:

All I would say is after the change I am looking forward to this game with renewed optimism which I wouldn't have if Slav we’re still here.

I'd go with renewed interest, rather than optimism, personally. I'm warming to the Moyes appointment and hopeful that he can affect things in a positive way.

This is in many respects the perfect game for him; an opposition not in great form, and without the pressure of it being a home game. If he can get the players playing to what we know they're capable of then we definitely have a chance of getting all three points.