Swansea (Home) - 30th September 3pm (match thread)

MIAHammer

Tony Gale calling the substitutions inspirational ;doh
Maybe he's getting obvious and inspirational mixed up.
If Masuaku doesn't start the next game, Bilic should be sacked before the game starts.

claretandbluesky

I have defended the performance against some results lately but I am afraid those three points will perhaps take the spotlight away from a woeful performance which demonstrated again that we lack any creativity, we seem unable to be a footballing team which supplies Chico or a direct team which supplies Carroll. I also feel that Slav got his side wrong and his subs wrong. Ayew is skilful but ineffective whilst Sakho is effective and a position striker, he simply gets into scoring positions.

High points a clean sheet which I feel down to Reid again as although not at his best he provides shape which lets everyone else find their role more defined leaving them more comfortable.

grey_til_I_dye

Don't care about anything other than those three points.

Were we poor? Yep.

Did Swansea deserve a draw? Yep.

Did a lot of players look like they had only recently discovered the game of football? Yep.

Did we win? Yep. And ;wahoo ;scarf coyi

Are we out of the bottom 3? Yep. More ;wahoo

Meeting a mate to watch the Chelsea Citeh game, and the beers will taste significantly sweeter now.

thornburyiron

Question 3 Grey. Are you implying that the rest already have discovered it or are yet to.

Yeoldhammer

3 points move into the next game. Need a much better performance against Burnley.

3/12 points over 4 games. Minimum 10 needed.

adecoker

Three points. A clean sheet. The first away league goal that Swansea have conceded all season.

I won't spoil the rest of my day by watching the highlights on MOTD.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

grey,

Aren’t you concerned about the way we played? I get the view that when you need points, get them at all costs.

But since Payet left we seem to be in that position all the time, and our style of play is awful.

I’m not enjoying watching us at all, and I don’t see when it will get better.

jay_in_cpt

It was poor IMO from both teams..
Difference being Mr Sakho getting that goal....
While I'm well happy , the match and performance was very average IMO ..
A game where the result was the main thing I'm telling myself whatever anyone can say ;ok ;wink ;wahoo

baracks_a_hammer

This may meet with widespread disapproval, however, if there was a superior and viable managerial candidate available, I would still make the change if I were the Dave's

Of course the 3 points are fantastic, but the performance levels have been truly alarming for a long while now. Enough is enough.

SuzanneClaret

Today's game was brought to you in association with blind woodland creatures.

ASLEFshrugged

So Bilic replaces Hernandez with Ayew against Huddersfield and Ayew scores, he replaces Hernandez with Sakho against Swansea and Sakho scores.

If only he could replace Hernandez with Henandez......

SuzanneClaret

or leaves Hernandez on and takes Carroll off.

MrsGrey

Hernandez offered little today. AC was adding more to an admittedly poor show. I think it was the right decision. I know many people have said that Hernandez will be able to do better played more centrally but I wasn't convinced on today's performance. I'm getting tired of seeing him standing about in midfield flapping his arms when he's lost the ball.

OutcastLondoner

I don't understand why Carroll has to be the centre of everything. He offers something but not all that much. We've never been really threatening with him, just enjoyed a game from every other where he's bullied defences.

So much of our attacking play was aimed at Carroll's head without success but it was Hernandez who had to make way. Carroll should be an element of our play but it too often feels like it all revolves around him.

Antonio really looked quite fatigued today. Not sure he was so fit?

Masuaku surely is starting next game. Sakho might have a case for some more minutes now.
Lanzini surely should be fit to start by Burnley.

Moojor

We need to decide on a game plan and go with it. We didn't seem to know if to try and play it along the ground and play Hernandez in or go long and hope for Carroll to either get it or knock it down.
So in the end we did neither and just sort of passed around midfield and defense until we lost possession.

Pengeman

Just returned from the game. First first to the stadium - a lovely stadium. the game was bit poor. WHU were doing well for the first ten minutes and then switched off. The game changed with three substitutions. Lanzini provided the guile, Masuaku a few raids down the left wing and Sakho scored. I don't know why some in the crowd booed when Hernandez was substituted. He was not that effective. Booing can't do much for the confidence of players. Noble was distinctively pedestrian and not sure if he is fully fit. Cresswell did not do much and even Antonio was subdued today. May be he was not fully fit either. Zabaleta was everywhere and Reid had a good game though a more competent attack might have tested them. Once again the Carroll and Hernandez combinations did not click. I also think Sakho is a better player than Carroll and his introduction brought more movement to the front line.

Well, we have much needed three points and things are looking up. For the next game Bilic should have the riches of the full squad. If so, I would suggest he plays Masuaku instead of Cresswell, Sakho instead of Carroll and also find a place for Lanzini. Of course, it is easy to be an armchair manager.

Barney

I dont see much option other than change the manager. the squad we have is not bad but they are all under performing. Zabaleta is the only one showing any passion and was MOM today for me. we need a new captain and a gameplan for each match. at the moment we just keep passing backwards - even from free kicks- soooo frustrating. I dont know what they do in training but either it is poor or they cannot bring it to the game. new manager NOW please.

adecoker

SuzanneClaret said:

Today's game was brought to you in association with blind woodland creatures.

Don't try pinning all the blame for that performance on Mole. Rat, Toad and Badger have to shoulder some of the blame too.

baracks_a_hammer

I don't remember Sakho having too many off days in his whole time at West Ham. When he plays he usually makes some sort of positive impact. Obviously he's had injury issues. But when he is fit, it's difficult to justify leaving him out of the starting line up IMO

buffybegood

adecoker said:

SuzanneClaret said:

Today's game was brought to you in association with blind woodland creatures.

Don't try pinning all the blame for that performance on Mole. Rat, Toad and Badger have to shoulder some of the blame too.

I think Suze was referring to the nut finding abilities of blind squirrels.

SuzanneClaret

No Eye Dear....

Yeoldhammer

OutcastLondoner said:

I don't understand why Carroll has to be the centre of everything. He offers something but not all that much. We've never been really threatening with him, just enjoyed a game from every other where he's bullied defences.

So much of our attacking play was aimed at Carroll's head without success but it was Hernandez who had to make way. Carroll should be an element of our play but it too often feels like it all revolves around him.

Antonio really looked quite fatigued today. Not sure he was so fit?

Masuaku surely is starting next game. Sakho might have a case for some more minutes now.
Lanzini surely should be fit to start by Burnley.

Carroll should be a last 20 minute man.

NEoldiron

And after a 4 limb amputation following a collision with a car - Still No Eye Dear, and I won't go to the next accident as the result breaks house rules ;biggrin

Fortuneseeker

Only West Ham could acquire a talented striker like Chicharito and not play him in his best position and couple that with playing Andy C and releasing one of the main players to give him the ammunition Feghouli. If Slaven wants to play a big man/little man combo he should have got Defoe!

claretandbluesky

I think Chico needs better players around him but hopefully we can rectify that a little now Lanzini is back.

grey_til_I_dye

We played Chico in his best position today, and he offered very little, imo.

He's a poacher, but that is only any use if you are creating chances.

Lanzini is capable of great moments, followed by dross. He isn't, and never will be, our Coutinho.

We need to find a way to transition from defence to attack with our current squad.

Without solving that, I'd say discussions about forwards is moot.

chicagohammer

Our transition from defense to attack is often woeful, unless someone goes on a run themselves, we never appear to have any conviction of purpose when in possession,

the ball either goes long, (hopeful punt) or sideways/backwards (Unwilling to take responsibility or lack of options) somehow when I watch other teams, the man in possession appears to have more options available to him and the ball moves with more purposeful intent than we are able to manage.

Will take a clean sheet and the points all day long but we were far from convincing today.

COYI

Huttonhammer

That was one of the worst games of football I have ever seen. Ayew was a disgrace and looks totally unfit . He cannot run , can't control the ball a total horror show today. Antonio shouldn't have been playing he was nowhere near fit he had no pace and looked completely awful.
Our midfield had no invention at all until Lanzini came on and we created so very little Chicarito will get fed up playing in such a poor side.
If Swansea had shown a bit of spark going forwards they would have got something from the game .
If Bilic really wants to stay in the job he must get the team playing a lot lot better than that shambles.
3 points is always great but it hides a dreadful performance from a team that does not know how it wants to play!!

Lukerz

We lack an identity.

Playing 4-4-2 with Ayew as a winger just looked completely wrong. The balance of the side was off from the start.

Going forwards, if we want 4 at the back, we should look at:

Hart
Zabaleta - Fonte - Reid - Cresswell
Noble/Obiang - Kouyate
Antonio - Lanzini - Arnautovic/Masuaku
Chicharito/Sakho

Ayew and Carroll need to become impact players, for the good of the club going forwards.

I think we can convert Masuaku into a winger too. He has pace, good delivery and a bit of trickery. We need some genuine width when playing at home, especially when Andy is on.

You have to feel for Bilic. He is a nice guy, loves the club and loves football.

I just don't think he has much tactical nous about him. Most of our winning performances since the first season have been worse than anything Sam dished up.

Huttonhammer

Masuaku was everything in the few minutes he was on that Ayew wasn't .
The run for the goal and cross was very good and Ayew never does that.
I was actually getting angry watching Ayew play he was terrible . One time he tried to run down the wing and just kicked the ball off.