Brighton (Home) Friday 20th 8pm (match thread)

OutcastLondoner

A flurry of elbows and yellows and suddenly we have to hold onto a single-goal lead with 10 men, for most of the game. We didn't manage it but came out ok and now the striker debate gets a new twist. Slav can't choose Carroll so he no longer has to think about how to fit both AC and Chicharito into the same team but still has to work out whether he's going to stick with two up front, giving Sakho a start, or go with just one.

And the big question: how many lineups with Lukerz come up with this week?

OldCastleSwift

Obiang, Masuaku and Sakho have to start for me.

imagelost

A must home win
;scarf

MrsGrey

While I respect the customs and traditions of 606 which govern who starts match threads, I do miss Baz's pun-tastic take on things. Can we have both? ;hug

welovethehammers

OldCastleSwift said:

Obiang, Masuaku and Sakho have to start for me.

Agreed. I'd also like to see Martinez on the bench and ideally get a run out. He's been scoring for fun for a while now and had a good reputation before he came to West Ham so it can't be purely luck. Sooner or later he'll get restless if he can't get any games! With Carroll out, he deserves a place on the bench with Sakho Chicharito Antonio starting as the front 3. Lanzini Obiang and Masuaku as well.

Hart
Zab Reid fonte cress
Antonio Lanzini obiang masuaku
Chich Sakho

IronHerb

Hart
Zab Reid Fonte Cresswell
Kouyate
Antonio Obiang Lanzini
Hernandez Sakho

Lukerz

Gotta be:

Hart
Zabaleta - Fonte - Reid - Masuaku
Antonio - Obiang - Kouyate - Arnautovic
Lanzini
Chicharito

Adrian, Ogbonna, Byram, Cresswell, Noble, Ayew, Sakho

Although on Tuesday I’m going for:

Hart
Zabaleta - Fonte - Reid - Cresswell
Antonio - Obiang - Kouyate - Lanzini
Sakho - Chicharito

Adrian, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Noble, Fernandes, Arnautovic, Ayew

;wink

Pengeman

Carroll has become ZaZa of the 2017-18 season and hasn't yet scored. I think we should cut out losses and sell him in January as he is too one-dimensional. Hopefully, this will also open the door for Martinez who often reminds me of Jimmy Greaves (yes, folks I am that old!)

Carroll's suspension is an opportunity for Sakho who more mobile and better all round striker. I also feel that Obiang is a better holding player and Masuaku deserves a start. Arnautovic hasn't done much yet but may be he will get his act together for this game - I would give him one more start. So for this armchair manager the team should be:

Hart
Zabaleta - Fonte - Reid - Masuaku
Antonio - Obiang - Lanzini - Arnautovic
Chicharito
Sakho

Expat_Hammer

MrsGrey said:

While I respect the customs and traditions of 606 which govern who starts match threads, I do miss Baz's pun-tastic take on things. Can we have both? ;hug

Of course, Baz can comment on the match thread

Can't he ;puzzled

Bazshuayi

I do comment on match threads ;puzzled

Re: Mrs Greys comment... Firstly, ;hug Youre always very generous when I post stuff and its appreciated

When I have composed match threads in the past it takes me an hour to 2 hours to think of stuff/formulate

I was half way through one and noticed a new match thread had already been started. So I took it that people wanted a change of composer to change our luck (or because they were sick of my pun infested offerings).

So I binned off my composition and havent attempted one since. If someone's started a thread already I basically just comment on the match during it or after like most of us.

Id think if I put something like I usually compose on a match thread it would feel like undermining the original composer, no? Like I was saying theirs wasnt good enough so heres mine

P.s I feel sorry for anyone doing the Citeh thread on GW15 ;nonono

MrsGrey

baz, fair enough. ;thumbsup

ASLEFshrugged

Hart
Zab Fonte Reid Cress
Kouyate Obiang
Antonio Lanzini Arnautovic
Hernandez

I want to see Hernandez as a loan striker because he is a better player in that role
than as one of a front two.

MrsGrey

Pengeman said:

Carroll has become ZaZa of the 2017-18 season and hasn't yet scored.

A 10-15 goal a year striker is (even assuming they never score more than one goal per game) going to have 23-28 games where they don't score. I think it is too early to write AC off on the grounds that he has played 5 games without a goal.

I also don't agree that he is 1-dimensional. (Although I'm not really sure what you mean by that.)

At what point does the manager take some of the blame for not getting the best out of him? ;hmm

Expat_Hammer

Baz, we usually change match thread creator after a defeat. At the moment Outcast is on an unbeaten run ;thumbsup

And long may it continue that we remain unbeaten ;ok

Bazshuayi

I was aware of the change after defeat thing (and the generosity of those who let me carry on when we lost too ;thumbsup )

I'd like to see Outcast carry on too for a long time! However, GW10-17 inclusive have some tough games for us coming up!

I might compose something for a future GW (like a draft rather than complete thing) and sort of hope I dont have to use it. Or if its nearly complete, I'll go against everything I said in my last posting and post it here anyway ;lol

(now I have a GW in mind doh!)

OutcastLondoner

Feel free to throw your puns out. Or we could even have Baz's feature of the week – how many puns can you fit into a couple of lines?

Bazshuayi

I never start out in terms of thinking about puns, it just sort of happens once I start studying the particular team we're playing that week. I try and get as many of their squad names in as I can (which always starts with the play on words for them) allied to their manager/ground/history/old players/geography etc. ;wahoo

Oh and the thread title plus my 'verdict' are important to me

IronHerb

Lukerz said:

Gotta be:

Although on Tuesday I’m going for:

Hart
Zabaleta - Fonte - Reid - Cresswell
Antonio - Obiang - Kouyate - Lanzini
Sakho - Chicharito

Adrian, Ogbonna, Masuaku, Noble, Fernandes, Arnautovic, Ayew

;wink

Still leaves you 3 more days. ;whistle

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

I’m really excited for this game. Under the lights, hopefully an attacking line-up again, Brighton poor away from home. Should be a good atmosphere and a great chance for points, plus it’s on Sky Sports Mix, meaning you can watch it if you have Sky even if you don’t have the ridiculously overpriced Sky Sports COYI

Hamstew

Martinez deserves to be on the bench at least.

Adam

ASLEFshrugged said:

Hart
Zab Fonte Reid Cress
Kouyate Obiang
Antonio Lanzini Arnautovic
Hernandez

Put in Masuaku instead of Creswell and that's our best XI, imo.

Then against the bigger teams, we go three at the back.

alderz

Hart
Zabaleta Fonte Reid Cresswell
Antonio Lanzini Obiang Arnautovic
Sakho Hernandez

Slav wanted to try a 4-4-2 at the weekend and only got to try it for 25 minutes. I would like to see him give it another go, against a team that we should probably be putting away at home.

ASLEFshrugged

I've just realised this is on Friday.

The last two weeks I've had Friday off, this week I'm off on Thursday......

claretandbluesky

MrsGrey said:

Pengeman said:

Carroll has become ZaZa of the 2017-18 season and hasn't yet scored.

A 10-15 goal a year striker is (even assuming they never score more than one goal per game) going to have 23-28 games where they don't score. I think it is too early to write AC off on the grounds that he has played 5 games without a goal.

I also don't agree that he is 1-dimensional. (Although I'm not really sure what you mean by that.)

At what point does the manager take some of the blame for not getting the best out of him? ;hmm

Carroll was a complete idiot at the weekend, beyond stupid for his lunging in elbow first from 5 yeards a minute after getting a yellow (justly or not).

However his attitude for us has been brilliant, he gives everything every time he is on the pitch and it's of note that even after what must be hugely frustrating injuries he gives nothing but 100% when next taking to the field. He is the old style centre forward and the game is less played to his strengths at times but on his day he is unplayable. With regard our team I think he must be treated as a luxury, don't build your side around him but when he is fit use him to disturb defences, pull them out of position and feed him decent crosses and he will deliver a reasonable goals to games stat every time I feel.

Yeoldhammer

Until you can find someone who can cross a ball properly you will never get the best out of Carroll, saying that I still think he is a last 20 minute man.

Chasing the game with 20 left, throw on the big man to add some height for the Tee Offs.
Holding onto a game with 20 left, throw on the big man to hold up the ball and to add a more defensive height from set plays.

Pearces_Left_Foot

Attack attack attack ;wahoo I expect goals ! looking forward to seeing Lanzini and Chico linking up ;barrera

jay_in_cpt

Alderz ;ok IMO Cheikh has to start in the team.....

alderz

Imo Carroll isn’t a last 20 minute man only. Against some CBs he is a nightmare and will run the game, but he absolutely shouldn’t be a nailed on starter in every game

ASLEFshrugged

I hate to say it but I hope we run riot over Brighton with Hernandez scoring so that Bilic finally has to admit that he doesn't need to have Carroll in the starting XI

It could turn out that AC's elbows and the two yellow cards were the best thing that happened this season

TwistandShout

alderz said:

Hart
Zabaleta Fonte Reid Cresswell
Antonio Lanzini Obiang Arnautovic
Sakho Hernandez

Slav wanted to try a 4-4-2 at the weekend and only got to try it for 25 minutes. I would like to see him give it another go, against a team that we should probably be putting away at home.

That is the team I would go for too Alderz ;ok although I'd be tempted to put Martinez up front with Hernandez, whose confidence must be sky high (also I don't like Sakho's attitude!)

TwistandShout

(I'm a man of my word... I think a username change is in order ;weep )