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

FlorinRaduclious

I see your point Hammerex, and would usually agree with that technique when dealing with partially injured players. However Slav seems to intimate he isn't even partially injured, he was just a little bit tight after tuesday's training. He's doing a full session of training today with the rest of the squad. If he comes through that without any issues and as the scan says 'no probems', I'd start him. Else it's Ayew realistically.

OldCastleSwift

What bothers me about the Sakho situation is that the club have known for a while that he has a long-standing back problem that reduces his availability. He wanted to leave in August but we said no, effectively keeping an unhappy, injury-prone striker on the books.

I have wanted him in the team for a few weeks now as he's looked very sharpe from the bench and I think would have done well against Brighton, but once again it's not going to happen. Should we have cut our losses earlier in the summer, paid up his contract and tried to bring someone else in?

FlorinRaduclious

I don't think we should have paid up his contract as there appeared to be clubs interested, and willing to pay money for him (a couple in the French league if my memory holds). Personally I definitely would have let him speak to the clubs in the summer. We must appreciate his contract runs out this coming summer, and with his injury record, plus other issues over his time here, it seems unlikely we'll offer him a new one so we'll be getting nought for him in 8 months, and if he spends most this season as per on and off injured we are getting little benefit from having him here this season yet still paying wages. Just my tuppence worth.

brookingsirons

so all we need now is carroll to get his normal injury and be out for 2 months and we are back to the normal west ham way , when will this club ever get things right in the transfer market weak window and its going to bite us big time i can see it coming
and only on 8 points its not good is it .

FlorinRaduclious

Also even though I like his tenacity in the box and I think he's a good striker, I feel some of our supporters overate him. He is almost halfway through his fourth full season with us, and has scored only 17 league goals.


Edit: this is referring to Sakho!

brookingsirons

what makes thing's even more worrying is Carroll is yet to score a goal this
season as a life long fan i don't see how we are ever going to the so called next level
with this striker problem happening every season .

FlorinRaduclious

Brookings my last post was about Sakho, didn't notice you'd posted after my previous efforts! While Carroll is far from perfect he for me offers a different option. Out of the two I would keep him over Sakho personally. Carroll has scored 30 premier league goals for us since joining. Also gets far more assists than Sakho; Carroll 17 in all comps, Sakho 4.

Hamstew

No Martinez? Good grief!

OldCastleSwift

I'm going to wait until tomorrow before going fully apoplectic because SB did say 'probably wouldn't be', which suggests there's still a chance he may be, but I'm not holding my breath.

If he isn't included, I honestly don't know what else Martinez has to do and how many strikers have to be unavailable for him to get a chance.

FlorinRaduclious

Deserves a spot on the bench for me too Hamstew, he's apparently got 23 goals in 26 games now for the U23s. ;clap

However, as OCS said, Slav stated in his press conference:

“Martinez is showing good form. He’s been with us a couple of times, in pre-season, and is improving a lot, but we have enough options so he will probably not be in the squad.”

Looks like he won't be included this time around. However I must add that even though I think he deserves a spot on the bench due to his exploits and if we are winning I'd love to see him get 20 minutes, when I saw him play with the first team pre season he didn't look 'premier league level' ready. It was just one game though so hard to really judge.

Hamstew

If we are without Carroll Sackho and Hernandez. Not having him at least on the bench would be cray cray imo.

Let's just wait and see I guess.

MrsGrey

Pics on the club site of training this evening show Chicarito there.

TwistandShout

If Martinez isn't in the squad tomorrow, will he ever be?

23 goals in 26 games
Hat-trick on Sunday

;puzzled

MrsGrey

I'd suggest he will be in the squad when his all-round game is better than the other forwards who are ahead of him at the moment.

Scoring goals in an U23 game isn't a sign that you are good enough for the PL. Or even the Championship ... see 'Ashley Fletcher'.

Yeoldhammer

his all around game is better than Ayew up front i reckon

Lukerz

Just shows how badly Andy Carroll let the side down last week.

Chicharito may now have to play through pain and with a degree of risk as a result.

Hamstew

Mrs Grey I think you are right but I think it was more the case of all the unavailable strikers we might have had and the fear of Ayew getting put up top. Thankfully it seems Hernandez is ok ;ok

MrsGrey

Lukerz said:

Chicharito may now have to play through pain and with a degree of risk as a result.

His scan was completely clear.

He won't play unless he feels OK after training today.

Both statements by the manager.

Lukerz

They said that about Antonio against Spurs.

MrsGrey

So you think he's lying?

Lukerz

Not lying.

Just wrong. They have a history of passing a player fit to play who then doesn’t make it past HT.

MrsGrey

Once?

It's not really a history, though, is it.

When every matchday 18 players are passed fit and very few succumb to a previous problem.

What do you think is the answer? They have a scan which shows no problems... the player says he feels fine. Not play him... because he might get injured? We'd never put out a tteam.

thornburyiron

I don't know why all the fuss about a scan. The likes of you and I can't get a scan or an investigation whenever we want but a PL club especially with their direct links to private hospital facilities can have whatever they like when they like.
The scan showed no problem so there shouldn't be one. Would be different if he'd said my leg hurts but I can still play so no need to look at it.

baracks_a_hammer

It should be known by now that Sakho will be pretty effective when fit and on it, but an injury will likely be just round the corner

So just as he is fit and in form, he is not started. When lack of availability of others means he may get his chance, he gets injured

The law according to Slav

Hamstew

OldCastleSwift

MrsGrey said:

I'd suggest he will be in the squad when his all-round game is better than the other forwards who are ahead of him at the moment.

Scoring goals in an U23 game isn't a sign that you are good enough for the PL. Or even the Championship ... see 'Ashley Fletcher'.

That's fair enough when he's competing with Carroll, Sakho and Hernandez. But with two of those out I can't think of a better time to include him in the squad. I mean, we're likely to only have Ayew as a forward on the bench; why not give Martinez a place too? Who else have we got as an option up front.

Bilic does seem reluctant to give him a chance, and it may be that he doesn't think he's good enough, but how will anyone ever know if he's good enough for the PL of he's not given an opportunity to play?

McHammer

Some times and briefly form can better than ability. Look at Mike Smalls scoring run for us and he wasnt great.

Lukerz

If he’s not good enough for the PL he shouldn’t be here.

ASLEFshrugged

Apart from his brilliant run in the PL2 Martinez scored two goals against Coventry who were bottom of League 2 at the time and failed to score against Swindon when they were 4th in League 2.

How good he'd be against Premier League opposition is unknown.

So.....

Hart
Zab Fonte Reid Cress
Kouyate Obiang
Antonio Lanzini Arnie
Hernandez

And subs from Adrian, Arthur, Byram, Oggy, Noble, Rice, Fernandes, Ayew and Haksabanovic

Yeoldhammer

Won't have to worry about Sakho end v of this season his contract is up. I doubt he will get a new one if he can't stay fit for the season. Carroll probably in the same boat for the following year.