How I hate the Spuds - 25th at Wembley (the only time we will get there this year) Cup Match Thread

Lukerz

Reid is the only player I'd want in the XI for Saturday.

Other than that you couldn't argue with the same XI.

Adrian
Rice - Reid - Ogbonna
Byram - Noble - Kouyate - Cresswell
Ayew - Lanzini
Carroll/Chicharito

IronHerb

Well, that was nice. Rubbish first half but an inspired second. Don't really know how that come about as we started it the same as we finished the first but goals change games and it was a decent goal. Just took control from there except for the final few minutes. The whole squad came over at the end and nearly all threw their shirts into the fans. What a great night.

OutcastLondoner

Lukerz said:

Reid is the only player I'd want in the XI for Saturday.

Other than that you couldn't argue with the same XI.

Adrian
Rice - Reid - Ogbonna
Byram - Noble - Kouyate - Cresswell
Ayew - Lanzini
Carroll/Chicharito

Not Antonio over Bryam? I thought he offered nothing as a wing back, with Cresswell picking up all of the slack.

sweepy23

Thanks Mrs G

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

thornburyiron said:

Game over. This could be total humiliation.

OldCastleSwift said:

Is Ayew even a footballer?

Just reading through, two of my favs so far ;biggrin

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

baracks_a_hammer said:

So how is the “passion” of Nobes, Carroll, Adrián, etc working out then??..

Fine!

TwistandShout

I have some crackers for you from our friends down in Spudsville....

TwistandShout

TwistandShout

Oh and where are my manners... COME ON YOU IRONS!!!!!

;goal coyi ;scarf

Colchester_Iron

;quaver Tottenham Hotspurs, it's happened again...... ;quaver

#smashed

whupathman

I was supposed to go out but the car broke down so watched the game live instead of taped, happy happy joy joy, shall I start the Palace thread?

Moore_than_a_nick

What a night, what a game, what a comeback, what a club we support!

Moore_than_a_nick

After the humiliation of Friday, I texted one of the friends I took to the Brighton disaster this morning saying "we'll probably beat Spurs now". Not sure if I said that because it would be the West Ham way (we don't tend to get ourselves up for the small clubs...) or because it would be just my luck having taking two non-Hammer Mexicans to the Brighton game. Oh well, probably both are true.

Moore_than_a_nick

Good to see Bilic read this forum and got the hint about trying a 3-5-2. I think that's the way forward - we'll just have to solve the where to play Antonio riddle if we ever have enough fit players to make it a problem.

Besides arriving late at a rather obvious conclusion about formation (i.e. we needed both three at the back and two up-front), I must say Bilic was brave and quite insightful to have played Kouyate, Rice and Ogbonna as the back three. Was he resting our two first choice CBs, Reid and Fonte, or was he dropping them and going for three who suit a back three and might do a better job at passing or bringing the ball forwards? Particularly brave to play Rice in the middle but he was really chatting to the other two and telling them where to position themselves (apart from for Alli's header that Adrian saved...). Looks more likely that he'll be a future West Ham captain than Oxford right now.

We showed passion to achieve the comback. But let's not get too carried away (OK, let's get too carried away, but then come back to this post) - we still did not create much from open play. Lots of accurate passing going nowhere, and then generally speaking Cressers hit the defender with his cross or Lanzini misplaced his pass... This improved in the second half, but 2 of the 3 goals came from set pieces. Cresswell, AC, Byram and Fernandes in particular should not feel confident about retaining their places.

Finally - Ayew. I feel he's got a bad rap on this site and have consistently been saying he hasn't deserved it. For me, he often puts in a shift and makes things happen. The stats show he has been directly involved in more goals than any other West Ham player since his debut in August 2016 (BBC), but it's not just that - he gets on the ball, links things up and drives forwards. So I'm very happy for him tonight.

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

I still think we overpaid for Ayew but he does have a habit of being in the right place at the right time and he’s goal stats are fine

Moore_than_a_nick

Oh - and Bilic learned from what some of us said he should have done at half tine against Brighton - put Nobes on to link defence and midfield and push Lanzini further up-front. Still not perfect, but looked a better plan than allowing Lanzini to consistently go all the way back to the defence and pick up the ball there.

Is Obiang going to be better than Nobes in this role in most games? I'm less sure on this question than I have been for a long time... But I think I'm tempted to stick with Kouyate at CB and have Nobes, Obiang and Lanzini in CM in a 3-5-2 for a while.

Lukerz

Hopefully now this will persuade Bilic to stick with a back 3/5 going forwards. Stop chopping and changing. And yes, unfortunately that means certain player will miss out. Players like Zabaleta, Antonio, Ayew, Arnautovic, Carroll, Chicharito. At least 3 of those will not be able to play. But it will be a better side.

OldCastleSwift

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard said:

thornburyiron said:

Game over. This could be total humiliation.

OldCastleSwift said:

Is Ayew even a footballer?

Just reading through, two of my favs so far ;biggrin

It’s easy to be wise after the event. Ayew’s first half performance was terrible; he couldn’t control the ball, couldn’t pass, couldn’t beat a man. Second half he improved massively, as did all of the team, but they need to understand that a game lasts for more than 45 minutes.

If we beat Palace then the season doesn’t look so bad, but it does beg the question; where has that performance been?

It’s going to be difficult for SB to choose an eleven for Palace. Arguably, Ayew has earnt a start, as have Adrian and Rice. A back three suits us more than a flat back four. But will be bench Hart, Fonte and Hernandez? Will he play a more mobile player at RWB and drop Zaba? Will he ask Antonio to play there?

For me, last night’s win was a bonus. The second half performance alone will hopefully have given the players the belief that they’re good enough. They need to back it up against Palace though and give our season the boost it desperately needs.

Lukerz

OCS ;ok

We need to have a couple of cracking days training with high intensity and confidence, then go to Palace and make as fewer changes as possible. It is pointless not giving the guys who played last night another chance as they are the ones feeling the benefits of the win the most. If you then bring in 9 players whose last experience was Brighton, then you are removing the an element of the confidence gained. Byram, for example, has only experienced winning this season.

Then we need to go at Palace. Press, attack, get forward. Because we played very well with the ‘do or die’ attitude second half. So why don’t we try starting a game like that? Start a game imagining we’re 2-0 down. We have a reasonable side. Palace have lost 8/9 league games. Go there and get at them. Instead we seem to slouch back into this ‘be cautious, keep it tight early’ approach. The game stays 0-0 for an eternity. Then we either nick it 1-0 second half or lose comfortable.

Equally though, the players have to take a lot of the emphasis. Ayew and Lanzini have to play like they did second half last night on Saturday. Can’t keep blaming Slav. They both showed their quality, but you’d put good money on neither being as influential on Saturday, when we need them to be.

The side in Bilic’s first season had personality, swagger and a hint of arrogance. No doubt a lot of this was down to the belief we were a good side due to Payet. But the side has just become a non-descript entity since that season. No real definable identity. Let’s go back to being that fearless unit we were in 2015/16. No more caution. A bit more ‘go for it’ attitude, especially with 3/5 at the back.

Slaven hasn’t really got much to lose at this point.

eskimoking

I think next game, I'd like to see:

--------Adrian
---Kouyate, Rice, Reid
Byram-----------Cresswell
-----Noble Obiang
--------Lanzini
-----Ayew Antonio

But it won't happen.

Yeoldhammer

Bilic kind of hinted it in his interview.

Bilic added: "The team, especially in these moments, is above every individual and we have to be humble. No matter who plays on Saturday, we should not have long noses and we have to fight for the team."


Suggests to me some "big" players are going to miss out.

SuzanneClaret

No body could have predicted that turn around.

At half time no one thought we'd win.

I bet many watching at home turned the game off.

It was astonishing.

OldCastleSwift

Jamie Redknapp highlighted Kouyate's part in the two goals we conceded last night. He was largely culpable for both, mostly because he doesn't think like a centre back.

Fonte has been in decent form, so for me it would be Fonte, Rice and Reid in a back three.

Lukerz

No way should the likes of Hart, Hernandez, Antonio, Arnautovic etc just waltz back in. Fonte and Reid have been generally ok this season, but obviously everyone was pants on Friday.

I don’t actually no what benefit Antonio gives the current side? Obviously I appreciate this is an unpopular view and he has done well for us - goals wise - since signing, but in terms of the dynamic of the team, if he doesn’t want to play wing-back, I think he unbalances the side as one of the 2 in a 3-4-2-1.

SuzanneClaret

Kouyate is not a centre back and as you say does not think like one. No idea why we didn't have a centre back at centre back.

Bazshuayi

Adrian
Antonio Reid Fonte ...... Masuaku
...........Lanzini ........
.......... ............

Now I am tired, so blanks won't be filled in til tomorrow ;yercoat

Hammerex

Great performance last night, and most unexpected. With that in mind it is just
as likely that Palace will take all 3 points in our next match.

eskimoking

Lukerz said:

No way should the likes of Hart, Hernandez, Antonio, Arnautovic etc just waltz back in. Fonte and Reid have been generally ok this season, but obviously everyone was pants on Friday.

I don’t actually no what benefit Antonio gives the current side? Obviously I appreciate this is an unpopular view and he has done well for us - goals wise - since signing, but in terms of the dynamic of the team, if he doesn’t want to play wing-back, I think he unbalances the side as one of the 2 in a 3-4-2-1.

Agree Luke. I think Byram is the best option for RWB. Antonio is potentially our best option upfront on current form. He and Ayew can run the channels from a central starting point.

mike

"One swallow doesn't make a summer"

Sorry to be a party pooper but bilic still has his "second" game on saturday.
We have to turn up and play like we did in the second half against spurs at palace

OldCastleSwift

And Pathman gets the rights to the Palace game thread. Good luck fella...