Why Aye Man - Newcastle H Match Thread 23.12.17 15:00

epsom_bubbles

It’s now very simple. If we don’t get six points out of the two teams below us, we deserve to be a championship team. Six points or............... ;weep

welovethehammers

My player ratings:

Adrian - 5
Cress - 6.5
Ogbonna 6.5
Reid 6
Zabaleta 5
Obiang 6
Kouyate 5
Masuaku 7.5
Arnie - 7.5
Antonio - 5.5
Ayew - 5.5

Subs: Hernandez 5.5, Carroll 4.5

baracks_a_hammer

This is the worry Epsom

We have 19 games left and need say six wins?

Where are those coming from? It is deeply concerning

steve

barracks, Man city, Chelsea,Liverpool,Man u,Arsenal. Spurs. ;biggrin

buffybegood

I know he does some good things, but Zaba was, yet again, a factor in 2 goals we conceded. For their second, he was nutmegged to allow the Atsu into the box to deliver the assisting pass to Diame. Then he failed to clear the ball as Newcastle tried to break from our corner and they scored seconds later.

He's been involved in way too many goals we've conceded this season imo, a real example of G&S's penny pinching costing us dear.

Lukerz

Zabaleta is not good enough. Very, very poor. Not blaming him but he is past it. Physically and mentality gone. Need a new RB in Jan. Playing him as our RB/RWB for the first half of the season is pretty desperate. He tries hard and has a good attitude but just isn’t up to it anymore.

adecoker

The question was asked earlier "Are they that thick?".

The answer is no.

Thick = Footballer
Thicker = West Ham footballer
Thickest = A footballer who would consider signing for West Ham

And in any case any Premier League footballer must be a lot smarter than me because he is likely to earn more in the next month than I will in the rest of my working life.

claretandbluesky

I am still trying to work out how neither Chelsea nor Arsenal managed to unpick us through 90 minutes with some of the best players in the league and yet today Newcastle could have had six had the posts been kinder to them.

I think Zab is fine but Ayew always looks a moment from out thinking himself just as he did today, Arnie did some fantastic running today chasing lost causes, getting back to defend and then sprinting to get forward and his goal was utter class, as for Masu, he has been fantastic, seems to be channelling payet at times, although sometimes just like my broadband the connection gets lost at some moments. Obiang was pretty awful, poor at breaking down their play and even poorer in distribution, Kouyate seems to have been kidnapped and someone left behind in his place who looks like him but possesses none of his footballing ability. Chico needs a chance and at present I would say for Antonio who could then be used as an impact sub in the second half as he doesn't seem to make 90 minutes anyhow.

I said last week too early to be sure but may owe Moyes an apology, today showed why it may have been too early, certainly too early for him to speak of managing any team in the world also. However we can't overlook the improvement shown against Chelsea and Stoke despite the terribly poor shows against Everton and Newcastle, please show us this was a blip and bring back three points in the next match, we really need them.

Pearces_Left_Foot

A very flat performance littered with mistakes . Antonio had another below average performance missing the target with two free headers centre mid never really got a grip the game and we struggled with newcastles pace I don't know why we bothered with Carroll he hardly won anything in the air . On plus side masuaka played well arnie took his goal well. It's like we scored too early and switched off . .

welovethehammers

buffybegood said:

I know he does some good things, but Zaba was, yet again, a factor in 2 goals we conceded. For their second, he was nutmegged to allow the Atsu into the box to deliver the assisting pass to Diame. Then he failed to clear the ball as Newcastle tried to break from our corner and they scored seconds later.

He's been involved in way too many goals we've conceded this season imo, a real example of G&S's penny pinching costing us dear.

Part of the problem imo is that we don't have a midfielder in the centre of the park who has a bit of pace and presence about them. If we had a defensive central midfielder who was solid as a rock and positioned themself well, we wouldn't get caught on the break like this. I agree Zab was part of the reason we conceded on the 2nd & 3rd goal but Obiang and Kouyate never got close to Diame and weren't there to help out on the counter for their 3rd.

alderz

No Noble or Lanzini means there is too little passing ability in the middle. Obiang has completely lost it this season, and Kouyate has never been good in possession.

I don’t feel that Zabaleta is passed it, but the fact Byram has missed basically all season means that we have been over reliant on a 32(?) year old to play in a very demanding position.

To me, Zaba, Lanzini and Noble are fairly irreplaceable in our squad. That’s not to say we couldn’t find better, just that we have nobody like any of the rest of them.

Cuz1

From what I saw it wasn’t just zap at fault today but easy to blame age go back a couple of years was noble the scapegoat he’s the same age as he was last week when helping the team to clean sheets

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

Adrian should have saved the free-kick as well. It was a pretty average shot from quite a distance out.

ASLEFshrugged

So nine men who played well enough to beat Chelsea, beat Stoke and draw with Arsenal aren't good enough when two other men are absent.

Let's all hope that Noble's hamstring recovers by Tuesday!

Clactonite

I do think like after the Everton match there’ll be a reaction to this loss and Moyes will come up with a plan so we don’t keep making the same mistakes again, I didn’t feel like that with Bilic.

thornburyiron

Watched it again on MOTD and it looked even more of a fiasco this time around. Should have been 5-1 to Newcastle at half time. A useless penalty and players colliding for their third. Then last seconds of added time we get a corner and gently float a high one in so wasted.

Pengeman

I think some of the players believed this to be a comparatively easy game and there was lack of urgency. Newcastle midfielders scored three goals but where were out midfielders picking them up? Arnautovic ran all the way back from the corner to WHU penalty area but there was no sight of Kouyate, who had a poor game. Our defence had looked solid in the last three games but was shaky today as it had little cover from midfielders. Reid was poor. How many times have Obiang and Kouyate played in the middle this season? It does not work. Antonio does not look fit and was ineffective today. Zabaleta was too easily beaten for pace and did not have a good game. He should be rested but would Moyes take a chance with rookie RB as Byram is still injured.

Hopeful that we can get something out of the Bournemouth game. The return of Lanzini would be a plus.

welovethehammers

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes said:

Adrian should have saved the free-kick as well. It was a pretty average shot from quite a distance out.

Watching the game live, it looked like Adrian hadn't even got into position for the free kick before the whistle was taken, and as a result he didn't know his bearings.

Cuz1

Think Reid’s injury problems catch up with him seems lately to be in and out same really with Antonio think he’s carrying an injury as well, I’ve watched highlights and think as Moyes said we were error strewn all game after the early goal still think we will escape the drop but unsure what we do to move on ie players manager, I’ve warmed to Moyes after the big three then stoke but today we lacked a game plan and shouldn’t do against teams like Newcastle or any team below top ten imo so help me where do we go or is it same old same old

NEoldiron

Just watched the lead up to Toon's first goal. Cresswell tried a ridiculously ambitious diagonal crossfield pass to Zab that was intercepted just over the halfway line. That led eventually to Reid's high foot challenge on Atsu and the subsequent free kick. ;angry

thornburyiron

All three of their goals came from schoolboy errors as did our first although Arnie still had a lot to do with his. Their third was ridiculous from our corner where we lost the ball, trotted back then two of them collided even though they appeared to be looking at each other.
I can't fathom out the mentality of some of our players. In the first half we were whipping in crosses and Antonio got on the end of a couple of them but wasted them. As soon as Andy came on we just launched it up to him instead of playing the same way and let him get on the end. For our second he attacked the corner and from the save Ayew scored but in the dying seconds of added time we had a corner, floated it 100 ft in the air and by the time it came down any chance was gone. It should have been whipped in again and then even a deflection could have put it in.
After all that we didn't deserve anything from the game and we cannot afford to lose to Bournemouth. Historically at least one of the bottom three at Christmas survive so if history repeats itself there is at least one place in the bottom three going begging and we need to make sure we don't put any more offers in for it.

IronHerb

I just love this board. Beat Stoke and the worlds our oyster. Lose to Newcastle and we're relegated. ;lol

SuzanneClaret

Reid looked like he had a head injury, his decision making was shocking. I’d have swapped him for Ginge after 20 minutes.

Kouyaté was a waste of space, neither good nor bad just.... well nothing. What has happened to him?

We missed, seriously missed Lanzini and Nobes.

But there was no focal point, we should have played with an actual striker.

That formation may work against the bigger teams or away from home but at home against the likes of Newcastle is doesn’t.

baracks_a_hammer

IronHerb said:

I just love this board. Beat Stoke and the worlds our oyster. Lose to Newcastle and we're relegated. ;lol

Yep. Guilty as charged. ;lol

Moyes out. ;lol

IronHerb

;lol

Fortuneseeker

IronHerb,

I would never say beating Stoke means the world's our oyster but losing yesterday was so very poor.

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard

We seem to be making a habit of conceding from our own corners, not the first time lately.

I just don’t know what to think of this current period we’re going through, it all feels a bit weird if I’m honest

In the past with the exception of 2007 and Tevez plus Zola I really thought we were going down, since then I’ve been quite relaxed when we’ve hung about the bottom group, now, right now I’m in a bit of a panic.

The amount of individual mistakes we make is shocking, not often do we just get ripped apart, unless it’s like a AFC/MCFC/LFC where we’ve completely lost our shape.

I honestly think if we score the penalty at EFC and yesterday we take something from each game.

Adrian hasn’t done a lot wrong he wasn’t well placed he should still keep his spot, but Hart gets pellets for that kind of thing I suppose.

I can’t for the life of me work out why Sakho and Hernandez aren’t getting a look in, if Moyes thinks Carroll will get him out of trouble then he could be on a hiding to nothing.

We also need our captain back, that much is very clear, Kouyate and Obiang can’t control a bag of cement right now and both their second touches are throw ins

We need something from the Bournemouth game, how long since they won and when did Defoe last score

As for Mo Diame.......don’t get me started!!

IronHerb

It was always going to be more difficult when we were going after the game as opposed to keeping it tight against the big boys. When you attack you leave gaps that yesterday Newcastle exposed, much like we did at Stoke. It is now all about finding the balance that lets us go forward without the fear of being exposed.
This is where Moyes will earn his corn.

Barney

Slaven - agree with your points except i think we need to get a new captain. Noble has done a great job but is on the decline and, to me, he does not impose himself on the rest of the team on the pitch. I am not sure we have got we have got a captain amongst the current squad. make Noble club captain and get someone else to do the job on the pitch.

OutcastLondoner

Slaven_Cups_His_Beard said:

I can’t for the life of me work out why Sakho and Hernandez aren’t getting a look in, if Moyes thinks Carroll will get him out of trouble then he could be on a hiding to nothing.

Honestly, I think that was the situation to bring Carroll on and he didn’t do too badly himself (and I find him extremely frustrating).

But they constantly punted it to him. He’s never going to score and it’s obvious. Suddenly, Masuaku is hardly in the game. The two moments Carroll caused any real trouble were both crosses from the left. Either it’s manager’s orders or he’s not stepped in to stop them repeating the thing that’s not working instead of the thing that did work. I’d hope Hernandez starts the next game, with Antonio looking as tired as he is.