Europa League Matchday 2: West Ham v Rapid Vienna (H): Thursday 30th September; 20:00

Hamstew

Please not Yarmo

eskimoking

Yarmo played well last week and is plenty good enough for this game surely?

Pengeman

Oko-Flex was not in tonight's U-23 squad. I wonder if he might make the squad agaist Rapid Vienna.

Also see that Haller is smashing them for Ajax in the Champions League https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/sebastien-haller-ajax-champions-league-25093796 . Will we regret letting him go?

claretandbluesky

I don't think so as I could never see him suiting Moyes and his style of play. Haller was not a runner or someone who forced a chance, I think he is a finisher, I think you supply him the ball near enough to goal and he finds the net. He needed people to supply him knock downs and wingers to get in behind and pull the ball back to him and playing him as a lone striker made all that difficult. He has ability but not compatible with how we play. We have what works for us now, speed to break and muscle to push through and finish from Antonio.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Pengeman said:

Oko-Flex was not in tonight's U-23 squad. I wonder if he might make the squad agaist Rapid Vienna.

Also see that Haller is smashing them for Ajax in the Champions League https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/sebastien-haller-ajax-champions-league-25093796 . Will we regret letting him go?

Don't really understand when fans reach for stuff like this

If he'd joined a Prem rival and was smashing it in I would understand but he's scoring in a weak league and in the champions league against Sporting and Fenerbache

He wasnt cut for the Prem, too slow, a bit lazy and too weak (for a big lump he was so easy to knock over) and he wasn't suited for us

10 goals in 35 prem start + (10 sub) wasn't good enough because if he wasn't scoring he wasn't contributing

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Onto our game and not ex players

Buzzing for this

Will be the first European football game going to

Expect rotation but have faith the squad will deliver bo matter who starts

Fortuneseeker

WHU,

Haller scored v Besiktas last night if that makes any difference.

So when he scores against Dortmund will that then mean he is a decent striker?

Whitehorsehammer

I don't think there is much dispute that Haller is a decent striker, he just didn't fit with our style of play.

BubblesNeverDies

I just don't think he could cope with the intensity of the PL.

Fortuneseeker

Quote from Maurizio Sarri

“Felipe Anderson does not always follow the action. But I can tell you one thing: I have coached many strong players, but I have rarely coached a potentially strong one like Felipe. He has extraordinary talents, he brought them out in a small part. He must have a growth in conviction and nastiness, because otherwise he is a waste of talent. At full potential he’d be world-class.”

Another one who didn't suit the Premier League or was it just us?

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

We have a really good team doing very well, so it's hard to say it's 'us'. Felipe didn't fit, Haller didn't fit - doesn't mean they aren't good players. They just weren't for us.

We have lots of players who are good for us so I can't really worry or care about people who don't play for us anymore.

PrestonHammer

He didn't suit the Portuguese league either.

MrsGrey

Fortuneseeker said:

Quote from Maurizio Sarri

I have coached many strong players, but I have rarely coached a potentially strong one like Felipe. He has extraordinary talents... At full potential he’d be world-class.”

He's 28.

ammerinaberdeen

Is the game being televised anywhere?

IronHerb

BT Sport

ammerinaberdeen

Cheers

claretandbluesky

I think it will be a different challenge to the last match as Rapid will want to not lose first of all so we will need to break them down through probing rather than hoping to counter attack. We should have the ability to do so however and if we can strike early it will make them have to come out to us more. I think Benrhama will have a good match if selected.

OutcastLondoner

I thought that was how the first match went to be honest. We scored because they made mistakes in bad areas but otherwise they were really deep. If they don’t make mistakes it’s going to be a challenge so we need to see the more technical players show they can break through.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Fortuneseeker said:

Quote from Maurizio Sarri

“Felipe Anderson does not always follow the action. But I can tell you one thing: I have coached many strong players, but I have rarely coached a potentially strong one like Felipe. He has extraordinary talents, he brought them out in a small part. He must have a growth in conviction and nastiness, because otherwise he is a waste of talent. At full potential he’d be world-class.”

Another one who didn't suit the Premier League or was it just us?

Football isnt so black and white

Di Maria & Lukaku didn't cut it at United
Partley has struggled at Arsenal
Werner/Pulisic/Ziyech cost £150mil+ and none have really settled at Chelsea
Hazard/Coutinho have struggled since moving to spain

The list is endless

What I don't get is how often fans still talk about players who could do a job that are no longer here and when they were they weren't very good and yet we've still arguably got one of the best teams we've had for a very long time

PrestonHammer

I see Pogba has gone for the charity haircut again.

Fortuneseeker

WHU, I thought football was claret & blue.
I have over many years kept an eye on our former players & will continue to do so. 👍 This should in no way be seen as detracting from our current squad which with the addition of an additional CF would be impressive.

Kuchinghammer

Agree with Fortune, and oddly enough I'm pleased when they do well. They were family once, and players like Vaz Te remember us as family 👍

ASLEFshrugged

From yesterday's press conference

Fredericks not available
Coufal "a bit of doubt"

Moyes being Moyes he'll probably rest Coufal as a precaution and play Johnson

ScotHammer

Bit worried about this one. I don’t know too much about the opposition so am concerned we might be over confident. Hopefully it is just me having seen West Ham blowing it too often, and this time is different. 😀⚒

ASLEFshrugged

Rapid Vienna are regulars in the Europa League, qualifying for the Group stage 9 times in the last 12 seasons and being knocked out in the qualifying round once.

They usually go out in the Group stage although in 2015 - 16 and 2018-19 the made it to the Round of 32 where they got knocked out by Valencia (10=0 agg) and Inter (5-0 agg)

Last season they were in Group B with Arsenal, Molde and Dundalk, finished 3rd
P6 W2 D1 L3
No surprise the two wins were against Dundalk, 3-1 away and 4-3 at home.

ScotHammer

ASLEFshrugged said:

Rapid Vienna are regulars in the Europa League, qualifying for the Group stage 9 times in the last 12 seasons and being knocked out in the qualifying round once.

They usually go out in the Group stage although in 2015 - 16 and 2018-19 the made it to the Round of 32 where they got knocked out by Valencia (10=0 agg) and Inter (5-0 agg)

Last season they were in Group B with Arsenal, Molde and Dundalk, finished 3rd
P6 W2 D1 L3
No surprise the two wins were against Dundalk, 3-1 away and 4-3 at home.

Thanks Aslef. Sounds like we should get a result, so a nervy 90 mins then!!

MunichHammer

I think the only time I watched Rapid play was in 1996 when they lost 1-0 to PSG in the final of the Cup winners' cup. Haven't heard much about them since tbh.

whupathman

just got my ticket, first time at the new stadium

Whitehorsehammer

It will be interesting what the size of the crowd is this evening for a European game, 40,000?

whupathman

on the seating plan with unsold tickets there was about a third of the billy bonds stand not sold