West Ham Vs Southampton, Sun 26th Dec - Kick off 3pm

claretandbluesky

If there is one saving grace it's that in a few days the transfer window opens, hopefully we have been working on deals and have one or two ready to go.

Slacker

Blimey, the negativity on here is something to behold. Can’t be long before “has Moyes taken us as far as he can?” gets an airing.
Some very short memories.

OldCastleSwift

Pengeman said:

I can't understand why Yarmolenko is brought on. He is consistently poor. It is worth trying someone different like Okoflex or someone else from the U-23s.

This makes my head hurt too. Yarmolenko has done nothing positive to influence a game for so long. The winner v Chelsea two seasons ago maybe? Can Perkins or Oko-Flex really be any worse? At least they have a future at the club and may actually try.

Lukerz

I also don’t buy this ‘Rice is awesome’ stuff. He now wants to be a box to box player; well he needs to start getting goals & assists otherwise all he is doing is running up & down the pitch with the ball. He also doesn’t have great defensive awareness & positional play. He is a very good player but he needs to do more. Can’t be an ‘attacking’ midfield player & not get any goals or assists (2 goals is it this season?). If he’s not going to get those goals, leave it to Soucek who has had to completely alter his game for what? For Rice to put himself in the shop window.

buffybegood

claretandbluesky said:

If there is one saving grace it's that in a few days the transfer window opens, hopefully we have been working on deals and have one or two ready to go.

And when do we ever move early in the January window?

We've had over a year to get a CF in, and at least as long to get a LB in as we've all said for a long time that Masuaku cannot play LB in a back 4.

MrsGrey

OldCastleSwift said:

The injuries are unfortunate, although with our history not entirely unexpected.

Without our history, it wouldn't be unexpected. It's PL, 38 games, there will be injuries.

Look at the other teams. It's inevitable.

What IS not entirely unexpected is that we, as an established but not uber-rich PL club, will struggle to have back-up players that are as good as our 1st choice players.

If it was easy, they'd all be doing it.

buffybegood

buffybegood said:

We'll be lucky to finish top 8 atm, even top half will be half decent tbh. I've a feeling I'm not going to enjoy the rest of this season very much.

I said this in the Arsenal match thread, and I'm right so far since.

MrsGrey

Lukerz said:

What look? Sixth in the league at the New Year period?

Let’s not get too entitled; we’ll start sounding like Spurs.

Boos from the crowd at the final whistle, apparently.

I'm afraid you are too late, Lukerz.

Fortuneseeker

We have been linked with a few left sided centre halfs who can also play lb, we definitely need a centre forward. Does Rice’s suspension mean Kral will play v Watford allowing Soucek to operate further up the pitch? Very disappointed with todays result which highlights again our lack of squad strength. ☹️

Slacker

Lukerz said:

What look? Sixth in the league at the New Year period?

Let’s not get too entitled; we’ll start sounding like Spurs.

This ☝️, very much this.👏

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Given our really awful run of form, it's crazy that we are still sitting 6th with a Europa last 16 to look forward to

This is about as bad a form as we've had since Moyes took over, so not.going to assume it's the norm

If we have a "purple patch" of good form we are just as likely to have the opposite

Think it's no surprise we haven't won since Zouma got injured agaisnt Chelsea, we can't afford to lose him, Ogbonna and Cresswell

We have goals in this side, but the defence is worrying

But it will get better

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

I hope Moyes takes this as an opportunity for a bit of a reset. With the defence so bad, we need to focus on being solid and hard to beat again.

Pengeman

Other teams have injuries too. So WHU injuries can't explain the decline. Other squad players are not good enough and we rarely have players on the bench to change the game. We gave also become too predictable and lack pace in defence. Moyes is experenced enough to get the best from players but at some stage losing becomes a habit, and that saps confidence.

jay_in_cpt

One thing I don't like is the switch between Rice & Soucek getting more forward, why change a winning formula, Rice can dribble and shoot etc etc, but resulting goals are minimum compared to allowing Soucek to be the more forward one...
I'm not sure if this was actually done as tactics but I prefer the boring Rice offering more at the back, it's all very well he can surge forward but how many goals have resulted from it ?

We have had a great start to the seaon till December where I think it's now 1 win in 6, poor form, coinciding with most of our regular defence out injured, a converted striker losing his early season brilliant form and a few others also not performing as they had been, IMO most notably Benrahma and Fornals.....

I'm not being negative, just stating IMO where we are at the moment, a more than satisfactory position that I'm sure we'd all been happy with if asked before the season started, , our league placing, it's just a pity the way things have gone of late.

It will be interesting to see if Moyes is backed in January re signings and also to see how we do without Rice V Watford...

Although Benrahma scored a good goal today, he's been IMO woeful at times of late and perhaps AFCON might wake him up a bit or allow others to grab their opportunity...

Really hope Cresswell is back soon, perhaps our biggest loss at the moment.

PrestonHammer

Once the games in hand catch up, we won't be 6th for long. To me it's all pointless when you have clubs who can spend hundreds of millions on their squad. I'd rather the rich clubs swan off for their super league and give the other clubs a chance of winning things.

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Pengeman said:

Other teams have injuries too. So WHU injuries can't explain the decline. Other squad players are not good enough and we rarely have players on the bench to change the game. We gave also become too predictable and lack pace in defence. Moyes is experenced enough to get the best from players but at some stage losing becomes a habit, and that saps confidence.

And those teams with similar injuries have been getting battered, say what you want about us but we haven't been battered yet (Arsenal is the only game we've been beaten by 2 or more goals)

Chelsea title challenge has fallen away because of their injuries and yet their first XI was still better than 90% of prem teams

Leicester second string back 4 today let in 6!!

We have lost 3 of our back 4, lost our top (and only) striker and Coufal has been in and out the team for various reasons

Never thought we had a chance of top 4 this season, would've liked top 7 but with Europa and all the extra games we've played (which os evident right now) we're doing amazingly to be where we are

If we weren't scoring and getting smashed I'd be worried

buffybegood

jay_in_cpt said:

Although Benrahma scored a good goal today, he's been IMO woeful at times of late and perhaps AFCON might wake him up a bit or allow others to grab their opportunity...

I said the same thing at half time; the goal doesn't make up for how wasteful he's been of late. He's playing how he did at the end of last season, when he was constantly making poor decisions as he tried the ridiculous just to be seen to be having an impact on the game.

Dodger58

Pengeman said:

I can't understand why Yarmolenko is brought on. He is consistently poor. It is worth trying someone different like Okoflex or someone else from the U-23s.

Totally agree.

alderz

Everyone gets injuries, but it’s the fact that all of ours are to our key defenders. Any team with lots of injuries in one area of the pitch will struggle. Surely we can’t have forgotten the absolute tsunami of news about Liverpool’s defensive injuries last year?

Pearces_Left_Foot

We have lost 3 of our back 4 any team would struggle Liverpool lost vvd and struggled . Just back from game disappointed but not overly surprised Southampton took their chances our control of the ball was poor too often ended up with Dawson and him punting it up field. We were slightly better in second half but then gifted them a penalty with sloppy defending got back in it again then a sloppy foul allowed ward prowse to cross . Plenty of times wasting from Southampton made a frustrating afternoon

Lukerz

One player I was disappointed in was Coufal. I think he’s been really off the last few weeks but was also sloppy again today.

PrestonHammer

I'm resigned to the fact we're never winning anything and its giving me the right hump 😁

Lukerz

What has happened to Fornals? I mean it seems he didn’t really do much wrong, was left out one game (around when his partner gave birth) & has struggled to get back into the team. Now he is often subbed on or taken off early. We are a far better team when he starts & plays the majority of the game.

Pearces_Left_Foot

Maybe the baby is keeping him awake

PrestonHammer

I reckon the breastfeeding is taking it out of him.

OldCastleSwift

Lukerz said:

One player I was disappointed in was Coufal. I think he’s been really off the last few weeks but was also sloppy again today.

Maybe Moyes calling him out in public the other week has given his confidence a knock.

We just have too many players out of form at the same time. Last season, everyone seemed to find form at the same time and we had very un-West Ham luck with injuries which meant we finished higher than anyone thought we would.

Right now we have the complete opposite and performances and results are showing it.

Moyes has down well thus far, but this period now represents arguably his biggest test to date. There was little expectation when he first joined; now with a 6th place finish behind him and significant backing from the board, people will be expecting him to turn this slump around.

Jorderz_Moyes_will_be_Moyes

I suppose the question is what do we think is par for the season. I don’t think 6th was par for last season and I don’t think it is for this season.

It is a slump but it’s seen us fall from 4th to 6th. It’s not like we’ve slid from 9th to 17th.

As others have said, the defence has been decimated by injuries and too many are out of form at the same time. It’s grim but could be a lot grimmer.

I don’t want Moyes or the squad to be pilloried for over-performing until now and reality catching up with us a bit.

FlorinRaduclious

eskimoking said:

Contact starts outside? Hasn’t that always been a thing?

Sorry, can we hark back to this?!

This seemed to almost go uncommented on. Obviously a clear foul, but the push occurred miles outside the box, then they fell onto each other in the box! It should 100% been a free kick outside the box.

However, admittedly a chance of a red for being last man, but minimum yellow. But def a FK and not a pen.

Really annoyed about this.

FlorinRaduclious

Outside of that, same comment from me as most others here. Defense were poor, whole back 4 were very weak today.

Whole side is struggling with the missing players with injury, and a lot of players out of form.

Including Soucek, yet, what an outstanding ball by him to release Bowen for the Benrahma goal. Superb pass, that would have been lauded had it been by a 'name' player in a champs league team.

OldCastleSwift

FlorinRaduclious said:

eskimoking said:

Contact starts outside? Hasn’t that always been a thing?

Sorry, can we hark back to this?!

This seemed to almost go uncommented on. Obviously a clear foul, but the push occurred miles outside the box, then they fell onto each other in the box! It should 100% been a free kick outside the box.

However, admittedly a chance of a red for being last man, but minimum yellow. But def a FK and not a pen.

Really annoyed about this.

I haven't seen the incidents, but I notice that Chelsea got two more penalties today, and Norwich supposedly had a good shout against Arsenal turned down. With our opposition this afternoon being awarded a dodgy one, and the recent history of the 'Super League 6' getting very favourable penalty decisions, is there something suspicious going on?