Away to Wolves, Saturday 6th

Brother_Sledge

MrsGrey said:

I'm going to splurge large amounts of Swiss francs on a bottle of mediocre wine to celebrate 🥳

The wife has put over half a bottle of good red in a boeuf borguignon. I hope Le boeuf is worth it to be Frank

Dodger58

Frank le Boeuf?

Slacker

I’ve never understood why it takes a rocket from a manager at half time to change a team’s attitude.
We were so, so poor in the first half but were transformed in the second.
They’re elite pro players but still seem to need to be told by “ the boss “ how to do their jobs.
Mad innit?

IronHerb

MrsGrey said:

I'm going to splurge large amounts of Swiss francs on a bottle of mediocre wine to celebrate 🥳

Welcome to my world 😂

claretandbluesky

I am not sure it's a rocket from the manager but possibly the managers fault. There is a chance the players are better than he is allowing them to express by the way he sets up. He tends like to defend a 0-0 position and if winning wants to defend it very early. There is a pattern emerging.

When we lead with attacking intent he plays an attacker and forgoes a DM, when wanting to defend he does the opposite.

Burnley at home
No Antonio and sets up to defend. A poor display and losing at half time, introduces attacking threat by introducing Antonio for a DM. we draw 2-2

Freiburg Away
Setts up in defensive posture, loses to a late goal.

Villa Home
sets up in attacking mode and winning at half time, swaps Antonio for DM very early and game changes and we concede.

Frieburg Home
All out attack and over run them.

Newcastle away
1-3 up with half an hour to go and repeats the villa move of Antonio for DM, we lose 4-3

Spurs home
Attacking set up and earn a 1-1 draw

Wolves Away
Sets up to defend again with his extra midfielder, awful first half. Brings on an attacker for a midfielder and the game changes again, we win 1-2


From all this it's clear we have the ability to score and take games to teams and we don't need act like a lower league opposition to these teams. There is a clear pattern and it's based on his preference to field an attacker or an extra midfielder.

buffybegood

claretandbluesky said:

Burnley at home
No Antonio and sets up to defend. A poor display and losing at half time, introduces attacking threat by introducing Antonio for a DM. we win 2-1

We did?

claretandbluesky

buffybegood said:

claretandbluesky said:

Burnley at home
No Antonio and sets up to defend. A poor display and losing at half time, introduces attacking threat by introducing Antonio for a DM. we win 2-1

We did?

Well spotted Buffy, wishful thinking or bad memory take your pick! 2-2. Changed it.

Slacker

Some fair points in that but that doesn’t allow for the weak performance by the players in the first half. There was no bite, commitment or ( it appeared) an appetite to fight.
That changed 100% in the second half.
Ok, there were tactical subs. brought on but the attitude totally changed, and that’s my point, why should it take rocket from the manager and staff to achieve that?
Never got that.

Clactonite

Was that the first team we did the double over this season?

thornburyiron

Think so yes

Lukerz

The goal disallowed was harsh, no doubt.

However, I don’t think it fair any player can stand on top of the keeper (& be offside) & that not be punished.

Fab could’ve come for the cross or made the save, neither possible but that’s not the ref’s concern.

OutcastLondoner

Antonio improved us a lot I think. Good hold up play, and just gave us more presence.

alderz

Once again, Antonio proving that we desperately need to find another striker like him. He needs a new deal, but he also needs a long term replacement who can play like he does. Awoniyi would be perfect, I think.

buffybegood

Now we have to worry on how bad the injury to Bowen is 😭😭😭

MrsGrey

I'm just reading some of the match reports.

This, in the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/apr/06/wolves-west-ham-premier-league-match-report

Several odd things

Harrington had been at the centre of most of the big moments in the match. He awarded a penalty to each side, converted by Pablo Sarabia and Lucas Paquetá, and disallowed a goal from Emerson Palmieri. The referee also gave West Ham the corner that James Ward-Prowse swung directly into the far corner, although the wind and José Sá were far more influential than the officials on that one.

Who else would award the corners, penalties, etc but the referee?

The former Nottingham Forest manager, Steve Cooper, was in the stands and he, like everyone else in attendance, could not have envisaged West Ham leaving with three points

Relevance?

West Ham were the only team capable of winning the match but no one could have anticipated Ward-Prowse deceiving the goalkeeper with a wicked corner.

'Cos he's never done it before

buffybegood

In all fairness it's felt like he's been trying to score direct from a corner all season, I've mentioned it in some previous match threads.

thornburyiron

Can’t see why he’d be trying it when he himself says he hasn’t done it since he was a kid. It’s a long while to have no luck.

Bazshuayi

Hoping Bowens injury is just a contact one (Moyes said it was a knee into him rather than a twist) and it'll ease over the net few days. Yes, he may be in a little pain on Thursday but nothing that he will want to keep him out of the game.

It'll be that much harder to be the first team to beat them this season without him #Obv

MrsGrey

What happened to the MOTM thread?

Alderz working on his karma by doing the washing up?

steve

Was just thinking the same .MOTM might have to go with Phillips

buffybegood

thornburyiron said:

Can’t see why he’d be trying it when he himself says he hasn’t done it since he was a kid. It’s a long while to have no luck.

Probably realised he's cursed never to score a free kick for us, so he's moved on to corners 😂🤣😂.

Pengeman

I am not sure what the fuss about the Wolves disallowed goal is about. Just seen it agains https://www.skysports.com/premier-league-highlights/video/36504/13109439/wolves-1-2-west-ham-premier-league-highlights Wolves player is in an offside position and obstucting the goalie's view. Whether Fabianski would have saved the header or not is irrelevant. Ref and VAR followed rules and made a good decision.

DJ Hammer

Not a single word on MOTD about West Ham’s win, messers Big Ears, Wright, and Dublin focused solely on Wolves disallowed goal, I should learn not to expect any more.

BubblesNeverDies

Wright & Dublin raging against the "injustice" of disallowing Wolves equaliser on MOTD.
Where was the rage against the KP incident last week?
Getting really sick of MOTD.

Kuchinghammer

Bowen's injury was a turning point. Moyes deciding to go with Cresswell and 3 at the back. His sub decisions are either a disaster or inspired. And the oranges at half time worked a treat as well 😄

ValiantIron

Pengeman said:

I am not sure what the fuss about the Wolves disallowed goal is about. Just seen it agains https://www.skysports.com/premier-league-highlights/video/36504/13109439/wolves-1-2-west-ham-premier-league-highlights Wolves player is in an offside position and obstucting the goalie's view. Whether Fabianski would have saved the header or not is irrelevant. Ref and VAR followed rules and made a good decision.

I've just watched this and it certainly seems less dubious than either the penalty against us or our disallowed goal! I accept I have some bias, but I can't see how even the opposition manager and the pundits are so incensed by a player being penalised for standing in an offside position directly in front of the goalkeeper.

steve

Anyone a bit surprised Moyes never put Phillips on when we were 2-1 up .Perhaps his head has gone ,Phillips that is not Moyes .

IronHerb

ValiantIron said:

Pengeman said:

I am not sure what the fuss about the Wolves disallowed goal is about. Just seen it agains https://www.skysports.com/premier-league-highlights/video/36504/13109439/wolves-1-2-west-ham-premier-league-highlights Wolves player is in an offside position and obstucting the goalie's view. Whether Fabianski would have saved the header or not is irrelevant. Ref and VAR followed rules and made a good decision.

I've just watched this and it certainly seems less dubious than either the penalty against us or our disallowed goal! I accept I have some bias, but I can't see how even the opposition manager and the pundits are so incensed by a player being penalised for standing in an offside position directly in front of the goalkeeper.

Just shows that the pundits have no idea about the laws of the game. It may be a bad law but was applied correctly. I think GO'N showed himself up poorly there.

buffybegood

I think the frustrating thing from a Wolves perspective is that there was no way Fabianski was saving the header even if his view was totally unobstructed, but there can be no doubt that a player stood directly in front of the keeper, between the keeper and the scorer, is active and thus offside.

Wrt MOTD, I very rarely watch it these days. I got really annoyed a good while back when the pundits were basically joking about yet another bad decision that we'd been on the wrong end of; it was completely disrespectful to just laugh at yet another decision going against us.

buffybegood

Kudus seemed below par yesterday, and has been so a bit recently. I know it may affect a lot of players, but I wonder if Ramadan is a factor, especially with how much football our core squad has to play. If it is, hopefully he'll be back to his usual self starting with Leverkusen on Thursday given Ramadan ends Tuesday (I think).