West Ham vs Brentford [15th Feb, 3pm]

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Comments

  • EXETERHAMMEREXETERHAMMER
    Didn't see this one. Glad I didn't.
  • jay_in_cptjay_in_cpt
    Have to lay blame at Potter here for his 1st half line up, like I would have for the previous manager..
    2nd half improvement, yeh, can't moan about injuries, as we are doing better than most with injuries.
    They just need to start remembering the first 15 minutes we actually need to play football...
    Oh well, Potter needs to sort this out ASAP
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    As far as injuries go we have the fewest in the league.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    We will most likely get hammered at Arsenal then if we don’t beat Leicester then I think we could be in for a very nervy ride to the season end.
  • alderzalderz
    I think it’ll only be a nervy end to the season if you’re a real pessimist.

    To me it seemed fairly clear that Potter is still getting to know the squad, and trying things out. I hope he’s learned from this that - no matter what happens in training - Mavropanos cannot play in a back four, Paqueta shouldn’t play up front, and Kudus needs a bit of time out of the side.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    The new manager bounce certainly working at Everton.
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    Not sure getting to know the squad is a valid excuse. They are all supposed to be international footballers but most play as if they’re triallists who answered a small ad in a newsagents.
  • OutcastLondonerOutcastLondoner
    thornburyiron said:

    The new manager bounce certainly working at Everton.

    It is. Even heard a few people singing “we want our Moyesie back” after the game.

    (Probably the same lot grumbling when it was similarly bad under him).

    Having this much possession and still not much threat is a weird new experience.
  • alderzalderz
    thornburyiron said:

    Not sure getting to know the squad is a valid excuse. They are all supposed to be international footballers but most play as if they’re triallists who answered a small ad in a newsagents.

    As others have said, three managers over two seasons. Not sure enough blame goes to the players.
  • carsonroadboycarsonroadboy
    I fear that it was the fans that wanted David Moyes out and not the board. How many regret that now DM has taken relegation candidates above us?
  • alderzalderz
    FWIW, I don’t regret that Moyes left, because we were awful for about 18mths before he left.
  • chicagohammerchicagohammer
    No smoking gun here, we were certainly better in the second half but after that first half horror show we did not deserve anything from the game.

    I cannot blame the ref for missing the foul on Soler as up until then I was not aware he was even playing!!

    Only real positive was how different it felt having an actual striker up top and Scarles continues to impress, if Guilherme is worthy of the last six or seven minutes then why not try him out for the last twenty or so…..I for one would like to see a bit more of him

    Arsenal up next, gawd help us
  • YeoldhammerYeoldhammer
    buffybegood said:

    Frighteningly similar to a number of performances under J-Lo; a dreadful first half followed by improvement after half time changes, but ultimately on the wrong end of the final scoreline.

    J-lo never had us on the wrong end of a scoreline, with never any improvement either half. Potter has in my opinion got unlucky at Chelsea and Aston Villa. Don't think of a single game apart from Leicester where Lopetegui can be felt hard done by.
  • LukerzLukerz
    The key incident was the Kudus chance. That goes in right after half time at 1-1 & who knows what the end result would’ve been. As it was, Brentford were fairly comfortable.
  • alderzalderz
    Lukerz said:

    The key incident was the Kudus chance. That goes in right after half time at 1-1 & who knows what the end result would’ve been. As it was, Brentford were fairly comfortable.

    That, and the chance in the first half where Bowen put it across the six yard box. If Ferguson had been on the pitch, I trust he’d have made a near post run and scored. As it was, nobody was there because nobody on the pitch had strikers instincts.
  • buffybegoodbuffybegood
    Lukerz said:

    The key incident was the Kudus chance. That goes in right after half time at 1-1 & who knows what the end result would’ve been. As it was, Brentford were fairly comfortable.

    A dreadful miss and you can't help feeling it was very costly; after their dominance in the first half, if we'd have levelled 5 minutes into the second half the momentum would definitely have been with us.
  • MIAHammerMIAHammer
    Yeoldhammer said:

    buffybegood said:

    Frighteningly similar to a number of performances under J-Lo; a dreadful first half followed by improvement after half time changes, but ultimately on the wrong end of the final scoreline.

    J-lo never had us on the wrong end of a scoreline, with never any improvement either half. Potter has in my opinion got unlucky at Chelsea and Aston Villa. Don't think of a single game apart from Leicester where Lopetegui can be felt hard done by.
    And yet we still got 23 points.
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited February 16
    Yesterday was the first time we looked vaguely similar to under Lop. That first half may as well have been any of those Lop games where we got torn apart over & over. The other 5.5 games have been night & day in terms of organisation, structure, cohesion. Potter made a bad call to move away from the back 3/5 in this type of home game against a good counter-attacking team. We were disorganised & very open as a result.

    But, it is still the same group of players. They are not going to miraculously turn around. They are not good enough. Kudus is referred to as one of our best players; he has 3 goals & 1 assist all season. There are defenders in the PL with better returns. Paquetá has not got a single assist all season. Álvarez, I know I always say this, he is not good enough for a starting PL midfielder; always too high, exposed, no recovery pace, reckless decision-making, poor at winning the ball back. The full-backs are very good as wing-backs, but not good enough as full-backs in terms of staying in shape & being solid. AWB recovers a lot; ideally you don’t want him recovering one v one much. Mavropanos is a liability; inconsistent, error-prone, lacks concentration & quality.

    Our only player of consistent quality is Bowen. I like Kilman, I like Souček, I don’t mind AWB in a back five or as a third CB. But other than that. There is not a lot there. Soler is absent in most games he plays. Summerville has 1 goal & 1 assist this season; he cost £25m. I won’t assess Füllkrug as he’s barely had a chance. Rodríguez was another players who is just not dynamic or mobile enough to compete at this level, technically good with 5 yard passes, but that’s it. Todibo I think the jury is still out for me. A lot seem to rate him in the game & in our fan base. Not convinced I’ve seen anything yet. Our keepers are inconsistent, Fabiański is 40 so inevitably will have games where he could do better & Areola lets in way too many ‘soft’ goals.

    So much work to do in the summer.
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited February 16
    Areola
    Todibo - Kilman - Cresswell
    Wan-Bissaka - Ward-Prowse - Souček - Emerson
    Bowen - Paquetá
    Ferguson

    Fabiański, Mavropanos, Coufal, Scarles, Álvarez, Soler, Guilherme, Kudus, Ings

    Should probably be the side going forward, with Scarles & Guilherme getting a number of minutes as we look to the future.
  • BubblesNeverDiesBubblesNeverDies
    alderz said:

    Lukerz said:

    The key incident was the Kudus chance. That goes in right after half time at 1-1 & who knows what the end result would’ve been. As it was, Brentford were fairly comfortable.

    That, and the chance in the first half where Bowen put it across the six yard box. If Ferguson had been on the pitch, I trust he’d have made a near post run and scored. As it was, nobody was there because nobody on the pitch had strikers instincts.
    Or even Danny Ings.
  • alderzalderz
    I think Emerson has a fight on his hands with Scarles, tbh.
  • BubblesNeverDiesBubblesNeverDies
    edited February 16
    alderz said:

    I think Emerson has a fight on his hands with Scarles, tbh.

    Scarles definitely doesn't appear to lack confidence.
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited February 16
    Also with the goal - what is Areola doing? It’s almost a daisy cutter straight at him, yet he makes a right hash of it by diving early & saving it with his feet. That then causes the scramble after.

    The penalty shout on Bowen - clear penalty & again another reason why I feel, personally, VAR should be scrapped. Both players are wrestling for the ball, neither in full control, yet the Brentford player then kicks Bowen’s calf. Get rid of VAR & other than automated offsides & goal-line technology, leave the rest to the officials. I don’t know how VAR can look at that & say it was not clear & obvious. Had there been no kicking of Bowen’s leg, I’d say it was the right call but the kicking of Bowen’s leg surely makes it a penalty.

    Kilman - has been playing really well as the central defender in a back 3. Went back to looking like a Sunday league player in a back four with Mavro next to him. Another odd call.
  • alderzalderz
    Yeah Areola recovered pretty well, but the original save attempt was rubbish.
  • YeoldhammerYeoldhammer
    MIAHammer said:

    Yeoldhammer said:

    buffybegood said:

    Frighteningly similar to a number of performances under J-Lo; a dreadful first half followed by improvement after half time changes, but ultimately on the wrong end of the final scoreline.

    J-lo never had us on the wrong end of a scoreline, with never any improvement either half. Potter has in my opinion got unlucky at Chelsea and Aston Villa. Don't think of a single game apart from Leicester where Lopetegui can be felt hard done by.
    And yet we still got 23 points.
    My point, he was never on the wrong end of a scoreline, a dubious penalty awarded against Man United. Being outplayed by Palace and winning 2-0 etc the list goes on where we have been battered by teams and somehow fluked a win. If i was to go through each game in Lopeteguis reign and judged the performance he would be probably sitting on 10 or 11 points max that he probably deserved.
  • FortuneseekerFortuneseeker
    How many of yesterdays starting line up do we reckon will be playing in the first game next season or shouldn't be? I offer Mavropanos, Soucek, Soler & possibly Emerson. We may have to sell Kudus to raise sufficient funds to allow GP to do yet another rebuild although there are some good young players like Scarles & Orford who could save the club some money with Potts and Kodua also to return from loans.
  • alderzalderz
    Part of the problem we’ve had this season is too much change. I’m not convinced some of the players are good enough (the keepers, Mavropanos, the central midfielders as a unit), but I want to see how Potter gets them playing after a preseason. Kudus and Paqueta have largely been bad this season, but it’s just not true that they’re bad footballers, because we’ve seen plenty from both of them to prove that isn’t the case.
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    alderz said:

    Uh oh, my commentator thinks Scarles is called Scales and it’s grinding my gears!

    Don't worry. The stadium announcer called Ferguson Rodriguez when he came on.🎪
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    thornburyiron said:

    Comes to something when we rely on teams below us not to pick up points because we have little or no confidence in our own lot managing to do so.

    I don't.
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    carsonroadboy said:

    I fear that it was the fans that wanted David Moyes out and not the board. How many regret that now DM has taken relegation candidates above us?

    None at all. He had his time and needed to go.
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