West Ham vs Southampton

alderzalderz
in Match Threads
Another big game
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  • LukerzLukerz
    edited October 18
    Hermansen
    Veltman - Mavropanos - Kilman - Morato
    Engels - Mukasa
    Bowen - Kanté - Austbø
    Piroe

    Areola, Golambeckis, Walker-Peters, Scarles, Orford, Souček, Solomon, Pablo, Taty
  • DJ HammerDJ Hammer
    I know it was only the Carabao Cup, when teams tend to field a weakened side, but we beat them 4-1 back in August, so I’m hoping for more of the same in this encounter.
  • claretandblueskyclaretandbluesky
    I think this will be our biggest test so far. I've yet to feel a team was better than us, even those that beat us, and if we can better Southampton then I am not sure who would look be our main threat.
  • ScotHammerScotHammer
    Lukerz said:

    Hermansen
    Veltman - Mavropanos - Kilman - Morato
    Engels - Mukasa
    Bowen - Kanté - Austbø
    Piroe

    Areola, Golambeckis, Walker-Peters, Scarles, Orford, Souček, Solomon, Pablo, Taty

    I’d go with very similar, but would have Taty starting instead of Piroe.
  • WhitehorsehammerWhitehorsehammer
    Taty is far better striker than Piroe.
  • LukerzLukerz
    Not as a lone striker, IMO
  • jay_in_cptjay_in_cpt
    Lukerz said:

    Not as a lone striker, IMO

    Tend to agree with this, on his own, he often gets isolated and offers little IMO....
  • YeoldhammerYeoldhammer
    Would rather start Pablo up top. Don't rate Taty much, he doesn't score enough and does not press enough to make him any better than Pablo, at least Pablo presses even if he cannot score
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited October 19
    I do rate Taty, he has scored a few for us & has undoubted quality, but he needs a partner & the team playing well to be fully effective

    Him & Piroe up top are probably our best pairing but we need the midfield to be on it & dominating the game

    Pablo makes games scrappy, Taty makes games technical, Piroe makes games clinical, but we can’t seem to get the right combo on the pitch for the right game (Wrexham aside)
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    Pablo is running out of time for me. Being busy doesn't justify a spot in the team.
  • alderzalderz
    IronHerb said:

    Pablo is running out of time for me. Being busy doesn't justify a spot in the team.

    I still can’t get over the fact that the team is much more successful when he’s in it. I’d have 11 traffic cones out there if they won all the time
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    His being busy has a purpose. He’s constantly pressing or pulling defenders out of position giving other players more room and chances they’d otherwise have.
  • claretandblueskyclaretandbluesky
    It's a huge puzzle for me as it is undeniable that he does something for the team and yet he is so useless when on the ball and you expect nothing. It's hard to see how he had risen to being a Premier league player with such very basic ability on the ball.

    The question arises each match of do we take what Pablo gives or utilise an actual footballer?
  • chicagohammerchicagohammer
    He does seem to be effective on the pitch but I wonder how that manifests itself in training, I would have thought his poor first touch and inability to control the ball would be clear to see yet he gets selected.

    To be fair I thought he did a decent job up top on his own as his industry carried the day
  • Expat_HammerExpat_Hammer
    thornburyiron said:

    His being busy has a purpose. He’s constantly pressing or pulling defenders out of position giving other players more room and chances they’d otherwise have.

    Plus, his pass for Kante to set up the only goal of the game.

    The guy is an enigma, but happily for us, a very good one
  • KuchinghammerKuchinghammer
    Pablo has a smart football brain, but the message doesn’t often reach his feet,…but of the three, he’s currently our best performing centre forward IMO.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    edited October 20
    DJ Hammer said:

    I know it was only the Carabao Cup, when teams tend to field a weakened side, but we beat them 4-1 back in August, so I’m hoping for more of the same in this encounter.

    Saints made five changes to the squad that beat Stoke the weekend before we played but four of those came on in the 2nd half

    Canadian CF Cyle Larin was on the bench back in August, now 2nd top scorer in the Championship with 7. On Saturday he was subbed before half time with a leg problem but no word how bad it was

    Divin Mubuma started up front in the Carabao but he was left on the bench against Bolton with Lewis Dobbin preferred as Larin's reaplcement

    Other regular starters on the bench in August were Irish AM/LW/RW Finn Azaz, 5 assists and 3 goals, LB Ryan Manning, Japanese CM/RW Kuryu Matsuki who got his first two caps during the international break and Flynn Downes

    Downes is currently top of the Championship for tackles per game but was out at the weekend with an ankle injury, chances of him being available are "possible but ambitious". Academy graduate 21yo Cameron Bragg started on Saturday alongside is our old mate James Ward-Prowse who has started the last seven

    Another addition since we played is CB Keven Schlotterbeck (£3m Augsburg) who has started nine in a row
  • stevesteve
    Forgot about JWP ,Think we all know what could happen there =)
  • DJ HammerDJ Hammer
    steve said:

    Forgot about JWP ,Think we all know what could happen there =)

    Nah, no chance, he’s well passed his prime.

  • IronHerbIronHerb
    ASLEFshrugged said:

    DJ Hammer said:

    I know it was only the Carabao Cup, when teams tend to field a weakened side, but we beat them 4-1 back in August, so I’m hoping for more of the same in this encounter.

    Saints made five changes to the squad that beat Stoke the weekend before we played but four of those came on in the 2nd half
    We made 8 changes to the starting XI of the team who played Charlton on the previous weekend, with 4 coming on as subs.
  • EXETERHAMMEREXETERHAMMER
    Amazing that we have scored 30 goals in the League so far and Taty has only scored 1 and Pablo has only scored 2.

  • MunichHammerMunichHammer
    EXETERHAMMER said:

    Amazing that we have scored 30 goals in the League so far and Taty has only scored 1 and Pablo has only scored 2.

    I believe Bowen has only scored 6 himself and is our top scorer in the league. That just shows how well placed we are not to be reliant ona single player.
  • claretandblueskyclaretandbluesky
    edited October 20
    Mavro carrying us on his big Greek shoulders, that's what it will be!

    He's doing his own job (sort of) and Taty's ! That Taty should be giving him half his wages.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Saints have scored in every away game but their form isn't much. They beat Norwich, drew at Birmingham and Lincoln, lost at Wrexham and Watford.

    They must be worried about trips to WBA, Wolves and us
  • thornburyironthornburyiron
    edited October 21
    Have they got a W phobia? Let’s hope they don’t break the spell Saturday.
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Saints 0-0 draw against Bolton at the weekend was the first time they've not scored

    It was also their 3rd clean sheet in a row having conceded every match before that

    They tend to play down the left with LB Ryan Manning and LW Leo Scienza the main threats

    Veltman rather than Walker-Peters
  • KuchinghammerKuchinghammer
    11 players have scored for West Ham this season. Play them all! Attack, attack!! 😁😁
  • ASLEFshruggedASLEFshrugged
    Flynn Downes hasn't been seen at training this week but they do have another option in midfield

    23yo DM Caspar Jander, joined last summer from FC Nuremburg for £10.4m, 38 starts out of 43 appearances last season, was part of the German squad that lost in the 2025 U21 Euros final to England

    Suffered a hamstring before the pre-season but has been on the bench for the last three games.

    Solid tackler and good passer. Saints fans rate him
  • LukerzLukerz
    Alvarez, Cornet & Magassa all training with the squad again this week - surely we have to get them involved at some point given their wages, even if they all leave in January
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    Nothing to do with their wages, it has to be if they can do a job for the team. If they can then fine, if not....
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