Pellegrini Confirmed as West Ham Manager (22.05.18) - already (September) there are doubters

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Comments

  • OldCastleSwiftOldCastleSwift
    For a top manager he's struggled to get the best out of what he's got. When you look at the teams that we've lost to this season, a good number of them are teams that, on paper, are worse than ours.

    But the biggest problem is not Pellegrini's. It's the lack of investment in the areas we've needed the most. And I'm not talking solely about financial investment. Not enough effort has been made in identifying and bringing in the right players in key positions. We've struggled at full back for a good few seasons now and continue to do so. We've been crying out for a centre midfielder for at four windows, and our only significant signing was Wilshere, who many had reservations about when we brought him and they've been proven right.

    Pellegrini, Husillos and Sullivan have a big summer ahead of them. The manager will have had a full season to judge the squad and move on those that aren't up to it (at least six by my reckoning) and bring in players that suit his style of play.

    He deserves another season to try to take us forward but he has a long way to go to convince me that he's the same manager that he was in pre-China.
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited March 2019
    It’s a seesaw at the moment. At one end is Pelle, at the other are the players.

    He wants a winning mentality & he is used to managing the best. The players are not used to being ‘winners’ & not used to working for a manager of his experience. The seesaw has not levelled out yet.

    The regular sloppy starts are starting to wear a bit thin now. It’s getting boring.

    But he is gonna need more time & smart investment. Not mega bucks, but the money we do spend, we need to spend wisely.

    Fabianski
    RB - Balbuena - Diop - LB
    Rice - CM
    Yarmolenko - Lanzini - Anderson
    ST

    Obiang, Perez & Carroll need to go. They offer nothing. Question marks over Zab, Fredericks, Masuaku, Sanchez, Wilshere, Nasri, Arnie, Hernandez too.

    Is where I think we need to strengthen. Those players who are in the 11, with the exception of Diop who is still growing & for me it is 50-50 whether he will be good enough in a couple of years to be a first choice CB (he is nowhere near as good as even an out of form Reid at the moment), are more than good enough to get us moving forward but I do fear we are going to have too many luxury players.
  • OldCastleSwiftOldCastleSwift
    Yeah, Yarmolenko, Lanzini and Anderson will leave the midfield two horribly exposed.

    For me we need to be a 4-3-3 rather than 4-2-3-1. Rice sitting with two CMs in front. I would be looking at:

    Fab
    Fredericks Balbuena Diop LB
    Rice
    Nasri Wilshere
    Yarmolenko ST Anderson

    So for me, the priories for the first XI are a striker, a CM (Wilshere is just too unreliable) and a LB.

    Arguably the bigger problem is what's behind them. A lot of mediocrity in the squad (Snodderz, Antonio, Sanchez, Diangana, Cresswell, Obiang, Ogbonna) that will need replacing.
  • OutcastLondonerOutcastLondoner
    I didn't think I'd say this at the beginning of the season but I think having Balbuena back will make a big difference to the defence and Diop in particular. I expect him back for the next game.
  • stevesteve
    Dont really understand why Balbuena did not play after all hes been on the sub bench for a few games now .So he must be fit .Diop looks lost without him
  • WHU_Champo_league_in_7_yearsWHU_Champo_league_in_7_years
    He's done good all things considering

    What I have been thoroughly unimpressed with is some if his team selections

    Everytime we've gone 442 we've been awful, and he doesn't notice it

    And he plays Perez....Perez who is already out the door in the summer

    He needs another summer where we give him a large transfer kitty but it doesn't look like we will see a similar investment to last year
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited April 2019
    A good interview on Sky, presumably ahead of tonight’s game, with Pellegrini where he touches on several things including changing the mentality and style of play at the club. :ok:

    https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11687286/manuel-pellegrini-exclusive-ex-manchester-city-boss-trying-to-transform-west-ham
  • grey_til_I_dyegrey_til_I_dye
    InPelleWeTrust
  • LukerzLukerz
    edited April 2019
    What is interesting is that stat set which suggests slight improvement in all main areas, but clearly no revolution overnight. His impact has been small at the moment, but I think any real influence will start to surface next season. I think if by the end of next season we have regressed, we could probably think of his time here as uninspiring, but I expect us to be a lot better next season beyond the slight improvement we have seen this season.

    I think he is the ideal manager for us right now and to be honest think he would have been the perfect fit for us after Sam went or before we moved into the OS. Think we may have adjusted to that new ground a lot better with him in charge. I like his philosophy, I like his signings, I like his focus on youth when they are good enough, he comes across well and doesn’t bring us any unwanted media attention or negative press.
  • chicagohammerchicagohammer
    Interesting stat - you would have hoped for a better return than just two wins out of ten against our peer group.

    Eight out of thirteen against the bottom seven is probably above average and better than expectations, especially as for a chunk of the season the bottom seven were our peer group.

    All in all it shows how just a little improvement can potentially make a big difference.
  • chicagohammerchicagohammer
    Just a second thought/conclusion, it goes some way to prove that the league does not lie, we appear to be clearly better than the bottom seven but stubbonly below average when compared to the middle six.
  • jay_in_cptjay_in_cpt
    edited April 2019
    So our manager again IMO picked the wrong starting 11, how many times do we accept this, he will get away with it this, his 1st season, however sadly I think he will be severely caught out next, I mean starting Hernandez as a lone striker is a :doh: and Perez in the starting 11 recently surely must be another :doh: ...

    I will give him the benefit of doubt for now, but not next season...

    IMHO I still feel he is wrong for us, whatever attacking football he is "trying" to achieve, I do hope I am very wrong though :ok:
  • YeoldhammerYeoldhammer
    He's default seems to be blaming injuries now but he has what I would say is his best 11 on the pitch and has had that for a number of games.
    If I hear the injury excuse again or the we weren't up for it mantle piece again might start calling him Jose.
  • OldCastleSwiftOldCastleSwift
    Mentally? :hmm:

  • HamstewHamstew
    edited April 2019
    Blaming it on the mantle piece will end up getting him fired.
  • grey_til_I_dyegrey_til_I_dye
    Well, the defence were like statues when Hazard went past them...

    Or perhaps they were tiled?
  • BubblesNeverDiesBubblesNeverDies
    Definitely didn't provide much guard.
  • HamstewHamstew
    Although there is usually no smoke without fire
  • IronHerbIronHerb
    Does grate though.
  • HamstewHamstew
    Not as if we have the likes of Joe or Carlton Coal to call upon anymore :sofa:
  • Cuz1Cuz1
    Keeps you on your guard
  • OldCastleSwiftOldCastleSwift
    Hazard certainly scuttled between our players
  • BubblesNeverDiesBubblesNeverDies
    That's enough, stop it now (says he poker-faced).
    :yercoat:
  • Cuz1Cuz1
    Perhaps didn’t tackle him because was a fire hazard
  • BubblesNeverDiesBubblesNeverDies
    edited April 2019
    Cuz, how come nobody thought of that one (till now of course)? :clap:
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