The mauling at the City ground was hard to watch, West Ham’s young guns were literally lambs to the slaughter. Nottingham Forest from the first to the last minute were in complete control and 5-0 was just about right.
Now I don’t for one-minute think such a demolition could be a good thing for our up and coming youngsters; one shudders to think how the George Moncur for example will recover from such a horrific debut for the first team. However I can completely understand why Sam Allardyce threw our young guns to the wolves.
There is now only room for two priorities in West Ham’s increasingly flagging season, they are staying in the Premier League and attempting to win the Capital One Cup, our squad with all the injuries we’re currently suffering with is simply not big enough to cope with any more.
We’re 180 minutes from this club’s first cup final in eight years; of course Sam was going to prioritise that over a by comparison meaningless FA cup tie. I feel for the fans that travelled up to Nottingham and witnessed the debacle and after such a pathetic performance I would agree with those calling for a refund; but I don’t think Sam had a choice but to name the team he named.
Our injury list is truly horrendous and we have to give ourselves the best possible chance against the superstars of Manchester City on Wednesday night, so surely we can all understand Sam wanting to rest our better players for a far more important game?
It wasn’t pretty and I feel for our young players, it’s not fair that they were put through such a humiliating defeat with barely any senior players to shoulder the responsibility and lead the way, but I can guarantee if the injury situation wasn’t so bad Sam would have had more experience in the team and on the bench.
As hard as it is to admit for a club like ours with such proud FA cup traditions and heritage; the cup ultimately had to be sacrificed for the bigger picture: attempting to stay in the league and attempting to win the Capital One Cup.
I’m not saying we’re going to achieve either goal, I can’t predict the future, but I am saying that being out of the FA cup, not having to worry about replays and a further congested fixture list will definitely help our cause.
The fact that it was our youngsters that were playing had little to do with the loss. Either you weren’t watching or you had the commentary on mute because they even pointed out why we were struggling. The reasons we struggled so much were purely down to Sam being inept. There is absolutely no issue with sending the youngsters out, in fact I was rejoicing at the fact that we would be playing some youngsters. However, if you decide to play them, you have to give them a fighting chance.
Playing 3 at the back with not one centre back playing is ludicrous. The two youngsters were both full backs and Diarras is a central midfielder by choice. We were set out to fail from the start. His hands were tied with regard to who he could play, they certainly weren’t tide with regard to the formation and tactics he could use.
I sincerely hope you were told to write an article that attempts to support Sam because if you genuinely do believe that yesterday’s loss had nothing to do with Sam’s tactics and formation then I pity you.
Allardyce was a joke. In his post match interview he refused to take the blame, instead saying “they” (the kids) had lost their shape, had stopped playing after 60 mins. Wouldn’t you expect an experienced manager would ensure those young kids maintainned their shape and played to the final whistle? Isn’t that his responsibility from the sidelines? And all this “we’re all in it together” and he uses “they” all the time instead of “we”? No he’s a joke who’s lost me. As my brother said in the drive back after the game…Allardyce has no passion for West Ham it’s just all about his ego….and he really hates us deluded West Ham fans who spend our hard earned pennies to get up at 6am on Sunday to go north for rubbish like that!!!
We will lose to City and we will lost to Cardiff – and we’ll have a load of kids whose confidence has been destroyed by an Egotist. At the end of the game, the travelling support was willing on Forest to score in the hope the more embarrassing the defeat the more likely it would be that Sam got his P45.
Why was their confidence be destroyed they are footballers the only way to learn is to play against stronger opposition, and how do we know it hit their confidence, apart from losing they could have enjoyed playing in what was on the day The First Team, which is what they have been working towards.,??
Do you believe every ridiculous line that Sam feeds you, Kwame? His list of excuses grows longer and longer – BUT never does he talk about being out thought tactically or picking the wrong team. It’s everybody else’s fault.
Hammers are on the slippery slope – & the senior players that did turn out at Forest were a disgrace. I’m talking the likes of Maiga, Jarvis & Downing – all Sam signings.
How much longer before we are rid of this useless man??
Come on Kwame, have a mind of your own & stop swallowing Sam’s rubbish excuses!
I have no sympathy for the fans that travelled up to Forest. It wasn’t hard to guess what sort of team we’d put out and it wasn’t hard to guess what the outcome would be.
The most important match is the next one. I am sick and tired of this “pick and choose” mentality. We were far more likely to progress to the 4th round at Forest with a half decent team than we are to reach the final against City. he could easily have shored things up with 2 or three first teamers but chose to let the kids die in front of the cameras. The fact that a number of promising young kids will have been scarred by the mauling and awful post-match publicity seems to be of no matter to the egotistical clown currently running this club. In all my considerable football experience, I have never heard anyone make so many pathetic excuses for their own shortcomings. Its like watching a car crash.
Sunday was bad! Sunday was embarrassing! Sunday was as low as we have been for a Long, long time! Anybody could have seen that. But the worst thing about results like this are not football related. No these results just give the anti Sam brigade who simply don’t like the man! Another excuse to blame him for everything from global warming to cold pies at half time! I am the first to admit that his style doesn’t always light my fire but I just wish some people could see the bigger picture and some of the good things he has done for the club! We are admittedly struggling badly this year and I like many others are shocked to be where we are! I honestly thought we’d turned the yo-yo corner and had found some long sought after stability. But injuries and number crunching have proved so far otherwise! Everything now depends on the jan window. If not who we sign but whether who comes in can give the club a bigger enough lift and raise the confidence to play ourselves out of trouble. As even if we get everybody back from injury it won’t be enough on its own go save us! COYI!
DorestHammer I wrote this article from my own POV nothing to do with Sam, I’ve lost a hell of a lot of faith in Sam Allardyce and I think regardless of which division we’re in he shouldn’t be the manager next season. I’m also not defending his horrendous tactics, all I am saying is that I understand why named the team he did, the games against Man City and Cardiff are far more important, that’s all I’m saying.
You people are hilarious. Kids this, kids that, lambs to the slaughter baaaaa. You do realize the starting lineup average age between the two teams was only 1 year. The difference was Forest were hungry, had a game plan and have a coach that is heads above fat Sam. Heritage being sacrificed? Don’t make me larf! Forest has more heritage than West Ham and they want to win the league they are in. They easily could have put out their second team and still have been competitive again that performance uninspired by big fat Sam. Other places saying you are EPL, Forest are Championship, it shouldn’t have happened. Well, you are where you are in the EPL because you are rubbish and Forest are where they are in the Championship because they are reasonably decent. See you in the Championship next year if we are not trading places.
Goldie you are talking utter rubbish, Forest had their first team out, we had our youth team out! Age doesn’t come into it, experience does! The vast majority of that side we had out were making their debuts, if you cannot understand how far the gap is regardless of age between youth and first team football then you know absolutely nothing about the sport.
I’m amazed how Forest fan’s are crowing about this result, what you beat was our 3rd choice team! Congrats! What a magnificent achievement! And if Billy Davies is such a top manager why has he spent his entire career in the champ or lower?
Forest played well but my God beating a bunch of youth team players the vast majority of whom were making their debuts is nothing to get excited about, the fact that you lot are shows how far you’ve fallen.