After a 2-0 defeat at home to the Champions, here’s five things we learnt:
1. Our defensive frailties were carried over from the Stoke City defeat and even with James Collins being brought back in for Winston Reid (which was assumed to be the issue) there was no improvement in the defending. One of the most effective set of defenders have led the way for West Ham all season, but weaknesses are being unveiled and West Ham need to sort this, and quickly.
2. James Tomkins had a very poor game. He was at fault for the first goal and was consistently caught out of position and was almost punished with a pass across goal going straight to Juan Mata, of all people. Perhaps time to try Collins and Reid alongside one another?
3. Not so much something learnt versus Manchester United, but a worry nonetheless, was how little The Hammers had in the middle of the park. Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Matt Taylor must have forgot that each other were playing as everything went over the wide men or up to Andy Carroll. No second option to go through the middle, easily dealt with by Man United for the long part.
4. After buying players with either an excellent crossing ability or a physical presence, in an attempt to be a threat in the air and from set pieces we can neither deliver a good ball nor win a header! Many crosses delivered, only a handful of any use. Carroll was largely controlled by Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick due to the lack of support around Andy. It seems that the wide men are rarely gambling by going beyond the defence of the opposition, something which you get from Ricardo Vaz Te in abundance.
5. Finally, we learnt that we are by no means out of trouble, and after a fantastic February comes a miserable March. A big game awaits mid-week versus Hull City, and the points need to arrive again, ASAP.
I can’t even begin to explain how pissed off I am!!!
We had a vulnerable United side, playing between 2 huge matches, at OUR home!… Without RVP, Valencia and Giggs!… Playing with rotating centerbacks!…
All we had to do to win was to play smarter than the greeks and show some creativity in the box! Instead, we played WORSE than Olympicos!
For everyone that would, once again, like to blame Sam let me stop you right now! -There comes a time when you have to look at the players. Yesterday was that time…
I blame each and every player on that pitch! (Even, unfortunately, Noble.) I saw lazy passing, lazy tackles, lazy defending, players playing out of position, players tripping themsleves up, and a genuine lack of urgency.
I’d like to thank you for blaming the first goal on Tomkins. Because, it WAS his fault (and Adrian’s) regardless of what some might say. STOP BLAMING THE REF!… The defender stayed on his feet… no foul. End of story.
The bottom line is this- Yesterday’s performance has left me embarrassed and EVERY player should feel that wat as well! Because if we are going to continue playing like that we simply do not belong in the Premier League.
PS- Rooney will be a dud (as usual) in the World Cup.
I was never expecting a win on Saturday but a draw as far as im concerned would have been a result, so what 5 things did i learn about my West ham on Saturday, (1) we didn’t turn up for the game. (2) we didn’t turn up for the GAME ! (3) we don’t turn UP FOR THE GAME !! (4) we DIDN’T TURN UP FOR THE GAME !!! ,and last but not least (5) WE DIDN’T TURN UP FOR THE F**KING GAME !!!!!!!.
I suspected it because Sam has just too much respect for the big clubs, even this current Man Utd mob who are nothing compared to what United used to be.
Look, we just have to win this game against Hull on Wednesday. Going by how Steve Bruce was talking after their win against West Brom on Saturday, he said that all that the team and himself will be aiming for, is just 1 more win & a couple of draws. He knows that after a long season & a good FA cup run that that is maybe all they have left in them. They are committed to an FA Cup Semi final against Sheffield Utd, & probably, because they are only playing 1st Div Sheffield Utd, they will get into the final as well, so that will all take it out of them. They are there for the taking on Wednesday night. We simply have to win on Wednesday night, before we go to Sunderland on Monday. These are 2 very winnable games. Win these and our task of survival is just about complete for the season. Lose, and we have Arsenal away, Man City away, Liverpool Home, and Spurs at home. With our current squad, and with Sam’s almost unbelievable respect for all of the big clubs, then I do not fancy our chances of getting anything from those 4 games. We simply must get our points while we can this coming Wednesday & Monday. The only other chances we may get will be at West Brom and Crystal Palace home. It took Newcastle until just before the final whistle to grab a win from Palace on Saturday, and West Brom are the club who almost beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, so nothing is guaranteed from those 2 games either? If we win these next 2 games it will not matter so much as to what happens after, but lose? And I dread to think what may or may not happen. The team of; Adrián, Demel, McCartney, Taylor, Collins, Tomkins, Jarvis, Noble, Cole, Nolan, Downing are the magnificent 11 who won 4 games straight. Use them Sam. They are a well oiled machine. Andy Carroll and Winston Reid are not!
Can someone please tell Sam & AC? It ain’t working with Andy Carroll & their one dimesional, Neanderthal style of football. This is what Sam said on the WHUFC official website today:
The form of striker Andy Carroll could be crucial in the run-in with the striker putting in a man of the match display against the Red Devils.
Carroll has made just four starts this season after a foot injury disrupted his campaign and Allardyce feels the striker will be raring to go for the games ahead.
“In the games coming up he’ll (Carroll) be very important for us and for him to continue to play and up his match fitness as quickly as we can. The longer he carries on playing the better he’s going to get.
“He’s a player that’s very, very eager and very fresh, he’s not fatigued as some of the players are at this stage of the season having played the entire season. He’s fresh, he’s eager and he’s willing to get out there and try and improve the team’s results as much as he can.
“For us it’s about playing off Andy, not off his head, playing off him into his feet and his chest because the capabilities he has to hold the ball up.
“The amount of fouls he draws in off the opposition defenders. Marouane Fellaini persistently fouled Carroll which gave us good opportunities to get the ball into their box and try to score.
“He’ll get better as he gets sharper and we hope he stays fit. He laid two on for Kevin against Swansea, he scored a goal against Stoke but didn’t get the chance to score any more today. If we provide the service he’ll get the goals.”
This totally blows out of the water what I previously mentioned above. Just about everyone, myself included are switching off from what West Ham are doing under Sam. Honestly, I’ve lost the interest to watch them, unless Sam & AC leave. How many of you think Andy Carroll put in a “man of the match” performance against Man Utd? So the whole team is to play off of AC as though AC is some sort of God. Oh my God it get’s worse & worse.
Of course i was diappointed in our poor performance against a very average Man. U but I cant believe that Tompkins has been picked out as having a poor game compared to Taylor, Nolan and Diame. Yes he did play a bad pass across field but if you look at the replay he was unquestionably subjected to a well perfected Rooney shove when up for the header. It was subtle but a Rooney trick that has earned him many a goal against defenders. Where was Nolan when failling to pick up any of Carrolls excellent knock-ons? Not in mid-field for sure. Did he make one decent tackle? With Taylor playing to form ( passing skills non-existant) it was left as usual for Noble to carry the mid-field and for once this season he was not at his best. Reports all suggested Man. U’s best domestic perormance of season but added Hammers were poor. Discuss!!
Spot on in every comment and detail RonBoy29. Diame and Taylor are beyond comment now.
Again we cannot score, we have to bring Vaz Te back in along with Jarvis and Downing, Diame and Noble midfield engine room and Carroll up front. Reid and Collins in defence along with Demel and Armero i personally would recal Jussi as we need his wise head for the next couple of games.
COYI