w4hammer 1:17 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

ball retention in the last two games has been shocking.

We give the ball away so cheaply, so easily, consistently - we barely won a goal kick from Adrian all day yesterday , in many cases we didnt even put a player to contend the ball - this a basic football skill which we dont appear to have.

Stoke looked like they always had an extra player in every position yesterday- thats down to the lack of mobility we have,

I think we're kidding ourselves we have a good squad- as SIr ALf says Plan B worked for while however we've been found out hence the slump - I think we need five new first team players at least

BRANDED 1:08 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Sir Alf 12:27 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Excellent post.

One of the few that really nails the problems. Its playing staff as much as manager.

We have to accept that we looked great until the goal. And then we sat back and managed to keep the lead till the last minute. No matter how good or not Stoke's midfield were we handed it to them and they didn't really take the opportunity.

I personally think we're much closer to a better team than we've been for a long time but I do think it requires a different manager to take us there.

The only thing Sam guarantees is safety and that may be enough for the owners for now.

DJH 12:55 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Good post Sir Alf and one of the few posters who can put personal feelings aside and look at the role of Allardyce objectively.

The club have benefited from the tenure of Allardyce as weaker managers would have buckled in dealing with expectations and complete shambles the club was when he arrived.

Allardyce was a fix to a problem that he has addressed now and this has given the board the opportunity to sort things out behind the scenes, hopefully things are in place for the club to push on without him but the actions of the board since January make me doubt this and little will change next season even if Allardyce goes.

charleyfarley 12:54 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Kronic 12:09 agree mate, inexcusable especially when at this stage of the season we have the luxury of being able to play adventurous football. Stoke after going one down didn't come at us all guns blazing it's almost as if they knew they had the rest of the match to get an equaliser and could just bide their time, the football to watch was very painful.
THe crowd was quiet? probably most of them were asleep.

The Hammers 12:53 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Another weekend, another defeat

Same old West Ham, always let the fans down..

RM10 12:47 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

swiss- vote with your feet? thats not football.

Swiss. 12:35 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

LOL when they scored. I did predict 90mins after we scored so was almost right. BFS has it so wrong in all areas. . And Valencia's a bit shit really isn't he

Vote with your feet and just don't show up or turn off. How can people watch this crap.I'm telling you owners will renew his contract.

Sir Alf 12:27 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

The one sub that BFS really got wrong was Nolan for Song. Song showed resignation in his face knowing that he was making way not for performance reasons.

Song was not having a storming game but was able to get a foot in at times and generally help to contain Stoke's domination of midfield to some extent.

When he went off, they had even more room to operate and their possession stats improved.

The substitution of Cole for Sakho was more understandable since Sakho was clearly injured.I would have brought on Amalfitano on out wide up front and switched Downing into a central role.

The basic truth I think is that BFS is good at organising a team to get the best from lesser players and we defend pretty well with good marking, aerial strength in the box and last ditch blocks. This is something he has definitely improved and gets credit for. This includes other players in midfield and up top helping to defend on set pieces etc... We are very good at that.

Going forward he knows one basic approach. A direct ball to a target man and the idea of "keeping the second ball alive" from knock downs etc... That is what gets the percentages and will get a team to survive in the premiership if it is not blessed with the best technical and quick,athletic players.

This is the Plan A template that BFS has been very successful with in terms of keeping teams in the Premiership.

He stumbled upon Plan B due to injuries and early season demands for a more expansive approach by the owners in response to the fans disquiet.

The opposing managers worked out the plan B and started tightening up on Downing and setting up to stop Cresswell and Jenkinson's overlaps. This coincided with injuries to Sakho, Valencia and BFS, instead of using the window, to try to secure a midfielder to execute a Plan C with more pace and guile (also could have used Zarate more ) he reverted to Plan A.

More recently, with players available andCarroll out, he has gone back to Plan B he stumbled on but not realised that opposing teams know how to counter that now and that our big weakness is lack of midfield mobility and movement. They know we cannot keep the ball long and resort to passing back to Adrian who then punts a "direct" ball to the front or we hit a "direct" ball to the front men to chase.

BFS has limitations that have been exposed in this season more than ever which is why our progression has hit the buffers.

The key though is Tony Henry for me. Recruitment over the Summer has to be got right. We need 5 quality players and three of them in midfield to provide mobility, pace and technical ability to open teams up and play more of a possession based game. It will cost a lot of money to get those players and we have to get it right. Nzonzi yesterday is one of the type of players we need for midfield with strength and mobility and pace to work at snuffing out the opposition. Kouyate is fine and our best player yesterday going forwward as a box to box man. But we are also missing back up if a Kouyate gets injured or Downing or Noble. We also need alternatives to Downing and Noble in some games. We also need a player like Cazorla,Cabaye, Countinho to open teams up. We also need a wide left player that not only has pace but skill and the overall the whole midfield needs to score more goals.

If we do not get the recruitment right we may as well stick with Allardyce IMO because we will still be needing someone to ensure we stay up (looking down) rather than take us forward (look up). :-)

Baggins 12:21 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Exactly Sven.

His comments about the last two games have been hilarious. No mention of their chances last week and no mention of the fact Stoke utterly dominated us yesterday.

Lots of waffle about 'record' finishes though, so I assume this will be the story repeated week after week until the end of the season.

stirlinghammer 12:18 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

teams know we will not press for 2,3,4 goals…you can see the count waving play into corners with 10-15 mins to go…as kronic says, opposition teams eventually score.

mallard 12:16 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

we look tired & lethargic.
The reason is we spend so long chasing the ball and then booting it back to the opposition. Our ball retention and game control is non-existent.



Absolutely spot on

The Kronic 12:09 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

What was fat cunt so 'bewildered' about? That sitting back on a 1 goal lead with zero counter attacking for 80 minutes eventually resulted in the oppo equalising? That's not bewildering, it's tiresomely predictable, negative fat fuck football.

crapnotshit 12:00 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Exactly Sven.

crapnotshit 11:59 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

, 2:16 Sun Apr 12

So moving out Zarate and Hall still is a great idea!

Sven Roeder 11:58 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Sam's style requires the sun on their backs and a jolly up in Dubai because despite playing less than most teams we look tired & lethargic.
The reason is we spend so long chasing the ball and then booting it back to the opposition. Our ball retention and game control is non-existent.

As usual our collapse to concede a last minute goal has transformed BFS's post match focus on to some hard luck story when really the issue is that we were complete rubbish for 90% of the match. The media conspires in allowing that to be the issue instead of the first question should have been 'Sam, why was your team so overrun and lacking in any control? '

crapnotshit 11:56 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

David L, it was the game before they went!

stirlinghammer 11:48 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

What Prometheus says....especially re formation.

Even though i hate his approach to football, The fat cunt should have instilled a formation within the club so that younger players could slot in when the cunt decides to write off games or in this case a whole half season.

Willtell 9:42 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

A few weeks ago I got slated on WHO for daring to suggest SA was rewarding failure by taking the players to Dubai for a holiday....

Where are all you gobshites now?

Ridikzappa 9:38 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

David L

Hahaha

David L 9:35 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

Is it the next game then, that we see the benefits of "getting the sun on their backs" in Dubai, or the game after that?

Prometheus50 9:17 Sun Apr 12
Re: West Ham v Stoke - Official Match Thread 1-1 FT

But

Given the choice of Amalfitano and Nolan, Allardyce always picks Nolan

Given the choice of Cole and Zarate, Allardyce always picks Cole and farmed Zarate out on loan

Given his subs for much of the season have reverted to a 4-5-1 formation that simply does not work, why hasn't Allardyce used some academy graduates to at least maintain the 4-4-2 that has worked and keep key players in their best positions

Now safe, Allardyce's continued use of, say Downing on the right to accommodate Nolan is frankly laughable and indefensible

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