sand iron 1:13 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

A mate at the game yesterday said we were completely all over Brighton first half.

I watched it on a stream & it certainly didn’t look that way to me. They could & should have been two up inside 10 minutes.

They also had about 60% possession first half according to the stats.

Anyone at the game yesterday that thought we were all over em?

OccupyGreenStreet 1:08 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

It’s a good point that so many players regress when they come here. Haller was excellent at Frankfurt, Anderson voted into Lazio’s team of the decade, Fornals the most promising player in Spain’s U21s, Fredericks Fulham’s player of the year, iirc.

We are always less than the sum of the parts. Sure, the squad is unbalanced, too many over-30s, many of the young players out on loan. But sup-par performances happen so often that I’m starting to think it’s because we employ mediocre managers and coaches who struggle to implement an appropriate system for the playing squad.

It’s a top-down problem caused by a board and coaching staff that hasn’t a clue how to produce an effective team, rather than the individual players.

southbankbornnbred 12:26 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Zico/Scorch,

Well, you definitely do have to ask the key question: are they a good player. Do they have good technique - and, specifically, do they have good technique under pressure (anybody can look good with 20 yards of empty space ahead of them)?

That's your starting point - and we have to wonder why we've paid significant sums for several players who are nowhere near as good, technically or physcially, as their fees suggested.

There may well be several factors, but my gut feeling is that Sullivan's interference in transfers is central to this failure. He is nowhere near qualified enough to try to cherry-pick players and should stay out of the football side of the club. Pellegrini's stupid belief that a succession of slow and lightweight Latinos would adjust to the frenetic nature of the Premier League is also key to this failure - along with his woeful "director of football".

But Zico's right - there are so many more questions about players, and due diligence tests, to complete before we should be signing anybody. The player's character (temperament), their injury record, attitude to training, general football intelligence (including how they are off the ball), physical stats, tactical awareness, physique, stamina etc etc.

Good scouts rarely have their eyes on the ball when they are watching players. They are looking for so many more things which tell them whether a player is any good.

You get the impression that the likes of our entirely untrained Co-Chairman ONLY has his eyes on the ball - and often on YouTube clips, too.

Sniper 12:15 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

I’m actually quite hopeful that if we can keep Antonio fit and get Bowen playing, and then have Anderson back and even Yarmolenko on the bench, that we can scrape through

Our problems this season have been apparent for a long time and we’re actually perfectly highlighted by the oxford defeat - a game where we were trounced because our reserve goalie was shocking (he doesn’t even dive for any of the goals), our reserve players atrocious and once they went in front they just sat back a bit and hit us on the break because of our lack of pace. Their 3rd and 4th goals were the most simple counter attacks you will ever see

So quite why we didn’t realise at that moment that we were only ever a couple of injuries away from being in big trouble, I don’t know

But if we have some pace up front and have a situation where if we attack down the left then the right sided forward tucks in to help haller and the full back pushes on, the most simple of concepts, we might be able to press teams and be a threat in the box. Soucek also did what rice and noble never do yesterday and actually got in the box beyond haller or, on one occasion, instead of haller when he crossed it, as an option

We capitulate the second Antonio goes off - not just because of his energy and threat, but because he’s can run and is an outlet. If Bowen can offer that too then if one of them is on the pitch at least the opposition won’t push up ten yards as soon as our only pacey player goes off.

zico 12:13 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

El Scorchio 11:55 Sun Feb 2

It's all about due diligence when it comes to recruitment. You shouldn't just be asking "are they a good player" but what sort of character they are, injury history, consistent, how they settle in a new Club, personality, how they play when the chips are down. Our "massive" scouting network haven't dome that!!

I doubt John Lyall would have signed half these players. Redknapp might have taken a punt on one or two but the long line of failures in the last 10 years is shocking.

El Scorchio 11:55 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

It beggars belief how we’ve sunk so low. I know there are some injuries but still. With the players we have there is no way we should be right down where we are, playing as poorly as we are.

Yesterday was one of the poorest performances I have ever seen. We made Brighton look like Ferguson’s Man United as they cut through us time and time again. We got (almost) all the luck and still couldn’t take advantage. Couldn’t even be solid enough at the back to defend a two goal lead- twice.

All the players have regressed hugely from what we have seen they are capable of. Diop, Cresswell, Noble, Haller, Anderson, Lanzini, Yarmolenko and more of them have shown to be good players in the past. Why are they all so abject now? How can this even happen? Why do almost all the other teams in the division get so much more out of less talented groups of players? Tactics? Discipline? Fitness? Motivation? What’s missing?

AKA ERNIE 11:53 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

If moyes stays we will go down the blokes fucking clueless

cup of tea 11:38 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Think Villa will get out of it.... Grealish is a player and they have some.good attacking players.

18th WHU
19th Bournemouth
20th Naaaaarch

Manuel 11:25 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

It's a worry that B'mouth and Brighton have some winnable games now, as I said that could put a fair gap between 16th and 17th.

fraser 11:16 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Oh and don't get me started on the Lanzini sub, totally under the cosh and he decides to put on the player least likely to get stuck in..

fraser 11:14 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Villa and Norwich may be shocking, but so are we. We're below the shocking Villa having been quite a few points in front of them not so long ago.

New Jersey 11:08 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Wasn't it David Warner who said Jonathon Trott had 'scared eyes and looked weak'? That applies to a number of our players, especially at home, they're scared to do anything or want the ball, when that sets in you're fucked. I blame GSB, there are probably around 50,000 fans in the stadium who are thoroughly pissed off and aren't afraid to voice their opinion. Never mind only Man City and Liverpool next!

Sajmo1 11:04 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

I'm almost certain that Villa and Norwich are going down. They have been shocking and have very difficult games ahead of them. It's between Bournemouth, Brighton and us imo.

chelmsfordhammer 11:03 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Give it up gents. All this talk of survival is a waste of time.

To stay up you need to have players with bottle . We have none in our team bar Snodgrass. The rest of them are cowards that would prefer to hide rather than step up to the mark.

Add that to a manager that is clearly out of his depth and the ingredients are there for relegation and this lot won't turn it round.

Takashi Miike 11:00 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

the next three games for the bottom six............

Norwich : Liverpool (H), Wolves (A), Leicester (H)

Watford : Brighton (A), Man Utd (A), Liverpool (H)

Us : Man City (A), Liverpool (A), Southampton (H)

Villa : Spurs (H), Southampton (A), Man City (H)

Bournemouth : Sheff Utd (A), Burnley (A), Chelsea (H)

Brighton : Watford (H), Sheff Utd (A), Palace (H)

dealcanvey 10:59 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Would not surprise me if we get two results out of the Chelsea, spurs and arsenal games.

That is not the issue though. It is games like Brighton at home that we cannot do the job.

People look at our easier run towards end of the season but what have we seen so far that makes us think we will beat enough of them to stay up?

Manuel 10:50 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

That said, we have seen many great escapes over the years with sides winning a load of games late on, including us. It's a wait and see job innit.

Manuel 10:48 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Looking at the table, if B'mouth and Brighton both pick up say 3 pts in the next 2 games, while we lose our 2, then we are 5 pts + a worse gd behind 16th spot, so 6 pts, which I don't think we would pull back. Or to put it another way it would then likely be 3 from 4 to drop.

Northern Sold 10:40 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

I think our only chance is that the others down the bottom dont pull away over the next couple of months... if they do we are fucked...

happygilmore 10:38 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

Manuel,

Chelsea was never never an unwinnable game.

While some think the writing is in the wall for relegation, what's different these days, is the number of poor teams competing for survival. Norwich and Villa and a n other?

Survival won't be an achievement in itself but relegation would be a spectacular fail.

Sajmo1 10:36 Sun Feb 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Brighton - Official Match Thread

I reckon we might win one of those London derbies.

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