Pedro 1:03 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

If Bowen was Salah then Ramsdale would have got at least a booking.

Ramsdale was at full speed and out of control.

Bowen was avoiding the contact not looking for it as that idiot Smith suggested. To think he has played footballl before. There is no way Bowen would be thinking let’s let Ramsdale snap my ankle in two pieces when I have a European cup semis final to play.

Even Ramsdale gave the game away. He said that Bowen has said there was no contact because he was avoiding getting hurt. That means Bowen was worried about the reckless challenge.

13 Brentford Rd 1:02 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Not so sure Stewie as those results were earlier on in the season before Oggy got injured and we were fresher and able to rotate the CBs and others more effectively. Always going to lose the odd game especially when playing on Thursday nights.
They look leggy to me and out of form since Jan due to having to play so many minutes because we don't have much choice.
Had we signed a striker in Jan and another CB we could have mitigated against Zouma picking up a couple of injuries, being rushed back recently and having to play Cresswell at CB yesterday, weakened teams v Chelsea & Arse and Antonio's loss of form.
I just feel the last 2 windows were farcical at a time when it we could push on and were clearly weak on a few areas.

englandinireland 12:45 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Smith was at it all game. Why when the sky 6 sides are playing it is always one of their ex players co commentary. With the handball for their goal, Smith says defo off of Coufals back. The time wasting and rolling around, they are getting streetwise. Can’t remember what he said about the Bowen yellow but it wouldn’t have Armadale at fault

stewie griffin 12:45 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Come now brents, we didn't lose on Thurs because we were tired. We lost because of the same reasons we fucked up the end of last season when we were 4th with six games left, and the same reasons we have lost or drawn at home to Brighton, Palace, Leeds, Brentford, Southampton and Burnley.

Pretty sure if I went back to the games where our second string knocked both Manchester clubs out of the league Cup I'd find various posts about how wonderful the squad as a whole is

13 Brentford Rd 12:38 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS!
IF we go out on Thurs and finish 7th at best which is looking likely it's a step backwards as we could lose our best players no one celebrates losing a semi final (that was very winnable) because of a weak:tired squad, everyone at the club responsible deserves criticism imho.

Was at the game yesterday and am more angry about the Ramsdale incident today after seeing it again on MOTD then I was at the time. The cunt even booked Bowen to justify it, no VAR? We all know Fabianski gets sent off if the other way round and we couldn't complain as it would have been deemed reckless.

nerd 12:28 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Just seen the ramsdale challenge,yes he misses but it's a disgrace add the biased Smith wow, disgusting. You cant go in stud first reckless.

stewie griffin 12:25 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Manuel 12:13 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

I'm not sure we are a progressive and aspiring club. The owners would sell tomorrow if they could (and they could if their valuation wasn't so absurd).

I can't stand them, but I do have some sympathy with them on complaints about the squad.
We've qualified for Europe once via the league. That isn't a signal to have 6 players in every position.
We went into the season with 4 goalkeepers, 4 full backs, 4 centre backs, 4 Central midfielders, 6 players who can play behind the striker and 1 striker
The only area you can be critical of not having enough is up front, and as the numbers suggest, we absolutely didn't need a 6th person to play behind a striker. That's not on them. Nor is the fact that the central midfielder that was added isn't trusted to play. Nor is the fact that the 4th full back is a clown. Nor is the fact that when you do get unlucky and have 3 centre backs out at one time, you choose to play a 4 foot tall left back at centre back rather than someone who can actually play there and you concede two goals to the oppositions centre backs.

master 12:22 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Ensuring the current top 6 finish in the top 6, no matter what the order, is very very very important to the PL.

You don't have to making extremely obviously corrupt decisions to influence 90 minute matches. Just a slightly biased decision here or there will do.

End of this season is panning out exactly as it needs to.

Iron Duke 12:18 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Vlasic was a strange signing. We needed someone who can be direct, with a bit of pace. He offers none of that.

Kral is a complete waste of time. Why have him in the squad but never play him?

Then there is the refusal to give any academy players game time. Couldn’t Longelo, Alese or Oko-Flex have come on in games? Coventry would have been a better option on the bench than Kral.

It’s amazing that we have done so well this season actually. We’ve far exceeded my expectations in the summer. Just think what we could have achieved.

Athletico Easthamico 12:14 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Just seen a still of the challenge.

Ramsdale's foot is actually a foot of the ground with studs showing and he's obviously coming out at speed.

Salah would have known how to make the most of it all.

They could easily have been down to 10 men instead of scoring 3 minutes later.

Manuel 12:13 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

A so called progressive, aspiring club like ourselves should never really waste a window. Even if only one first teamer had arrived in Jan, it would be chalked up as progress. Last summer the only player to come in who improved the first eleven was Zouma. So now not only should we be having a big summer anyway, we are also playing catch up from previously poor windows. Even Liverpool brought Diaz in in Jan, and he has helped them.

stewie griffin 12:06 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

13 Brentford Rd 12:02 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Agree about the summer window. We did shit business. That's whats costing us rather than numbers

Iron Duke 12:03 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Firstly, about the game. We were far too flat and passive. Our formation was all over the place. We only really played well in the last five minutes of the first half. Saying that, I thought Arsenal were also poor. They scored from two corners (putting Lanzini on marking duty probably not the greatest plan), then looked dangerous from the break after we ran out of ideas.

As for the Ramsdale challenge, I think it needs to be called out. These inconsistencies happen every week and very rarely favour us, especially against the big six.

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct

Sending off Offenses - Serious Foul Play

A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play.

Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play.


It was a red card all day long. Yes, Bowen dives out of the way. But I’m actually disappointed with Bowen, Moyes and the rest of the team for not making more of that at the time. If they look back they will see that Arsenal should have been down to ten men. If it was Fabianski against Saka, the decision would have been very different.

Then we had the time wasting. Rolling around on the floor to get medical attention, standing over free kicks, taking an age to take a goal kick. But only four minutes of injury time.

This isn’t making excuses. We were poor. But so were Arsenal. When Arteta talks about big teams being able to win ugly, what he means is that pivotal decisions go for them. 99% of the time. And we are supposed to just accept this as the norm?

13 Brentford Rd 12:02 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

As well as signing no one at all in Jan despite already having a thin squad, we signed just 4 players last window, A back up keeper, a 30m player in the only position we were already well covered in who Moyes won't start or even bring on even when first team players are being rested, Kral who Moyes won't ever play and would probably start Martin or Randolph in midfield or with ten men over him. Only Zouma plays and improved us.

In short the last 2 windows have been a farce and no surprise that we are paying for it now.

Sven Roeder 11:57 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

AlexanderA and Salah sat on the bench at Newcastle

My view is that footballers are better off playing twice a week.
Being 'tired' is an excuse for losers. Once in a while you might think a particularly hard working player needs freshening up or at Xmas you may have to juggle with 4 games in 11 days say.
Apart from that ... get on with it.

Romfordboy 11:56 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread

I don’t see Newcastle spending the serious money to be too 4 contenders personally.

The premium to pay players to go Newcastle as the fact anyone good will just want to go to the other teams (see Bruno already linked with Madrid) I think they will be top half team

stewie griffin 11:52 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread

Just on a point of order about 'burnout' ,squad size etc. Its weird that burnout only seems to affect crap footballers.

Salah has played:
17/18 - 52 games
18/19 - 52
19/20 - 48
20/21 - 51
21/22 - 45 + 7 in the AFCON

Mane similar. Robertson and Alexander Arnold play every week. So does van dijk when he's fit.
The tiddly fella at spurs.

Why is it that these players don't suffer from burnout, and players playing a fraction of the games do?

Truth is we've been carried by rice, bowen and (remarkably) Dawson this season. Everyone else has been average at best.

Mad Dog 11:49 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Can't appeal yellows

Mad Dog 11:48 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread

My biggest issue is not only do we have a paper thin squad. Moyes refuses to use anyone but a select 14 players.

We have 7 (9 in cup games) on thr bench but most of those he has absolutely no intent of EVER putting on the pitch no matter what. Would Alese really have been that bad yesterday? If the answer is he's not good enough or not ready, then he shouldn't be on the bench.
He won't play kral, okoflex, perkins, Chesters, longelo no matter what

JayeMPee 11:46 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

Having seen MOTD think yellow card for Bowen harsh, he was avoiding potentially dangerous challenge. Salah or Kean would have managed to get keeper sent off. I trust club will appeal the card.

As one of those who was totally against the signing of Dawson I hold my hand up to say I was 100% wrong. He was the main difference between the two sides yesterday and must be in the frame for 'Player of the Season'. With him back on Thursday I think we might win but much depends upon our taking the chances that will come our way.

13 Brentford Rd 11:45 Mon May 2
Re: ⚽ West Ham v Arsenal - Official Match Thread FT 1-2

You shouldn't need to be more savvy and risk a serious injury to get the correct decision when a keeper comes flying out of his goal recklessly, doesn't get the ball and causes the attacking player who did nudge the ball past him, to have to dive over the keepers legs to avoid getting clattered.
Think there may have even been a bit of contact on Bowens ankle too.
Another bent decision not even checked by VAR that had it been Fabianski would have resulted in a sending off with not much complaint from us.

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