Football Forum | Ticket Forum | Off-Topic Forum | All

Eerie Descent 1:25 Mon Jan 16
Soucek Watch

Vs Wolves

12 attempted passes, 8 completed, 67% completion

0 (ZERO) tackles

Sir Alf 2:28 Thu Jan 19
Re: Soucek Watch

Spot on Eerie.

I almost guarantee we will improve as a team if Downes replaces Soucek and allows Rice to carry the ball as more of a box to box midfielder. It’s fvcking obvious, Not saying we will start winning every game but will IMO we will be better at getting and keeping the ball.

Nevin and Moyes are living in some alternate Universe

Eerie Descent 11:34 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

ATHammer 7:33 Tue Jan 17

I think you'll struggle to find the odd person who doesn't hold Moyes to blame for what is going on. I've been calling the manager out since pre season.

However, it's a West Ham message board, individual players are going to be discussed. For my money, this lad is currently the worst footballer in the league, or certainly one of them. If it's futile discussing that, we may as well shut this website down.

Percy Dalton 10:29 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Has Soucec still got Covid?
You could have fooled me if he ain't.

Sir Alf 9:21 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Full Claret Jacket 8:19 Tue Jan 17

Stats as you say don’t necessarily tell the whole story and are a bit “one dimensional”.

The counter argument to him doing ok in tackles and headers is that these numbers are higher because we cannot keep possession for long periods so invariably spend a lot of the game trying to get it back from teams who are more mobile etc.

If he was a better passer of the ball ( a big weakness) and moved a lot quicker we would likely retain it better.

Imo he’s too slow and lacks the technique to play in a team that has to play thru a press and stretch teams with passing and movement. He’s not that dissimilar to Kouyate as a footballer although Kouyate was quicker.

One player in a central midfield 2 or 3 not able to pass well enough or move quick enough has a huge impact. It’s the area where most of the action takes place. Of course, he is not solely to blame. The likes of Antonio who makes Soucek look like Pirlo with his passing means the ball doesn’t stick and we lose it far too often. Bowen is guilty of it too Paqueta and Benny but not in the same scale as Tomas. And the team as a whole that gets picked is slow and sits deep and does not show movement which limits passing options.

But Soucek is part of the problem not the solution imho

stewie griffin 8:37 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Eliud KIPCHOGE would cover a lot of distance

Full Claret Jacket 8:22 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Best I've found for distance covered so far was before the World cup where Soucek was third in the league behind Rice in second.

https://www.premierleague.com/news/2910633?&&#!

Stevethehammer 8:22 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

One of the best things that could happen in this window is if someone came in for Soucek and we sold him.
Moyes would then stop this experiment of hoping and praying he gets on the end of a hit and hope cross.

Full Claret Jacket 8:19 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

I'm not a big stat fan but if you look at the Premier leagues own stats, Soucek is still 3rd in the whole league in tackles made and 6th (Rice is 3rd) in interceptions across the whole Premier league. 5th in headers won (our best player) and 6th in headers lost (same as Harry Kane)

They aren't awful stats but don't show the whole picture. I'm looking for distance covered and pass completion stats but to say he is doing nothing on the pitch isn't born out by these stats.

62Hammer 7:43 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

ATHammer.
Agree.

ATHammer 7:33 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

My point is that Soucek and a few others should be nowhere near starting right now. Moyes is incapable of communicating with more than around 12-15 players maximum so appears to have favourites and they play regardless of form. He is also incapable of managing skill players.
Yes, Soucek is playing shit right now but what silly cunt is picking him every week?
Moyes and Sullivan are the problem. In a proper rotational set up I doubt that Soucek would be.

Eerie Descent 5:11 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Getting on his back? It's a West Ham message board, set up to mainly discuss all things West Ham, do you not think we should discuss the worst player in the team, and possibly the worst player in the Premier League on current form?

ATHammer 5:01 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Isn't this all a bit futile? Soucek, like Cresswell is getting pelters from the fans because the whole team are playing shit and they are contributing as much, if not more, shit than the rest.
Soucek came in and made a difference. Since then a high energy all effort, limited skill player has been run into the ground and lost the energy and form as a consequence. He absolutely needs dropping and the fact that he hasn't been is not down to him. Likewise Cresswell, Antonio, Bowen who have all given good accounts of themselves for the club but right now need a good dose of the bench. It isn't their fault that they have not been benched, It is the fault of the manager who did not strengthen in the right positions and the board who did not have any strategic oversight to see that the squad was aging or a view on West Ham values are.
Soucek is absolutely fucked and his limitations are all the more apparent for that but getting on his back is attacking a symptom, not the cause.

RoyalDocksGK 4:18 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Downes hasn't been tried simply down to it being a Sullivan signing. That's it. He's impressed every time I've seen him and that sweaty can't stand it that he's a good player who he didn't want.

Sir Alf 3:49 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

I’m still trying to get my head around why Downes just has not been tried.

Moyes doesn’t rate him because he doesn’t impress or try in training? ( Moyes said early on he needed to see more from Downes in training to show he was ready to start even conference games, any game)
He’s “one for the future” whatever that implies? Harks back to Moyes not rating him despite standout performances in the conference league.
Moyes thinks he’s just the same type of player as Soucek or Rice but not as good? So cannot play Downes and Rice ? Doesn’t make sense of course because until England played Rice as the holding midfielder in the WC, Moyes wanted Rice to contribute more further forward.
He thinks Downes is limited to just playing short balls and recycling it ? Well Soucek can’t even do that?
He was not a Moyes find and acquisition so he ain’t gonna give him a chance because he’s so insecure that someone else might be better at recruitment?
Downes has called him a “stupid Scottish cvnt”?

I can only think it’s one or both of the last two scenarios ?


Baffling, bizarre, insane.

the exile 3:39 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

I don't buy any of this bollocks about how it's all, or even partly, down to a tactical switch with Rice. Can't see any evidence for it. Having said that, I have a lot of questions about Soucek but no answers.

This stat of 12 touches against Wolves is truly shocking and I wonder if it's all down to him or whether his teammates are deliberately bypassing him because they know he's a liability.

Is it just a drop in form or to what extent is it that other teams have worked him out, and if so, what is it that they're doing to affect his game?

Does anyone know how his running stats are holding up? In his first year we used to regularly hear that he was running further than anyone else on the pitch.

Why does he rarely win a header these days? He hasn't shrunk!

Is he as bad when playing for the Czech Republic as he is for us?

I also can't help wondering if he has any self-awareness and knows that he has turned to shit.

Northern Sold 3:35 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

The Czech Kevin NOLAN

master 3:33 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Soucek has been pushed further forward.
Basically Moyes watched Paqueta at the world cup and realised he was a deeper midfielder. He didn't know that before. Just like not knowing where Kehrer could play.
Moyes tweek after 6 weeks of world cup break was to try and turn soucek into Fellani.

He's a one dimensional dinosaur.

dealcanvey 2:52 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Surface

The last 2/3 games Soucek has been playing further up with Rice sitting back and he has still been shocking.

Eerie Descent 12:33 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Jacket, a lot of us could see this back in September, you were one of the most vocal saying he had to stay in the team, and it'd be madness to drop him.

He is Moyes' Roberto. Don't get me wrong, I think we have a lot more problems now than we did back then, but not dropping Soucek for Downes has to go down as one of the most consistently bizarre decisions I've ever seen at the club.

Full Claret Jacket 12:49 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

Eerie, Soucek has mostly been a 6 out of ten guy up to end of last season which is pretty average. Its only been this season where his game has totally fallen apart but so has the whole teams. None of them have turned up ‐ Star man Rice included who has been awful since the World Cup in particular.
I am in agreement with most people that on current form Soucek shouldn't be picked to start. We need somebody to bring some life and grit to the midfield and hopefully lift others in the side. The fact he keeps getting picked is a Moyes issue as he is ignoring everything most of us can see.

SurfaceAgentX2Zero 12:45 Tue Jan 17
Re: Soucek Watch

It won't be a popular opinion, but Soucek has been sacrificed by Moyes on the altar of the sacred Declan.

Since they essentially switched roles Soucek has become complete shit and Rice has become a bit shit (at least, compared to what he was)

Page 1 - Next