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threesixty 10:54 Mon Aug 28
The West Ham way…. Gone?

Is it gone?

I’m mindful of the fact that the more success we get playing the current style of football we are going to be known for it. Just like Stoke, Chelsea under Jose, Atletico etc

There is an art to it obviously, so it’s not easy to be successful with it otherwise everyone would be at it.

I think it’s effective primarily because no one else in the league is setup to play like that anymore. All the teams are playing on the floor, high line pressing etc.

But in years to come will it hurt when people say “you’re doing a West Ham”? We had a whole philosophy of creative football. Even if we didn’t achieve it most of the time, but we all yearned for it. I thought the defensive thing was a temporary way out of bad times, but I’m starting to think this will be our future identity.

Brucies_Star_Prize 2:52 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

threesixty 11:35 Mon Aug 28

This isn't true. In 2020/21 when we came 6th, we picked up more points in the second half of the season than the first half.

We tailed off significantly in the second half of 2021/22, but that was probably more to do with playing the same XI players week in, week out coupled with several massive Europa League games on Thursday nights (2x Sevilla, 2x Lyon, 2x Frankfurt).

We frequently looked off the pace playing Sundays after those fixtures.

Council Scum 2:31 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

The West Ham way is a myth.

Lee Trundle 2:15 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

You thought we were a stable club last season?

He's me thinking that we struggled to get a point per game, on average.

tanman 2:08 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

Totally agree with Alfs 2:40 Thu Aug 31 post. We haven't played in the traditional West Ham way since Harry left I would say. I enjoy watching us play these days and the continual expectation that Moyes must go sooner or later is ridiculous when you look at how stable the club has been since his arrival.

Side of Ham 1:43 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

I think yet again too much is getting read into a few good results in the summer months….we’ve played teams that like to knock the ball about and got their number playing Moyes’s tactics at its best. When it’s good it’s like getting a 180 in darts and the good bits last just as long. When we start playing the not so great footballing sides it will be meh football add in the shit conditions and it’s a bleak watch….so that is most of the season….will be willing to see how the likes of Kudus get on though before going fully morose about it all….I only need a DiCanio or Payet type player to feel it’s worth the defensive hard watch knowing they could be on the ball at any given moment…hope that is Kudus….

Mex Martillo 12:22 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

I think we still have a West Ham way, it hasn't gone.

As zico 12:00 Mon Aug 28 said, "I've always thought the West Ham Way was just the players giving it everything, 100% whatever the circumstances and if it's not good enough at least they have played with a bit of pride." I think Noble once said the same. Moyes does that, gets players that give 100%.

We also, still have defenders that give their all, no messing around. We value those that play out from the back. Coufal, Emerson and Aguerd always look to do that.

We are always in the market for flare players and like to see them playing at their best. Bowen, Benraham, Paqueta and hopefully Kudus.

I agree with sand iron 10:57 Wed Aug 30, "Our style of play right now is actually an exciting brand of football when we get it right. Sitting back and hitting teams on the counter with a killer ball, fast direct runs at the opposition is great to watch at times. Some of our goals have been quality this season, I can’t see how anyone can deny that." Moyes has said he wants to attack more. We buying players that will help with that. We need to improve our play out from the back. Everytime we get the ball we need to hold onto it and attack and not lose it until we shot at their goal. We need to reduce the wild kicks out of defense (Zouma) and useless long goal kicks. I think we can and are building towards that, a style that Liverpool have been playing.

The academy is disappointing, but it works towards the same objective. Its produced Rice. Johnson is doing ok, but perhaps won't make it. But few others have had a chance recently. I'd like to see Moyes giving them more of a chance. But when you see them leaving not having had an opportunity and not progressing, you have to wonder if the quality was not there. The U23s are doing well, so the academy is good and hopefully we will see more players coming through.

A lot here talk about increasing our possession. But it's more than just a percentage. Brighton had plenty more possession but a lot of it was boring passing between the back and midfield, not knowing what to do, afraid to risk the ball and face another attack from us. That is boring and not the West Ham way.

Far Cough 12:00 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

Hugh press low block blah blah.

Otherwise known as the Porfirio press

Gary Strodders shank 11:48 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

The game as evolved over the years (some might say for the worse) it's all so technical these days and we are forever hearing about game management the Hugh press low block blah blah.
When was the last time we saw a winger actually get chalk on his boots for example ? There more inverted now moving inside closing down the space making the game narrower.
Forward players are now required to do the defensive side much more these days and full backs are now more likely to be the ones to deliver crosses.
Moyesball certainly isn't the worst I've seen following West Ham for the past 40 odd years

Side of Ham 9:52 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

Got to hear about the West Ham way and then got to see it watching the likes of Brooking & Devonshire….they wasn’t fiction they were masters of it…..I’m content with that, and glad to have a comparison…..

Willtell 9:37 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

I hate to break it to all of you but the world is a far more cynical place than 50 or 60 years ago. What worked back then would never survive today.

Get used to it because we play shit football. We concentrate on defending and only attack meaningfully when we break or get set pieces. All the time it works Moyes is justified and statistically he's our most successful manager in recent times.

hopefully the attempted acquisition of more attack minded players probably means Moyes has been told to improve the standard of football or go at the end of his contract. We can hope but the old "West Ham Way" was largely fiction anyway. We were a soft touch team...

62Hammer 4:58 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

The first 30 years or so I supported West Ham were under Greenwood and Lyall, so I only knew us as a team that always tried to play attacking and entertaining football. It often didn’t work but when it did it was blinding, and worth waiting for. I’ve recently been looking through old programmes, and the away ones always talked about West Ham’s entertaining style, it was something to be proud of - and this at a time when not many teams played that way.
Now many teams do and we don't. So yes, I will always want to see a West Ham team trying, at least, to play good football. But it’s not my time any more. I have wonderful memories, though.

Alfs 2:40 Thu Aug 31
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

It's time that 'The West Ham Way' disappeared. That was history, which after Lyall, went west.

Okay, Harry tried, between selling out best players for a back hander. Bilic had a go but ultimately failed. Pardew delivered some decent football, but ultimately failed.

But in between we've played horribly. Iain Dowie, Chapman, McCarthy, Titi Camara + a raft of old players who could no longer get a place in their old team so came to us for a few quid before they retired.

Our owners have been a mixture of money grabbing cunts and chancers, with no long term plan to deliver 'attractive football'.

Saying that, and I really hate to say it, our present owners have taken us a long way forward. As has our dour, uninspiring manager. Those who went to Prague will never forget that night as long as they live. As will all of those who watched from home.

Success is a rarity when it come to WHU, so when it comes, embrace it. It doesn't come along that often.

sand iron 10:57 Wed Aug 30
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

I think our fans are getting carried away with Moyes style of play, it’s nowhere near as bad as Stoke under Pullis or us under fat Sam. That was indeed horrible football to watch, percentage football, long balls played up to the big man with runners playing off em. Awful brand of football that was used by a few managers with some success back in the day.

Our style of play right now is actually an exciting brand of football when we get it right. Sitting back and hitting teams on the counter with a killer ball, fast direct runs at the opposition is great to watch at times. Some of our goals have been quality this season, I can’t see how anyone can deny that.

Football doesn’t have to be all about the high press, tippy tappy style with often pointless sideways and backwards passing, it didn’t do Brighton or Chelsea any favours against us did it. We done a number on em.

Don’t forget Leicester recently won the league playing a similar brand of football. Managers have won world cups playing breakaway football, Italian clubs ruled Europe in the late 80s-90s playing counter attacking football.

Theirs still a place in the game for Moyesball.

Gary Strodders shank 4:11 Mon Aug 28
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

I remember bringing an Arsenal mate with me to a game in the late eighties / early nineties
Gale and Alvin were playing at the back and Galey under pressure brought the ball down on his chest and moved forward with it eventually playing a pass into Devonshire or possibly Dickens.
My mate was somewhat aghast at this and asked "why didn't he just hoof it ?"
The old fella in front turned and in no uncertain terms told him "because we play football the right way here son"

Side of Ham 3:55 Mon Aug 28
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

Billic tried to in that last season at UP but even he knew to park the bus in games against the top 4. We were priced out of it really and got to the PL a year too late.

GreenStreetPlayer 3:51 Mon Aug 28
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

Of course it’s gone.

They don’t make salt and pepper pots like they used to.

WHU(Exeter) 3:39 Mon Aug 28
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

The ‘West Ham way’ didn’t only used to refer to the type of football we played.

A lot was also placed on bringing players through the youth system and also our record for having very few managers for decades and showing loyalty, compared to other clubs.

Whatever people’s views on percentage of procession vs results etc, the biggest thing that of late seems to have changed for me, is that we actually look like scoring when we do break, which hasn’t always been the case for a long while.

There’s goals in a lot of our players for a change and the goals against Brighton were very well crafted.

Capitol Man 3:25 Mon Aug 28
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

The past couple of games were likely to be extreme examples of things anyway. The test will really come starting Friday, with teams that will set up to stop us playing rather than the other way around.

If you're winning it generally means that you are doing things well anyway and I think the possession will start to increase as the side gets more confident.

Not sure the west ham way has existed for decades though, we've been successful under Moyes but before that we've been pretty poor in general.

Anyone point to any seasons, or at least many seasons in the past 20 years where we've followed the West Ham way?

Side of Ham 3:09 Mon Aug 28
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

….sorry to add….this German feller though is giving me hope of a possible swap back to the more exciting way of playing the game….just hope Moyes doesn’t get in the way….

Side of Ham 3:05 Mon Aug 28
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

The beginning of the end of the West Ham way was when we got relegated as the Premier League began from then on we always struggled to get exciting gifted players and had to make do with gifted players that were cast offs from the now even richer clubs….

dolph 3:05 Mon Aug 28
Re: The West Ham way…. Gone?

What a dreary fucking thread. Exceeded anyone's wildest expectations so far this season and an opportunity to go top, again, with a win on Friday. Some amazingly well executed goals scored to boot. And unusually, some strength in depth with maybe 1 or 2 more to come in.

Just enjoy it you cunts.

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