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scott_d 10:57 Mon Sep 4
Why have we started so well?

No-one expected it, not event the most optimistic hammers.

I expected our form to continue as it did from last season in the League as there wasn't much to suggest Moyes was going to do anything different.

But somehow we have managed to pick up 3 big results after a lukewarm start at Bournemouth.

Is it the signings, the tactics, the sale or Rice?

Probably a combination but why are things working for Moyes right now where they failed miserably last season?

BRANDED 11:06 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

Small margins, Nobes, band of Brothers, everybody fit, no Europe yet, Areola.

fraser 11:13 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

Have we started that well, points wise yes.

Bournemouth were fucking awful and were there for the taking but decided to sit back and threw away 2 points.

Chelsea game we were lucky not to be out of it, they missed a penalty which I doubt we would come back from.

Brighton we were very good and totally deserved the 3 points

Luton really are a poor team and on another day we could have conceded 2 goals in 3 minutes if they had been given a penalty even though we were good in the match.

Really grateful for the ten points, it's a great start.. But not sure performance wise we've started that well. Hopefully gives us the confidence to kick on.

Mex Martillo 11:14 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

I think it's a proper resting break and JWP. Our players really do exert themselves to the maxiefor our games and I think it takes a little sharpness from some of them, especially Antonio and Bowen. Add a rested JWPand you have our start. He is provi g to be a great signing. Manu and Arse, must be kicking themselves fannying about with new boys to the Premier.

Takashi Miike 11:20 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

the players. they're underachieving despite the negative fucker's continued zero risk football. it's all well and good for the first few weeks, but they're begin to get tired of it as the season progresses. he also hasn't got a fucking clue where to play kudus, or who's going to drop to accommodate his lovechild, potato salad

Takashi Miike 11:23 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

*overachieving*

😂

scott_d 11:23 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

They won't get tired of it if we are winning Miike, and neither will we.

fraser 11:26 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

I think Miike is saying playing the way we have Luton aside isn't sustainable, they'll get tired. Our next two will be tough, let's see if we can lay a glove on them. We'll have more idea after that.

onsideman 11:35 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

I make fraser right. Small margins indeed. Fernández penalty goes in there's a strong chance we'd be sitting here with as many 6 points less

Enjoy it while it lasts because we're going to have to do Europe without Scamacca's 5 goals in 9 this time

Russ of the BML 11:35 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

Lots of reasons.

I think alot of it is to do with fitness. Unlike last season it seems Moyes may have learnt his lesson and used the pre-season to get the players fit enough for a PL season.

We are also injury free right now.

Luton and Bournemouth are not great sides. Chelsea although should've been ahead at half time were not good in the second half. Brighton had an off day.

Most fundamentally, we are playing well and have bought well. The new players have hit the ground running.

Side of Ham 11:39 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

There’s two ways to look at this:

The romantic way: He carries on the momentum, rotates the team so the players stay fresh and continue to concentrate to keep the shape whilst chasing around and taking all their chances whilst having the ball for 20% of the game. YIPEE DE DOOOO DAR!

Or

The logical way: He plays the same team week in week out, players go out of form for long periods and don’t get replaced so the results turn and IF we manage this well we then fall at the last hurdle to win something or don’t qualify for something big like the CL….but are all over the moon to be in the Euro Conference League….YAY!

This is being very positive for the Moyes’ers….

Takashi Miike 11:40 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

scott, have you ever played the game? being asked to play like that, week after week, sitting back and defending three quarters of the game for months on end is mentally draining. it's also joyless, and especially for a squad of internationals (because that's we have) who would I'm sure like to be let off the leash for a bit more than the final ten minutes of games. as I've said to the other moyes cult members, you enjoy it all you want but don't expect others to share your devotion to the negative cunt

Takashi Miike 11:44 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

his first thought after beating luton and going back to the top of the table was to say how much we missed soucek, and how much better we'd have been with him lumbering about. carry on praising him 😂👍

Come On You Irons 11:45 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

The answer is obvious. Selling the ARROGANT BIG HEAD for big money and reinvesting the money wisely and thus improving the squad.

I would imagine morale in the team dressing room is higher too now that the ARROGANT former captain has left and the likes of Soucek no longer have to play out of position to accommodate him and his BIG HEAD.

BRANDED 11:53 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

Ward Prouse
Bowen
Pacqueta
Antonio

El Scorchio 11:54 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

To add, we’ve been pretty clinical with clear cut chances so far, and even a few that were not (Antonio vs Chelsea for example)
I don’t know if that classes as ‘lucky’ but it’s been very helpful that when we’ve got into good scoring positions in key times in a game more often than not and certainly more often than last season we have put the ball in the net.

Overall, one fantastic performance, two decent ones (Chelsea became fantastic after the sending off) and one very ‘meh’ one against Bournemouth. The Luton one was pretty professional though aside from conceding at the end.

Chuffed to bits with the win against Brighton though. They’ve been great in every other game so far.

likemydreams 11:55 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

Various reasons imo.

I'm no big fan of Moyes style of football but there's no denying the players we've bought in the summer have made a big difference. WP speaks for himself what he's done the first few games and Alvarez is probably one of the first names on the teamsheet already. Hopefully Kudus will turn out to be another great buy.

Going for Areola was also a big call at the start of the season and the penalty save v Chelsea and saves at the end v Brighton are making it look like a good call

Some of the players also determined to prove we arent a one man team ? Paqueta looks even better this season so far, ditto Bowen, Antonio looks sharper and the team spirit and determination in general looks better now we're not looking to just one player.

Long may it continue.

likemydreams 12:01 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

Takashi 11 40 - Bowen has said a few weeks ago he's enjoying playing like this on the counter. It helps when results are good I guess!

Kaiser Zoso 12:04 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

The goals have come along with excellent timing. We haven’t gone behind yet.

A counter attacking team will benefit from going ahead, for obvious reasons.

Also, Antonio has scored two beauties and looked sharp whereas last season he didn’t. Same with Bowen, maybe. And Areola has performed in goal.

, 12:07 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

We don’t seem to be defending any better this time around but we have upped our scoring rate ( no clean sheets to date ). Seeing as we have not played yet, in an attacking way, with any real change up front it’s good to see a chance conversion rate better than last season’s.

swindon hammer 12:19 Mon Sep 4
Re: Why have we started so well?

A lot of times if you finish the season well it tends to overlap into the following season.

Same if you finish the season poorly as we found to our cost at the end of 21/22 - start of 22/23.

Although we all wanted younger upgrades on Antonio & Cresswell, the minimal changes to the squad (4 in and 4 out) might also help.

Bringing in 8 or 9 new players during a summer can sometimes be a detriment to a settled squad. It took a few of the new players a while to find their feet last season, while many still haven’t found them.

Finally and probably the main reason is that we have gone back to playing the way that Moyes likes to play/set up for.

A few of the players commented that during the first half of last season we tried to play differently to what we had done in the previous 2 years and it wasn’t working so Moyes has reverted back to what works for him.

The signing of JWP is huge for the way we play.

It’s obviously not pretty at times but it works for Moyes and gets us results.

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