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arsegrapes 11:43 Sat Feb 10
36% Possession at home v Watford?

Not like me to have a moan, and am grateful for the win as they don't come along often, BUT we were penned in our half by WATFORD all 2nd half. Did Moyes tell them to defend the 1-0 advantage as if their lives depended on it before they came back out as that was about the measure of it. FORTRESS LONDON STADIUM!

Oh yeah sorry just seen they put four past Chelsea zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Jaan Kenbrovin 5:28 Wed Feb 14
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

Shame we're not even that good at counter attacking football either, as it involves being better with the ball at their feet when playing at pace, which is exactly why we have struggled in a few matches to register a single shot on target, as we aren't creating anything.

I'm glad that we aren't naive enough to try and out pass sides and picking up points the way we are is the best we can do with this squad currently, but if we are looking to become a top club and a regular in Europe, we need to address our midfield weakness in possession and become more of a threat than just kick and rush.

Biggie Biggs 4:59 Wed Feb 14
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

I actually find tippy tappy possession football boring and like a few others like quick counter attacking football

Mr Anon 4:04 Wed Feb 14
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

I disagree that possession football is automatically better to watch. Personally prefer a counter attacking style, with the aim of moving the ball very quickly up the pitch it results in a low possession percentage

Kaiser Zoso 2:46 Wed Feb 14
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

Congratulations Darby, I think you're nearly there.

A few people have expressed the wish that we had better players, who would make us a better team, which in turn would give us a greater share of possession in matches, which may result in us doing better, results wise.

This was evident in a match we won, despite having less of the ball and having to defend for long periods.

I don't think there's anything there you shouldn't be agreeing with, to be fair?

Darby_ 10:49 Wed Feb 14
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

Kaiser, I think it’s you who doesn’t understand the issue. Those 6 teams are at the top of the table because they can spend huge amounts on players and can attract the best players in the world.

It’s also easier to play possession football when you have the best, most expensive players.

Southhampton is a better example of a team a similar size to us that plays possession football, and they’re in the relegation zone.

Kaiser Zoso 9:01 Tue Feb 13
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

LOL

cornish 8:54 Tue Feb 13
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

Don't care what possesion we have as long as we get 3 points.

Kaiser Zoso 8:38 Tue Feb 13
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

There’s only been a handful of posters who actually understand the issue. The rest have got vexed about 3 points, or just looking for things to moan about, or tippy tippy football.

The issue to a few of us is that if you look at the premier table, there are only 6 teams with positive goal difference. They are also most likely the only teams with consistently above average possession.

Fourteen teams therefore struggle, and in this particular season, probably any one of ten of them could go down.

It’s how to end up with the top six that’s the problem for West Ham. Look at this table - see anything interesting about points, goal difference and possession at all?

https://www.transfermarkt.com/premier-league/ballbesitz/wettbewerb/GB1

Sir Alf 8:18 Tue Feb 13
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

IMHO a possession based game or "pass and move" is far better to watch but we are in the "needs must" phase at the moment.

As mentioned a central midfield squad which is Noble, Kouyate, Obiang, Fernandes. Arthur and Lanzini is limited. Noble and to a lesser extent Obiang and Fernandes lack mobility and pace. Kouyate struggles with the technical basics.. All of them. as a collective, struggle with stamina over 90 mins. That has improved under Moyes and co but the poiny, as mentioned by others, is that it limits our ability to control the possession.

The technical ability extends to defence and the wide players. Reid, Collins, Rice and Ogbonna our CB options for eample. Rice looks comfortable in possession and could play himself out of tight situations. Ogbonna maybe but even if the mobility and movement and passing options were there in midfield I am doubtful whether Collins and Reid will ever be distributing or passing their way out from the back. Antonio is another who's passing is poor IMO but he compensates with pace and strength. Cresswell produces a lot of stray passes but again might be lack of options too.

Look at Pool, Spurs and of course City and many other teams. They have better technicians. Watching Spurs against Arsenal. and it sticks in my throat to say, but Dembele, Alli, Erikson, Davis, Sanchez, Kane and just about every player was constantly on the move, could control at speed and the passing was slick and fast.

We need 5 - 10 better players just in the first 11 to get anywhere near that and its good to watch .

Hopefully if we can survive and Moyes or whoever can recruit better players in 2 or 3 positions especially central midfield. Some pace in there but players who can pass and have instant control with both feet. Possession stats will go up but results should improve too.

I can dream :-(

Lertie Button 7:55 Tue Feb 13
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

A moot point, wouldn't it be better to go back to the good old days when we were all over teams and lost to a sucker punch.
Give me big boy professional performances any time

The Ghost of Braderz 12:41 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

This thread has to be a joke.

NEVER SAY DIE 11:55 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

How the hell do you expect to control possession in a game when you have no Lanzini and you have Noble and Kouyate as your 2 central midfielders??? One can't pass and the other has one good game in every 3-4.

ironsofcanada 11:49 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

As I said below the best teams (this season and generally) have the best possession stat but it is a byproduct of having good players and the opposition being scared/respectful of you. Beyond the top six (where we are) it is not the case.

Southampton had decent possession again and are the best team in that area outside the top 6, and they are now in the relegation zone. Watford is next.

SurfaceAgentX2Zero 11:43 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

I like to see wingers dispatched into Row D, goalkeepers bundled into the net, mazies, 30 yard screamers and bulging-necked centre forwards heading crosses into the old onion bag.

To be honest, I wouldn't give you tuppence for a couple of donkey centre-backs passing the ball between themselves and the keeper for half the match, though there's a lot that pretend they do. If I recall correctly (and I may well be imagining or exaggerating it) Martin Keown once had the best OPTA pass statistics in the PL, all from 5 yards sideways passes.

Darby_ 11:34 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

For me the only important things are if we won and whether the game was exciting or interesting.

All this carry-on about tippy tappy comes across as a bit of an affectation. Like you're trying to prove to everyone that you're a football purist.

SurfaceAgentX2Zero 11:30 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

As Slaven Bilic commented during his excellent spell as pundit during the Euros, 65% possession is nothing special when your opponents are happy for you have it.

Eggbert Nobacon 11:24 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

gph 10:12 Sun Feb 11
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?
Barcelona once went 136 successive games where they had more possession than their opponents.

They won the 137th 4-0.

I don't suppose Real Vallecano were ecstatic at having more possession.




they also once had 89% possession and lost to Celtic

jonthehammer 11:20 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

Possession is overrated.

chelmsfordhammer 12:28 Mon Feb 12
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

I see two of three premierhip games today were won by the team that had less possession, the other game was 50-50 possession and won by 4 goals to one. Seems to prove that possession doesn’t mean you’ve got more chance of winning and this whole thread is just another way for the habitual whingers on this site to have another moan about something .

swindon hammer 10:47 Sun Feb 11
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

Not sure why people are mixing lack of possession with bad football.

For a start a big reason for those possession stats are the first 25 minutes of the 2nd half where we didn't play well and sat back and became slopping by giving the ball back to Watford a number of times. That we need to improve on but as many have alluded to is a weakness in many dfield to retain the ball.

I was delighted with the first half performance. I felt we were bright, had good movement and were constantly pressing them. We looked really dangerous through Antonio and Arnie and should of been 3 up.

Most of our play went through the midfield and out wide and there was barely any long balls. The football played yesterday and at Huddersfield was better than most of the football played under Bilic during his last 18 months in charge.

Sven Roeder 10:18 Sun Feb 11
Re: 36% Possession at home v Watford?

Barcelona had 70% possession today at home to Getafe

Managed 6 shots on target and drew 0-0
It’s about effective possession and that’s about keeping the ball and using it to create openings
Tapping the ball around the back is a waste of time and energy
As is giving it back to your opponents time after time

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