West Ham (A) | Sun 7 Aug 16:30 | Pre-Match Thread

[City of Troy]

Good old pep and his stubborn ways I say he will stick with the exact same team from the dippers game and we will get the draw

 

[thereWasATime]

Good old pep and his stubborn ways I say he will stick with the exact same team from the dippers game and we will get the draw

Yup, same old stupid Pep, no wonder we lost out on 4 titles in the past 5 seasons :( I hope he learns from his mistakes this time around.

 

[train man]

Alternative central London option is easy walk from Euston to St Pancras (signposted), plenty of options at St P, The Betjeman Arms is a much more impressive place than the Spoon's at the other end or you've got the goods yard at immediately adjacent Kings Cross.
6 minutes to Stratford International from StP & as has been said on here, use tap in/out for much cheaper fare than a paper ticket.

I think the StP to Stratford line is HS1, so is at a small premium (and excludes my otherwise excellent Oyster60 card!). Not keen on the Betjeman myself, decent interior but staff can be a bit up their own arse. Euston Tap and Doric Arch both just outside Euston stn are good for beer. Not sure where I'll be nearer to ground, last time I was there we did some micro offerings, Howling Hops, Beer Merchants, expensive but what can you do? It's ridiculous that Stratford itself, as a major change hub, does not have a much better offering of pubs.

 

[City of Troy]

Yup, same old stupid Pep, no wonder we lost out on 4 titles in the past 5 seasons :( I hope he learns from his mistakes this time around.

Lol my first pre match post and half expected a reply of this kind. Just an opinion mate, he is fairly stubborn with team selections, I wasn’t questioning the man’s credentials or successes though and who called him stupid? Stubborn my man ;-)

 

[jamesha]

In the olden days didn't the champions always kick off the season at home? Normally against a promoted side - I can remember us going to Anfield for our opening game under Machin's managership.

Re. the team line up I think we need to be more compact and have better passing options at the back so a back 4 of Walker Stones Dias and Ake would seem sensible.

Cancelo at LB can be a game winner but needs to have players covering for him which will be easier when all are up to speed.

I think Mahrez needs to adjust his game some and focus more on assists and crossing rather than cutting in and shooting as much as he has done to date.

Hoping for a win but it will be a tough game - lets hope the Hammers have been at the ale over the Summer.

 

[SWP's back]

What pub are we meeting at before?

 

[Cotton Weave Blue]

In the olden days didn't the champions always kick off the season at home? Normally against a promoted side - I can remember us going to Anfield for our opening game under Machin's managership.

Re. the team line up I think we need to be more compact and have better passing options at the back so a back 4 of Walker Stones Dias and Ake would seem sensible.

Cancelo at LB can be a game winner but needs to have players covering for him which will be easier when all are up to speed.

I think Mahrez needs to adjust his game some and focus more on assists and crossing rather than cutting in and shooting as much as he has done to date.

Hoping for a win but it will be a tough game - lets hope the Hammers have been at the ale over the Summer.

Dont know if true but heard that we specifically ask to start away because the stadium is used for events in the summer

 

[mancityscot]

happily take a draw. Looked well off it on saturday.

 

[wolfie1988]

Would be surprised to see Stones and Dias at the back together whilst we have no left footed left back. Don't think Pep likes the imbalance of having 4 right footers back there.

Hope I'm wrong as I'm not sure we sign a left back now.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Yup, same old stupid Pep, no wonder we lost out on 4 titles in the past 5 seasons :( I hope he learns from his mistakes this time around.

I despair of this place sometimes mate. The football we play, the trophies we win, and yet some people hone in on any little failure. We lost a fucking friendly and didn’t manage to sign a full back nobody had heard of a year ago and suddenly we’re shit. Fucking morons

 

[train man]

Don't know how reliable it is but just looked at awaygames.co.uk which suggests (for away fans at whu):
Tap East, closest to Stratford and possibly a nightmare walk thru westfield shopping but sounds a good beer selection
Golden Grove, small spoons heading away from stadium to the east, near Maryland stn
Howling Hops Tankroom, nw of the stadium, near to Hackney Wick stn which is walkable from Stratford or Vic line 2 stops from euston to Highbury then change for (what I think is the) North London overground line to HW.

Be interested to hear where Blues have gathered in the past.

 

[BringBackSwales]

Good old pep and his stubborn ways I say he will stick with the exact same team from the dippers game and we will get the draw

You mean the team that most people would probably have picked before the match on Saturday (given Phil hadn’t played in pre season)? It’s a friendly defeat against another top side. Which of those 11 didn’t deserve to be selected v dippers or v West Ham?

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

I think I'll stick my neck out and say that we won't go two down!

 

[LongsightM13]

Would be surprised to see Stones and Dias at the back together whilst we have no left footed left back. Don't think Pep likes the imbalance of having 4 right footers back there.

Hope I'm wrong as I'm not sure we sign a left back now.

Yep 100% this, if we have a natural left footer available (even if only one atm) then they will play somewhere

 

[wolfie1988]

Yep 100% this, if we have a natural left footer available (even if only one atm) then they will play somewhere

I think it weakens us significantly because neither Ake or Dias are particularly good at playing through the lines and we're over relying on Cancelo, Rodri and Bernardo to build from the back.

I think we're desperate for a left back now we've not got Zinchenko. Probably more so than we were desperate for a striker last season.

 

[SSL2]

Don't know how reliable it is but just looked at awaygames.co.uk which suggests (for away fans at whu):
Tap East, closest to Stratford and possibly a nightmare walk thru westfield shopping but sounds a good beer selection
Golden Grove, small spoons heading away from stadium to the east, near Maryland stn
Howling Hops Tankroom, nw of the stadium, near to Hackney Wick stn which is walkable from Stratford or Vic line 2 stops from euston to Highbury then change for (what I think is the) North London overground line to HW.

Be interested to hear where Blues have gathered in the past.

We went in a bar on the river last season called 'Grow' right near Hackney Wick station. Was a smart bar and reasonably priced. Both City and West Ham fans were present with no issues - about a 15 min walk to the stadium along the river.

 

[Manc Born & Bred]

Best way to ground from Euston?

Get the tube to Highbury & Islington, then another train to Hackney Wick. Ten minute walk to the stadium and less people than at Stratford especially on the way back

 

[GaudinoMotors]

I think I'll stick my neck out and say that we won't go two down!

Should be a Sticky.

 

[Blu1]

Walk away with a point & no injuries I will be happy

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

Walk away with a point & no injuries I will be happy

We should be winning. Would be nice if we weren't playing catch up in the Autumn as usual and didn't get off to a slow start