West Ham (H) | PL | Post Match Thread

[Vic]

A game where the chances were converted and they missed most of theirs.

Savinho was a threat and is building up confidence.

Thought Akanji was fortunate to get a foul when dithering on the ball. Playing around at the back these days seems an error waiting to happen.

West Ham really missed Bowen. They will struggle whilst he is out injured.

I think we've got used to not panicking when a defender D lets attacker A press them closely. It draws A1, but D1 then passes to D2 who passes forward to midfielder M with A1 now behind and chasing. Invite the press and beat it. We got used to doing it well, but it takes confidence in your own skill, and bravery to risk getting it wrong. Yesterday, West Ham did the best example, down in the East Stand / North Stand corner. You have to admire it - it's an occupational hazard now - watching other teams play the Pepball they've learnt from us. You don't have to enjoy it.

 

[Keeper!]

I think KDB is getting frustrated at what is happening as the players are only human after all. He maybe heard someone shout something not very nice at Walker and like anyone might has lost his temper a bit.
Let’s face it the players are not automatons, they don’t go out on the pitch thinking I’m going to play badly today. They are just as frustrated and upset as we are.
JMHO

He like Walker are fading forces, bodies are failing rapidly and like most top pros they have difficulty handling the truth and the reality of the situation.

Never nice to see once great players decline but sadly it's part of the game.

 

[Keeper!]

Surely he understands we can't keep paying him Ballon D'or wages when he's fit for a third of the season and can't run anymore. Id happily keep Kev until he's 40 but he's getting paid like he's the best player in the League and that is clearly no longer the case.

Ego ,entitlement and pride get in the way, even more so when the MLS and particularly Saudi will offer him a wage increase.

Time to say thank you and goodbye, wonderful player but also a player way past his best.

 

[Kippax Street 1880]

Funnily enough I enjoyed the end to end nature of the game. In fact with our front 3 we benefit in an attacking sense. Foden, Haaland and Savinho would terrorise any defence, especially given space to run into.
What we needed behind them was a pacy, strong midfielder to break up the counter attacks. We had no-one capable of that role.

Pep, will see it differently. He mentioned 1000s of passes, slow build up.

I agree it was a much better watch, precisely because we moved the ball forward much quicker, got Haaland involved, got Savinho running at defenders and playing early crosses. I didnt see Peps interview but surely he can't think the glacial sideways passes and moronic edge of box tiki taka is better than yesterday.

I really enjoyed the amount of times we just booted it to Haaland rather than try playing suicide ball around our own penalty area. I've never liked this even in previous seasons. I felt we only did it to time waste with the ball and save our players legs for other matches.

 

[tonea2003]

Just watched the KDB post match interview, I think there maybe a bit of ill feeling between players and supporters, we are obviously all pissed off at this season but he’s right in his comments of what we have achieved over the last 10 years is phenomenal, had we won a title every other year and the odd cup I don’t think people would be as annoyed at this season. However especially in the last 4 years what the team has done is nothing short of a miracle, no one else has every done it, we have been spoiled and myself included have behaved a bit like a spoiled child at times not getting what they want.
Had we dropped off after the treble I think most would’ve accepted it but because we won 4 in a row everyone expects it to last forever, it doesn’t. This season is a wake up call that they are human and they can lose, just accept it enjoy your matchdays and next year we no doubt will be back up there.

that's all well and good and i understand exactly what he said, what we have achieved is nothing short of remarkable
and i will be forever grateful for what he and others have given us
but you have to balance that with the here and now, you don't get any points today for winning a treble 2years ago
we have to scramble somehow to at least 5th and perform some surgery on the squad in the summer
the legs in the squad need replacing and unfortunately kev you're one of them
he deserves to be playing and not a bit part off the bench for us
our high line is killing us with the players we have, west ham had 17.....17 shots against us yesterday that just cant continue
if they had managed to get to 4-2 yesterday we were in the shit you could see it in our play

 

[Vic]

Thanks mate. Assumed it would be something like that. Unusual to see that kind of interaction so thought KDB must have taken exception to something said. Good to see him backing his teammate. Shows they're in it together.

Perhaps significantly (or not!) but when Walker came on, KDB offered him the captain's armband and Walker told him to keep it.

 

[skillman]

Kev made a tackle in the midfield during the first half yesterday and it got the whole stadium riled up. Just the simplicity of a big, strong challenge on the back of a press.

It’s something we’ve missed all season. Getting somebody who excels in that area (Bruno, Ederson, …?) is a must. Both for the benefit of the team and just to kick new life into the club.

 

[Skellhell]

Because we were 4-0 up and Kovacic was on a yellow?

Yeah but why them? They I can se Gundogan we lack in that position but have we no one else not even in Eds team? In my mind Gundogan can’t play in that position and Walker have lost his one thing that made him one of the best in the world, his speed even last season we could se players that beat him in runs and the injurie and lack of rest have not made it better.
I known both these guys have made great things for this club but I want to se the team winning and if we would have played against a better team these sub could have cost us the game

 

[jacko74]

Confidence is a beautiful thing. Savio looked like last year's Savio.

I'd say confidence is at least as important as actual ability for a footballer.

You can have all the skill and technical ability in the world, but if you don't possess the self-confidence to use those skills you'll be a nobody.

 

[jacko74]

Ego ,entitlement and pride get in the way, even more so when the MLS and particularly Saudi will offer him a wage increase.

Time to say thank you and goodbye, wonderful player but also a player way past his best.

We should have let him go in the summer when suggestions of £100m deal to Saudi were floating around.

I doubt we'd get a quarter of that for him now that it has become obvious that he is indeed way past his best (something that was obvious to some of us since at least last season)