West Ham United (H) - Wed 3rd May, 20:00 | Pre-Match Thread

[wolviedinho]

This is it now, no room for error. It’s only West Ham but it’s a huge 3 points. Really feels like it’s a title fight now. We have been inconsistent and had a few problems this season. World Cup and Cancelo being a nob. tbh didn’t expect us to be in this position.

It great but also the nerves are starting to kick in. Nothing to do with not believing in the team but more nervous excitement with a bit of trepidation -:)

Scrappy 2-1 win again. Come on city!!!

Rodri and Foden with the goals.

 

[Mahcityrez]

Any leaked starting XI of our lads?

 

[wolviedinho]

Hahaha, Stones is easily my favourite.

Stones looks like a duck and Kev is a Jonny bravo double -:)

 

[SebastianBlue]

Don’t expect loads of changes tbh. It’s too close till the end.

WHU are a better side than their position in the table. But still relegation danger that could make them a very difficult opponent on the night.

3 points surely though ….

They’re not really a better team than their position, though.

They’re tied with Wolves for the worst Expected Goals vs Actual Goals Scored per game (-0.38, meaning they are consistently underperforming), they have the 15th worst PPG, sit 8th in the Failed to Score rankings (the higher up in the table the more often you’ve failed to score in a game), and that gets worse for them when you look at just away games: they’re in 4th tied with the likes of Palace and Bournemouth, with only Forest having failed to score in more away games. They’re 17th in the 1st Half table (if games finished with first half scores) and 13th in the 2nd Half table.

The only thing they really have going for them right now is their form has improved slightly, sitting 10th in the Last 5 Games Form table.

But if you look at the Away table, they sit 16th, a point above Everton and Wolves. And they are with the likes of Chelsea and Leeds for frequency they are losing at halftime in away games.

I’d say they are about where they should be: pretty terrible, but slightly better than the teams actually likely to get relegated.

 

[NatalieM008]

I have been on a WH fans forum (Knees Up Mother Brown) - the repeated view (and requests strangely) of fans on that site is that they should make 5 - 6 changes and rest their best players for the games after this.

I hope Moyes is reading that forum

I also hope so

 

[lonestay]

The viking is going to want his 51st goal or more this evening . He will want the outright Prem scoring record for himself and why shouldn't he ?

 

[Big Joe Corrigan]

Stones looks like a duck and Kev is a Jonny bravo double -:)

Is Gundog inside a green plastic bag?

 

[SebastianBlue]

That makes little sense they need at least 3 more points to be safe.They don't play again until Sunday evening at home to the rags.

I think it makes sense when you consider that all data supports that they are likely to get beaten if they go full strength, they have more manageable matches coming up (plus Europe) and many of their players looked knackered at the end of the Palace match.

Going all out for points in their match with us has a very high likelihood of both failing and seeing a few of their important players picking up knocks/injuries and/or depleting any energy reserves they had ahead of their game against United on Sunday, which is actually more likely to result in a positive result.

 

[Deblueded]

Even if this did happen it wouldn't change how they play which will be for a draw

 

[SebastianBlue]

Any leaked starting XI of our lads?

If there is one, usually comes 30-60 minutes before the official team announcement.