25 Comments

Antonio’s agony – the fans respond

Michail Antonio’s right back misery hit new depths last night after he conceded a penalty which set Chelsea on the way to victory against the Irons.

Manager Slaven Bilic immediately subbed him for Sam Byram and unsurprisingly the player – considered our best winger – walked straight down the tunnel loking angry and in despair.

Here’s how the ClaretandHugh Facebook members responded  @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/363174467150521/

 

AntonioGot to feel for the lad! He looked devastated. Like giving a baby a gun and then wondering why it’s shot something! The parent is to blame not the baby! Same with playing Antonio at rb

O I have a horrible feeling we could lose Antonio in January. He looked absolutely distraught when substituted and decided to go straight down the tunnel rather than sitting on the bench. If Billic pulls no punches he [Antonio] could end up like Amalfitano.

O You can’t keep playing him there.H e even said he doesn’t want to play there. If his mindset is not to want to play there then its a no brainer.

O One positive thing for the player is , no fans blame him for the mistakes as we realise that he is in no way suited for that position . I just hope it doesn’t destroy his natural enthusiasm and confidence.

O I can slightly understand with the offensive side what he can give in a wing back role but defending is a art and there’s always a time to see it out, him trying to bring the ball out is the midfielder in him! But do feel for him plus Byram has looked good!

O Byram is a right back and a quality right back at that. He needs a few games to get the pace of Prem but he is the answer there

O If people can’t see that he most very likely would’ve have made that mistake while covering from a winger position then they shouldn’t really be watching football. He actually did well to win the ball but he tried to run it out instead of getting rid.

O If I was Antonio I would be cheesed off seeing Valencia played in a winger’s role instead of him!! Only one game gone but looking at new signings can we honestly say we’ve improved in quality and our starting eleven??

 

 

 

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!" Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

25 comments on “Antonio’s agony – the fans respond

  1. Flogging a dead horse her Hugh ,
    We’ve all said our bit already !!
    Nuff ?
    Bilic needs to win us back !

    • That’s it they should sack Bilic and bring johnboy in as new manager as he is obviously the best manager who no one has heard of.

      • At the moment I’d back Johnboy,Bubs,32,Canchaz.Max,Matte or any of quite a few before Bilic.

        • I agree antonio isn’t a rb but all this moaning constantly about Bilic, sullivan and gold is getting boring. So Bilic thinks antonio has potential to be a rb, maybe it won’t work as he hasn’t shown any potential yet. If antonio could play rb it could be a good combo overlapping one of our other wingers, this is the only reason I can see him being played there, again I don’t agree with this. Bilic has got players to come to this club we could only dream of as well as sullivan and gold going and getting them. Bilic is a great manager, and maybe he has made a mistake with antonio but it’s silly to be calling for his head on a spike metaphorically speaking. Bilic has had one season in charge and has already taken the club to its best finish in years and now because we lost the first game of this season and Bilic a professional football manager with international experience thinks a player could be better in another position, the world class super managers on here think the worlds going to end. Keep calm and trust in slav.

          • Point taken Special one.

          • Agree buddy.The calling for Bilics head is lower than a snakes belly.Sooo embarrassing to read.

          • Agree with most of what you wrote,but trust me you won’t change any of these boy’s minds on here one narrow defeat and Bilic should go,and they should know.COYI

          • That’s a bit harsh Baddow Hammer.Having read many sites this fine morning there are others whining just as much if not more.I havnt been on this site long but see no difference from here than others today.I hope you are reitrating your thoughts across the board on all sites 😉

      • Special mug troll , go do one nobby !!!

    • Speak for yourself Johnboy but Bilic doesn’t have to WIN ME BACK after one game.

  2. Man up Bilic.Firstly apologize to Antonio and the club for a bad team selection.There are quite a few regular contributors on C&H who have more insight at team selection.If Antonio becomes Bilic’s scapegoat as it seems then God help us.

    • Thanks for the back up roman . I didn’t say sack Bilic ? He just needs to put it right !!
      Who are you special one ! Reveal yourself !!! I have an idea ! Mug !

  3. Oh Slaven, what have you done. Hero to zero in one match. I thought the days were gone when a commentator quotes stats of 1 shot on target after 80 minutes.
    The team was beyond poor. I almost apologised to my kids for making them support West Ham. Chelsea were poor and there for the taking, yet we managed to do nothing but get outplayed.
    The only players to come out with any credibility was Adrian, Ginge and whoever the right back was. What must he be thinking.
    The rest were utter ****e. No heart, no passion, no clue.
    I don’t think Valencia or Tore could go past my mother in her late eighties, the centre was lacklustre and gutless and Carroll continues to deceive, even if outnumbered.
    I can handle defeat, after all, I have supported the Hammers for 40 years, but I haven’t felt as dejected as I feel now since the relegation in 2001.
    Overreaction, maybe, but I saw nothing other than a painful season ahead.
    We had Payet

  4. Waking up at 5am in Australia to watch us get beaten by a poor Chelsea side was bitterly disappointing.
    After Antonios previous year, he surely should be on one of the wings.
    Poor bloke busts his ass tracking back when on the wing, and is a much larger attacking threat than Valencia, and by the looks of it Tore too.
    Hopefully Slav starts playing Byram at RB and gives Antonio the respect he deserves and give him one of the wing spots.

  5. Give me a ticket for an aeroplane
    Don’t have much time – to explain,
    Lonely days are gone,
    I’m goin’ home,
    My baby wrote me a letter (from an old ’60’s Doors tune)

    Seriously: get me to London, and I’m sure I can sort this mess out with poor old Antonio, before the whole thing implodes on us. Bilic has surely lost the plot on this one.

    Hang in there young Michail; from Australia to the London east-end, we all love you and think that you are terrific; stay as patient as you can; things will work out;’ never forget’, you are a special part of a special team!

    Best,
    Max

  6. I feel utterly sick for Antonio. The ONLY redeeming factor in this is that nearly all the comments seem not to blame him, and rightly so. Fortunately, Byram did pretty well…as he always has done.
    Antonio has one of the best attitudes of any WHU players for years, and if finally HE goes off clearly v upset, what does that tell you? It doesn’t say something about him, it says everything about how he feels he’s been MIS-treated.
    Oh, and by the way, we lost the game…Hmmm; missed out on Antonio marauding down the wing + his crosses for an isolated Carroll, while Tore + Valencia stay on. By the 66th minute, we no longer had any subs options. What would have happened if a further player had got injured? Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. (= “worthy of ridicule” – bet Chelsea fans are laughing in thier beer…).
    The accident waiting to happen that so many predicted of Antonio at RB has happened…1st game!
    This was not management, it was mismanagement. Hammerschat are seriously questioning Slav, so I am not the only one.
    If I was Antonio, I would put in a transfer request right now, before the window closes. What other option has he got now? The whole team has been greared around him as RB with purchase of so many more wingers and no RB purchase (as cover for Byram at the v least)….As such, the team is structurally unbalanced…Byram is the only NATURAL rb at the club.
    He’s the best winger in the country as far as I am concerned. I am sick of pointing out this completely obvious kindergarten nonsense….If so many fans could see this, why couldn’t Slav?
    How is management going to repair and reward Antonio’s exemplary attitude? Imagine yourself into the dressing room/training ground: What is the conversation between Slav and Antonio now? What does Bilic say to him? Nothing? Pretend there isn’t a problem?
    More of the same at rb?…Do an Amalfitano on him? What a horrble mess.
    This is WHU shooting itself in the foot of old…
    If they f*ck up on this, I will leave my season ticket seat empty for the rest of the season…. Antonio was my Hammer of the Year, and this is how we treat him. The waste, the folly…I can cope with us losing, but not the how we are treating one of the brightest prospects this clup has had for years. Even DS’s comment about last minute purchases are usually bad, without qualifying it for Antonio.
    Just how wanted does any WHU supporter think Antonio feels? Makes me sick….

    • Do you realise how completely unhinged you sound?

      • He always sounds like that Boleyn.The total overkill on here is embarrassing.Yes we know that Antonio is no rb but get a f*cking grip.Some of you sound like a load of 3yr olds.One game in & you are calling for Slavs head.Its cingeworthy!

      • The geezer has got a screw loose.

  7. Hmmm,just hmmm.The season has started again & delirium reigns.Win a game we are going to be in the top 4,lose a game & we should sack the manager.Same old same old.Its good to have the football back 🙂

  8. He needs to play right wing Thursday and at home to get his respect back as a great right winger plus we need someone to score,
    Biblical is a great manager and I for one will never call for his head,
    But there is a time to say I have it wrong and unless I have no one else fit Antonio will never play right back again with Burke and Oxford available it should never happen
    Valencia,Noble are a bigger concern for me
    Noble has not turn of pace keeps getting caught on the ball or in his temper giving away silly free kicks around the box,
    Valencia is finished and Samulsun would be a better risk all day long,
    Tore is not match fit far from it,
    But with Calleri coming Payet now fit Lanzini to come back plus Sak back to his best again we will be in the top 7
    Plus a good cup run and Europe,
    But the main man must swallow his pride and make the right decision

  9. We need to either have faith in Byram or bring in a proper rb..We all know that.But come on fellas enough of this overdramatic procrastinating.Its bad enough having F&C acting like a simpleton without all of us going doolally lol

  10. Byram has shown enough when called on last season and last night to make the RB spot his own.

    Antonio wears his heart on his sleeve and looked miserable as he trudged off. He is an unpredictable powerhouse as a winger, but struggles with the discipline and positioning required in defence (as would most attackers).

    Bilic will reflect on our impotence in our first game and make the appropriate changes for the Bournemouth game.

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