Match verdict
There’s been something very wrong all pre-season and now into it. Injuries? Yes but tonight we saw a West Ham United performance entirely unrecognisable from anything we watched in 2015/16.
Without any creative players of consequence on the pitch (and please please please don’t mention the name Tore) we saw two teams who were about as good as each other.
A Romanian team that conceded five at the weekend against a top PL team in their shiny new stadium. Oh dear!
A couple of remarkable saves by the Astra Giurgiu were the difference in the end but apart from substitute Ashley Fletcher we were poor… very poor.
The kid from Manchester was brilliant when he arrived and let’s just focus on him for a moment as the one bright spot.
Classy runs, a great effort brilliantly saved and a real focus to the attack. He was outstanding and can’t be sent out on loan. He has all the makings of a quality, quality striker.
As for the other newcomers, I see nobody who I would rate any better than Championship or lower level PL level – notably the much hyped Gokhan Tore who was as poor as it gets tonight.
The real issue was the total lack of midfield penetration. Without Dimi, Manu and to a lesser extent Mark Noble nothing happens. We don’t see the killer ball in behind. We can’t break teams down and we paid in a very big way.
At the end Slaven sat in the dug-out staring disbelievingly into the middle distance – uncomprehending and lost. A bit like the rest of us.
I guess if we are going to have injuries and a bad run now is the time to have them but there was a shocking lack of quality out there tonight. And quite what Simone Zaza would have made of it all can only be imagined.
This was supposed to be our step to the next level and what gets said in the next board meeting is not something I want to even think about right now.
Well that didnt go to plan did it.What a let down.Oh well sh*t happens.Bubs wheres Jenks the donkey I need to ride him back from Stratford.Tell him I will take him for a beer first lol 🙂
I blame the management, why firstly they knew we had to win the game and secondly they knew we had no Payet or Lanzini. But you still need to find a formula that works. So why not go away from the 4-2-3-1 system and play 4-4-2 with Antonio and Tore wide whipping in crosses to the two strikers – there is your creativity. I firmly lay the blame for this result on Bilic and his management team. Tunnel vision at its best.
The Guardian are reporting teams have been agreed for Zaza. Now just need to make sure Payet stays. Although extremely disappointed, at this stage last season we were out of Europa and had 3pts from two games which became three games and we still had a great season, so all is not lost!
It’s deja vu all over again lol
If we are signing Zaza after blowing the Europa League and about £30 mil I don’t think so.., we will be lucky if we don’t have to sell Payet.
I think it’s more that Valencia and Obiang will now be allowed to leave.
Bilic Out,Bilic Out!!!!!
I can just imagine all that knee jerk crap soon.
Lol bob ….you said exactly what i was thinking ….excellent season last year which still took a few games to get right and now people are talking about the management being sub standard …thing is everybody thinks they know best….the crowd are fickle my friend …in slav we trust…COYI!
Too many fans who flick their subbuteo players around then think they can win the premier league as a manager lmao.Its ****ing hysterical
Just confirms that we don’t have the strength in depth to cope with that competition. There’s a ver small part of me that wonders whether it just might be a blessing in disguise… But only a very small part mind!
I think you are right & trust me the same fans doing their melons tonight will be saying the same in a few days time.It happened last year as well,mass hysteria then the ‘ oh well we couldn’t cope on both fronts anyway’.
I’m sorry Slavin but you dropped a clanger with this one !! — Fletcher has been brilliant since he arrived why did he not start the game instead of Valencia ??????
Tore was poor and too much defensive play at the back -pass back, pass back, pass pass pass etc etc etc !!
WELL DONE ASTRA !!!
Valencia didn’t start Iron.Just saying.
I agree with Hugh something isn’t right. Bad vibes for this season, problems with the stadium experience, the Antonio affair, poor acquisitions, injuries and just awful performances.
As I said we are no worse than at this time than last season, the issue is that the fans expectations have increased, not unreasonably so, and partly due to chair man’s conments but on the pitch we are on exactly the same position as last season. Without 6 players who started against Man utd last season we’re always going to struggle until they get back.
That’s it guys let it all out.Have a good knee trembler & you will feel better in the morning 😉
We bought 10 or 11 new faces this summer,which I cn only assume were to be used as rotation players when European matches came along.Our biggest mistake was not having another striker to step in.How long did Bacca mess us about?But even then we were linked to 20 odd other strikers and didn’t get one.Calleri,who we had high hopes for has now missed 3 dead cert goals in 2 matches and IMO is not quite the striker we should have bought some time ago.Fletcher was a breath of fresh air when he came on,although he missed a sitter as well,but had astonewall penalty turned down by another weak referee and was totally conned by Astra with their antics of falling over when touched,feigning injury,time wasting.
Oh bugger 🙁 not a happy bunny tonight
we have been poor since day one this season mmmmmmm something missing
maybe a little french guy would help. Hope he will be happy with no european football for another season..
bl00dy romainian champions who got stuffed 5-1 at the weekend.
dont blame Bilic blame the players who have shown no fight this season so far. They look like they dont give a toss
To me it still seems Slav was talking a good game but in reality he threw out a badly cobbled together team that he had to have known would struggle, proving he really wanted out of this competition.
Can’t help but wonder myself why Fletcher wasn’t given the start. Even in the few minutes he has had he’s proven conclusively to be better than Valencia.
We’ll do better with Payet and Lanzini back but all that shows is how dependent we are on those two.
I think we did have players that played pretty well, Kouyate, Nordveidt before he was oddly substituted, Antonio, Burke who made one mistake that was cruelly punished, Callieri missed his chances but considering he was feeding off scraps I don’t blame him, he and Fletcher should start, Tore can wait until Accrington Stanley for another chance and Reid who is an accident waiting to happen should also be warming the bench for the foreseeable future, if Oxford is not 3 times the player Reid is then I am a monkey’s uncle, we have some great players at the moment they aren’t being allowed to play together. Also when was the last time we passed the ball through the middle, we only seem to fling the ball out wide and attack down the flanks, hopefully this new signing will prove to be someone that can create chances through the centre of the pitch for our forwards. sorry for the negative rambling chaps but thank god you weren’t sitting next to me, to say my language was colourful in the second half would be an understatement 😉
And if UEFA think Alcohol and football don’t mix, they can shove it, at half time I as well as most of our support could really have done with a pint or three at half time !!!
Lmao I’m sure we have all been the same tonight 32 when it comes to the verbals.The difference is we dont wet our pants on here 😀
hehe my pants stayed dry, but I certainly got a bad case of the overreactions 😉
Nordveit was our worst player on the pitch,yes worse than Tore. Only the ref had a worse game.
His lack of movement and passing skills was the main reason for the appalling first half.
Bilic set us up completely wrong,three holding midfielders against that ****,pathetic.
Lol 32 I was screaming at the TV screen I didnt go tonight.Frustrating wasn’t the word but it’s West Ham all over really.We should be used it
There was a fair bit of passion in the crowd Rick until Fletcher came on the players weren’t giving us much to feed off, everyone around me was really quiet there were a lot of kids and even an old lady or two, at first it seemed like it was just me screaming and I felt as though people were thinking there are kids and old ladies here wind it in a bit, but soon even the kids and the people around the old ladies were turning the air blue. It was more like Upton Park then a tribute to the iron workers, there was some proper dockers language on show !! hehe
I agree we need to start playing Burke at RC alongside Oggy every game because Reid and Collins have lost it,
Byram was sold out by Reid who naturally goes left every chance,
Not going to say it again bringing on Valencia is worse then making your team play with ten men.
Antonio is a RW and that is where he should play,
Tore is left footed and at the moment would struggle in the championship,
Calleri won’t get many more chances easier then the ones he has missed,he needs to get to know out team and play with players that are reacting naturally,playing in there correct positions,
Please do not send Burke ,Oxford or Fletcher out on loan and if we need to sell players after Valencia Reid and Collins should be on the list,
It’s not all about bring in new players but getting rid of some of our dead wood,
Fire sale and play the youngsters
Tim Vickery on talksport last week, he is their South American expert, Calleri is a willing runner but has very little in the way of talent, i see what he meant now…
The Astra player had one chance and put it away last time they had one real chance and put it away,
Calleri has had 3 one on one chances and not looked like scoring did the manager give him a bung and make himself a lot of money for Burgers ?
Just keep hitting my head against the wall what is Slav up to,
Has he learning difficulties because when I was 2 I knew the difference between Left and Right,
Watching there goal again,it was definitely down to Burke turning naturally to his right to takle,but we had so many touches before that going no where and the ball was poor,
Then Oggy tracked his man and stayed goal side no problem,
Reid just rushed off leaving the biggest hole for anyone that run into,
But the lad took his goal well,
We are asking players without the ability to knock the ball about when they are old fashioned tackle and get rid defenders,
Oxford Byram and Burke as well as Oggy look comfortable on the ball,
Last year we broke fast, directly and put pressure on teams before they had time to settle,
This year we are playing the ball along the back for ages,
Giving it to Noble or Novedt and going no where,by the time the attacking players get the ball they are double manned,
We need to play to our strengths,and we need some class on the pitch,
No more old school
Play the youngsters because they are actually better players,
We need to improve all though last year we had some great victories if we are realistic we had some lucky wins and picked up some lucky points,
That’s not a problem to me win or loose it’s all about the entertainment to me,
I love this club because of the entertaining game they play not for all the trophies they win every year,
Can’t wait for Payet,Lanzini,Feggolui,Ayew,Cressie to return and the new lad looks like he can play as well.
Ffs we had a Mickey mouse team out ,starting piling your fickle venom on Bilic when we have Payet,Lanzini,Cresswell,Carroll,Ayew,Feghouli,Noble,Masuaka,Sakho back.I read all this same sh#t last year.Now the same fans who were saying give Bilic a long term contract are saying he is clueless.I would **** myself if Bilic ever got up & walked,then you would find out you really had something to moan about.
Strange that,the same people who wanted Sam out at all costs,are the one’s slating Slav who for me is a good manager that the players get on with.No getting away from it we were bad but this is where the team need our support,and words of encouragement.That is what supporters are supposed to do.COYI
No chance,i wanted Hippo out big time I admit but there is no way in a fit I am or will call for Slav out.Some fans seem to have already forgotten last season & how well we did.
Honestly I dont even recognise most these names of the moaners on this thread.They wasn’t using this site when Allardyce was in charge so that argument is a bit wide of the skidmark 🙂
There’s a few rads ? Lol. Jumped ship ?
Under different Monica’s ??