Hugh gives his verdict on Turf Moore clash
It was better, a lot better and would probably have been the top performance of season had Andy Carroll not let everybody down with a dreadful double elbow incident which saw him sent off 25 minutes in.
I can’t be bothered to repeat the self evident – we all know, or should,that eyes on the ball or otherwise you don’t lead with your elbows, particularly as it’s an offence which has landed him in trouble previously.
So no Carroll on Friday night and in his present form that can only be for the good despite Slaven Bilic making it clear this afternoon he’s his No 1 striker
Yes I know, I know – not what many wanted to hear …me included.
However, the upside may have come before the kick off when Mark Noble found himself relegated to the bench and following a performance of far more momentum – even with ten – this may be the game which the captain will one day recall as the start of his Hammers fall from near automatic slection.
Kouyate and Arnautovic were far from outstanding but with Antonio and Lanzini involved this looked a far better Hammers set up.
The arrival of Obiang, playing some great one touch stuff and one brilliant reverse pass, only reinforced what the team has been missing by the regular Noble involvement. In a nutshell we saw little sideways and backwards passing.
Aaron Cresswell continued his downward spiral by being turned inside out down the left for the equaliser and the jury remains very much out £24 million Arnautovic who thus far has offered nothing like as £5 million Masuaku.
Yes football can be very odd with accidents of fate intervening but I really want to see Arthur doing his stuff on that side.
Lanzini is going to become a bigger and bigger influence for sure and Antonio is always top man.
Overall, as the cliche goes, I would have accepted this result if it had been offered before the game but what I can’t take is the regular loss of points in the last five minutes or so.
Close Slav but no cigar and that’s down to your insistence that Andy Carroll is the go to man….for me the sooner he goes to another club the better I’ll like it.
Bilic should have hooked AC immediately after the first yellow for his own good. He was acting like an enraged bull in a china shop and you could see he was an accident waiting to happen. And I’m not speaking with the benefit of hindsight either…the second came even as my mates and I were pointing this out. It was just so obvious given the way he jumps to attack the high balls. Another poor decision from Bilic for me. Taking the risk as if there were no other strikers on the bench
In years gone by when one of our players has been sent off in dubious circumstances, lets be clear the first yellow card today was a shocking decision, there would be condemnation of the ref. Interesting that I’m not seeing that on here, in spite of the fact that you Hugh Southon pointed out that Stuart Atwell is an incompetent referee three days ago http://www.claretandhugh.info/carlton-cole-foe-to-referee-hammers/
And one of the facts you have wrong is that Sean Whetstone wrote it schuauthing and after your constant and nonsensical trolling over a long period it is now to show you red AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIn if necessary.
Look at the name on the bottom schuauthing -: Close but no cigar
I was certainly willing to defend him after hearing the radio reports saying he wasn’t looking at the players but the television replays show he had a pretty good idea what he was doing and yes the second wasn’t far off GBH let alone ABH, the first one then becomes irrelevant right or wrong, personally I thought the first one he threw the elbow allbeit half the time you probably avoid a booking. I certainly wouldn’t describe it as a shocking decision the ref saw the player go down and stay down from it.
We aren’t responsible for any of the referees’ poor decisions, and there will be many more to come, but we can control and we are accountable for how we react every time.
Even if the first was harsh, the second yellow, by which time AC should have left the pitch, was so atrocious it was a straight red in my view, disgusting and indefensible. Slav should have hooked AC before he was made to walk…end of.
Ref was poor but Carroll deserved to go !!! All I saw was obiang come on and made a difference ? Same as same as up until then , every game has more questions than answers ?
Were average and should be much better , no excuse for conceding a goal and being blamed on 10 men rubbish ? Even with 10 we have more players behind the ball than them coming at us ? Why was zabba who saw the danger a couple of times when he challenged wood in the air and of which a goal came from one such attempt when it was up to Reid and fonte to snuff the c/f out ! Disapointing goal to concede ! Poor defensively from our 2 c/h and r/b!
2 points dropped against a very average side IMO 😎
Sorry Sch…. but you are wrong again . Moron!!
Bilic got it about right for the first time this season . So happy not to have to write about Noble . If this showing does not show Bilic that Captain Bloody Awful is a liability nothing will. As for Carroll. …. he is a disgrace .Stupid second challenge after being penalised wrongly for first but what an idiot getting involved 1 1/2 minutes later. Skho is so much better . COYI
Carroll was a disgrace. Noble having to watch is a positive, more alarmingly is that our best lineup going forward would have our two expensive signings over the last to seasons in Ayew and Arnautovic sitting on the pine. Surely Cheik and Pedro have to play together if we are going 4 at the back. Antonio is an automatic selection on the right, so Manu has to start left. Sakho deserves a start up top with Chicharito. Masuaku deserves a start as well. COYI
I was thinking something similar Dutchy regarding MAsuaku, take Arnie off and put Masuaku on in his place then maybe even Hernandez and leave Lanzini as the no 10 swapping in and out with Antonio for the strikers position.
They say on his day Carroll is “unplayable”. In my opinion he is always unplayable. One of our worst ever signings, and god knows there have been lots of players falling into that category.
I’d keepna 4-4-2 and swap out Cressie for Masuaki then Swap out Arnie for Lanzini and then Sahko for AC. Also Obiang on for where Lanzini was.
Reid Fonte
Zab Masuaku
Kouyate Obiang
Antoni . Lanzini
Sahko Chicarito
Masuaku has done more then enough to earn a start
Billic will still try and pick Carrol for the Brighton game despite his suspension
.He’ll send him out on the pitch with one of those christmas cracker disguises with the glasses ,nose and moustache