And so the Euro debate rages on: should Slav throw his first teamers into the action on Thursday evening in Romania, or save them for the Arsenal game on Sunday?
As far as I’m concerned it’s a no brainer – and as soon as we are free of the Europa League the better for all concerned.
We’ve had three European nights at the old lady; suffered a major injury; blooded some youngsters in competitive football; and shown that even old campaigners like James Collins can get themselves sent off (probably unfairly and in silly circumstances). In other words – it’s been a real mixed bag!
Meanwhile, our new manager is attempting to get everybody fit and develop a system of play where the Premier League is unquestionably his priority and that of everybody else.
To see it differently is, for me, entirely unrealistic and, on a scale of one to 10 in terms of importance, the Arsenal match gets an 11.
It’s been demonstrated on enough occasions that participating in this competition damages the Premier League chances of teams like West Ham. And if you don’t believe me, just go and ask the fans of Everton, Spurs, Stoke and Swansea. The form of these clubs noticeably dipped when they were confronted with two big games every week. They simply didn’t have the manpower to compete effectively on two fronts.
I believe we have a really good squad this season. But I really don’t think it’s strong enough to cope with the demands of a prolonged European campaign, which in the end will only bite us on the bum.
I always want West Ham to win. But if we do fail on Thursday night I can’t help but believe t will be a blessing in disguise.
Not you as well Have Hugh,I can’t believe that this early in the season we talking about putting out weal teams to play in Europe
All the top teams in England put out there b teams in the 2 cup competitions early on so they perform in Europe,we do not even have to do that,we have a strong squad this year and can put out a very good team without hurting the side to play Arsenal,
But actually not wanting 100% to win in Europe is not ( fukc I give up )
Where has the real hammers fans gone
I thought this site was different
Weak not weal
This is not a personal attack on any of you I just live by different laws,
I left my blood on our terraces for the club I love,I would have died for this club and do not understand some of the attitudes
Now I am going for a beer
You only have to look at Everton last season to know how tough it is to play in Europe if Collins hadnt been sent off we would probably have won last week so no reason that a 2nd string team cant do the same out there i wouldnt risk Payet, Sakho or Creswell for sure other than that we will probably have enough cover in other positions but why not give the fringe players another chance to show what they can do and keep the team for Arsenal at home? This is a transitional season on many fronts and i dont see us setting the world on fire for a couple of months once Song is signed and fit with AC and the newbies have found their feet we will be a tour de force and hopefully competing with the teams vying to get in to the top 6. If we can do that next season will be the one were we start to set the world on fire!
Even Everton did well in the end last year compared with us and they never had our squad
St Ed you are talking a lot of sense
Europe gets my vote all day long, we cant afford to lose on Thurs, we can afford to lose on Sunday, the premiership is a long season, even with our strongest team out on Sunday we will not win away to the potential champions. I thin they will win the premiership this season. Let us focus on Thursday and what will be will be on Sunday. It should not be acceptable for the fans to lose both. The manager will be responsible for this and no one else. On Sunday evening we should be looking to the next round of the Europa League if common sense prevails.
I’m with the stay in Europe vote.
Seriously if we can’t stay involved in both competitions at this stage of the season then we are doomed anyway. We already have a better squad than last year despite the injuries. (Valencia could of been injured at any time, Reid was inured in training as was Obiang)
Due the to removal of a manager who refused to use the youngsters and some good signings.
Of the players who might play against Arsenal here are there amount of games to date
ADRIAN 5
O’BRIEN 4
REID 3
OGBONNA 4
NOBLE 5
KOUYATE 4
OBIANG 1
PAYET 4
SAKHO 7
ZARATE 4
If the club think that 4 games for our main playmaker is going to be enough then they need a kick up the arse.
Payet needs to play on Thursday as does Lanzini.
If we have Nolan and Jarvis starting then we are not going to have any threat. Jarvis was only able to put in a good performance against Luisitans, against Astra he couldn’t even beat the corner flag. Nolan I’m afraid does not add any threat and can only pass sideways or backwards. Time to discard him for good. He’s played his part in getting where we are.
There are 20 other clubs wishing they were playing in Europe,
How are we going to attract good players if we are not in Europe ?
30,000 plus surporters for 3 home games can’t all be wrong,
Time for another beer I am becoming obsessed
It aint just the prem/europe arguement,it involves transfers.Ok maybe we will not be buying many more but im damn sure if we can still offer them european football it is going to make us look more appealing to them.But sod it,nah lets just go out with a whimper & some will be happyThen we can wait another ten years to play in europe.Ffs,what is wrong with people.
The truth is we know we will lose Sunday and so you want the Euro glory to compensate. In this isolated case I accept that .
Beat Astra, lose to Arse beat the foxes and ballmouth. That’ll still do me.
Ffs why are we going to lose on sunday?? Shall we just write off 6 or 7 away games now, every time we have to play a ‘top’ side we’ll send out the kids to protect our best?
Sounds like old regime thinking to me. Except using the kids part.
I for one would rather be going to the “top 6” and giving them a game and not sitting on 30% possession, 1 shot on goal.
If we are going to dismiss the European games we might as well just be content with finishing outside bottom 3. Where is the point in fighting for a European place in the league if we don’t want it! The it’s ok to lose attitude stinks. Pretty sure that’s not the ‘West Ham way’.
Oh no you mentioned the West Ham Way,your be in the stocks with all us other believers,
Last year the problem was the Africa cup now Europe,
Even the Lady’s got to play at Wembley,
The pessimism is staggering, already thinking we’re getting turned over on Sunday saying we’ve got 6 pointers just after, saying Europe is a waste of time.. Where’s the belief gone? For 35 years I’ve gone into every season thinking we can achieve!! Generally we ain’t but the belief has always been there, this year I’ve never heard so much negative bull**** from so many, the season ain’t even started and there are those that have given up already… Have some belief for ****s sake that’s what being a irons fan is all about
The real problem is, supposing we put out our first team Thursday and we still lose.
This is a whole catch 22 situation with no real answer, that I also believe we wouldn’t be in if we hadn’t’ had to play for so long last week with ten men
. My fear is, with the nitpicky officiating going on, it could easily happen to us again
Whats the point of entering any competition if you are not going to try to win it? Any good people may think will come out of losing to those minnows from Romania will never outweigh the ramifications of failing at the first hurdle, so to speak. Suddenly there are lily livered pansies everywhere
COYI
Exactly !
in the cold light of day no one expects us to beat arsenal at the Emirates. if we field a weakened team against the Romanians we could crash out of Europe and then have the first team lose to arsenal anyway. not a great start to the season. I would rather we prioritised the European game. We’ve got a big squad. I hate the thought of throwing european competition to prioritise the premier league. That’s the sort of thing allardyce would have done. I’d like to see us fighting on all fronts. if we ever hope to attract top players we have to be in Europe.
Ahh,lets just bin both matches,we can start our season against Leicester.Half the fans want us to lose thursday,half already having us getting thumped sunday.Ffs,why even play this season,we might lose some matches.Lets just except 17th place & be done with it,lol.Cant believe some people,we get rid of hippo & now people are already writing us off & wanting us to bomb out in games with Slav.Might have just of kept Hippo then people could really enjoy moaning each week 😉
i understand the sentiment on both sides of the argument. Whatever we believe as individuals let’s stop the fighting amongst ourselves and get behind the team. That’ is and always been the West Ham way. Don’t let our different expectations divide us. COYI.
At last someone has said this…..we are all Hammers Fans, lets not let the Allardyce influence take its toll again this season. We were all split because of that muppet, lets get back together and sing from the same song sheet. You know the one ‘Fortunes always hiding’…because we never know….our fortunes may be better than anyone expects.
Get behind Slaven, give him time and sing your hearts out you irons.
I don’t think there is a single player that does not want to be involved in Europe, FA Cup..etc..
We go all out for all competitions picking the best squad to do the job, resting those we should along the way at key times. We WANT to be in Europe.
Are all you optimists so blind you can’t see the bigger picture of not going into the OS in the Championship. We can’t win the Euro or the PL but we can’t lose our premiership place. Criticise if you want it just makes you lose respect.
Wake up.
Oh dont be so bloody daft Rugby,whether we are in the europa league or not we wont go down.There are plenty of teams going to be far worse than us.Look at last season,the teams who came up two went straight back down & the other had a miracle escape.This getting relegated is just crap.Cant believe before a ball is even kicked in the prem you are talking about going to the OS as a championship team.Ffs,i give up.
Wake up coming from you is really taking the **** Rugby.The man who spends 90% of the time on forums posting bs about Nolan,Brady & any other matter that involves wages or money matters.What a loser.Everytime you post something stupid on forums you lose respect.But there again you dont care about having respect,if you did you wouldnt spend so much time post crap.
4life I am 100% behind the team and want to try and win every game,
Not falling out with anyone
If they want to get knocked out of Europe or Loose to Arsenal good for them,
But if you are asking me to sit back and not coment NO CAN DO
if people say I am insulting them by calling the Cowards or yellow bellies I can not help how they feel,maybe it hits a nerve,
As a club we could have turned down the chance to enter this tournament,but we chose to enter and now we should be trying 100% to win it,
bubs. Not arguing with you mate. No point. I respect your opinion andI don’t doubt your passion. I think we all need to take a deep breath and given all that’s happened since Hippo left the future looks a lot brighter.
Can’t believe that article , Hugh .
It should be a no brainer to do well in the Europa League .. We don’t have a squad like Everton or Swansea had when they were challenging … Europe is megga important for West Ham .. Losing against Arsenal will not ruin our season , there are 37 games left after that . But , Europe is a one off and should be treated with respect by putting out a strong side . The same goes for the FA cup . We have the squad to play on two fronts ,, so let’s use it . Come on you Hammers .
Absolutely Right , Bubs . No point in asking for a piece of cake if you’re not going to eat it .
Now your talking Kevin iLike cake second only to beer and victory on Thursday,
Then we can take a strong deep breath and take the gooners to bits,
If we fail trying and playing attacking entertaining football I will be a happy hammer,
No depressed fan here
Rugby will WH doing well in the EL automatically guarantee relegation from the PL? or are you really just a pessimist.?
Europe for me otherwise I wouldn’t have gone to watch us play in it, we have more chance of getting in the Champs league in this comp than in the Prem, so why not?
The Boys are going to win some, lose some and be evens for others but they always should be sent out to win every game, regardless of opposition or competition. COME ON YOU EUROPEAN CONQUERING IRONS!
If we didn’t throw away the game last week, no one would be talking all this bollox about best to be out of europe, going to lose on sunday anyway….. blah blah blah
i thought the mood was bad last season but now…… ffs
Nah,you better wake up because rugby aka nutty steve on wetpants told everyone they are mugs,lol
I actually think it would be quite funny to send our 1st 11 to Romania and send out the B team to the Arse. Few expect us to win at the Emirates so it would be great to show them a total lack of respect.
What !… and get beat 5 or 6 nil, that doesn’t shown them a lack of respect, that just gives them 3 points, bragging rights, and starts us off at the foot of table. Good thinking.
Essex with you 100%,this year the manic depressives are out in force. The days of witty banter replaced by countless people saying we need to choose between Europe and Premier league forgetting our winning tour in NZ last year lol.. Christ just think if we qualified for Europe next year Valium sales would go through the roof….
If the squad is good enough then whoever goes out to Europe on Thursday should win, right? I don’t see how both games are can’t be a good show and get a positive result in Europe and against the Gooners, who knows? No team is unbeatable.
The Romanians’ boss has said he’s coming at us full pelt, well that gives our players (whoever they are that goes) the knowledge that counter them on every opportunity. We’re fitter and better than they are, and it was only an act of misfortune that didn’t stop us winning comfortably last week. This week will require the same effort and just a little bit more discipline and I’m sure those lessons will be being put across since last week.
Have faith everyone. We are UNITED! Stop the arguing and the banter, put the passion in the right direction and leave the negativity at Chelsea last Boxing Day… the past!
COYI!
No qualifying for europe allowed GW.Why do you want your team playing in european competition,thats just ridiculous.Dont even know why you get entrance into europe for teams who finish high in the prem.Its a ridiculous concept.What fans want to see their club play in europe.Half of ours dont.You just couldnt bloody write it.We finally get into europe after a good few years without it & then our fans dont want it.Aint no pleasing some people!!