Match verdict
Irons 3 Palace 0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XsZALK2Iy0
It couldn’t have been better scripted …no Payet – NO PROBLEM…quite the opposite.
After a nervous first half the Irons grabbed their big London Stadium win via sensational overhead scissor kick from Andy Carroll which followed a Feghouli tap in before Manu Lanzini dinked home a magnificent effort.
That ensured the little Argentinian has scored in every game he has played against Palace, that we kept a clean sheet and moved into 12th place.
It was the perfect end to a terrible week and all hearts went out to Slaven Bilic who has seen it out on the front line since revealing that the French midfielder will never again appear in a Hammers shirt.
I wrote before the game that this afternoon could show us our future and we got everything we could have wanted from a bunch of lads who, once the nerves had been overcome, showed themselves to be a squad that will fight every inch of the way.
And we learned we really don’t need a so called superstar. We need what West Ham fans have always demanded – players who will battle their brains out for the cause under a manager who having watched a poor first half display pushed Michail Antonio up as he adopted a 4-4-2 and introduced Sam Byram at right back.
It worked to perfection and sent Sam Allardyce and his team skulking out of our new home completely and totally outclassed.
The confidence that will be gained from this could be incalculable. The Payet era is over. It’s better times ahead and if you will excuse the pun – this was a REUNION of guys who showed how much they cared.
Goodbye Payet and thank you for helping us rediscover ourselves.
Just another week in the life of a West Ham fan…….
That is so true. You can’t help but ask the question…. why is it always us?
4-4-2 changed the game. Let’s hope we stick to it, Carroll needs someone to work with and boy did it work!
Lose a player….gain a team
It was a very good tactical change at HT.It totally changed the complexiton of the game.
I loved Lanzinis goal & celebration too.It certainly sent a message to the sulky Frenchman.
Yes alf that was a telling line from Bilic the other day about losing a player but gaining a team.
1st half we was all nervous the fans the players and billic it was written everywhere come the second half we was a different team an amazing response fergouli I hope we keep his getting better and better each game he needs time to settle but I think when he is he will be an amazing player. Carroll I’m no where near his biggest fan but today he showed what a player he can be always trying to make something put people through win the tackles even I couldn’t slate him today and his goal no words are needed pure class. Lanzini I worried about all week following the news as I had a niggling feeling that he would be turnt to but his celebration after his class goal showed everything in more ways than one for instance we are now a team again we are united and there’s nothing we can’t do together everyone in the second half played brilliantly and hats off to billic for having the balls for everything his endured of the past months and today and I think his proved his the man for the job brilliant day and brilliant result
Just none of you call Carroll the China Doll like you normally do otherwise you will get another sarcastic comment sent your way from Claret & Hughs biggest hater & biggest gob on the other site.
Good all round team performance. Antonio, still recovering from illness, covered so much ground and had three assists. Carroll secure up front, good with his head and some great chest control – oh and he popped one in. Lanzini excellent touches and vision, lovely dink for his goal, too. Defence solid.
Happy me.
I just worry about the poor loyal followers of the giant slug this evening! The myth of never conceding , always staying up could be broken!! How will they cope without his illustrious record? What will they do? Their messiah is a fraud 🙂
Do you not think gw that our fans who always stick up for him dont really believe their comments they just do it to wind up the fans they now hate him.Thats the way i see it meself from reading his biggest defenders stick up for him.I think they do it for an arguement from what i have seen of it over time.
No mate! I think they just can’t let go and struggle to believe that Slav has outperformed the most overrated lump of a manager in the history of the game so quickly 🙂
To all those who wanted Carroll out of West Ham … the chant should be ” we’ve got Carroll ”
Let the team play like it should and Payet is a far distant nightmare .
Nice to see Bilic going back to a familiar set up . Hope he continues with it . Lanzini & Antonio were fantastic playing with more freedom . Carroll ; well , it’s no surprise that he scored a goal , albeit probably the best goal of the season .
Is this the start of something better ?? , untill we meet Middlesbrough we don’t know !!.
But without that French parasite we do indeed look better with players going for it .
His refusal to play has served to wake up the Squad and get stuck in ..
Much as I hoped , it has happened .
Payet for , me at least , is now a non-person . We don’t need him . Sell him ASAP and move on.
Come on you Hammers … but Payet and players like him will never or could never understand that . Buy British is the way to go ..
Oh , And GW ; Bilic still has a long way to go prove it wasn’t due to Payet .
Our season has been awful and it’s down to Bilic to sort it out . Now that Payet has gone maybe we can start to play as a team instead of being Baby Sitters .
I still struggle a bit to give full support to Slaven ;; but I really hope I am wrong in my opinion . All I want is a West Ham United that I can be proud of . It’s my only dream and concern . Hope you understand ! .