The crazy world of Smoking Slaven's West Ham Wonders!
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Cheer Up! We Are Not In The Bottom Three!
OK, the Mancs gave us the bum's rush but even after an absolute tonking, we are still outside the bottom three...just. Enjoy the heady heights of fourth from bottom guys; I hope the picture helps!
I don't know about Zola's other qualities but he can't really pick a team. He picked Tomkins (ahead of Da Costa who was arguably our best defender in the last few games) with Gabbidon in the centre of the defence and Spector on the right. We did not stand a chance! Dyer and Diamanti should have started the game as obviously we lacked experience in the middle. Did anyone notice Gabbidon and Spector keep heading the ball back in the centre of the box where the MU players (especially Scholes) were lining up to crack a shot? Gabbidon was also the inspired defender who turned his back on Giggs and started running towards his goalie! Today it was pitiful (more than the previous games) because we lacked any threat up front and we were a little pathetic. Diamanti was noticeably the only one who believed until the end and run his socks off.
The only good thing about this season I've concluded is that there are at least 7 teams worse teams than WESTHAM in this league and I'm pretty sure we will move up a few places.But apart from that this squad is not going to accomplish anything.
There might be seven worse teams in terms of ability but are there seven worse managed teams? Stoke are no great shakes but they are organised and play to their strengths. Pompey looked good today! Hull have a heart. Blackburn have Big Sam. Birmingham have already opened a gap. Bolton are poor but beat us in the League Cup and will grind or batter out results. Burnley play with greta spirit. Wigan have beaten Chelsea! Who have I forgotten? A strike force of Franco and Jimenez is, far and away, the weakest in the division and you will struggle to find a weaker defence too with Upson missing. We are in the shit!
Answer this HF if ZOLA had money do you think he would buy big? I mean do you think he would go down the road of bringing in top quality players if he could get them,carrying out a major overhaul of our squad? Or do you think he would just fiddle and fart around with this present squad adding 1 or 2 players here and there?
My answer to that mate is, I wouldn't trust him with a transfer budget. He doesn't have the experience does he? And as for Nani, well apart from Behrami and Ilunga, what has he done? Diamanti looks good to me but Zola doesn't fancy him does he? So why the bloody hell did we buy him?
I do not like this arrangement of technical director and manager.It does not work in my opinion.NANI and ZOLA are two individuals with different tastes,that includes types of players.I think ZOLA should be choosing his own players,doing his own scouting,like managers did in the past.There will always be differences of opinion in this setup,and I've never gone along with it.Like you say HF ,some players that have come into the club,you get the impression ZOLA is not using to the full.Why? Because they are NANI'S choice and ZOLA has just gone along with the transfer.I think ZOLA should be scouting for his own players,obviously with the help of talent scouts to track players down,but ZOLA should be in a position to be famaliar with that players performances before a decision is made to sign him.At present you get the impression that NANI is doing all this himself.
Spot on, which is why turds walked. But he walked over the wrong deal! Zola should have said, no more when Bellyache was sold and Savio was brought in. How did Nani retain any credibility after that?
Savvakis, Mate, you enjoy busting Gabbidon's chops dont you? Headers you can only get a certain distance and their direction always depends on various factors such as body position flight and pace of ball. In my opinion, there was nothing wrong with Gabbidon's header out. If Man Utd's midfielders can get to them, why cant ours? If we pick out stuff like that then we can say Collison should have done better clearing in the lead up to the first goal and Tomkins should have tried to block the ball from the goal rather than the crowd :) you gotta watch him, it would have been funny if it weren't so serious.
As for the goal where people were critical of Gabbidon turning his back, I think he done his job by stopping Giggs from either shooting or running past him. Had Gabbidon committed, Giggs would have side stepped and been straight through on goal. Commentators agreed with you too but I think Gabbidon did well and forced Giggs to pass. Unfortunately, no one decided to track Gibson (that's where the mistake was)....I think it was Stanislas huffing and puffing in the background as Gibson ran off celebrating.
I would say that Green's positioning was awful for Scholes' goal. There was only one side of the goal Scholes could put it and Green gave him it all and then could only get a weak hand to it.
Stani, I think Gabbs was our best defender but he didn't get distance or direction on his defensive headers and Scholes scored from one that he headed back to him in the middle of the goal. Collins used to get height and distance on his headed clearances and we have missed that. The problem with the "challenge" on Giggs is that he did neither one nor the other. He committed, then retreated. But I agree, to pick him out for criticism is unfair given he was the best of a lousy bunch defensively. Tomkins just is not up to the job yet.
I don't enjoy criticizing Gabbidon. I don't think we can build a good defence by having people like Gabbidon in the centre of it. In my book, to be a good defender one should be able to read the game well, be cool and collected in his moves and at all costs not to panic. Good defending is not about sliding on the ground to block a shot (although at the right times one should be doing that too). Last but not least, is to be able to keep good positioning in a robust formation with your teamates and other defenders (Greece won the Euro 2004 just by doing that!). That is why we need to have leadership and organisation in our defence (something we totally lack I am afraid); we were all over the place yesterday with our right wing missing in action!
The situation is really grave. We can't be conceding 3-4 goals every week and hope to survive. As far as our defence is concerned yesterday was "business as usual". The only difference was that we did not score any goals. MU did NOT play a good game. They did not score those goals because they have played elegant football. They scored all four because, as usual, our defence fell apart.
I agree with you that the youngsters (Stanislas and Collisson) were almost pathetic in their duties (both defensively and in attack). But that does not take anything away from my arguments regarding the lack of quality in our defence.
I think Zola has to go because it is obvious that he can't fix this situation. We need to have a compact team in place in order to have a chance. Even Curbs can do a better job of this than the Italians running the Club are currently doing!
I never meant it like that! I would probably do harakiri if he returns too. I was just trying to make a point at how bad Zola is in getting it right at the back (or anywhere else on the pitch for that matter).
I know mate, just trying to lift the mood a little. Keep looking at the picture, I find it helps! I agree with 98% of what we say and wish we looked as good at the back as the girl on the right does!
Savvakis I can see what you're saying about Gabbidon seeming rushed when he's defending. I see this as a result of the opposite reason to what you see it. I think this shows he does read the game well, notices and makes last stitchj tackles where other defenders may not have noticed or made them. I'm not sure if I managed to explain myself clearly.
"Last but not least, is to be able to keep good positioning in a robust formation with your teamates and other defenders"
Completely agree but I think this can only work if you have good disciplined defenders and good disciplined midfielders around you (e.g. Chelsea since Mourinho). Our lot are a bunch of jokers that can make a good player look bad.
HF Can you stop posting those 'cheeky' pics. I do try to avoid them out of respect but your continous references to them means I'm tempted to look :) I control myself of course. And what is it with you and the one on the right?
Is that a family photo HF?...LOL
ReplyDeleteI wish! Bags the one on the right!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Zola's other qualities but he can't really pick a team. He picked Tomkins (ahead of Da Costa who was arguably our best defender in the last few games) with Gabbidon in the centre of the defence and Spector on the right. We did not stand a chance! Dyer and Diamanti should have started the game as obviously we lacked experience in the middle. Did anyone notice Gabbidon and Spector keep heading the ball back in the centre of the box where the MU players (especially Scholes) were lining up to crack a shot? Gabbidon was also the inspired defender who turned his back on Giggs and started running towards his goalie! Today it was pitiful (more than the previous games) because we lacked any threat up front and we were a little pathetic. Diamanti was noticeably the only one who believed until the end and run his socks off.
ReplyDeleteI agree mate. Is he long for the job I wonder?
ReplyDeleteThe only good thing about this season I've concluded is that there are at least 7 teams worse teams than WESTHAM in this league and I'm pretty sure we will move up a few places.But apart from that this squad is not going to accomplish anything.
ReplyDeleteThere might be seven worse teams in terms of ability but are there seven worse managed teams? Stoke are no great shakes but they are organised and play to their strengths. Pompey looked good today! Hull have a heart. Blackburn have Big Sam. Birmingham have already opened a gap. Bolton are poor but beat us in the League Cup and will grind or batter out results. Burnley play with greta spirit. Wigan have beaten Chelsea! Who have I forgotten? A strike force of Franco and Jimenez is, far and away, the weakest in the division and you will struggle to find a weaker defence too with Upson missing. We are in the shit!
ReplyDeleteAnswer this HF if ZOLA had money do you think he would buy big? I mean do you think he would go down the road of bringing in top quality players if he could get them,carrying out a major overhaul of our squad? Or do you think he would just fiddle and fart around with this present squad adding 1 or 2 players here and there?
ReplyDeleteMy answer to that mate is, I wouldn't trust him with a transfer budget. He doesn't have the experience does he? And as for Nani, well apart from Behrami and Ilunga, what has he done? Diamanti looks good to me but Zola doesn't fancy him does he? So why the bloody hell did we buy him?
ReplyDeleteI do not like this arrangement of technical director and manager.It does not work in my opinion.NANI and ZOLA are two individuals with different tastes,that includes types of players.I think ZOLA should be choosing his own players,doing his own scouting,like managers did in the past.There will always be differences of opinion in this setup,and I've never gone along with it.Like you say HF ,some players that have come into the club,you get the impression ZOLA is not using to the full.Why? Because they are NANI'S choice and ZOLA has just gone along with the transfer.I think ZOLA should be scouting for his own players,obviously with the help of talent scouts to track players down,but ZOLA should be in a position to be famaliar with that players performances before a decision is made to sign him.At present you get the impression that NANI is doing all this himself.
ReplyDeleteSpot on, which is why turds walked. But he walked over the wrong deal! Zola should have said, no more when Bellyache was sold and Savio was brought in. How did Nani retain any credibility after that?
ReplyDeleteSavvakis,
ReplyDeleteMate, you enjoy busting Gabbidon's chops dont you? Headers you can only get a certain distance and their direction always depends on various factors such as body position flight and pace of ball. In my opinion, there was nothing wrong with Gabbidon's header out. If Man Utd's midfielders can get to them, why cant ours? If we pick out stuff like that then we can say Collison should have done better clearing in the lead up to the first goal and Tomkins should have tried to block the ball from the goal rather than the crowd :) you gotta watch him, it would have been funny if it weren't so serious.
As for the goal where people were critical of Gabbidon turning his back, I think he done his job by stopping Giggs from either shooting or running past him. Had Gabbidon committed, Giggs would have side stepped and been straight through on goal. Commentators agreed with you too but I think Gabbidon did well and forced Giggs to pass. Unfortunately, no one decided to track Gibson (that's where the mistake was)....I think it was Stanislas huffing and puffing in the background as Gibson ran off celebrating.
I would say that Green's positioning was awful for Scholes' goal. There was only one side of the goal Scholes could put it and Green gave him it all and then could only get a weak hand to it.
Stani, I think Gabbs was our best defender but he didn't get distance or direction on his defensive headers and Scholes scored from one that he headed back to him in the middle of the goal. Collins used to get height and distance on his headed clearances and we have missed that. The problem with the "challenge" on Giggs is that he did neither one nor the other. He committed, then retreated. But I agree, to pick him out for criticism is unfair given he was the best of a lousy bunch defensively. Tomkins just is not up to the job yet.
ReplyDeleteI don't enjoy criticizing Gabbidon. I don't think we can build a good defence by having people like Gabbidon in the centre of it. In my book, to be a good defender one should be able to read the game well, be cool and collected in his moves and at all costs not to panic. Good defending is not about sliding on the ground to block a shot (although at the right times one should be doing that too). Last but not least, is to be able to keep good positioning in a robust formation with your teamates and other defenders (Greece won the Euro 2004 just by doing that!). That is why we need to have leadership and organisation in our defence (something we totally lack I am afraid); we were all over the place yesterday with our right wing missing in action!
ReplyDeleteThe situation is really grave. We can't be conceding 3-4 goals every week and hope to survive. As far as our defence is concerned yesterday was "business as usual". The only difference was that we did not score any goals. MU did NOT play a good game. They did not score those goals because they have played elegant football. They scored all four because, as usual, our defence fell apart.
I agree with you that the youngsters (Stanislas and Collisson) were almost pathetic in their duties (both defensively and in attack). But that does not take anything away from my arguments regarding the lack of quality in our defence.
I think Zola has to go because it is obvious that he can't fix this situation. We need to have a compact team in place in order to have a chance. Even Curbs can do a better job of this than the Italians running the Club are currently doing!
Now hang on a darn minute there sir, the return of Turds? Hang on whilst I go and get the razor blade and draw a guiding mark across my throat!
ReplyDeleteI never meant it like that! I would probably do harakiri if he returns too. I was just trying to make a point at how bad Zola is in getting it right at the back (or anywhere else on the pitch for that matter).
ReplyDeleteI know mate, just trying to lift the mood a little. Keep looking at the picture, I find it helps! I agree with 98% of what we say and wish we looked as good at the back as the girl on the right does!
ReplyDeletePS Is the one on the left Faubert's sister?
ReplyDeleteSavvakis
ReplyDeleteI can see what you're saying about Gabbidon seeming rushed when he's defending. I see this as a result of the opposite reason to what you see it. I think this shows he does read the game well, notices and makes last stitchj tackles where other defenders may not have noticed or made them. I'm not sure if I managed to explain myself clearly.
"Last but not least, is to be able to keep good positioning in a robust formation with your teamates and other defenders"
Completely agree but I think this can only work if you have good disciplined defenders and good disciplined midfielders around you (e.g. Chelsea since Mourinho). Our lot are a bunch of jokers that can make a good player look bad.
HF
Can you stop posting those 'cheeky' pics. I do try to avoid them out of respect but your continous references to them means I'm tempted to look :) I control myself of course. And what is it with you and the one on the right?
You need to ask mate? You must have been good and only given them only a cursory glance!
ReplyDeleteIf I told you how good I've been mate, you wouldn't believe me....or you'd have a heart attack and drop dead.
ReplyDeleteIt's not been easy, so I wouldn't advise it. The rewards are few and far between and not very quick in coming.
How about a low graphics version of your site :) hahahaaa!