It wasn't shameful, it was horrific, it wasn't distastrous, it was just embarrassing. Arsenal reduced to 10 men for the whole of the second half controlled the game. Apart from Cole's shot against the post, we didn't look like scoring. There is no creativity in our central midfield whatsoever and, of course, Zola The Twat insists on playing Diamanti and Stanislas on the wrong flanks, so minimising their effectiveness. Mind you, Diamanti was truly dire today. His passing was poor and he gave up on the ball after his piss poor pass conceded possession when Arsenal won their penalty. And yes it was a legitimate penalty, unlike ours.
Where do we go from here? Well I will say it again. Zola HAS to be relieved of his duties. The guy is clueless and cannot motivate his players. I predicted that he would not make a change at half time and, true to form, he left things exactly as they were. Mido played most of the game on the half way line but he was the second of the strikers to be withdrawn. Campbell must have been thanking God to find himself up against Franco. "What, is there really a player who is slower than me in the Premiership?" What would Campbell have dreaded? A player with pace. So where was Ilan? On the substitute's bench of course! Why play to the opponent's weaknesses especially when you have a man advantage? Absurd!
Did you see any fire in the bellies after the half time team talk? Did you have a sense that the players believed the game was there to be won? Or even saved for that matter? Was there a noticeable increase in tempo? Were Stanislas and Diamanti switched? Was Kovac withdrawn in search of more creativity in midfield until it was too late? No, no and no again. We went out and passed the ball sideways and backwards slowly, as per usual - when we actually managed to get the ball that is! Did Arsenal at ANY point look under pressure? Did we at ANY point look as if we had a man advantage? No and no again. How many times did Cole receive the ball with 3 Arsenal defenders around him and not a single West Ham player available to pass to? Far too often!
At half time I predicted the final score. Smug? No, I'm bloody pig sick actually. But did anybody really think we would either score or keep Arsenal out in the second half, even when they were playing with 10 men? There was no drive in midfield, no creativity, no urgency, no skill. We looked as flat as a pint of beer left standing on a bar for three weeks. Embarrassing & clueless are the only words to describe it.
Player ratings: Green 7; Spector 5, Tomkins 6, Upson 3 (That's twice he has conceded a penalty when we have been playing against 10 men!) Daprela 6; Diamanti 3, Kovac 4, Behrami 6 (offered NOTHING going forward) Stanislas 5; Mido 3, Franco 5 Subs Cole 6, McCarthy 4, Noble 4
Bet you wish you had Gudjohnsen now! COYS!!!
ReplyDeleteSod off Terry!
ReplyDeleteMate you're being a bit harsh, it was Arsenal we were playing. Upson's handball was a penalty we have to look at this objectively here,
ReplyDeleteOh dear God, how dare you say that! Arsenal have only beaten us ONCE in the last 4 games on their dung heap and they played for over half the game with just 10 men. They only shaded a victory over Hull when Arsenal had the man advantage! How low are expectations these days? 2034, you typify everything that is wrong with our fans. You will make excuse after excuse rather than face into the truth. Because of Zola's tactics and poor man motivation, we are going down.
ReplyDeletehf you have no idea - not a clue - and if you are honest with yourself pretty much most believe that to be true - I'd say you have more who disagree than agree with you - give it up mate you're starting to look stupid. You so buy in to all that is wrong with the world - instant gratification - that's why we have so many problems these days - people want everything now and aren't prepared to wait - that's why we have kids stabbing each other and people in huge debt. Society didn't used to be like that - people were patient
ReplyDelete2034 hear hear voice of reason
ReplyDeleteInstant gratification? Tell me, where is the progress? I'm not asking for trophies, I just want to see some basic organisation and some passion!
ReplyDeleteFanno: address what 2332's has said he has made some good points on why it's wrong to always call for the managers head when he's not even been there a full two seasons..... it's a good comparison with societies current ills, or did that go over your head?
ReplyDeleteI have. See my comment at 0004, that was in response. If my child's reading, writing and Maths skills REGRESSED consistently over an 18 month period, I would be demanding that the school did something about the teacher! We don't have kids stabbing each other because I am calling for change at West Ham, we have kids stabbing each other because of films like Green Street and appalling parenting.
ReplyDeleteblaming the video nasties for the violent little fuckers? grow up
ReplyDeleteI blame two things, you choose to comment only on one. Typical knee jerk aggression, the very thing that breeds this hatred and violence in our society. I hope you are not setting that example to children!
ReplyDeleteKids stab each other in the back because we live in a "must have it now culture" - people aren't repaired to wait, by saving or indeed working for money......... your attitude to Zola is a perfect example of that culture, in fact you are a antitheses of that way of thinking. Not prepared to give the man a chance, what a low brow dimwit like you doesn't realise is that the guy will one day become a great manager, and you'll be crying into spilled milk.
ReplyDeleteAn idiot like you would have sacked Winston Churchill before he found his feet.
ReplyDelete1534, antithesis means "the opposite". Don't try to use big words you don't understand: you meant apotheosis I suspect. And you have the audacity (or if you were writing it, audition!) to call me a low brow idiot! That is the receptacle (receptor for you) calling the water boiler black!
ReplyDeleteKids don't stab one another in the back very often these days by the way. There was more knife crime in Britain in the 1950s than there is now. Go back to the time of Shakespeare and people were being stabbed every day. The trouble is, you are an idiot and believe the gutter press.
1536, did Winston lose his feet? Probably couldn't see them because of all the cigar smoke. Churchill was, of course, sacked as soon as the British electorate were allowed to vote on his performance!
kevin in manchester writes..
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much with everything hammers fan has said regarding the arsenal game..we are in dire danger of relegation mostly becauseany semblance of 'team' has evaporated. It does n't matter that it was arsenal.. we were second to every fifty fifty ball, we did not press and worst of all it is clear that the players have no faith even in themselves to produce the piece of magic to turn a game aginst better teams..time and time again in the second half when it was crying out for a ball down the wing, stanislas was in acres of space unused as our uncreative midfield plodded their way into knots in front of a bemused arsenal defence. For all of the above Zola is to blame .. I'm sorry to say it because on principle i don't like chopping and changing managers but he must go; he is out of his depth and now has the worst points to games ratio of any west manager. I'm not being disloyal as HF is often accused, just relistic. we have seven full internationls in our team but we are playing sub championship stuff right now.
Spot on Kevin.
ReplyDelete