Saturday 31 August 2013

West Ham 0 Stoke 1 - Who needs POSSIBLE points deductions when we deduct them ourselves?

Well that served the club right. All that bollocks about potential points deductions if we buy somebody to play up front, and in the meantime we surrender five points anyway with goal less displays against Newcastle and Stoke.

We were dreadful today, and it all comes from having nobody to lead the line, with Maiga showing all the movement of a concrete pillar and all the physical strength of a cobweb. It comes to something when, in an effort to produce something in the box, Allardyce sends on an eighteen year old kid for the last few minutes!

With Spurs spending as if money has gone out of fashion, Sullivan has bullshitted the West Ham fans claiming we are tied by financial rules that don't really cut in for 18 months and which, anyway, only carry a vague threat of penalties. Instead of buying a striker, meanwhile, good money was spent on Downing who, thus far, has lived down to everything I have always thought about him.

So, instead of sitting securely near the top of the table after a kind opening round of fixtures, we already find ourselves looking over our shoulder wondering what is in store if Carroll doesn't come back firing. Today was depressing with a capital D!

Downing was awful. It was 16 minutes before he passed to a player in claret and blue and with Jarvis switching wings in an effort to get him into the game, our overall effectiveness was reduced as we strove to accommodate the Liverpool reject. Jarvis, meanwhile, was at his frustrating worst, standing up crosses all afternoon that even Rob Green could come and collect with impunity.

In central midfield, Nolan was absolutely anonymous and Noble was a bloody liability. And Diame was little better! There was no spark, no guile, no fluency - but then nothing was happening ahead of them with Maiga occupying a shirt but barely participating in the game. The failure to withdraw him says everything about the stupid composition of our squad - there just wasn't anybody else to play in the bloody position! God, I even found myself wishing we had Crouch or Jerome on the bench, it was that bad!

The Stoke goal was well taken but was our own fault with either Noble or Nolan giving the ball away in our own half and a clumsy foul on the edge of the box conceding the free kick. And sickeningly, one pathetic Maiga header apart, we didn't have a single chance all afternoon!

Get the cheque book out Sullivan and stop making excuses!

Player ratings: Jussi 6; Demel 5 (crossing awful!) Collins 8 Reid 8, O'Brien 6; Noble 2, Nolan 2, Diame 5; Jarvis 4, Downing 1, Maiga 0  Subs Morrison 5 Collison and Lee not on long enough to grade.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Couldn't agree more and if we don't sign someone to lead the line who can actually a lead the line we will not score enough goals to stay in this division and what a risk to take ahead of our OS move. JMan43

Anonymous said...

To your comment that Spurs are spending as if money has gone out of fashion: Spurs have so far spent about 110 million and after selling Bale and second-class squad players, the club has collected the same 110 million. That is net 0 pounds, which surely applies to any financial rules :-)!

fred149 said...

Noble didnt have his best game HF but was alot better than a 2. Noble getting grief tonight but completed 40/50 passes (80%), created one chance and won possession of the ball 10 times." What can he do if the movement is absolutely abysmal in front of him. Nolan needs to be dropped and we might win a game.

Anonymous said...

Well what do you know.
The old pikey gypo's turned over in their halting site, by stoke rugby club

Anonymous said...

you are a coward hf.hiding behind a persona on a shitty blog.no profile on here.an absolute loser

Anonymous said...

I bet you didn't even go to the game you sad prick. I did - and am embarrassed that you write about West Ham when you are probably in a young offenders institute somewhere speed wanking and watching the Leeds game to fuel your weird obsession with them. Nobody is interested in what you have to say.

Sav said...

Remember when I wrote that we should not get too excited by winning against a disjointed Cardiff (who didn't even manage one shot at goal) and getting a point against a Newcastle team which was pathetic and there for the taking, but we couldn't put it together an score a goal. Todays match was in fact the first real test we had and we failed it badly. We were totally pathetic. Especially in in midfield and attack. Couldn't keep or pass the ball, no creativity going forward, and second to every tackle.

I don't want to get started with Noble again because there were so many others absent today. But it was him who gave away the ball and forced Diame to try and recover it to concede a foul from which they scored.

Well it's back to the drawing board. But wait, we have no money left! Oh, well! Get ready for an anxious season.

Anonymous said...

Going down, going down, going down!!!

No seriously, just watching MOTD you lot are SSSHHHIIITTT! Turned over at home by the worse manager in premiership history ha ha ha!

Let all laugh at West Ham, let's all laugh at West Ham..they're going DOWN, they're going DOWN!!

Anonymous said...

Reid conceded the foul not Diamé

fred149 said...

Sav get your facts right, it was Nolan who gave the ball away for the diame foul.

Sav said...

I noticed that this morning Fred when I watched it on Goals on Sunday. But you have to admit Noble lost the ball many times during the game. It was terrible performance by all. But I agree Nolan was probably the worst of all. No only he gave the ball away, but on the slow motion it shows him ducking his head when the free kick was taken with ball flying inches above his head.

fred149 said...

I agree Noble lost the ball alot more than usual and to be honest the stats dont show the whole story. The biggest problem I think in our team is movement and maiga, Noble got caught in possesion 3 times waiting for somebody to make a run. In my opinion he was the best of a bad bunch of our midfielders starters, and he faded quite abit 2nd half and Diame ended up having the same problem Noble had.

Ive got to say it again, what does Nolan bring to our team. People will say goals but, there so few and far between that, surely you get a better overall team goal return from having Ravel in his position. Nolan is meant to be a pro footballer but his touch is appalling and he struggled to play a pass 5 yards, one of stokes best attacks came from Nolan not being able to control the ball. I didn't notice that until i watched MOTD2, but what kind of great captain ducks his head at a free kick.

But out of anybody the real blame lies with sam. I hate to say it but i put a fiver on a stoke win yesterday, because our gameplan was same old same old and was pathetic. We were never going to score using just crosses vs stoke even if we had Carroll. The game was crying out for ravel to start in Nolans place but it just wont happen under sam. Its a proven fact we play better when Nolan is out of the team then we do when hes in the team.

Sav said...

Totally agree with everything you wrote Fred!

fred149 said...

Never thought Id see you write that sav.

Sav said...

When you are right, you are right!