Ratings & Reactions: West Ham v Villa

[AndyM3000]

Two up front is not a long term solution if you want to become a top possession based team, no top team gives up the midfield or wide areas like we do. It might have worked v Saints and Leeds who are poor and overcommit but it's not going to work against decent teams. Watkins overall play isn't good enough to ask him to get involved in the build up either.

Ings is having to drop so deep he was a winger at times, Coutinho is dropping deep. Get the players on that can get Coutinho the ball in the right areas and that will create chances for Ings.

Ings up top, Coutinho, Buendia, Bailey behind him please. We have the players to play possession based, use them. Put Sanson and Luiz holding as they can actually pass a ball into someone's feet in tight areas.

[sharkyvilla]

I think today just showed how difficult West Ham are to play against.  No disgrace in losing that match really.

[brummybloke]

Very negative today, seems our tactics were pass it backwards all the time unless Phil is there and no matter what pass it to Phil no matter who is in a better position.

Or

Get it towards their area, pass it to Phil with no space or room and expect something to happen.

Our midfield was not good today it had little shape meaning cash was over ran most of the game. Nothing down our left bar a few young crosses because Ramsey was not holding his position for the ball down the line.

We needed energy, that was clear before the match and at half time but nothing was done to change anything.

Very poor all round I'm afraid. 

Need to swap the midfield around slightly for next game .

[Caddy]

Just wanna pop in and say that Olympic Stadium is a soulless husk compared to Upton Park and every time a club sells our their heritage for a shiny new toy it makes me all that more grateful we haven't. 

I'm not too annoyed with the result. Still think this diamond formation isn't the best idea, I know Coutinho plays best in the hole but we've gotta find a way to get Bailey on and one of Ings/Watkins off.

[VillaParkAvenue]

Tight and even game, quite boring 1st half. No room for Villa to try and play fancy. That cheating word removed Yarmolenko got a standing ovation at London Stadium for the first time, and probably last.

[villanmac]

Imagine watching that style of football week of n week out in that soulless shithole of a football ground. 

[dutchavfc1982]

4 minutes ago, VillanousOne said:

why can't we ever beat that smeagol face word removed

Twelve unbeaten against us, Ings has never scored or beaten them, Fabianski never lost vs us , they are 8 unbeaten against us . What chance did we have .

[Indigo]

2 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

I think you keep Coutinho on tbh.

We really should've got Buendia on at hour mark and given Coutinho more of a free role just off the CF so less need for him to track back.

After a pretty good few weeks frustrating for Gerrard to throw in SPL level game management today again.

As manager of Rangers you can get away with it most times, less so in prem and he needs to learn for next season.

Can't argue with the logic in leaving a player of his quality on the pitch, just think it was quite apparent from his body language that he was struggling quite badly and we have the options off the bench to at least adequately replace him without having to sacrifice a midfield player for it when we were already flagging a bit in that third of the pitch. If nothing else I think Sanson also coming in to lift the midfield a bit looked like it was a no-brainer but as I said it's easy to play the hindsight game with subs.

[ThunderPower_14]

West Ham's defensive shape was incredible, you can see why they're mixing it with the top teams this season. They absolutely killed us in the air as well. 

I thought our creative players really tried but just couldn't quite find the time and space.

[Wainy316]

2 minutes ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

The game was lost as soon as we decided to wear the 3rd strip if we’re being honest, we all knew it. 

Have we ever got a result in it?  Did we wear it against Barrow?

[rjw63]

1 minute ago, dutchavfc1982 said:

Twelve unbeaten against us, Ings has never scored or beaten them, Fabianski never lost vs us , they are 8 unbeaten against us . What chance did we have .

Come on, is it twelve or eight?

I know what my money's on.

[VillanousOne]

we were too easily out muscled and the ref was giving none of their fouls so made it easy for them, but so much aimless passing rather than running at them which at least Bailey and Buendia did at the end when it was too late.

[kidlewis]

We have a good squad in midfield and we aren’t using it. If you don’t rotate then what’s the point of a decent bench? 

with our game in hand thursday it needed at least some changes, if needed be bring on the guns early second half. 
 

[HanoiVillan]

I shall cheer myself up by reflecting on how **** they'll be when Rice inevitably gets bought by a team who actually finish in the top 4, and vindictively hoping they lose to Sevilla now they won't have Antonio or Cresswell. 

[VillaParkAvenue]

2 minutes ago, brummybloke said:

Very negative today, seems our tactics were pass it backwards all the time unless Phil is there and no matter what pass it to Phil no matter who is in a better position.

Yep, far too much reliance on Coutinho today. Everything can’t go through him, it becomes way too predictable.

[dutchavfc1982]

1 minute ago, rjw63 said:

Come on, is it twelve or eight?

I know what my money's on.

Sorry 12 for Moyes 8 Westham 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

Just now, Wainy316 said:

Have we ever got a result in it?  Did we wear it against Barrow?

Nope. Lost every time. Same in the league last season in the 3rd kit. Our only league win in a 3rd kit since coming up was at Burnley in that green one, and even then the curse decided to crock Wesley & Heaton with year long injuries ffs

[AVTuco]

Just now, VillaParkAvenue said:

Yep, far too much reliance on Coutinho today. Everything can’t go through him, it becomes way too predictable.

Yes, but he also can control the play, if that's what you want.

[Talldarkandransome]

Oh and I have to say fair play to Yarmolenko, it can't be easy to focus and perform and score when your home is getting blown to shit.

And he plays in the same team as Zouma, who kicks cats 

[El Segundo]

Poor for much of the second half where the midfield seemed to disappear for 25 minutes again.   Actually thought Ramsey was a bit lost again until he popped up to score.  Love the way he passes it into the top corner.

Didn't do much wrong for their first goal, just a very well taken snapshot, and you just knew the Ukrainian would score as soon as he came on.

Shame we didn't really start going for it until the last 10 minutes as we showed we could rattle them a bit.  Bailey and Buendia both did very well and livened us up.  Young frustrates me, so many crosses and passes hit straight at the first defender.