Ratings & Reactions: West Ham v Villa

[TRO]

3 hours ago, GingerCollins29 said:

Feels like we are treading water til we can reshape the squad in the summer.

Yep.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, GingerCollins29 said:

Moyes is a far better manager than Gerrard 

at the moment.

Its easy to be a better manager though, when the profile of your playing staff is better.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, sheepyvillian said:

But it's not like West Ham were playing hit and hope, they actually passed the ball to feet. I just think anti - football was a bit of an exaggeration.  It's not like we were any better, tbf. 

I just think the comment is absurd....and you are right we wasn't any better....at one stage it was an even contest, of equally capable teams.

I just think at the end of the day, Rice and Soucek, were better than anything we had in those positions.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

I thought Villa were ok but again we didn't do enough to score more...

In hindsight perhaps changing a couple of players might have made a difference but we will never know.

Be interesting to see what he does next game.

Sanson deserves a start and perhaps too Konsa.

I don't think any other permutations of personnel, would have changed that...we simply don't have in our ranks, what was needed.

[useless]

SInce Gerrard came in we've actually taken one more point than West Ham and have played one less game than them in that time.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

I thought Villa were ok but again we didn't do enough to score more...

In hindsight perhaps changing a couple of players might have made a difference but we will never know.

Be interesting to see what he does next game.

Sanson deserves a start and perhaps too Konsa.

another clean sheet, would have won it.

[AvonVillain]

14 minutes ago, TRO said:

We have been watching this Villa team for so long now......we know the likelyhood of that result today, against teams with dominant midfield personnel.

SG has to see it for himself, how Rice and Soucek dominated our midfield....you cannot just change that without surgery.

He knows now, but we have to put up with it until the summer....and hope we can get in the right type of players to help us with it.

It really should be more obvious to the highly paid professionals calling the shots. 1 up top, an extra man plus fresh legs in midfield to counter that very likely domination away from home from their strong midfield. We still could have lost doing this, of course, but the thinking would have seemed proactive and sensible a matter of days since the previous game. The Gerrard way increasingly looks like the Bielsa way; it doesn't matter about the opposition or their strengths, we play the same way with the same XI no matter what.

Edited March 13, 2022 by AvonVillain

[GingerCollins29]

10 minutes ago, TRO said:

at the moment.

Its easy to be a better manager though, when the profile of your playing staff is better.

At the moment is what i meant and i agree. Of course SG has a higher ceiling. I disagree that weat hams players are better than ours

[TRO]

2 hours ago, VillaFaninLondon said:

We all know this has been a disappointing season even if the last 3 games brought some light and hope for us all, but 14 defeats from 28 games really is embarrassing. 

 

This team is so God damn easy to beat, I don't understand why we're so incapable of grinding out draws when we're not having a good day like today. 5 or 6 draws from those 14 games we've lost would have put us in a strong position with 10 games left to go and not left such a sour taste in the mouth from having to watch us lose every other week.

 

West Ham always beat us, really can't stand them. They're certainly quite a dirty team and it would be nice to give them a good hiding next season as it's long overdue. 

 

You can see how important Rice is for them sitting in front of their defence. Their back five today looked weaker than ours, but they have Rice and Soucek sitting in front of them whereas we have Luiz. It really doesn't take a rocket science to understand why they always get the better of us and we need to bloody fix that area of the field in summer as it's needed if we're to start winning these types of games.

 

It doesn't bode well that our first relatively tough game ends in defeat, given we now have a run of these types of games in the next 5. We really need to take something from Arsenal next week. 

Its a point that has been done to death.....some see it, some don't......The manager seen it today and remarked on it......that is a good sign.

but you are right about the losses.....too many.

However DS had 7 losses in 11 games

                 SG has 7 losses in 17 games.

Now its not a great turn around, but it is an improvement...but we need players to help us improve it more.....The right kind of players.

[icouldtelltheworld]

They are a better team and maybe 18 months ahead of us,  fair play to them Moyes has done a good job there. That West Ham are troubling the top six is ultimately good for us, means it's possible for us to do it too.

Rare that teams win four in a row in this league, I'd have taken a point better kick off. Wasn't to be. Onwards and upwards 

[chappy]

1 hour ago, Philosopher said:

Did anyone else think McGinn was immaculate on the ball? And yes he played a pass to Bailey that Bailey was only 50 / 50 to be able to received, and had the cheek to say Bailey should've been stronger when he is 5'9 and under 70kg, compared to 6'2 and 85kg Rice! Also tell me about all the times McGinn got on the end of crosses in the box?

McGinn must be offering free BJ's or something for his press to be this good. Thought he was the poorest of our midfield and defense today. Watkins was worse, but that was more to do with him having very little to work with.

Presumably Ashley Preece? Wouldn’t bother reading tbh

[TRO]

2 hours ago, Five Ken McNaughts said:

If Dawson smashes Chambers in the face with his forearm while both are stationary, it’s an instant red card. Yet – somehow – if he takes a 5-yard run-up then does exactly the same with added momentum... it’s not even a foul?!? Premier League officiating at its finest.

The fact this latest muppet failed to even give Rice a yellow for VERY obviously giving Coutinho what Vinnie Jones used to call a “reducer” right in front of him... (and seemingly had to be told by a lino that it was even a free-kick)... told me all I needed to know about him. Villa, yet again, assigned a referee wildly out of his depth. 

I am not doubting your word....but do we have to keep relying on Referee's to chaperone us?, because it isn't going to happen.

Its a mans game and you have to be equipped to look after yourself.....its part and parcel of the game.

We have to develop an edge, where its not a good idea to be continuously fouling us....you call it a "reducer".....we had players in the past, who had idea's of retribution, and it seems the referee's are turning a blind eye to it.

We have to be stronger in the execution of staying on the ball, and if means a few dark arts, so be it......maybe we could do with a few players, who are at home with it.

 

[TRO]

1 hour ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Wait, were people going into this match, EXPECTING a result as a given?

If we were tripe I'd understand some of the nonsense.

Next, we play an Arsenal team, who are 4th in the League with 2 games in hand, if we lose, what are we going to do?

The deficiencies we have had, we still have, but we've improved our system and some of our play over the past couple weeks, however, ultimately, we will still get beaten by certain teams.

Until we address our weaknesses with personell, this will sometimes be the case.

Although, teams like Arsenal, suit our game better.

Best post on here.

Spot on shaun.

West Ham are one of the best teams in the league, to expose our prime weaknesses in our squad....with that in mind, it was a decent attempt, under the circumstances.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, il_serpente said:

So you're basically saying we should recall Keinan Davis and start him over Watkins.

No its not what I am saying at all.

I am saying he needs to work his defender more.......its too easy for them.

One way or another, your opposite number has to be glad the game is over, Ollie doesn't make that happen, he's too easy to play against....there are various ways of doing it, and strikers vary in what they do, but you can't run around claiming to be a willing runner, without hurting your defender, and unsettling him.

 

[TRO]

34 minutes ago, AvonVillain said:

It really should be more obvious to the highly paid professionals calling the shots. 1 up top, an extra man plus fresh legs in midfield to counter that very likely domination away from home from their strong midfield. We still could have lost doing this, of course, but the thinking would have seemed proactive and sensible a matter of days since the previous game. The Gerrard way increasingly looks like the Bielsa way; it doesn't matter about the opposition or their strengths, we play the same way with the same XI no matter what.

but each team has its own unique challenges....it takes time to see them all.

He didn't see the Home 1-4 home defeat, as he wasn't in charge.

He said today...we have a profile, stature issue....you can't change somethings if you haven't got the personnel to do it.

I don't think the Gerrard way is anything like the Biesla way.....but most of these "ways" are determined by the profile and stature of your playing staff.

[VillaFaninLondon]

25 minutes ago, TRO said:

Its a point that has been done to death.....some see it, some don't......The manager seen it today and remarked on it......that is a good sign.

but you are right about the losses.....too many.

However DS had 7 losses in 11 games

                 SG has 7 losses in 17 games.

Now its not a great turn around, but it is an improvement...but we need players to help us improve it more.....The right kind of players.

If Gerrard manages to get someone like Phillips or Ndidi to come here in the summer, it will go a long way to fixing it. 

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Philosopher said:

Did anyone else think McGinn was immaculate on the ball? And yes he played a pass to Bailey that Bailey was only 50 / 50 to be able to received, and had the cheek to say Bailey should've been stronger when he is 5'9 and under 70kg, compared to 6'2 and 85kg Rice! Also tell me about all the times McGinn got on the end of crosses in the box?

McGinn must be offering free BJ's or something for his press to be this good. Thought he was the poorest of our midfield and defense today. Watkins was worse, but that was more to do with him having very little to work with.

Thats a cop out, if I ever saw one.

Mo Salah and Jamie Vardy have been running the gauntlett for yonks as just 2 examples , not to mention Messi......both a strip of piss, in physical stature...Top Athletes,  use their body weight to their own advantage and own the pass and capitalise.

Bailey is supposed to be a top flight forward, tearing it up in the bundesliga, sure he just back after injury and it will take time to rehabilitate, but come on he has to use his talent in defence of these physical specimens.

Our own PC is no shrinking violet....plenty of top flight strikers, with modest body weight, have used it to skin defenders.

Its a poor argument in my opinion.

Edited March 13, 2022 by TRO

[sheepyvillian]

19 minutes ago, TRO said:

No its not what I am saying at all.

I am saying he needs to work his defender more.......its too easy for them.

One way or another, your opposite number has to be glad the game is over, Ollie doesn't make that happen, he's too easy to play against....there are various ways of doing it, and strikers vary in what they do, but you can't run around claiming to be a willing runner, without hurting your defender, and unsettling him.

 

To use a metaphor, he needs to get them knees muddy.

Andy Gray was only 5 foot ten but he put the fear of God up the best centre- half's. 

Edited March 13, 2022 by sheepyvillian

[sheepyvillian]

4 hours ago, Spoony said:

I thought they played a bit like how we used to play under Martin O’Neill. Quite physical, counter-attacking play. 

Spot on.

[TRO]

1 minute ago, sheepyvillian said:

To use a metaphor, he needs to get them knees muddy.

sheepy, I don't want to go back in time....but Andy G wasn't the most gifted of strikers in technical terms ( his words not mine)

but by christ, if you was a defender, you knew you had been in a game.

I like Ollie, I really do.....but he has to do more to make him self a pest or a nuisance.....goals won't always land on a plate, he has to make them happen too.