Ratings and reactions: West Ham 1-0 Villa

[caw2510]

Sky have us down for 66%. Having been at the game I think thats correct. There is no way West Ham had half the play.

west ham couldnt have had that much possession they just go long

We kept the ball well without actually going forward and doing anything. just lack some creativity and width in midfield.

cant see KEA & Delph together in centre midfield should have started with gardner banna and KEA

defence looked v sound

[Ads]

That's the problem We had so much of the ball, but no idea how to hurt them.

Get in a few players that can and we'll ne reet.

[Tomaszk]

We reminded me of WBA of 2008/9 under Tony Mowbray.

EXACTLY what I thought my friend. (However, that footballing style Mowbray brought to Baggies is still there, and look how strong they are.)

Pretty but poor.

I'm happy overall though. Do you think Swansea started off whipping teams playing they way they do? Look at Wigan last season, it took them months to get going.

Luckily I don't think it'll take us that long as we've got some very natural players in central midfield. Gabby coming back will give us the ability to turn defences around, and that's it basically. That's all we're missing. If we started pinging the ball around other team's boxes, we'll be a lot harder to defend against.

The general concern I would have is if we were playing football too much, Norwich didn't last season. There's nothing wrong with floating it over their full backs and winning a throw every so often.

[CI]

BBC say 51%, having watched the games that seems about right

People are being misguided by them opening 15 mins

[RunRickyRun]

Narrow loss. Decent enough performance but lacked penetration.

Lowton played very well. Holman was awful.

West Ham will finish comfortably in mid table but don't really envy them watching that every week.

[Robbie09]

Where is the Stephen Ireland fan club this evening

Probably just got back from the game like myself and 3000 others.

Still a fan then ?

Yes because i trust Lambert to bring out the best of him. We lacked pace and width yesterday, pace could have been partly due to the temperatures and i'm confident we'll see a couple of new additions come in.

Slightly off topic but the post about the opening day fixture at Leicester 15 years or so ago was spot on - the old stand with the glass panels on the roof...it was like being in a greenhouse that day. The concourse yesterday wasn't a pleasant experience so fingers crossed that lot are relegated at the end of the season.

Their lack of respect for the 19th minute applause was a disgrace too.

[CI]

They are east end barrow boy oinks that's why

Unless theyre crying over Bobby Moore or spilt jellied eels that don't do emotion

rocket polishers

[blandy]

Having watched a re-run, I thought we looked really lightweight and toothless. This is because the squad is really lightweight and toothless. The passing game is much my preferred way of seeing teams play. The issue isn't formation or any such thing IMO, it's that N'Zogbia, Ireland, Delph, Holmann (possibly) are simply not good enough. We have no left back, no natural wide player who can get service to Bent and consequently a weak side, which with an inability to score or create enough chances, is going to struggle.

The tactics were much preferable to playing the Infiltrator way, but results will be similar unless the squad is strengthened. Gabby coming back should be a bonus, as it means we can get behind sides, rather than play in front of them all the time and hope to thread a genius pass through, or score a long range screamer.

I wouldn't like to be the bloke responsible for clearing the mess of a squad up.

[srsmithusa]

Frustrating and promising

If a factory has produced fertilize but needs to retool the machinery and the workers to create a sports car, it’s a long incremental process. You have to change a few things at a time.

Given looked much better than I’ve seen him in years. The knock is he stays on his line and doesn’t own the penalty area. But in this match he came off his line at key times to eliminate problems before the big save was needed.

Possession. Agreed it was not productive possession, but it was possession and that’s a big step forward.

On the other hand: KEA, Delph, Ireland all seemed to be playing essentially the same role. “Show for the ball; Keep Possession; Take the safe pass first; Occasionally look for the incisive pass;” IMO KEA needs to try the incisive pass much more often. Delph as well. Ireland tried it more often, but rarely got it right. It could be they were told for Ireland to try it more often than the others. None of us can tell (from this match) if KEA and Delph don’t have the vision to see those passes or if they were instructed to take no risks. Either way, the factory production line showed some good changes, but not the final product.

I assume the feed in Britain was much more clear than the feed in the US about the final touch on the offside goal. Not at all clear here who had that touch here. If it was as unclear on your feed, I think there would be much more complaining on here. Clearly we need to play to the whistle either way, but…. Very questionable call to overrule the flag based on the US feed. If so, we were just unlucky not to draw.

Greatest need in the window is LB.

[slowandlow]

This 'not respecting the 19th minutE" stuff is nonsense

Diana syndrome

[moose]

On the whole I felt it was a complete and utter let-down. Saw comments from PL before match saying stuff like "if we don't have a shot until the 40th minute the fans won't like it". Damn right. We could have played until Tuesday and barely got a shot on target.

New manager's given us some optimism but sadly the same old players have taken it away. On the plus side we clearly know how to pass, on the downside we haven't got the slightest clue how to pass it into an area where we can be dangerous.

I guess it's game over for Warnock but I think it must be game over for Lichaj too if we're playing a 4th choice centre back ahead of him on the left (making the assumption that he's 4th because he wasn't one of the two actually playing CB and Dunne is injured).

Match verdict : like watching last season.

[Robbie09]

This 'not respecting the 19th minutE" stuff is nonsense

Diana syndrome

Yeah right. So those idiots that were mocking Stan is acceptable then?

[Mantis]

So at least we agree then that our lack of goals last season wasn't due to Mcleish and for once I agree with you that we need our forward line improved upon for the very reason I've always stated.

What are you talking about it? Of course it was due to McLeish, TO AN EXTENT. That's what I've always maintained - McLeish was the primary reason but not the only reason. Please actually read my posts instead of just reading what you want to read.

Your ironic quote although misplaced does amuse me as its so hypocritical.

Haha, funny that. You calling other people hypocritical is in itself hypocritical.

[Philosopher]

A few people defending Ireland need to get real! The guy was pant, he gave the ball away so many times, misplaced most of his forward passes and did buggar all! KEA and Delph in their conservative roles played safe thats fine by me. Ireland and Holman for that matter were atrocious! Zog was only a fraction better! I have not seen anything to suggest Holman has the quality to play a central attacking midfielder at this level!

Lamberts tactcs were poor too! It was clear from 30 minutes gone that we weren't going to get any joy out of wet spam playing so narrow. We didn't even have players cutting inside there was nobody there except the fullback in very deep position. He should've have Ireland and Zog starting out wide then coming inside with the ball at their feet, Lowton should've look to get further forward and Holman shouldn't have been on the pitch!

I like that we were trying to pass the ball, but we were UTTERLY TOOTHLESS even when we have supposedly good creative talents in Ireland and N'Zogbia!

If this match tells me anything its how much we need Gabby! Bringing on Albrighton (if he weren't injured) could've changed the game also! McCartney was there for the taking yesterday!

[8pints]

We were a bit green. Pun slightly intended but I it's a genuine description.

We were a bit naive I feel, that's due to a number of reasons, new players, players new to this level, a new style of playing etc so it was very much a case of watching a work still in the early stages of progress.

But we are in progress, some lovely passages of play, not just in the first thirty minutes, some clever ideas and some organised defending for the most part, especially as it was a new look back four gelling.

West Ham were always going to be a formidable opponent, an organised team with a very specific style of playing with players who know all the tricks in the book. They are bullies like Stoke and Liverpool and, like I say, we have players still a bit naive about coming up against that type of thing.

Yes, we are still in desperate need of a cutting edge player with the right mentality to combat teams like West Ham and I still feel Lambert will bring someone like that in.

If this was the very early stages of going in a certain direction, and we keep improving and bring in those players we are missing, I'm pretty sure we'll smash West Ham at Villa Park, make their heads dizzy.

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

This 'not respecting the 19th minutE" stuff is nonsense

Diana syndrome

Yeah right. So those idiots that were mocking Stan is acceptable then?

I was at the game and I managed to get tickets in possibly the worst seats on the planet. I was in the seats to the left of our away fans in the upper. Basically I was standing with the very worst of the West Ham scum. The idiots you refer to, I had around all around me, about 200 of the clearings in the woods.

Now I have been to a lot of grounds and I have been in a lot of away ends but these are without doubt the biggest collection of oxygen thief's I have ever come across, most are 30-40 years old and a lot of them have their "Girlfriends"with them which is a bit strange. If I had a Mrs like them I would keep em in the cellar on a **** leash.

Pretty strange really, I could not and would not say a word all game. One word and I would not have made it out of there I am 100 % sure.

A few thoughts about the West Ham scum, 1) They don't care or even watch the football, they were really attracted to the bald/ fat Villa fan who was taking the piss out of them all game. 2) they know nothing about the rules / tactics of the game 3) They are racist scum and like singling songs about the color of players 4) They think there ground is ace when in reality it is a toilet with a lot of seats 5) Their little firm would get destroyed by anyone, Small Heath would take this lot apart in 10 mins.

Although we lost I came out thinking I had won, West Ham have got these clearings in the woods for life.

Long drive though in a day, Amsterdam to West Ham and back. Left at 6.00 am and was in at 11:45. Had a new A7 Audi to go in so not all bad. The things fly man.

[Soobax]

But we are in progress, some lovely passages of play, not just in the first thirty minutes, some clever ideas and some organised defending for the most part, especially as it was a new look back four gelling.

That's how I feel too. It's a work in progress, so not too bothered about the loss first game of the season as we need time to get into Lamberts system. It's more the games after the transfer window that I would be worried about.