West Ham Utd 1 Doncaster Rovers 1 (10/03/12)

[Matt of iron]

I'm willing to bet anyone 5 WHOLE pence that Diouf scores.

[Pop Robson]

I'm willing to bet anyone 5 WHOLE pence that Diouf scores.

Written in stone, not worth the risk

[Paddy O'Hammer]

http://footballformation.co.uk/team/4231/080312185739.png

I see what you did there - I do - I see it

[Stepney]

3 points please West Ham. Don't care who plays or who scores. Just 3 points please.

[hammer1975]

---------Green
JOB-Reid-Faye-Linda
---------Tomkins
----Collison--Nolan
Vaz te------------Taylor
--------Maynard

Controversial but think he may give noble a rest

[ymcahammer]

green
job faye tomkins stella

vaz te noble collison taylor

nolan
maynard

[upton o'good]

4-4-2 with Nolan in the side will not work, need a mobile pair in the middle for it to work, unless the opposition play 4-4-2 also, and cant see Doncaster playing two up front against us.

It is always Nolan that gets tagged for this. We havent had a midfielder who could play in a midfield pair, since Parker headed to north london. Noble, Collison, Nolan - none of them what it takes for that.

General trend in football, to get an extra central midfielder in one way or another... Years ago teams went 3 at the back, now they drop one of the strikers deep. or push the wingers in...

To play 4-4-2 against that trend you have to have really energetic pair and have the pass and move game really working well so you get wingers and fullbacks involved wide in the attacks. It can be done, but not i suggest with any of our midfielders (you could make a case for Collison, but even that is a push). Back when we had NRC and Mullins we had the equipement for it. Not now.

On your last midfielder, Collison did well against Cardiff, why not bring him back?

[Hambrosia Stu]

It is always Nolan that gets tagged for this. We havent had a midfielder who could play in a midfield pair, since Parker headed to north london. Noble, Collison, Nolan - none of them what it takes for that.

To play 4-4-2 against that trend you have to have really energetic pair and have the pass and move game really working well so you get wingers and fullbacks involved wide in the attacks. It can be done, but not i suggest with any of our midfielders (you could make a case for Collison, but even that is a push). Back when we had NRC and Mullins we had the equipement for it. Not now.

On your last midfielder, Collison did well against Cardiff, why not bring him back?

I have to disagree
Noble has played plenty of games in a middle pair, and is well capable. The crux is who he is paired with. He needs a more defensive minded player alongside him, and one with good energy. He suffers when he is the most defensive and asked to sit in front of the back 4, so needs someone alongside him who will do that. You mention NRC & Mullins as a pair, and I agree under Pards it was a decent pairing. But when Curbs came in, he improved that middle by pairing Noble with NRC, in what was a very well balanced pair. I'd quite happily see Noble pair up with Tomkins in a 4-4-2

Collison, the jury is still out as he hasn't played many games for us in a middle pair, but as he is pretty box-to-box I can't see why he wouldn't work in a pair. He'd at least add a bit of energy to any pair he was involved in, and I'd much rather see Nolan or Noble paired with Collison than with each other

I wouldn't say Nolan is beyond playing in a pair, but he is the least suited of those 3, as he is the least versatile. Again, it totally depends on who is partner is, and the balance in that pairing, as to how well the pairing works. Pairing Nolan & Noble, in a 2 is just lunacy, imo. Just like the Gerrard & Lampard situation for England.

Going back to Pards favoured pair of NRC & Mullins - both those players are very solid defensively, yet we were never a massively defensive side in those days. You need at least one solid defensive player in a pair. It doesn't make your team defensive, if anything it allows the more attack minded player to attack with freedom

[WorcesterWHU]

Going back to Pards favoured pair of NRC & Mullins - both those players are very solid defensively, yet we were never a massively defensive side in those days.

Having Etherington and Benayoun either side of them might have had something to do with that, though.

For me, with the personnel we tend to pick, I think we only have two real option in formations, one being the 4-5-1/4-3-3, and the other going 3-5-2.

[Hambrosia Stu]

Having Etherington and Benayoun either side of them might have had something to do with that, though.

For me, with the personnel we tend to pick, I think we only have two real option in formations, one being the 4-5-1/4-3-3, and the other going 3-5-2.

I totally agree with the bit about Ethers & Benayoun. I'd add that we had a decent front 2 as well, so the balance was good across the midfield and attacking areas of the side. It's all about the balance....

I guess I have to agree with the second bit, as you said "with the personnel we tend to pick"
I can't agree that playing 3 at the back is ever a good idea, but agree that with the players we look to get in the side, 4-4-2 is less of an option. But that is mainly because Nolan is one of those players we look to pick, and he is least suited to playing 4-4-2. If Nolan wasn't a shoe-in, it would be much more feasable that we could make 4-4-2 work. As it stands, Nolan & Noble are 2 of the first names on the teamsheet, but should never be paired as a 2, so to get the best out of those 2, a third CM is needed, in whatever option we choose.
As it is, 4-2-3-1 is our best formation, imo, as it allows one of the 2 deeper midfielders to protect the back 4 (ideally Tomkins, alongside Noble, imo), and allows Nolan further forwards. We have played the 4-5-1/4-3-3 without a holding player as part of the middle 3, with some success, as the extra body makes it easier to compete. Which ever way we line up there needs to be 3 players in the middle, with the personell we tend to pick, but in my mind one of those should be very good defensively

[Jofwhufc]

I agree with what you are saying about the CM pair. Personally Noble wins his place there first as he is most versatile as previously mentioned. I do think that Nolan has a lot to offer the team and I don't agree with the slagging off he gets from some. Saying that, he doesn't work as part of a CM two which means we have to lose a striker for it to really work. I also think given time Collison will only get better, you can see that it means a lot to him to succeed from his emotions and work rate.
I liked how we set up against Cardiff so I would probably go:

Green
JOB Tomka Faye Linda

Nolan Noble Collison

Vaz Te Taylor

Baldock/Maynard

Subs: Cole, Maynard/Baldock, Potts, Morrison, Lansbury (that's right - no keeper!)

Only concern would be playing with wingers but having no height up front - I imagine Sam will continue to play hoofball but I hope if he does it’s with Cole and not Baldock/Maynard....

[sutts07]

I think Sam will revert to a similar team to Cardiff away and it will see us revert to winning ways...

Green, O'Brien, Faye, Tomkins and McCartney at the back.
Noble sitting alongside Collison (or Lansbury).
Vaz Te (or Faubert), Nolan and Taylor attacking.
Maynard (or Cole) up top.


I would personally have tried out an experimental back three by now... especially at home against teams who just try and counter us as it gives you the chance to play an extra forward without losing your five man midfield...

---------------------Green
-------------Ried Faye Tomkins
Faubert Nolan Noble Lansbury Taylor
--------------Cole Maynard

Having said that... a solid back four has got us to where we are so I can understand the lack of tinkering back there!

[sutts07]

Ps...

I'm off to put a tenner on Diouf to score anytime... If he doesn't it will be the best £10 I have ever wasted... If he does I will have a cheeky £45 to counter balance my extreme anger!

[Parso]

I'm also pretty sure the spitter will score

Hopefully, we will be 4-0 up be then so it won't matter anyway.

[Up the Junction]

I'll be blaming KUMB if we don't win this one as my thread was closed for no apparent reason..

Nothing nefarious, DL is doing the match threads now, Bob - we mentioned this a few weeks back.

No slight on your (locked) thread!

[Chicken Run Supreme]

I am taking my 10 year old to this and we are in BMU along with my dad. It's the fourth time this season I have taken the whole generation of Hammers in the family and so far 100% victory success. Let's hope the sequence is not broken.
COYI

[sutts07]

Weather warning... Heavy spitting in the North Easterly part of the ground... take a brolly!

[Up the Junction]

Your work, sutts? Good stuff...

[sutts07]

^^^
Yep

[simonwebb]

The older I get the more Superstition I notice.

It is just me but have we all noticed a little sequence and pattern of results developing: For six games the pattern is there for all to see

Doncaster ? (the sequence suggests a win)
Watford Draw
Cardiff Win
Palace Draw
Blackpool Win
Southampton Draw
Millwall Win