West Ham Utd 2-3 Liverpool (09/12/13)

[MN Train to Eastwood]

mid table liverpool without strikers coming to upton park, where chelsea just got thrashed... what could possibly go wrong?!? :lol:

jokes aside, 6 - 1.

"I'll buy that. For a Dollar."

[Antwerp_Lad]

That oughta be fun here in Cork :lol:

[JBs Caravan]

Have,nt the Mickeys got to goto Italy on Thurs to play Udinese,be interesting what 11 he picks
surely they have to win to qualify

[Aceface]

We're almost halfway through the season and we've only lost once at home so far - to Arsenal in peak form before their dip. Liverpool are midtable for a reason, and they've just lost their best player. An outright loss would represent a serious f*ck-up in my opinion. How often have we been able to say that in games against Liverpool?

[Knaphill]

Diame and Noble to strangle the life out of Gerrard should shut the Mickeys down nicely. It's 2-0 all day.

[aaronhammer]

I'm fairly comfortable that we won't get beaten at home. Yes we lost to Arsenal but that game showed our fitness levels to be poor, since then we (Sam) have learnt and improved from that, and yesterday showed that.

A huge boost that Suarez is out, forgetting the cheating and horrible character he has, he is a fantastic player and really does make Liverpool tick up front.

[mumbles87]

1.If we get an early goal they'll fold the same way they did v WBA.
2.Lumping it up to Cole against Skrtel and Agger will be pretty stupid
3.Glen Johnson will be their best player by a mile.
4.Reina will make a blunder to concede a goal
5.Nolan has never gone 5 successive games without scoring for us - so he'll score next week.

I thought yesterday with cole on the pitch it got our players to think of more options.. they are aware cole isnt as good as andy in the air so thought of different ways to get the ball to him.

I also think carrolls ability in the air has given us to much of an easy option at times to just hoof it there and know he will win it.. with him out for a few weeks i feel the team will improve with their build up play ala yesterday

[Puff Daddy]

I think this will be tough, tougher than the Chelsea game, but we can do this if we get at them. I'm going for a very hard fought 2-1, perhaps with us holding on a bit at the end

[Nolan4]

I think Sam should give a start to Maiga. I can't see Cole winning all airballs against Agger & Skrtel as he did v Chelsea. They will be without their top-goalscorer Suarez and that's massive boost for us. I predict 2-0 to hammers

[prophet:marginal]

I'm putting a fiver on us to win to nil in this. No Suarez, no goals.

Jordan Henderson has had a run of bad misses. He's nailed on to score against us.

If Lucas is back, that could mean Gerrard pushed further forward.

My changes from yesterday's starting line up would be to:

1. Partner Reid and Tomkins in defence
2. Put Diame back in his normal place

I'd keep Yossi, Taylor and Maiga on the bench, but, if no emergency subs are needed, bring them on as the 2nd half progresses.

Would be happy here with a point, a sentiment I expect Rodgers to also adopt.

[mumbles87]

I think Sam should give a start to Maiga. I can't see Cole winning all airballs against Agger & Skrtel as he did v Chelsea. They will be without their top-goalscorer Suarez and that's massive boost for us. I predict 2-0 to hammers

would love to see him start up front! still our top goal scoring striker.. such a good finisher

[upton o'good]

Someone said it earlier this year that we always win the impossible games and crash out of the winnable games.
No Suarez, but I'd expect Gerrard to be heavily involved. However, today showed that our fitness is second to none right now. With a full 7 days to rest, while Liverpool are going to Italy mid-week, I'm optimistic for at least a tie. Liverpool have to field a strong side in Udinese, unless they aren't concerned with crashing out of the Europa.
For us, this will be the game that proves whether we're a strong team who are going to finish in the top half or not.

That's an intersting one - the Europa leage. As you say, Lpool need to get something in Italy to be confident of progressing. The they play us a few days later, and know they wont have their star striker available.

I'd think in those circumstances they might be seeing the midweek game as the one to focus on, expecting to come to us and hope to hold out for a draw. After all tehya rent going to eb top 4 this season, win at UP or lose. Id be playing gerrard for teh full 90 in europe and maybe not at UP.

[RyanWHUFC]

Taylor should be starting this one, his delivery is the best at the club wether that be from open play or set pieces.

[HamburgHammer]

We should go with virtually the same team from the second half yesterday, although I would start putting Tomkins in there playing in his proper position at the expense of Collins, who I see as a fantastic defender, but I still prefer the Tomkins-Reid partnership, thank you!
Taylor starting for me, he deserves that after his performance yesterday.

Jussi
Demel-Tomkins-Reid-O'Brien
Taylor-Diame-Noble-Nolan-Jarvis
Cole

Subs: Spiegel, Collins, Spence, O'Neil, Benayoun, Fanimo, Maiga

In my view good starting formation and decent options from the bench if things aren't going to plan.

[Franz]

This is going to be a strange one. Suarez is out so it looks like they might go for the Shelvey in a false-9ish role that they played against young boys in the Europa League. They've been playing Downing at left back with Enrique at left wing, Glen Johnson will be quite attacking through-out. I think Sam will start out as we finished the last game, with Noble and Diame helping out the back four enough for Jarvis and Taylor to get behind their full-backs for the counter.
This is a tactic we really need to pin down, especially for away fixtures. We have a very, very slow team, our full-backs are all technically good but lacking pace and our options for striker are all a little lumbering so there is little to no chance to counter-attack effectively and directly without using Jarvis and to a lesser degree Taylor. The run he made in order to get that one on one with Cech was fantastic and Noble would cream his pantaloons if he was given the chance to play balls like that over the top for him. Cole was brilliant when the balls to him were at least low enough for him to chest, he has a habit of swinging his elbows around in the air and there's just something about him that refs don't like.
It's going to be strange because I think we are both going to end up playing something like a false nine, with the strikers staying deeper than the wingers and holding play up or ****ing it on.
We've struggled a little with communication between full-backs and centre-halves, wingers have been unmarked when they make a run inside (Tottenham), which is exactly what Liverpool will be trying to do. Collins is going to have to pitch in a few last ditch tackles and blocks on Sterling and Enrique and I'm getting concerned that we might concede a penalty.
Much of this game will hinge on Diame's performance, when he has been good, we have been excellent. He has a habit of sometimes dwelling on the ball too much, or ghosting behind an opposition player on the ball in order to get in with a sneaky possession changing challenge, and while the latter worked wonders yesterday (two tackles in particular) sometimes we would be better off if he provided another body behind the ball. If Diame can keep possession in midfield then we will get a result, if he doesn't then we'll be put in some of the dangerous positions that we were in against Tottenham (the defoe tap-in). Much of our defensive strength comes from having Diame and Noble stopping them from getting too close, any balls lost in midfield are likely to be really bad news. They have quick wingers and full-backs, a midfield who won't lose the ball easily and two very good centre halves. But we've got Allardyce and if we can go in at half time with the scores level we'll 'ave 'em easy.

[The Old Man of Storr]

West Ham United 4 Liverpool 1

[saludo de carlitos]

Jussi
Demel Tomka Reid O'Brien
Noble
Diame Nolan
Taylor Jarvis
Madibo

[Bobby Orangeboom]

This is going to be a strange one. Suarez is out so it looks like they might go for the Shelvey in a false-9ish role that they played against young boys in the Europa League. They've been playing Downing at left back with Enrique at left wing, Glen Johnson will be quite attacking through-out. I think Sam will start out as we finished the last game, with Noble and Diame helping out the back four enough for Jarvis and Taylor to get behind their full-backs for the counter.
This is a tactic we really need to pin down, especially for away fixtures. We have a very, very slow team, our full-backs are all technically good but lacking pace and our options for striker are all a little lumbering so there is little to no chance to counter-attack effectively and directly without using Jarvis and to a lesser degree Taylor. The run he made in order to get that one on one with Cech was fantastic and Noble would cream his pantaloons if he was given the chance to play balls like that over the top for him. Cole was brilliant when the balls to him were at least low enough for him to chest, he has a habit of swinging his elbows around in the air and there's just something about him that refs don't like.
It's going to be strange because I think we are both going to end up playing something like a false nine, with the strikers staying deeper than the wingers and holding play up or ****ing it on.
.

Alright Brendan ?

[rhyzb_whufc]

No Suarez genuinely turns this game from 'Respect the point' to 'We can smash these'! They ain't mugs and we'll have to work our socks off again but I would be more than disappointed to lose this game now that cheating c*nt is suspended. I would go with the same team that finished barring Cole starting ahead of Maiga. If Linda is fit then he should go back in instead of Demel. Really thinking we're going to turn it on again in this one ...... Beating the bindippers would make this a perfect December so far!!!!

[sicknote]

West Ham United 4 Liverpool 1

now that was a great night, incey twice gale and a sweet own goal by staunton,

hoping they play their best team on thursday and get kicked to pieces and a reserve team comes to ours