West Ham Utd 1-2 Arsenal (28/12/14)

[RichieRiv]

It should not be allowed, it's embarrassing and probably a bit irritating for the other players.

Sponsor the match ball, then you can choose who you like.

[Carlton'sGoal]

We did have quite a few chances when I think back now, Tompkins should've done better with his chance. Possibly could've taken a touch, but he is a CB so not expecting him to be too clinical there.

All in all a bit of a punch in the gut, but to be honest how many times in recent years can we say that we controlled large portions of a game against Arsenal.

Next game is huge, 3 losses on the bounce starts to become a run.

[Puff Daddy]

Come to think of it, I don't know why he didn't stick Carlton on for the last 5 minutes and go 3 up top. In fact when Demel came on, I thought it was Carlton !

[Romford]

Come to think of it, I don't know why he didn't stick Carlton on for the last 5 minutes and go 3 up top. In fact when Demel came on, I thought it was Carlton !

Obviously his fitness team missed out Demel

[Romford]

Song's goal should have stood (according to both managers), Carroll was booked for standing still and no penalty was given when Amalfitano has his legs chopped.

I also feel the penalty was harsh but I'll let you have that one. Either way, the referee was shocking .Surprised you feel otherwise.

I'm not.....

[fjthegrey]

It should not be allowed, it's embarrassing and probably a bit irritating for the other players.

I'd pick Carlton, even if he didn't play.

[giantsteps]

Here's one for the cyber refs / officials,

Was this offside / obstruction / intefering with play then?

Soldado is clearly in an offside position blocking the keeper's view of the ball when the free-kick is taken. But the goal was given. It's a lot more clear cut than yesterday's shocker by Swarbrick and co:

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[window74]

One of the most inept performance's I have seen from a team of so called professionals this season. The match officials that is.

The biased for the so called big boys is not shocking at all anymore, but still disgusts me.

These things affect people's careers & are also not fair on the paying public.

[morganwhu]

From where I was sitting the lino only appeared to raise his flag after the Arsenal players appealed.....

[Aceface]

Perhaps they should just take Carroll out of the XI sometimes rather than remodel the team around him?

We seem to be re-running the Nolan discussion from last year to a degree.

'The service' is a euphemism for Carroll failing to impact. It's the same as 'Nolan can't play off Carlton, wait til Carroll comes back'.

Carroll, just like Nolan, is not good enough to be a nailed-on 90 minute pick every week. There are times when other players are better solutions.

This is obviously oversimplifying, but the way I see Carroll and Nolan is that they're limited footballers but with particular ability in one specific area - Nolan in pinching a goal from a few feet and Carroll in winning headers - who you leave on the park for 90 minutes, even if they're not doing much else, in the hope that their particular skill can potentially bring a reward in the space of a few seconds and win you a game. And that approach suits a team like we were, or Newcastle were, who were either in the Championship or just out of it and scrapping for their lives for every goal and probably not very fluid in their general play.

What I wonder is whether it becomes harder to incorporate as you start to improve the team around them. Alex Song playing with Carroll for instance - that's a passing combination which just isn't going to work (Song probably thinks he's too cool to bash in a cross to AC's nut, which is his problem, but all the same I don't see it happening with any regularity) and similarly Carroll doesn't make the type of runs that maximise the skillset that Song has. Especially if we end up signing him permanently, it can't be good to have your main playmaker and your main striker not be at all in sync. You're basically limiting both players.

[Dwight1970]

Here's one for the cyber refs / officials,

Was this offside / obstruction / intefering with play then?

Soldado is clearly in an offside position blocking the keeper's view of the ball when the free-kick is taken. But the goal was given. It's a lot more clear cut than yesterday's shocker by Swarbrick and co:

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The problem isn't whether in our opinion it was offside or not but the fact officials have guidelines that basically take their opinion away because unless the player is actively playing or attempting to play the ball or opponent he is not interfering in play there is no decision to made which explains why the majority of these goals stand. Obviously some officials don't want to follow these guidelines and like officials who don't give red cards for professional fouls like to call it how they see it, clearly we had official like that yesterday.

[Nesticles]

When you play the big boys, if they carve you open with top football you simply cannot cope with you have to take it on the chin. That didn't happen yesterday, which is the most frustrating thing.

The goals we conceded to Chelsea and Arsenal yesterday will be driving Allardyce mad, especially when he knows how good our defenders can be.

[il_martello_di_genovesi]

From where I was sitting the lino only appeared to raise his flag after the Arsenal players appealed.....

I said the same thing. I didn't even have time to celebrate. As I looked up I see Arsenal players, I think Monreal, run over with their hands in the air, next thing I know a flag has gone up. It was late, and after the Arsenal players appealed. So the even more sickening thing, is that they probably had an influence.

[Puff Daddy]

I must admit I couldn't believe what I was watching when I saw three of our defenders all back peddling and all of them attempting to stick a foot in on Cazorla as he was trying to bear down on our goal. You always run the risk of conceding a penalty in situations like that and even if you do claim you got a touch on the ball first, you will almost always will get a piece of the attacker too and these players are so cunning and crafty, they will dive theatrically and make the contact look ten times worse than it actually is and that nearly always will influence the referee into awarding a penalty.

[ryanrc]

Sometimes, when you play a better quality of opposition you can be the better team and still lose. I think we've been on the right side of this paradox a couple of times this season and unfortunately we were on the wrong side of it yesterday. We have played two brilliant teams and lost but we've kept our pride in tact and nothing has changed. There has been a lot of talk on t.v. that we've been "found out" but I really don't see how that's the case unless people think West Ham fans see ourselves as title contenders? It's just a weird observation. We are a much better team than most of us expected us to be and we still have every chance of Europe, and by the end of January I expected the European spots to change a couple of more times still. We've played well against Arsenal and lost and if we let our heads go down because of that then frankly we don't deserve to be in the top 6 but I don't feel that is the case. I'm very proud of the club at the minute and the team spirit and belief will be there even after a knock; it feels like the club might finally be on the (long old) road to fulfilling it's potential for the first time in my life and I ain't gonna let defeats to Chelski and Arsenal knock my joy at that. Have a great new years everyone!

[ryanrc]

Also, props to my boy Morgan who showed he deserved his start yesterday. I really enjoy watching him in midfield, he adds a fluidity and outlet that we desperately need. I hope his form continues and is rewarded with starts. It's a shame Zarate doesn't seem to be in our plans but if they're shifting him on to get a replacement more suited to the team then fair play and good luck to him.

[irving boleyn]

It was impossible to know why the goal was disallowed without seeing it from behind Song...and that was on Sky later in the day

I had no qualms about it being the right decision. You must discount whether you feel it was an unstoppable shot.... the referee would rarely be able to make that subjective decision...the salient point is that the ball was so close to the player in the offside position that the goalkeeper could not know whether it would be diverted or deflected and accordingly could not position himself to save the shot. Had the offside players been further from the path of the ball I guess the goal would have stood.

Similarly seeing Reid's clear trip, his subsequent protestations were embarrassing.

[Gep]

They are talking about the line of sight on the keeper. When Song strikes that ball the keeper is in full view up until the ball reaches the box where Sakho decides to hurdle over it. b*llocks decision, couldn't care less what anyone says.

Am I being naive here or something???

[paulthebubble]

They are talking about the line of sight on the keeper. When Song strikes that ball the keeper is in full view up until the ball reaches the box where Sakho decides to hurdle over it. b*llocks decision, couldn't care less what anyone says.

Am I being naive here or something???

I think the ARSEnil players may have blocked his view but you're spot on.

[mushy]

From where I was sitting the lino only appeared to raise his flag after the Arsenal players appealed.....

He raised his flag after a brief conflab with the referee, Lino would have told him there was off side players, ref then made the decision that they were interfering with play and to stick his flag up.
Its the modern way.