PSF: West Ham Utd 0-3 Manchester City (04/08/17)

[Fishdo]

Given the performance and same old issues from last season ... what really worries me on the back of that game is what Lanzini will think.... is he going to be willing to go through the same as last season or will he opt for European football and the bin dippers?!?!

[Boo Boo]

Masuaku and Ayew and Hernandez actually look like they have played football before.

And one of them with both feet.

[DDHammer]

Rice is a fantastic player, put in more tackles at DM in that game than anyone else, presses hard, drops back when off the ball to cover the defence, unfortunately Fonte and Ogbonna both look completely lost.

Hernandez and Ayew looked great, Ayew especially tracking back and working hard, holds the ball well before laying off.

I love Hart already, put in some quality saves and you can hear him all game with a view of the whole field telling the players who to mark, unfortunately they rarely listen and then it's a goal.

Doesn't look like we've learned anything in pre-season though, you'd either expect us to be physically fit or have worked on some kind of game plan, we have neither which is identical to last year.

This might just be a pre-season game, but a week before the league starts you expect the players to look mildly like they're prepared, what happened today was the same as we've been all pre-season, no improvement is worrying.

[Colours never run]

by losing Nordveit, we are already down a player who can play CM.

Because he's left it's meant the introduction of Rice playing there and he's looked far better playing that role than Nordtveit ever did for us, so we've actually slightly improved by allowing him to leave. No loss at all.

[YorksHammer]

Was baby sitting my nephew this afternoon and only got score updates. I will attempt to read through this thread but if anyone wants to give me a paragraph summary I wouldn't be unappreciated. I can't imagine it was particularly good. And though I don't put much stock in friendly results, im struggling to work out who thought paying Man City was a good idea....

We didn't play well. Very defensive from the off, there were mutliple instances where we had eleven either behind the ball or in our defensive third while City stroked it around with ease. No pressing or urgency amongst the team to move out in the first half. Second half we were slightly better at trying to get into City a bit, but overall we created very little and deserved the 0-3 result.

A couple of positive glimpses in watching some players out there - Hart trying desperately to organise his defence which is exactly what we have lacked recently, Rice looking like the promising youth he is, Ayew and Arnie looking good down the wings. Ultimately, our real issue is the same as it was last season - we are very passive, especially in the midfield, with our pressing and get found out because we drop deeper and deeper against the top teams like this and as a result they get too long on the ball to work an opening.

[hammerddh]

i pretty glad our pre season has gone like this.
hopefuly (surely) the boss and purse string holders will see the team and its shortcomings for what it is.
I think there was 10 days or so ago a general feeling of "look at us, what a great window". Reality is we are still a long way off top 6.

Hopefully these last few performances we have shown that there is still someway to go and several personnel to be obtained

[Beavis Danzig]

Given the performance and same old issues from last season ... what really worries me on the back of that game is what Lanzini will think.... is he going to be willing to go through the same as last season or will he opt for European football and the bin dippers?!?!

does that actually really worry you, or are you just being subscribing to the strain of incontinent hysteria that's gripped this board after the horror of a couple of weeks of positivity?

[Rasp]

i pretty glad our pre season has gone like this.
hopefuly (surely) the boss and purse string holders will see the team and its shortcomings for what it is.
I think there was 10 days or so ago a general feeling of "look at us, what a great window". Reality is we are still a long way off top 6.

Hopefully these last few performances we have shown that there is still someway to go and several personnel to be obtained

Pretty much the best post on here of late, well done.

[Iron-worx]

They look miles fitter than us

Same ****ing story as the start of last season when we needed to hold catch up fitness sessions in the first international break.

It's disadvantage enough that we can't compete with the spending power of teams like city...

But it doesn't cost anything to be as fit as they are...

We should be able to compete with everybody so far as fitness goes, but we don't and that's managements fault pure and simple.

[Claretandblueyank]

People need to calm down.

1. City tore apart Spurs the other day did't they?

2. Loads of first-team players missing. Koyate, Antonio, Lanzini, Reid (I think).

3. Ogbonna coming of an injury layoff. Not match sharp — good to get minutes. Noble been injured.

4. Rice, Ayew, Hernandez all looked good.

5. I doubt Bilic wanted us to play with full intensity given risk of injuries.

6. Does not sound like Arnie's knock is serious.

[Hamburger]

.
Getting new players is not just the answer. Bilic is not getting nowhere near the best from what we've got and he doesn't seem to have any idea how to deploy them. We can't make any impression going forward or organise ourselves coming back. The players look dejected and tired (or unfit). Something is fundamentally wrong that just new players will solve.
.

[mickthekeeper]

Because he's left it's meant the introduction of Rice playing there and he's looked far better playing that role than Nordtveit ever did for us, so we've actually slightly improved by allowing him to leave. No loss at all.

Agree that Rice looks capable of playing that DM role. Unfortunately he won't get in the team in front of Noble who looked slow off the ball and negative whenever he got the ball

[durham city hammer]

Think Rice can feel very hard done by if he doesn't start next week, energetic, good tackler and doesnt give the ball away, looks like the type of midfielder we are crying out for ATM. Got to hope they did a hard session before that game cos if they didn't then we are a million miles off where we need to be fitness wise, firighteningly sloppy in possession yet again !

[faubert93]

i pretty glad our pre season has gone like this.
hopefuly (surely) the boss and purse string holders will see the team and its shortcomings for what it is.
I think there was 10 days or so ago a general feeling of "look at us, what a great window". Reality is we are still a long way off top 6.

Hopefully these last few performances we have shown that there is still someway to go and several personnel to be obtained

Ha!....Emphasis on the 'long way off top 6'.

We are barely in the race for for 8th.

[Alfiehammer]

Was baby sitting my nephew this afternoon and only got score updates. I will attempt to read through this thread but if anyone wants to give me a paragraph summary I wouldn't be unappreciated. I can't imagine it was particularly good. And though I don't put much stock in friendly results, im struggling to work out who thought paying Man City was a good idea....

We didn't play well. Very defensive from the off, there were mutliple instances where we had eleven either behind the ball or in our defensive third while City stroked it around with ease. No pressing or urgency amongst the team to move out in the first half. Second half we were slightly better at trying to get into City a bit, but overall we created very little and deserved the 0-3 result.

A couple of positive glimpses in watching some players out there - Hart trying desperately to organise his defence which is exactly what we have lacked recently, Rice looking like the promising youth he is, Ayew and Arnie looking good down the wings. Ultimately, our real issue is the same as it was last season - we are very passive, especially in the midfield, with our pressing and get found out because we drop deeper and deeper against the top teams like this and as a result they get too long on the ball to work an opening.[/quote]


Cheers mate. Think the diaper was more appealing after all

[Mosterhammer]

Not digging out the manager in pre-season, absolutely pointless.

Why? They are practising his tactics. Pre-season is when you set the team, make them play as you wan't, with the tactics you wan't and get them fit so they can cope against the other teams. Our manager has done none of the above. Why can he not be criticized?

[RayleighHammer23]

Given the performance and same old issues from last season ... what really worries me on the back of that game is what Lanzini will think.... is he going to be willing to go through the same as last season or will he opt for European football and the bin dippers?!?!

You think Lanzini expects us to compete with Manchester City? They killed us last season and they killed us in a friendly, what's new here?

[MD_HM]

what really worries me on the back of that game is what Lanzini will think....

Same as Payet did...

Spend some bloody money you bunch of crooks!

In fairness Man City are the total opposite to us and have quality all over he pitch and on the bench

We have a decent XI and f*** all else

Reid, Cresswell, Kouyate, Antonio, Lanzini and Hernandez are all first team players and weren't available to start today

Feghouli if staying, Carroll and Sakho are all players that would be on the bench... I presume Collins is injured as well, who would still be better than Fonte as well.

We just can't cope with all these players out

[SS12]

If this is the reaction on here in pre season I'm dreading next week.

[traxop]

Regarding fitness, is our fitness and conditioning even based on modern sports science? Do we still have that 70 y/o former high-jumper heading the department?