West ham United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur (23/09/17)

[Beavis Danzig]

i wouldn't be surprised if that was slav's plan A crouchie, with a holding midfielder effectively operating as a third CB in defence and a ball carrier in attack. a fine idea but i don't think kouyate has the footballing brain to pull something like that off.

[ironsjh]

Hart
Fonte-Kouyate-Reid
Antonio-Obiang-Zabaleta-Arnautovic-Cresswell
Hernandez-Carroll

SUBS: Adrian, Masuaku, Ogbonna, Noble, Haksabanovic, Ayew, Sakho

[steps]

They'll be up for this. After last season's frolics with all the gloating etc I reckon they'll be bringing their A game.

Plus they can't buy a win at Wembley.

Got to be three at the back again with Cresswell and Zaba on their respective sides. Maybe Antonio playing out wide giving Zabaleta a bit of protection?

Can see Carroll starting too. Expect lots of aerial balls if so.

[YorksHammer]

------------------ Hart ---------------------
------ Fonte - Kouyate - Reid --------
Zaba --- Noble -- Obiang - Masuaku
-- Antonio --- Carroll --- Arnautovic -

Not grand changes, but I think this is the best we can put out right now and based on form over the last couple of weeks. Hernandez just isn't thriving in the role, so Arnie comes in there after impressing last night. Noble back in midfield with Kouyate dropping to take Collins' place, but pushing Reid out wide.

Close call between the two RWBs and two LWBs for me - would be happy with Byram and Cresswell instead of the two above - but otherwsie I think that team, given the system, pretty much picks itself.

[Hockley Hammer]

I'm hoping this is the game where Slav puts Hernandez in the middle so he can play off Carroll.

Carroll holds the ball up far better than anybody else we have up front.

Play Arnie on the left and Antonio on the right.

Obiang has to start it's picking only one out of Noble/Kouyate. Last night Noble played more how I like to see him play in the first half. We had our customary complete lack of tempo in the second half and his performance completely tailed off. Unfortunately Kouyate never got hold of the game either.

Maybe start Kouyate and bring Noble on to see the game out.

I just can't believe Spurs won't turn up for the third season on the trot.

[BenniBlanco]

----------------Hart---------------------
------Fonte-Reid-Ogbanna---------
Zaba-Kouyate-Obiang-Masuaku
-Antonio-Hernandez-Arnautovic-

Carroll for Fonte if we need goals in the second half - going 4-4-2.

Swap Fonte for Rice and that's the team

[coyi27]

Thought Ayew was fantastic in this fixture last season. Worked his socks off pressing their defenders. Wouldn't mind him on the right, Hernandez stretching their defenders through the middle and Arnie on the left. Antonio RWB, with Zabaleta where he finished against WBA on the left. Obiang and Kouyate battling in midfield. Hope Slav doesn't start Carroll here as it's not a match for him imo. We'll need to be quick on a counter and he doesn't offer that .

[@dave_boy]

12.30pm Saturday kick offs at home are an excellent excuse to start drinking in the morning

I predict a queue outside TruRib at 11am and a score draw.

[only1post]

Take it turns to have a niggle at Alli and they will be down to 10 men by half time.
The kid is a red card waiting to happen.

[Exiledin cardiff]

People saying they want Noble back in the team I don't get that at all. Noble looked good against Bolton but there was no pace in the game, he was never hassled and could pick his passes. Against Spurs it's not going to be a slow game, I envisage it to be hectic from the start, with little time to do pirouettes, and letting your man go and pointing to him for someone else to pick him up.

Noble was back to somewhere near where I know he can play like. but he was never under pressure. Leave Kouyate in there with his athleticism he'll be more sorted to the game than Noble.

Apart from that Arthur in for Cresswell who seems to have had defending coached out of him. Arthur gives us even more pace going back and forward.

[claretandblue82]

If we win this we will only be one point behind them. Not bad considering the terrible start we had!

Expecting a tougher game though as they haven't got a title race to lose.

[TommyHammer]

A lot of their fans don't seem as half as confident as last season, which worries me :lol:

[coyi27]

If we beat them and they could be 8 points of city and Man Utd and realistically out of title race so would that mean yet again 'Tottenham ****ed it up' ?

[flakwell hammer]

if the crowd get behind the boys i can see us nicking another a one nil win, however as its a 12.30 kick off I fear it will be the usual dead atmosphere.

[trevshead10may1980]

6.30 kick off here, have to get up early, its on the box. Hope the lads make in worthwhile. In my younger days I would have a beer for brekkie to calm my nerves, too old for that stuff now.

[YorksHammer]

People saying they want Noble back in the team I don't get that at all. Noble looked good against Bolton but there was no pace in the game, he was never hassled and could pick his passes. Against Spurs it's not going to be a slow game, I envisage it to be hectic from the start, with little time to do pirouettes, and letting your man go and pointing to him for someone else to pick him up.

Noble was back to somewhere near where I know he can play like. but he was never under pressure. Leave Kouyate in there with his athleticism he'll be more sorted to the game than Noble.

Apart from that Arthur in for Cresswell who seems to have had defending coached out of him. Arthur gives us even more pace going back and forward.

Noble certainly didn't struggle against Spurs when we beat them 1-0 last season at home. And he had a hernia.

[HammerMan2004]

If we beat them and they could be 8 points of city and Man Utd and realistically out of title race so would that mean yet again 'Tottenham ****ed it up' ?

If we beat them we're a point behind them after 6 games, and who thought that looked likely!

[steps]

Oh dear it's started again *facepalm emoji*

It's seems The Fighting Cock are stalking on here and spouting lots of vitriolic bile about us on their site.

And they say we're obsessed? One bloke even attended the Cup game last night and gave a blow-by-blow account of the game / stadium / crowd etc. :lol:

[Carlton'sGoal]

Looking at the table, we're gonna have to spank someone this year to get our goal difference up. Not gonna happen this weekend, so we need to just make sure we do a replica of last years 1-0.

[the celestial insect]

I have a bad feeling about this one. I feel sure he'll start with Carroll, and that will dictate our style of play...and we'll end up chasing the game, leaving ourselves open for further punishment.

On the positive side, I'm wrong 78% of the time.