EFLCQF: Arsenal 1-0 West Ham Utd (19/12/17)

[Denali]

I really wonder what's the point of modern football.

I am having more and more issue with it as well.

[DasNutNock]

Forgot to ask, did anyone catch #1 on that Biscuit thing on C5?

[Ingwe]

Forgot to ask, did anyone catch #1 on that Biscuit thing on C5?

:lol: I missed it too!

[k-r-c]

As i left last night i couldn't help but feel Moyes had undone all the hard work and brownie points he and the club had gained recently.

[Burnley Hammer]

Forgot to ask, did anyone catch #1 on that Biscuit thing on C5?

Chocolate Digestive apparently

[Gsbgsb]

We were always going to struggle with the midfield we had last night against a team which albeit a weak Arsenal still had a number of players who would walk straight into our first eleven. It was a chance for squad players to put their hands up and they failed.

Unfortunately the approach mirrors that of modern football, fans want a trophy understandably but to suggest that any businessman running a club would prioritise that over the £100’s of millions that staying in the Premiership is worth is just the fan talking. People keep saying football did not start in 1992 - true of course but 1992 changed the whole nature from a sport/entertainment product to an out and out business. To suggest it is no different is to suggest movies did not change when the talkies arrived.

Year in year out there is the same debate about the importance of the cups by fans of every club up and down the country, as a fan to whom the FA Cup final was about the only domestic game live as I grew up yes it will never lose its importance for me but for those running not just our club but just about every top flight club and probably most fighting to get into the top flight it is is no more important now than the domestic cups in other European countries, very much the cherry on top of the season. If that is true of the FA Cup where does it leave the League Cup - for all but the fan an irrelevance.

[wizzo_66]

As i left last night i couldn't help but feel Moyes had undone all the hard work and brownie points he and the club had gained recently.

Certainly this week's good work has been undone.

I've gone back to cold with him from luke warm.

[jaybs]

Moyes bigger fish what a weak excuse if ever there was one, what a boring night! don;t they realise what football costs supporters, tickets, travel, programmes etc, not just to play for the sake of it, remember how Fat Sam did that and then blamed the youth! so many getting bored of football.

[Wembley1966]

Ultimately, a few things tried by Moyes didn't work (Hernandez and Ayew up top, Cresswell on the right, 3 centre backs together look less mobile that 2 centre backs and a full back in the back 3)... we were devoid of any creativity and lacked the energy in forward positions that Antonio and Arnie gives us.

So why did it take him so long to realise that it wasn't working. Cresswell should have been switched after 15 minutes when it was obvious he wasn't doing anything on the right. Whenever he got the ball and started running with it, he would meet an opposition player and always pass it backwards - he never ran past the half way line, nor put a forward pass into the other half. At one point we had a corner on our left which he came over to take - it ended up with the opposition getting the ball down our right and he was completely out of position.

And as for Hart - every ball from him was a long punt up field - to the opposition. The one time he threw it out it went straight out for a throw-in!

And NO BEER - that was some Christmas cheer!

[Row X]

Just out of interest, how many of those who thought it was no big deal to lose last night actually took the time and effort and spend a fair amount of money to watch that dross, actually went?

I did, I took the whole day off work... did a bit of Xmas Shopping in the morning, travelled up to Shoreditch at 2pm and had lunch and pre-match drinks.

Watched the most boring game of football I've ever seen, the players weren't interested and even us fans were too quiet to be honest.

After the game, gobby Arsenal fans just chanting random **** to try and provoke a reaction... even one bloke who had a kid about 7, said to his kid "start shouting Millwall, that will really annoy them" When I pointed out that they wouldn't know what would hit them if Millwall came to town, he and his mates called us "cannon fodder, and a pointless club that have never won anything" I then pointed out we had a 100% record against them in finals, they then decided that football only started when Wenger took over at Arsenal... how I didn't clump any of them I don't know!

[fester]

That was the least disappointed I have been after a loss for some time - I even managed to be civil to 'er indoors and have a joke and a laugh. THAT WAS from the comfort of my own home on my laptop. If I had been lucky enough to be able to get a ticket I would have been absolutely seething. There really was no need to throw that game.

My only question is how does Obiang go from looking mustard in our last 3 games to a total ****ing spastic?

[chigwells finest]

I didn't go , and I haven't watched any highlights ( if any ) , but its a disgrace to the travelling support , no doubt buoyed by the recent upsurge in our form , who like me , expected a better showing than that last night . once I saw Quina's name down , I knew we were going to struggle as he's definitely no where near ready for 1st team . respect to all who wasted their money

[Porkeyes]

It's the brainwashed Sky brigade that think that last night didn't matter. It was a quarter final, London derby with 7k West Ham there against a Big Four club who were there for the taking and we didn't bother. Let's concentrate on finishing mid table in the over puffed Premier League instead of actually lifting a cup eh?

What a waste of floodlight electricity that was. Seriously that ground is actually devoid of any emotion at all. Their "fans" are just the gayest thing I've ever witnessed why on Earth do they bother going to the ground they add nothing at all. The same could be said for the majority in that away end. Who are these people and why have they latched onto us? Nothing at all like a West Ham away end, ****ing lame.

[LincolnshireHammer]

What a waste of floodlight electricity that was. Seriously that ground is actually devoid of any emotion at all. Their "fans" are just the gayest thing I've ever witnessed why on Earth do they bother going to the ground they add nothing at all. The same could be said for the majority in that away end. Who are these people and why have they latched onto us? Nothing at all like a West Ham away end, ****ing lame.

Season ticket holders with enough PPs to get to Arsenal away. 7,000 of them in fact, who deserve more than getting slagged off by you.

Last night felt like an away day to the London Stadium. Identical feel to the grounds and only worth going if you're in the lower tier.

[Porkeyes]

It did not seem like the normal away crowd at all last night. No way. Very watered down and quiet.

[smuts]

Moyes admitted this morning, we have more important fish to fry than this competition

Like making 17th place at the end of the season. What ambition we have as a club.

[Cottee]

What is the point in top 10 finish?
League position between 7th & 17th makes no difference - except money of course - so I've answered my question.
I really wonder what's the point of modern football.

Been having this exact same conversation this morning. If there's no desire to actually win something, then we may as well just pack it in.

[seaside hammer]

one of the worst games of football I have ever seen from both sides tbh. So So poor. If my kids are naughty I will put it on and make them watch it as punishment.

The ref didn't help much hardly gave us anything. Wouldn't let the game flow.

Been Arsenal away many times in the past and seen us get rinsed by Wright, Henry etc and on occasions we have played well and won. But couldn't help but feel worse last night walking away from stadium because we didn't even have a go, didn't have a shot on target and Arsenal were just as bad. Nothing worse than looking backing knowing we never gave it 100%. Really disappointing as we had large numbers out last night and lets have it straight with the run up to Christmas those with young families could of probably of done without it ( me included ) but no, we go to support our team. And what do we get? (Arthur aside) it was disgusting. Arsenal were there for the taking last night. I was hoping for a strong 11 then some senior payers after 60mins to sub off in order to save for Sat.

[Hockley Hammer]

Last night was like the final game of a summer tournament where one team have qualified for the next round and the other team just want to go home.

A Quarter Final London derby played in a stadium a quarter empty at least and it wasn't on TV. What is football coming to?

Watching the Leicester - City game in one of the bars afterwards was like watching another sport. More action in either period of extra time than the entire 90 minutes of our game.

A wasted opportunity, that seems to be the legacy of this board.

I had no problem with boring Arsenal into submission but we should have had a proper go in the second half much earlier.

Our ball-retention was absolutely shocking.

[Iron George]

So why did it take him so long to realise that it wasn't working. Cresswell should have been switched after 15 minutes when it was obvious he wasn't doing anything on the right. Whenever he got the ball and started running with it, he would meet an opposition player and always pass it backwards - he never ran past the half way line, nor put a forward pass into the other half. At one point we had a corner on our left which he came over to take - it ended up with the opposition getting the ball down our right and he was completely out of position.

Cresswell on the right was never going to work because the fellla is so ridiculously one footed. As soon as he receives the ball with his back to the touchline he can only ever go backwards.

Does my head in that these so called superstars earning untold sums annually don't spend an hour or so after training each day practising kicking with their 'other' foot.