Stoke City 0-0 West Ham Utd (29/04/17)

[MD_HM]

Noble should come back in - and to be honest I'd be tempted to drop Kouyate rather than Nordtveit. Don't think I've been impressed with Kouyate in midfield in a single game this season. It may allow Noble a little more licence to support the attack too. I'd definitely play Sakho ahead of Calleri. As for Byram.... I'd be tempted to play him but at the same time, we looked balanced and energetic for the first time in ages on Saturday and I'm wary of making too many changes.

Agree about Kouyate in midfield

However I think he has looked better in defence than Fonte

Should we be dropping Fonte?

I know we won't but I think Kouyate has been better at the back

[Puff Daddy]

Shaqiri worries me and how come Stoke got him and he was never even on our radar when we were in the market for a winger at that time too?

[Roby]

Shaqiri worries me and how come Stoke got him and he was never even on our radar when we were in the market for a winger at that time too?

Puff - they signed him for £12m the same summer we bought Payet. In 2015.

Think we chose the better player, I also wouldn't swap him for Lanzini either.

[Jumby]

I remember just over two years ago getting ripped to shreds on here for daring to suggest we should try and sign Shaqiri :lol:

[dodger]

Noble should come back in

Why?

Bilic has (mostly) established a reputation for keeping players in when they perform well when called upon. Nordveidt deserves to stay, and Kouyate we need for his mobility. Noble and Nordveidt in the middle would be way too slow and lack strength as well.

[fjthegrey]

4 goals and 2 assists this season.

3 goals and 6 assists last season.

Blokes just about as overrated as they come. Lives off the back of moments of magic for months without producing anything notable. Turns up for a few games a season at most. Ayew has one more goal and one less assist than him this year, in fewer games and minutes.

The alpine Messi my balls.

[Briggsy]

Get a point frm this & it'll mean that Swansea will need to win 3 out of there remaining 4 games to finish above us, due to our goal difference.

1-1.

[WestHamByTheSea]

Noble should come back in - and to be honest I'd be tempted to drop Kouyate rather than Nordtveit.

Agree with that.

Stoke (certainly under Hughes) tend to drift away at the end of the season once they know they're safely in mid-table. Not that that means much with regard to how our game will go. Last season we battered them in the 1st half up there, dropped off the pace late in the game, conceded a late loser, when we were still going for a remote CL place and they hadn't won at home for about 3 months. Chatting to a couple of their fans walking back to the car afters and they were disillusioned about how their season had finished, yet still didn't seem too surprised they'd beaten us!

We CAN get something up there though. Same starting 11 as against Everton, but maybe stick Fletcher up front. Not Sakho; bewildering hero-worshiping cheers when he came on yesterday...was breathing through his rectum after 10mins.

1-1, maybe a cheeky 2-1 for us.

[e17]

Will Noble get in the team now that Nordy is being hailed as the next Bonzo? :lol:

Noble against the team that he should annually be sold to for 6 million after his yearly 4-5 game wobbler

Personally I'd leave the team the same as it was against Everton, enough encouraging signs to not default to anyone for me.

Except Sakho or Fletcher or Julian Dicks up front. Not Calleri.

[rhysvol1995]

Adrian
Fonte-Reid-Collins
Byram-Noble-Kouyate-Masuaku
Lanzini-Ayew
AC/Sakho (whoever is fit/fitter)

[kitthehammer]

The positive news is that we should have 5 players available again for this - Noble, Carroll, Byram, Feghouli and Snodgrass. And
with Sakho and cresswell being a bit fitter.
I think it's fair to say that we were set up to defend against everton as we had to be because of injuries and it worked. It's just we had nothing up front. The everton match showed a few plusses and a few minuses.
Plusses were nordveit in midfield, masuaku on the left. Minuses were ayew's lack of creativity and movement, fernandes on the right, Calleri.
We can't just keep putting every ball through lanzini and not move up front though.
I'm tempted to go 3-5-2 - we need a win.
Adrian
Fonte, collins, reid,
Feghouli, Kouyate, noble, lanzini, Masuaku
Sakho, Carroll

Subs: Randolph, Cresswell, Fletcher, Byram, Snodgrass, Ayew, Rice

[Burnley Hammer]

Plusses were nordveit in midfield....

...I'm tempted to go 3-5-2 - we need a win.
Adrian
Fonte, collins, reid,
Feghouli, Kouyate, noble, lanzini, Masuaku
Sakho, Carroll

Subs: Randolph, Cresswell, Fletcher, Byram, Snodgrass, Ayew, Rice

It's a bit harsh listing Nordtveit as a plus then not even giving him a place on the subs bench. I'd stick him in there instead of Rice personally. If a defender get's injured then Kouyate can drop back into defence, and Nordtveit replaces Kouyate in midfield.

[mumbles87]

Noble should come back in - and to be honest I'd be tempted to drop Kouyate rather than Nordtveit. Don't think I've been impressed with Kouyate in midfield in a single game this season. It may allow Noble a little more licence to support the attack too. I'd definitely play Sakho ahead of Calleri. As for Byram.... I'd be tempted to play him but at the same time, we looked balanced and energetic for the first time in ages on Saturday and I'm wary of making too many changes.

in that case Burnley I would drop Fonte as he has been ropey at best since we got him.. put Kouyate in the back 3

bryam to return at RWB.. he will play well there

id like to see us line up like this

--------------Adrian

---Kouyate--Collins--Reid

Byram----Nord----Noble---Arther
-----------------Lanzini
------------Ayew---Sakho

That team would cause some serious problems for stoke

[Jackanakanory]

I wouldn't change a back line thats just kept a clean sheet

[Burnley Hammer]

Seems as though Bilic will have a few selection headaches!

[bubbles1966]

Calleri has to be taken out.

Carroll, Sakho, Fletcher anyone ahead of him.

I think we'll stick with three at the back and build upon the Everton result and may well win narrowly - providing we play a serviceable centre forward.

[kitthehammer]

Plusses were nordveit in midfield....

...I'm tempted to go 3-5-2 - we need a win.
Adrian
Fonte, collins, reid,
Feghouli, Kouyate, noble, lanzini, Masuaku
Sakho, Carroll

Subs: Randolph, Cresswell, Fletcher, Byram, Snodgrass, Ayew, Rice

It's a bit harsh listing Nordtveit as a plus then not even giving him a place on the subs bench. I'd stick him in there instead of Rice personally. If a defender get's injured then Kouyate can drop back into defence, and Nordtveit replaces Kouyate in midfield.

Oversight on my part, replace rice with nordveit

[Coops]

Same team that started last Saturday but with Noble in for Kouyate and Sakho in for Calleri.
Carroll to come on 2nd half for half an hour if he is up to it.

[YorksHammer]

providing we play a serviceable centre forward.

That'll be tough, we haven't got a fit one.

I'm not sure we'll see massive changes here, but I would like to see Byram come back in at RWB for Fernandes just to have someone there who actually plays that position. Equally, I don't really want to drop Fernandes...

Maybe a front three of Fernandes and Lanzini behind Ayew?

[Puff Daddy]

Puff - they signed him for £12m the same summer we bought Payet. In 2015.

Think we chose the better player, I also wouldn't swap him for Lanzini either.

Ok Fair enough mate, but I worry about that fat little ****'s left foot. Should I worry about it, or not ? If you tell me not to, I wont