Bolton Wanderers 3 West Ham Utd 0 (09/04/11)

[fmgod]

We made them look like Manure...and we needed at least a point.

We cannot moan if we get relegated after a display like that...

First half we made them look Barcelona

And totally agree you can't expect to concede two in the first twenty and get something

[nickkarkie]

I can't work out today if it was Grant or the players.

Why did he set up 433 with the front 3 comprised of 3 strikers?

Was he expecting Robbie Keane and Piq to chase back and help the full backs?

If this was agreed, set up and the players understood then why didn't they put in the f***ing effort?

it is something I cant understand either matt, does he tell the front three to stay forward and thus expose our fullbacks, or are the players just not good enough at playing in those wide positions and just dont grasp the effort involved in playing wide. Having played as a left winger, central midfielder and centre back I can honestly say that playing on the wing is the hardest position on the field, you have to be fitter than in all other positions, you have to be defensively aware, you have to be able to beat players even though you are on the touchline and they basically know that you have nowhere to go, you sometimes have to try and get yourself into the game because the ball is simply not coming down your side of the pitch but keep aware that you cant drift too far infield and compromise the shape of the team. West Ham just can not continue with the 433 formation, we dont have the wide men for it.

[Romford]

Maybe but his movement was good and you could at least see what he was trying to do when he got the ball, plus his head didn't drop which will be important in the relegation run in.

But how did he work his way into the team today ??

Did we need to try something different....

We lost before we kicked a ball IMHO...again

[Pop Robson]

No passion no fight from most of our players,

I can remember the old relegation battles 76, 77 (to name only 2 !!) and sleeves were rolled up back then

[fmgod]

No passion no fight from most of our players,

I can remember the old relegation battles 76, 77 (to name only 2 !!) and sleeves were rolled up back then

No leader emerged, nobody stood up to be counted, nobody was running round galvanising the team, geeing them up, we have enough experienced players and none of them stepped up to the plate you can't just blame upson for that

[Romford]

it is something I cant understand either matt, does he tell the front three to stay forward and thus expose our fullbacks, or are the players just not good enough at playing in those wide positions and just dont grasp the effort involved in playing wide. Having played as a left winger, central midfielder and centre back I can honestly say that playing on the wing is the hardest position on the field, you have to be fitter than in all other positions, you have to be defensively aware, you have to be able to beat players even though you are on the touchline and they basically know that you have nowhere to go, you sometimes have to try and get yourself into the game because the ball is simply not coming down your side of the pitch but keep aware that you cant drift too far infield and compromise the shape of the team. West Ham just can not continue with the 433 formation, we dont have the wide men for it.

Fullback ...we played 3 centrebacks because of the world class Kevin Davies.

[nickkarkie]

exposing our square peg in round hole fullback

[Oldun]

No passion no fight from most of our players,

I can remember the old relegation battles 76, 77 (to name only 2 !!) and sleeves were rolled up back then

Thats because those players wanted to still be at the club the following season ,relegation or not.
These lot couldnt care less where they will be playing next season.

[Hammer Laffers]

We lost before we kicked a ball IMHO...again

Summed up in a sentence, it's getting silly now, looking at the team sheet and automatically knowing what's in store.


Also, this is the last time I also make a rash decision to go to a game whilst pissed in the pub the week before

[fmgod]

Even though Tomkins is useless at Rb, he was exposed to high heaven had two on him at some time, most players would of struggled.

One thing I know for sure is if L.Neil had been on that pitch today there would of been some rockets up arses.

[AJ]

At least the Beehive was okay, got a meal in there and could watch the Wolves v Everton match.

[the pink palermo]

Also, this is the last time I also make a rash decision to go to a game whilst pissed in the pub the week before

It won't be .

Probably won't even be the last time this season .......Wigans gonna be big

[nickkarkie]

Even though Tomkins is useless at Rb, he was exposed to high heaven had two on him at some time, most players would of struggled.

One thing I know for sure is if L.Neil had been on that pitch today there would of been some rockets up arses.

so why is grant allowing our fullbacks to be exposed by playing the 3 up top who dont understand their defensive duties? Paul Walsh was commentating on our game and he was just astonished at how easy it was for Notlob to get 2 v 1 on the flank against tomkins and bridge and suggested that if we had gone 442 with O'neil on the right side then there is no way bolton would have been able to do what they were doing.

[Hammer Laffers]

It won't be .

Probably won't even be the last time this season .......Wigans gonna be big

I'm working that day, run out of annual leave, used all 23 days of it following this shower of ****

Could have the guts ache the day before though.....

[fmgod]

so why is grant allowing our fullbacks to be exposed by playing the 3 up top who dont understand their defensive duties? Paul Walsh was commentating on our game and he was just astonished at how easy it was for Notlob to get 2 v 1 on the flank against tomkins and bridge and suggested that if we had gone 442 with O'neil on the right side then there is no way bolton would have been able to do what they were doing.

Because he lacks tactics, O'Neil or anyone would of at least supplied a layer of protection and would of stopped Petrov running riot. A 4-4-2 would of been much more solid but instead we went mental and played 4-3-3, not just that but ultra narrow as well so the wings had tons of space, tactics were the reason and Tomkins isn't a RB

[the pink palermo]

Could have the guts ache the day before though.....

Thats the spirit .

When they ask you at Job interviews who you support , it's always best to say something like Barnet - make sure thats on the file .

[nickkarkie]

fmgod, we all saw that for the whole 90min against man u, it was exactly the same, grant obviously didnt see it, they just crushed us in the fullback areas. I agree that he is tactically naive

[nickkarkie]

Here is the problem with west ham playing 4-3-3

this is our team when the second half is underway and the opposition have the ball:


............................................Green............................................

...........................MDC........................UPSON...BRIDGE............

JACOBSEN.....................PARKER............................................

..........................NOBLE...........................................................

......................................................HITZLSPERGER.................

O'NEIL....................................................................................

================================================ half way line

..............................................................................................

.............................................................................................

..............................................................................................

...................................................................................BA......

........................................COLE.............................................


This is a decent team playing 433:


....................................................GK....................................

.............................................................................................

.............................................................................................

.............................................................................................

.............................................................................................

RB........................CB................................CB....................LB

=============================================== half way line

..............................................DM...........................................

................................CM........................CM............................

FR.....................................................................................FL

...............................................S.............................................

The simple fact is that our defence is too deep, our wide players are 50 yards away from the fullbacks and our midfield 3 are spread out all over the place. Its brilliant playing 433 when you have the defence who can cope with playing a high line and thus allowing both full backs and wide men to be in close proximity and working together in both attack and defence but with the players we have, i.e. 1 fullback who cant attack, wide men who are either no good at attacking or no good at tracking back, then we must stick to the conventional 442.

Here was my post on page 1 of this thread, we actually ended up playing like this:


............................................Green............................................

...........TOMINS......MDC....................UPSON...BRIDGE............

.......................................PARKER............................................

..........................NOBLE...........................................................

......................................................HITZLSPERGER.................

...............................................................................................

================================================ half way line

..............................................................................................

...................................................KEANE................................

PIQ.......................................................................................

.........................................................................................

........................................BA.............................................

[Het-Field]

Even though Tomkins is useless at Rb, he was exposed to high heaven had two on him at some time, most players would of struggled.

One thing I know for sure is if L.Neil had been on that pitch today there would of been some rockets up arses.

I maintain that the catalyst for our current woes was the needless departures of Lucas Neill, and James Collins in 2009. They were two excellent defenders who were sold, and never properly replaced.

[fmgod]

I maintain that the catalyst for our current woes was the needless departures of Lucas Neill, and James Collins in 2009. They were two excellent defenders who were sold, and never properly replaced.

They had to go due to money, Neil was the biggest loss, he was a true captain and leader, he would order others, inspire others, would get stuck in and was an example (on the pitch) with his commitment etc, also wasn't a bad player to boot.