Relive every moment of every first team game since the beginning of the 2005/06 season. Our archive of matchday threads originally posted in the General Discussion Forum.
Carroll will be the first name on the teamsheet, with Moyes love of a cross, then he'll assess who are the best crossers in the squad to supply him, sprinkle in Lanzini as he has promised to play entertaining and attacking footballl, and then 7 others to stop the other mob scoring
Moyes seems really fired up which obviously is good.I just hope he doesn’t push the players too hard off the back of an international break and they come into Sunday knackered.
In the barmy, whacky roller coaster world that is West Ham United I'm predicting 22 - 0 to us.
Enlivened by Moyes Braveheart style teamtalk, we rip into a shocked Watford and score 10 in the first 15 minutes. Feeling satisfied with our work the team takes it's foot of the gas and we score no more until Moyes hauls 3 players off in disgust ten mins before the break, and a terrified front line scores 4 more before the half time pause, hoping to calm him down as the sight of him wielding a 10inch lock knife in the technical area is causing them concern.
Moyes then subjects them to flying teacups and boots at half time, and a visible shaken side re-emerges and promptly scores from kick off. A steady stream of goals continue until all the fitness concerns prove true and we run out of legs in the 79th minute with the score at 21 - 0.
This looks to be the final tally until Antonio goes down with cramp, and the trainer is sent on with a message that if he isn't up in 10 seconds there will be a gallon of petrol pouring through his letterbox one night this week, and this news seems to invigorate him into a final burst around 3 players and neat finish into the bottom corner. Antonio thinks about doing his little dance to celebrate, but after spotting Moyes removing a set of nunchucks from the kit bags decides to pass on it.
In the press conference after a surly manager is barely satisfied, and says a number of the squad need to do far more to convince him that he doesn't need to bring Duncan Ferguson in to toughen up training.
That night in a poll on KUMB only 22% of fans declare themselves happy with the result as most feel that kind of game was totally alien to what West ham stood for.
Can't see how Reid can play this game due to New Zealand v Peru games.
First game is Saturday then 20 hours flight plus 16 hour time difference between the countries will be tough on the players for starters.
He flies back from Peru to the UK (arriving home late Thursday night) meaning unlikely to train on the Friday plus will have had no part in any of Moyes training sessions.
West Ham will be eager to impress the new manager and will prove stubborn to break down at first but I think Watford will score a few and win quite comfortably - we will then see people writing essays saying it will take time for Moyes to get the team playing how he likes and need to give him more time,
Colours never run wrote:Usually Clubs get a positive reaction after they sack a manager and bring a new one in. Hopefully that happens with us and we can build on it.
352 and 1-2 would seem more than realistic after 2 weeks to get to grips with what's now asked of them.
Not so for this match. Many internationals not back until late next week. Reid for instance is flying thousands of miles and will hardly have time to have a **** before this match.
I wouldn't mind seeing what Arnie does in the off the striker role. Carrol and him could swap when one gets knackered defending. Arnie is the only player that can really hold the ball up and allow everyone to get up the pitch. Hernandez has been terrible at shielding the ball, he try's to do too much everytime, and just doesn't have the natural strength/ability. I would stick Lanzini out wide left. Not my ideal formation but I would be I retested to see how it works.
I wouldn't mind seeing what Arnautovic does in a West Ham shirt, full stop! The bloke has been nothing but a lazy liability. He weren't this bad at Stoke but that's all he's been pretty much bar Bolton who everyone has managed to turn inside out in the Championship. He's let his new manager down big time for the faith he showed in him.
As for who holds up the ball the best, for me thats only Carroll if that's the way to play at times.
Arnie can run sideways while holding off 2 players, it's a different type of skill than Carroll back to goal holding up. I agree it would be nice to see him play a bit. Not sure if he's Moyes cup of tea, think he prefers more Lennon type wingers. Strange signing considering we needed some pace.
I know what you're getting at as he has great upper body strength and when he finds form he is difficult to shake off the ball or take it off him. Sadly he's shown next to none of that so far and keeps gifting possession away. In part because he's trying too hard to impress or because he's been lazy and complacent. I just wish he put more effort into his football, than he does with a forearm smash to the back of the neck.
I knew next to nothing about him when he signed. A quick watch of his highlights on YouTube, and all I could make out was he looked slow and lazy. I don't think he has really done much different with us, it's just who he is and how he plays.