Forum | General Discussion

West Ham: Fabiański, Coufal, Zouma ©, Mavropanos, Cresswell, Álvarez, Souček, Paquetá, Kudus, Bowen, Antonio Subs: Areola (GK), Knightbridge (GK), Johnson, Casey, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Phillips, Ward-Prowse, Earthy, Orford, Ings, Mubama

Freiburg: Atubolu, Sildillia, Ginter, Gulde, Günter ©, Höfler, Dōan, Eggestein, Höler, Grifo, Sallai Subs: Müller (GK), Uphoff (GK), Szalai, Lienhart, Keitel, Kübler, Adamu, Muslija, Philipp, Makengo, Röhl, Gregoritsch

https://livesport365.live/match/west-ham-united-vs-freiburg-1629356895.html

Hot on the heals of Rafa Benitez being sacked by Celta Vigo, after less than nine months. Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri has resigned after a fifth defeat in six games in all competitions, Sarri jumped before he was pushed so essentially was sacked!

63 year old Benitez and 65 year old Sarri have both been linked with managing West Ham over the years, but surely given their age and their recent underwhelming results attained, neither will be on Tim Steidten and David Sullivan's short list to replace David Moyes.

Benitez who joined the La Liga side on 23 June last year and departs after winning just five of his 28 league matches in charge of Celta was once coveted by Sullivan, he was even offered the manager's job but chose Real Madrid instead of the Irons when Real came calling.

Hammers represent an ideal club for a forward-thinking successful young manager who is already going places to cut his teeth, being linked with either Benitez or Sarri would represent a backward step, more akin to the West Ham of old!

There is plenty of managerial, talent out there, IF the Board can offer them 'proper' financial backing, and in Steidten we trust, so thses COULD be exciting times for West Ham, but Benitez and Sarri? No thank you, busted flushes that are too old! - LN

Unless your club happens to be one of the Premier League's 'top six' elite, you have to be prepared for all sorts of injustices during the course of the season in the hope that "things will even themselves out' by the time the last game is played.

Well, as it stands teams will have to play for a month of Sundays before fans witness anything like a level playing field when it comes to match officials, particularly VAR. Loathed and despised by ALL, VAR has taken fan frustration to a new level!

If anyone had ANY doubt about the deep rooted Hatred of VAR, they just needed to see the disappointed masses exiting the London Stadium in the rain this afternoon. The looks on their faces were a mixture of rage and incredulity at what they had just experienced.

The team's 1st half performance was woeful to put it mildly, but inspired a quick fire David Moyes substitution the ground was soon rocking as 'Pacman' clawed a goal back off of Hammers 2-0 deficit almost instantaneously. Moyes actually made a proactive managerial move!

On came Alvarez and Mikey Antonio in place of a disturbingly off the boil JWP and the fish out of water that is Kalvin Phillips, straight away the team looked different and as it meant business. The crowd were duly rewarded with a Pacman goal that then inspired the 'siege of Burnley's time wasters'!

Burnley tried EVERY trick in the 'Brentford book of time consumption' and a few new ones of their own. Although a rampant Hammers attack left the defence exposed 'Phonse' made spectaculer saves that have almost become the norm for him, the 'big teams' will be sniffing around for him sooner or later.

This game should have ended as a 4-2 win to the Irons, instead it nearly ended in defeat courtesy of some mind-numbing and baffling decisions by the match officials. Record match of the day just to confirm whether 60,000 or so people, or at least those who stayed could have got their opinions so collectively wrong!

It is now THREE games in a row where Hammers have been robbed or mugged, call it what you will, of at least two points in extra time. The much maligned Danny Ings scored one but could have had a hat trick during his fleeting cameo role of 8 minutes of normal time in what was NOT a normal end of game!

"We were robbed" fans sang, but just like their dreams their protests will just fade and die! - LN

Ultimately Freiburg 'got away with one' in last night's Europa League game in Germany. The penalty that 'never was' given being a source of much frustration for fans and those within the club.

However the fact that so much hung on a penalty that was contentiously denied is a classic example of why 'Moyesball' doesn't always work.

Setting your team up with a vast distance between defence and attack for a massive European game beggars belief, especially from a manager of David Moyes experience, but the serial defensive man did exactly as many feared and played for the draw!

In football you get what you paid for, in this instance Moyes paid tactical peanuts and got ... fill in that which you think suits best.

Last night represented a golden opportunity to progress in a tournament that has the glittering prospect of Champions League football for the eventual winners, sadly on last night's showing Hammers will more likely be looking at Championship football! - Ed