Forum | General Discussion

Fot the first time in the entire season Slaven Billic had the luxury of a full squad to choose from for a match, and the away fixture at West Bromwich Albion proved what a potent force West Ham United can be when at full strength. Mark Noble scored a brace, the second being a magnificent volley of the highest order, teed up deftly by an in form Andy Carroll who is beginning to look like the talented footballer he has always been, hopefully the club's softly softly approach to bringing him back from injury allied with greater personal discipline will see him available for selection on a continuous basis. Captain Mark Noble's recent performances have seen him playing further up the pitch, which he has always been able to do, but by necessity he has had to strong arm the midfield. Manuel Lanzini is the player who has had to adapt to a new deeper role, thus creating the space and freedom for Noble to maraud forward, it is indicative of Slaven Billic's managerial style that players are played in unusual positions, this is an International manager's trait, having to deal with ego's and highly rated players often means adapting to each game and not being afraid to mix things up! Mikael Antonio has been 'encouraged' to be a flying wing back, and although naive is truly brilliant at going forward safe in the knowledge that his runs will be covered more often than not, likewise Lanzini is having to play an unfamiliar role, but one that he can excel in. The little jewel's diminutive stature might make him look out of hid depth in a deep midfield role, but he is lightening quick and sharp in the tackle, who would have thought he could handle so well being 'roughed up' by the opposition?
As previously mentioned, Slaven Billic is an experienced International manager who is used to dealing with quality players and their demands, he will have his work cut out to maintain harmony within the squad while at the same time retaining enough players to have strength in depth. A difficult balancing act, but hopefully European football, if achieved, will add enough extra fixtures to enable 'fringe' players to have a run out in the early stages and thus have something to aim for and not just obscure bench warming. Big names Alex Song, Victor Moses and probably Enner Valencia will be gone, with several others to follow, replacing them will be an interesting proposition given the extraordinary amount of young talent at the club, perhaps Slaven will really give some of them a go, and it's about time 'some of our own' started coming through the ranks again.
Finally, how refreshing to watch a match where the ref didn't ruin it, and where the opposition manager didn't whinge or whine!

This evening's crucial FA Cup quarter final replay between West Ham and Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground kicks off, courtesy of UEAFA, at the ludicrously early time of 19:00 Hrs or 7pm in old money! Quite how this match would 'interfere' with the evening's european fixtures is confusing, but should fans expect anything else from such a top heavy organisation. The bookies see the match fairly evenly, as confirmed in the Euro 2016 News that is available.
There appears to be a huge amount of interest in this fixture, not just domestically, but throughout Europe and beyond, perhaps it is because of the amount of Manchester United players who will effectively be in the shop window, a situation that seems credible given the lack of harmony that is apparent due to LVG's 'strange' guidance. According to the Dutch website Online Wedden who have a keen interest in the Dutch man's ability to hold on to his job, this match is the make or break for the beleaguered manager with the prospects of his continued tenure being very frail. He will probably have to wield out an unfit but still very dangerous on his day Wayne Rooney as well as relying on the youngsters who have got him out of jail so far this season. Slaven Billic goes in to the match knowing that victory would see a massive game against Everton at Wembley as the reward, defeat will deflate what has been a very promising season, one that could have been so much better had it not been for some of the atrocious decisions made by game officials. Diafra Sakho will not feature tonight, neither will Alex Song, the pair are unavailable for a combination of political and personal reasons, Sakho's recent outbursts have seemingly been taken as merely that, and not an attack on the club or Billic, suffice to say the dust will blow over, for now!
Ironically Sam Byram is fit and would be available had he not been cup tied, so it looks as if Mikael Antonio will once again fill the right back berth, as James Tomkins is perceived to lack the match fitness required for what is expected to be a high octane game played at a furious pace. It is unlikely that Slaven Billic will continue with his three at the back formation because of how exposed the flanks could be, Arsenal exploited this to the full last week and it is to be assumed that the canny Billic will have taken that on board.
The early start to this last ever FA Cup tie at the Boleyn could catch out may fans travelling to the match, that along with the usual traffic and transport chaos that is usually associated with accessing the Green Street, something that will be a thing of the past once the move to the olympic Stadium has been completed, it should be rocking under the lights with lots of memories mod the past and expectations for the future. - Ed