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We need players with pace

Submitted by alby foreverirons on Tue, 03/01/2023 - 11:42

Players like Cresswell, Dawson, Fabianski and Antonio are getting on a bit and we can all see the faults more and more so they need to be bench players at best. Our biggest problem is our leaky defence which puts every other player under pressure. When we where playing well it didn’t matter if they scored first because the confidence was there that we would score especially at home but now as soon as they score we drop our heads and start passing sideways or backwards leaving players like Benny, Bowen and Scammacca out of the equation. Even Decs seems to pass the ball more backward then forward lately. Hopefully Aguerd will be back for Leeds but he will need help and until Zouma is back Dawson will have to do but he seems to have his mind on going home and is not what he’s been for us the last couple of seasons. Against Brentford Moyes dropped Soucek and put Paqueta in his place which is where he plays for Brazil, he’s not a number 10 and until we conceded we played ok.
Looking at last season the shit set in early, Antonio kept flying off to Jamaica and lost his form but Bowen came good, Cresswell kept getting beat by anyone that wanted to get past him and as we all know got himself sent off and suspended and we lost our chance to play Champions league, Rice decided he wanted to go forward more so to cater to him Soucek got told to stay back and he lost his way, Coufal had a hernia because of what should have been a sending off and hasn’t been the same since. We are going to lose Ashby because he can’t get a game, Moyes needs to play the best player in their natural position instead of catering to their whims and things will turn around. We have the players to do it if they can get a chance.

Good post mate. A couple of things I don’t think Rice would decide what he does, DM is not that sort of manager. I think he works on loyalty rather than form. His position with Benrahma is a classic example of this over the last few seasons, in some ways he was fairly dismissive of him now he’s a first choice. It’s like you have to earn his loyalty, I get it but it’s probably a tactic used by the older managers. Look players come in and out of form Liverpool are an example of that atm, it’s up to the manager or coach to get them back to that form. Ive supported Moyes as I felt like he deserved more time for what he’s done in the last two seasons, but I now don’t see the players playing for him. There’s only one man for me out there who we need. Young enough to be in touch with the modern snowflake player, a coach by trade, works on a shoestring budget has managed at the top level and nearly won the league, and that’s Brendan Rogers. If he could bring Maddison with him, we let Declan go and fulfil his potential, promote Downes and Coventry we should be alight for a few years. As good as Rice is or has been scoring goals and creativity is our problem. And if he’s meant to be there to stop goals we’ll that’s stopped working atm. I’m not sure pace is all we need, agreed it’s worked for us in the recent past but I think teams have worked us out. We need a bit of guile and intelligence. I think with Paqueta and maybe one other we could get that. The best thing against Brentford was Paqueta’s straight ball to Scamacca who turned and shot as he controlled the ball. We need more of that. This Cresswell and Coufal just chipping balls in the box is no good anymore. You have to evolve and also I think for the modern player they have to enjoy the way they play.

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24 users have voted.

Well, West Ham got caught out twice from the throw ins against Brentford. Look at the manner Cresswell and Coufal linger on the ball giving the opposition time to settle into position and cannot find a West Ham player in similar circumstances. Someone like Fabianski 99% of the time never releases the ball early enough for a counter attack. Thought that Moyes would address these very basic drawbacks that has been costing the Hammers very dearly in this very day and age. The best I have seen West Ham play this season is in the final match of the Europa Conference Group Match. The youngsters moved the ball very effectively with purpose and we saw very little of sideways and backward balls in that routine. You would think. that the First Team players would take a chapter out of that book!!

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21 users have voted.

Thing is Toronto if we want quick players hitting on the break we can’t have the ball. I think most West Ham fans want us to have some possession of the ball. Brentford did Toby’s what we’ve been doing for the past two seasons. It’s not that pretty but effective. Our problem is when we play against teams like that we don’t know how to break them down, we don’t have the players. We either are happy winning and not worrying about style or we want a bit of both. Only a coach who plays like that can do the latter. We then have to find players to play that way as 80% of the current “starting 11” can’t.

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30 users have voted.

I think Rice needs to drop to centre half alongside Augard. Play Downes alongside Paqueta. Try 2 up top from the off. What is there to lose?

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32 users have voted.

We will see how Moyes switches things around against Brentford in the FA Cup. Will he get the team to overcome the defensive howlers this time as well as to suss out how to break down their organized defending? Anything short of a convincing victory will reflect Moyes ability to turn things around before it is too late!!

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25 users have voted.
Dartford Bhoy's picture

im not convinced its just pace we need. We are going through a time of having a number of players just not in the same form as recent years. Soucek never had pace but a great engine for box to box, the last 12 months we havent seen this at all. Declan looks at times lost to me, we are not seeing the high number of interceptions and taking the game by the scruff and show real leadership.Out of form Beast and Bowen and the goals have dried up. Add to that the two big signings that are taking time to settle in and it all adds up. I do agree with full backs, they all look like they are running through treacle!

When we were at our recent best was with very fast transition from interception, forward passing and,like it or not, Lingard was a key part of that style of play.

I admit I have no idea what is needed to fix it. You can blame the board but they passed bugeyes £170M to improve the squad, the manager who gave us 2 good seasons or show some loyalty? I do know that some really key players are just not performing.

Its interesting to note that in the company report there is a contingency for 12 months in case of relegation which shouts to me of dark days ahead.

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28 users have voted.

And had a chuckle mate! Contingency for 12 months! How about another 2,3 possibly 5 years! Go down to the chumps & it's pretty much goodnight Vienna,one of the hardest leagues in the world imo especially for the prima donnas!! He had a part solution against Leeds,Scam,pac Bowen,Rice & especially fornals back in the engine room...what does he do? Apparently Scam & pac & fornals can't play a full 90 minutes

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29 users have voted.
Dartford Bhoy's picture

Hate to say it 65 but the man is running both empty and on borrowed time. I haven’t seen the game yet but by all accounts neither side was bothered so not a great deal to be learnt from a cup kick about :o(

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25 users have voted.

A full strength side for us apart from Scam & maybe 1 or 2 in defence.Apart from Bennys goal it was normal service! No chances created,Brentford were minus 7 changes & we still struggled to create anything.4 points minimum from Everton & Wolves needed but i reckon 2 at the most!

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34 users have voted.

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