Big Mal

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  • in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1432332

    Big Mal
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    Hurstie, I agree that Fergouli is the weak link. Whilst a technically gifted player he lacks the physicality in his game to be effective in the premiership. Maybe he lacks a bit of bottle or is just used to playing in a league where if a fly touches you you get a free kick. He has pace, the ability to cross a ball and gets into good positions to score goals. You can see why we jumped to sign him on a free and why clubs where interested in him during the window. I think he will go in the summer and we might even get a decent fee for him. Harry, I know you were gutted when Trippier went to the Spuds from Burnley. He was a gift at 3m and deserves to be a first choice player. Word is we wanted him in the window and will go back for him in the summer so you might get your man. Robertson would be a great signing. We could have had him for 7m in the summer and ended up with Masuaku for 6m! The way we conduct transfers leaves a lot to be desired. My view on Kone is that he has ability but can be inconsistent. That’s probably why we ended with Fonte. At least you know what you are getting. Here is a subject to debate. The Pitch at the Running Track. Many have said it’s too big and does not suit our style of play. But the playing area size us identical to Southampton. I think the problem maybe all the green covering they bought from the Green Street Market to hide the Running Track. From the stands it gives the false impression that the pitch is enormous. Maybe if they had used a different colour it would solve the problem. The pitch has even been used as an excuse for our defeats against City and the Gooners. I am bit concerned that Carroll might be injured again and even more worried he might be selected for England whilst not 100 per cent. The Baggies should be a good test and a game we need to win to confirm we are on the right track again.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1418867

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    A lot has been made of Noble’s form this season but I wonder how much he has been affected by Payet. Last season’s Payet made life much easier for Noble and he shone. This season he has in my opinion almost been trying to to do two roles. His game has been become hurried to compensate for the lack of intensity in our overall team performances. There were several examples in the first half against Palace where his desire to drive us forward and make tackles caused him to give the ball away. Noble is not the sort Of player who accepts losing the ball so he chases back, then makes desperate tackles which against Palace earnt to him a booking. It looks to me that he is trying too hard. When you don’t have natural pace it’s more difficult too. Factor in that he is our Captain and players will no doubt have been bending his ear about the special treatment given to Payet. He must feel under a lot of pressure and the last thing he needs is suggestions that he should be dropped. Once Payet is gone and everything settles down I think he will be fine.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1414081

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    What all this then? I have been looking in on Teamtalk from time to time seen no posts and thought it was game over. You have started something now Mark! Harry, no-one can believe you have missed the last two matches. You might as well see the season out with your tickets. I have come to the conclusion that although the stadium has many issues most are fixable and whilst it will never compare with the Boleyn we just have to learn to like it. I think the fact that Slav is still in charge tells you where the blame lies for most of the summer signings. He obviously has to take some responsibility for not signing a right back due to his Antonio fixation. I believe this has been the main cause of our struggles. The three centre backs experiment cost us Kouyate from the midfield and Noble’s form has in my opinion been affected by Payet being a shadow of last season. Ogbonna seems slow and clumsy and Reidy is having to play like Superman to compensate but he can’t be everywhere. The players don’t look fit enough to me either and seem knackered on the hour mark. Factor in a shocking pre-season and injuries to first choice starters and the picture builds. I don’t think Ahew is a bad player but he is not the player we saw playing for the Swans and seems to have completely lost his pace and edge to his game. It’s good to see Carroll fit but we are not playing to his strengths so he might just as well revert to being an impact substitute. Without Sakho no-one is making the runs behind the defenders for Payet and Lanzini to exploit. Slav has to take some blame for this and set his team up better. I am a big fan of Snodgrass but offering just 3m for him is an insult to Hull. They want 9m and personally i would pay because if he goes to Palace we will regret it. As for Hogan it’s a gamble but I have no problem signing Championship players. Half our squad currently are not good enough to even play in the Championship. I know we are all unhappy with the season to date but it is fixable and a top 10 finish is still possible. The Premiership is all about money and what you invest in your squad determines roughly where you finish. So let’s stop beating ourselves up. G&S will eventually take the money and run. As Harry has often reminded me. It’s the a West Ham roller coaster ride and we love it really! See you in pub before the Palace and you can tell me all about Mother-in-law. No point sulking.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1307130

    Big Mal
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    Harry, Hughes made a comment about the pitch being slow after the game. Playing three at the back can be effective but as you rightly say your centre mids have to be better than ours. I think the system suits Obiang better than Noble and a partnership with Kouyate might be more effective. We are missing Kouyate driving runs. Noble can’t do that. With Noble missing the Spuds game through suspension we might have seen them together but with Reid injured it looks like Obiang will partner Edmilson or Nordveit unless Slav changes the system. i would like to see us start with two up front against the Spuds but on current form it’s difficult to pick a team that would inspire much confidence. Ahew is a better player than we saw on Saturday and I have feeling Slav will tinker with the midfield with either Payet or Lanzini missing out against the Spuds. The lack of movement and finding space is making it difficult for both Payet and Lanzini to contribute or get into goal scoring positions. Antonio is like ‘Roy of the Rovers’ playing almost every position at present and looked very frustrated at times against Stoke. I can’t wait for Carroll to return. He would have punished Stoke for sure. I can’t see Slav dropping Adrian. Overall he still just about edges Randolph. I was talking to some Stoke fans after the game and they were disappointed with the draw blaming Hughes for being too cautious and not going for the win.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1242927

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    Hurstie, Inevitably big stadiums and ticket availability attract neutrals. If you go to Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the Emirates you will see crowds of tourists in attendance. I don’t have a problem with that. If I was in the States I would up for going to a NFL game, basketball, NHL etc for the match day experience. The Premiership is a big pull and visitors/ neutrals enjoy it. Whatever the motivation was to move from the Boleyn it was a huge mistake. It’s ripped the heart and soul out of the club. It’s not our West Ham anymore and as Harry said it’s just not West Ham. I am sure a lot the fans who bought into the propaganda really believed the new stadium would propel us into the Champions League. Even a 500m transfer budget cannot guarantee you that. I don’t think we over achieved last season. We probably blew the best chance we will ever have with defeats against Swansea and Stoke. Unfortunately we are stuck with this excuse of a football stadium for 100 years. Daniel Levy was right. It should have been demolished. Throwing hundreds of millions into a compromise was madness. Seb Coe has a lot to answer for. We are a fish out if water now. Most WHU fans are uncomfortable with the stadium now they have experienced it. Maybe if we were winning games it would be different but somehow I doubt it. I have lived In Forest Gate all my life. Harry lives off the Barking Road 5 minutes walk away. Maybe we are too old to change. If my Old Dad was still around he would have been devestated by what’s happened to his football club. Just changing the club badge would have set him off. It’s too many changes and not for the better. Sullivan, Gold and Brady have sold our history.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1242534

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    Since when did a Spud make any tax contributions? I must admit Harry I am not enjoying it either. It was boy’s 16th birthday yesterday and we booked a table for lunch at Jamie Oliver’s in the Westfield before the game. As we were in line for a table a woman behind us said to my son you are not meant to be in here. Even the waitress was hardly welcoming. We did not make a big scene because it’s not worth even reacting but it is just another example of where it’s all going wrong. We don’t belong there. We are not wanted and the stadium is not fit for purpose. I really fear now for the future of WHU. it just seems that everything is going wrong. On the field we look relegation certainties at present. We need Cresswell and Carroll back urgently to stand any chance. Noble knows what the problem is but won’t say. Slav knows too. Sullivan has been sold some pups and he needs to hold his hand up. You need to spend 50m to stand still in this league. The big clubs bring on a 30m substitute we bring on a special offer from Aldi. We are not even close now to being a top 10 club. The January window won’t solve anything because no-one decent will want to come. It will be more journeyman loans. G & S don’t have the money to even maintain this club never mind take it forward. They should cash in their chips and enjoy their profit now because they are going to be remembered not for saving WHU from the Icelandics but for selling our home and destroying our club. The franchise, brand, call it what you like will live on but the heart and soul of WHU has been sold off for their financial gain. We might as well get it over with and sell to a Chinese consortium now because ultimately that’s where its heading. Personally I can live with Championship football. It’s more honest and the away games are great days out. Who needs the Premiership? And who needs the London Stadium? Anyone for AFC West Ham? There will be calls for it soon.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1235034

    Big Mal
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    Harry, as you know we have always had our share of idiots but violent behaviour is unacceptable in any circumstances. A number of people are relocating in the two rows in front of me because they want to stand which should help to reduce the issues in our block. If you can make contact with your man I will get the seat numbers that should become available. I know most of the people close to my seat and feel confident that he and his boys will be safe and happy. Those around me do behave and the language is reasonable too especially when kids are present. Tell him not to let a few mindless idiots ruin their season. It will sort itself out one way or another. We decided before the Watford game to self police our section hence why people are moving. It’s unfortunate what has happened due to not enough thought being given to seat allocation. A lot of people who had one season ticket at the Boleyn now have three. I know some-one that has got eleven season tickets which are mainly kids which he expected to upgrade on the day as required. With no checks at the turnstiles the kids season tickets are being exploited. It’s all been badly handled but no doubt they will get to grips with it soon. Not much to say about the game except that I was surprised Oxford and Fletcher did not start. I like the look of Fernandes and Obiang looked solid. Payet saved our bacon as I was fearing extra time with 10 men. Fair play to Accrington for their positive approach.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1229988

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    Anyone watch Ripper Street last night? I did not realise John Hartson had played for Thames Ironworks!

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1228374

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    Disco back? Grim is the word for Teamtalk these days but we live in hope and maybe a few Spuds to educate. Even Eric seems to have given up. At least we can rely on Harry to paint a picture for us. I agree with your observations Harry. The main problem for Slav is how to stop us conceding so many goals. To some extent what we are getting what we asked for with the emphasis on attacking football. The trouble with the way we defend is that without a centre back who can bring the ball out we just hoof it and back it comes. Cresswell is a big loss to us and selling Tomkins has reduced options at centre and right back. It’s not surprising to me that we are conceding so many goals. Both Noble and Kouyate are in poor form too but they will improve. They are both good players and maybe the suggestion to drop them both and play Nordweit and Obiang might gee them up. Obiang never does much wrong and maybe just needs a run of games. I am not sure about Nordtweit but he looked better than Byram at right back. He was signed as a utility player but prefers a holding midfield role. Maybe he should be given a chance to stake his claim. Carroll would have caused Albion lots of problems in the second half and we are missing him too. I am looking forward to seeing Fernandes and Oxford against Accrington. Both should play and I would play 442 with Fletcher and Calleri starting. I could see these two could running Acrrington ragged. Arbeloa should start and bring some composure to our back four. My starting eleven would be Randolph, Masuaku, Reid, Oxford, Arbeloa, Obiang, Nordtweit, Fernandes, Feghouli, Fletcher and Calleri, Subs Payet, Lanzini, Antonio, Collins and Ogbonna. It won’t be anything like that though because Slav will no doubt play two or three out of position to make it more fun and give Accrington a chance to pull off a shock result! It’s going to be interesting to see what the atmosphere is like in a half empty stadium. I do miss the Boleyn.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1194483

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    Whispers today that we have bid 5m plus ad ons for a right back from Wolves.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1168803

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    Rumour doing the rounds this morning that Pardew is planning a 30m double swoop for Carroll and Antonio with the Bolassie money. I would not be surprised if it came true. These last minute deals do happen and it would pay for Bacca if he is now up for it and the Palermo defender.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1167177

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    Just sipping my coffee and reading your post Harry. My view is that the loss of Cresswell to injury is a major blow to both our defensive and offensive capabilities. The new boy had a reasonable debut and will need a few games to adjust to the premiership but I would have preferred Robertson or Taylor even though they would have cost a bit more. Like you I am not convinced yet by any of the other signings including Ahew. I don’t dispute he is a good player. I just think the money could have been better spent. Slav has surely put Valencia in the shop window but probably devalued him last night. The Antonio debate seems to be dominating the news. It’s not working playing him as a right back and clearly the player does not want to play there. Slav’s decision to substitute him was probably wrong but I was really angry with Antonio too and Slav simply punished him for his indiscipline. Our transfer business this summer looks to have made us weaker overall which is worrying. When Ahew went off what we really needed was a fired up Sakho. The forthcoming Europa Cup game probably affected Slav’s thinking last night and we really could have done without these qualifying games. The way we set up last night limited the effectiveness of Kouyate and without Payet and Lanzini we create very little. The Costa challenge on Adrian was a red card offence to me but we should have defended his goal much better. I think Slav proved he was human last night by making a number of judgemental errors. Letting Song and Moses leave was clearly about wages and Harry I would agree the new boys don’t look to be of the same quality.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1151184

    Big Mal
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    Hurstie. Best word to describe it is Weird. I am in the East Stand level with the goal at the Bobby Moore end on the retractable seats. I saw Harry after the Domzale game. I heard him first giving their No 6 some stick over a bad a tackle! He is four rows down from me. The atmosphere is better than I expected and will get even better when we play premiership teams. I think their fans will be in the Trevor Brooking stand much the same as at the Turrets. It’s obviously very different from the Boleyn and will take time to get used to it. It still needs some finishing touches touches especially the covering of the Running Track which will eventually be astro turf to match the pitch. Slav looks a bit lost on the touch line being so far away from the bench. Getting in and out of the stadium presents a challenge to some. I walked so no big deal for me. Harry was using the underground so will no doubt have more info. What is a problem though is that the fans with seats at the front seem to want to stand which means half are standing and half are sitting. If you are short or have children you are not going to be happy because you won’t see much. Maybe it will resolve itself over the next few games. I won’t be using the food and drink outlets again. The pricing is ridiculous. £2.30 for a bottle of water. Overall I can’t say I liked or disliked it. It just felt weird and not very WHU. Almost like a USA soccer franchise. I suppose I just need to move with the times. I am sure younger fans will like it though.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1141800

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    It appears the Villa players we have enquired about are their defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye and striker Jordan Ayew. Gueye has a 7.2m release clause in his contract and Ayew who I recall made a bad tackle on Cresswell last season is the brother of our Swansea target. However it appears that Everton may have secured Gueye and Di Matteo wants to keep Ayew. I was surprised that we were going for another defensive midfielder however I read that Slav now intends to play Nordvelt as a centre back a position he played regularly in Germany. By all accounts Burke has looked our best centre back in pre-season yet seems destined for another loan. I think Slav is taking a massive risk with Antonio at right back expecting him to carry out defensive duties and bomb forward at every opportunity. Domzale quickly sussed out how to exploit the space and we won’t get away with it in the premiership. Not that we did last season. We are not going to be able to score three goals every game to win games. Slav has had a fantastic honeymoon and has everyone behind him but we know how quickly it can change. We have two difficult away matches at Chelsea and City. Bournemouth want be easy either. Howe has made some good signings and we know what happened last season. Losing Cresswell to injury and selling Tompkins has weakened us. There is no doubt we have some very good players and one world class player (Ginge) but like a kids collection of Match Attacks or a jigsaw we are missing important cards and pieces. In these circumstances a top 10 finish is a realistic goal and anything higher like last season will be a great achievement. G&S feel we can get into the top four but unless they can convince the missing pieces to join us they are relying upon Slav to conjure up another Leicester City. I think it’s much too big an ask currently.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1140204

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    Hurstie, I thought Everton paid too much when they shelled out 28m for Lukaku. 57m is a mind boggling sum for a player who in my opinion can be nullified if you set up correctly. I thought he looked poor at the back end of last season and did little to enhance his reputation in the euros. There is also a question mark about his attitude which I read contributed towards JM bombing him out of Chelsea in the first place. But Managers see players differently and if Conte is going to play with two strikers he will need another one. Costa is a bit crazy but he my type of striker and if he stays at Chelsea will surely be one of the two. Our scattergun approach to transfers seems to be working against us and I would not be surprised to see us make a desperate last minute bid for Remy. Whether he has still got it is doubtful but it’s the sort of signing we are likely to end up with. I am disappointed about the demise of Sakho but watching him against Stoke I could not work out if he was unfit or uninterested. If he goes to WBA he might get it back but he does not play enough games for me probably due to his back problems. I know Harry flagged up about us going for Gibbs a week or so ago and the Gooners have today knocked back our loan offer but don’t be surprised to see us try again. I have heard he wants to join us and is fed playing second or third fiddle at the Gooners. I also hear we are talking to Villa about a couple of players too. These are probably more realistic targets than some of the names we have been linked with.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1138074

    Big Mal
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    Mark,Hurstie and Harry. Reading these posts has almost got me in tears. I will never forgot watching the game with my old Dad. We used to rent a Tv in those days from a firm in Forest Gate. During the build up to the game it stopped and somehow the rental firm brought us out another TV just in time for kick off. We had corned beef sandwiches and a Mars Bar at half time. When they equalised I was in bits but in extra time we moved into overdrive and Sir Geoff made history.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #1136331

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    Harry, I understand your frustration especially when you consider the level of the opposition. What disturbed me the most was our inability to pass the ball and I do agree with you that without Payet we have very little creativity. I have come to the conclusion that Slav has decided that Antonio will be our right back. Maybe he sees Antonio and Ferhouli developing an effective right sided partnership. The only trouble with that is Antonio’s defending is at best clumsy and I don’t see Ferhouli being very keen to track back. If Slav does not think Byram is up to the job it’s time to get the cheque book out. The injury to Cresswell is a disaster but eventually was always going to happen and not to have cover is unacceptable. The problem now is any decent potential signing knows he is only being signed as cover. If we can’t get some-one decent we probably would be best served playing Ogbonna as a left back and partnering Reid and Ginge but that still leaves us with the right back problem. I would prefer to see Byram given a chance over Antonio next time out but your recent shout for Trippier would be a better option if the Spuds are up for a deal. I was against selling Tompkins who I am sure would have played last night. I also agree that Burke should have partnered Reid In this game and Nordvelt played in his best position at the expense of Obiang. We should be able to comfortably beat Domzale in the 2nd leg providing we don’t concede a goal early doors and providing Slav does not try and be clever with his team selection again.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #964538

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    Harry, I am pleased you have cheered up a bit. We thought you were going to throw yourself under a bus on the Barking Road after the game. The right back position has been a problem all season and with Byram cup tied Slav did not have many options. I was surprised Valencia got the starting nod ahead of Moses who surely is the more viable proposition playing ahead of Antonio. I am in the ‘Missing Ginge’ camp. We are conceding too many goals at present and I think he would have restricted Fellani’s impact. LVG always plays Fellani against us probably to counter our physical players. Lanzini was getting knocked off the ball very easily and like you I would have brought Obiang on. Noble looked very tired after an hour and Payet had a quiet game as well. We rely very heavily on these players and only Kouyate seemed on his game. It’s history now and should not spoil a great season. I don’t see why we can’t get a result at Leicester as long as we don’t keep giving the ball away. They will be nervous as the approach the finishing line. Carroll won’t easily bully their centre backs. It’s a shame Sakho has blotted his copy book with Slav because this game is perfect for him. It will be interesting to see who Slav selects. If Byram is fit he has to start for me. Reid should be back and Ginge is ready too, Moses looked sharp against Man U. I am predicting a surprise start for Emmineke with Carroll on the bench. If we score first I think we will win this game. They are noisy lot with those clappers so we need to quieten them down early in the game.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #958955

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    Eric, It’s really sad the way Teamtalk have destroyed this forum and their stubbornness not to correct their error of judgement is almost bizarre. We should now be having A good old moan about the diabolical refereeing decisions that may ultimately cost this club circa 70m from lost Champions League revenue. When you also factor in the injuries and what might have been without them we could be challenging the mighty Leicester for the Premiership title. It’s still a fantastic season and if we can finish off Man U tomorrow night I feel we can go on and get a result at Leicester too. Then it’s game on. We do need to tighten up at the back but without a recognised right back in the side it’s more difficult. I was chatting to HarryHammer on Saturday and he was having a rant about Adrian’s recent form. Have to say he has made a few mistakes lately so it could be Randy’s chance to stake a claim for more starts. To what is left of us on this forum keep posting and hopefully Teamtalk will soon come to their senses and give us back our Your Say the way we like it. I will see if I can twist Harry’s arm to start posting again. I think he is missing his old mate Katmad, his dust ups with OneMac and all the others who have contributed Over the years to the West Ham Your Say.

    in reply to: A GENERAL THREAD FOR HAMMERS FANS #804341

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    Byram would appear to be a good prospect but far from the finished product. It would be a massive gamble to give him his debut at right back against City especially as he has been playing mainly in midfield for Leeds this term. I just can’t see Slav taking the risk. City will see the opportunity to use their pace against us and Tompkins/jenkinson will probably be in for a very difficult afternoon anyway. There has been some talk of a swap deal with an Italian Club involving Ogbonna. Whether this is for a striker or defender I don’t know but I would be disappointed to see him leave. Admittedly he has not set the world on fire but it’s early days and he has been injured. Obiang’s Agent is up to mischief but I can’t see us letting him go. Personally I would keep both Zarate and Jelavic until the summer. Both provide decent cover and are up to speed. We know the risks associated with signing strikers in this window. We are not desperate and have enough depth to see the season out. There has also been some talk about a loan deal for Gerrard from the MLS. As long as he can score the winner against Liverpool for us in the FA Cup we will take him.

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