West Ham (a) 18/19 ratings

[MiddxSpur]

GroundPoch Day

Quite similar shit, different day.

I like that Poch actually went 433. I think that front three is pretty much our best front three right now. But it's a shame he couldn't put a couple of footballers in the midfield three with Winks. Watching Dier and Sissoko clunk their way round our midfield is like having your soul removed, taken out back, given a kick in, then being urinated upon. Please god, grow some fucking bollocks Poch and give us a midfield back soon.

By his own, very turgid standards, Sissoko was decent enough first half and did exceedingly well when setting up Lamela for the goal, but lets not fucking kid ourselves, his technique is atrocious, his passing is clunky, a ball rarely glides to its recipient's stride does it, it bobbles, invariably behind the stride, or at best is very deliberately whacked at said recipient. His movement off the ball lacks wit, and any press is met with abject panic.

Dier isn't much better. It's like watching Frankenstein on a sherbet enema. One day the wind will fucking change and he'll be stuck in that point position, like a model in my mum's old Gratton Catalogues. So many times people were looking for an out ball, and instead of fucking moving to offer them one, he just pointed. When he did get on the ball it's like football by numbers. A to B to A to B. Several times he has yards of space in front of him and instead of stepping into it and maybe surveying the situation, trying to inject something of value into the game, he panicked and tapped it backwards three yards instead.

We started OK, then seemed to lose our way, WH started to get some momentum going, but just as they were, they first lost Zabaletta for a bit and went down to ten men, then lost Yarmalenko, and seemed to lose whatever momentum they had, and the last 20 minutes of the first half we gained some kind of control back, and during this spell scored one and possibly could have had another.

The second half was up there with some of the worst football we've played under Poch. We basically shelled a whole half, and that would have been more bearable if on the odd occasion we did counter, we broke the chaotic incoherent monotony of it by not continually just running the ball straight into their defenders. Several great counters were ruined by stupid fuckery where players just had to pass it and we'd have been bearing in on goal with overloads.

Don't get me started on the subs. Fucking abstract.

Still, 433....there is some hope.


Individual

Lloris - Decent game, couple of nice saves, no howling gashes.

Trippier - Not one of his better games. Didn't contribute much going forward and was poor defensively on two or three occasions second half.

Sanchez - Bit like Bambi on ice first half but, ironically, as we got shitter, and came under more pressure, he got better. That fabulous save everyone was raving about late on, I'm pretty sure was actually proceeded by a great last ditch tackle by Sanchez.

Alderweireld - Solid enough.

Davies - Really fucking meh. Left back has got to be second priority after midfield in terms of improvement of personnel.

Sissoko - By his standards he was decent enough first half. His decent is well below what a club of our level needs though. Credit where it's due, he did really well for the assist. Second half was pretty rank though.

Pointer - Dire.

Winks - In the slim pickings of positives from today, second behind actually beating the wankers I fucking hate most, is probably Winks' performance. I'm not kidding myself it was orgasmic or anything, and I'd have liked him to be a little more creative in forward areas, but he was easily the best midfielder on that pitch today. 63/70 90% pass rate. The only midfielder who continually looked to get on the ball (only Trippier saw more touches than him), took the ball and dropped a shoulder a few times, beating lines and getting us moving. Playing in this 433/CM3 system suits him best, be nice to see him with a couple of better CM's in there too.

Moura - Quick zippy legs, brain struggles to keep up.

Lamela - Seems a bit more purposeful this season, if we can keep him fit he's like the proverbial "new signing" who isn't a new signing.

Kane - Touched the ball 22 times, completed 8 passes of 10. Not great, but to fair to him, this was more about what was happening behind him, which gave him fuck all to work with. He worked hard without the ball and was always showing for it. I think he's looking more like proper Kane lately.

Really dont get your comment... ‘grow some fucking bollocks Poch and give us a midfield back soon.’ Used to reading deluded posters who think they know better than a top quality manager but to imply his selections are wrong due to lacking bravery is a new one.

 

[Park Lane Mark Twain]

GroundPoch Day

Quite similar shit, different day.

I like that Poch actually went 433. I think that front three is pretty much our best front three right now. But it's a shame he couldn't put a couple of footballers in the midfield three with Winks. Watching Dier and Sissoko clunk their way round our midfield is like having your soul removed, taken out back, given a kick in, then being urinated upon. Please god, grow some fucking bollocks Poch and give us a midfield back soon.

By his own, very turgid standards, Sissoko was decent enough first half and did exceedingly well when setting up Lamela for the goal, but lets not fucking kid ourselves, his technique is atrocious, his passing is clunky, a ball rarely glides to its recipient's stride does it, it bobbles, invariably behind the stride, or at best is very deliberately whacked at said recipient. His movement off the ball lacks wit, and any press is met with abject panic.

Dier isn't much better. It's like watching Frankenstein on a sherbet enema. One day the wind will fucking change and he'll be stuck in that point position, like a model in my mum's old Gratton Catalogues. So many times people were looking for an out ball, and instead of fucking moving to offer them one, he just pointed. When he did get on the ball it's like football by numbers. A to B to A to B. Several times he has yards of space in front of him and instead of stepping into it and maybe surveying the situation, trying to inject something of value into the game, he panicked and tapped it backwards three yards instead.

We started OK, then seemed to lose our way, WH started to get some momentum going, but just as they were, they first lost Zabaletta for a bit and went down to ten men, then lost Yarmalenko, and seemed to lose whatever momentum they had, and the last 20 minutes of the first half we gained some kind of control back, and during this spell scored one and possibly could have had another.

The second half was up there with some of the worst football we've played under Poch. We basically shelled a whole half, and that would have been more bearable if on the odd occasion we did counter, we broke the chaotic incoherent monotony of it by not continually just running the ball straight into their defenders. Several great counters were ruined by stupid fuckery where players just had to pass it and we'd have been bearing in on goal with overloads.

Don't get me started on the subs. Fucking abstract.

Still, 433....there is some hope.


Individual

Lloris - Decent game, couple of nice saves, no howling gashes.

Trippier - Not one of his better games. Didn't contribute much going forward and was poor defensively on two or three occasions second half.

Sanchez - Bit like Bambi on ice first half but, ironically, as we got shitter, and came under more pressure, he got better. That fabulous save everyone was raving about late on, I'm pretty sure was actually proceeded by a great last ditch tackle by Sanchez.

Alderweireld - Solid enough.

Davies - Really fucking meh. Left back has got to be second priority after midfield in terms of improvement of personnel.

Sissoko - By his standards he was decent enough first half. His decent is well below what a club of our level needs though. Credit where it's due, he did really well for the assist. Second half was pretty rank though.

Pointer - Dire.

Winks - In the slim pickings of positives from today, second behind actually beating the wankers I fucking hate most, is probably Winks' performance. I'm not kidding myself it was orgasmic or anything, and I'd have liked him to be a little more creative in forward areas, but he was easily the best midfielder on that pitch today. 63/70 90% pass rate. The only midfielder who continually looked to get on the ball (only Trippier saw more touches than him), took the ball and dropped a shoulder a few times, beating lines and getting us moving. Playing in this 433/CM3 system suits him best, be nice to see him with a couple of better CM's in there too.

Moura - Quick zippy legs, brain struggles to keep up.

Lamela - Seems a bit more purposeful this season, if we can keep him fit he's like the proverbial "new signing" who isn't a new signing.

Kane - Touched the ball 22 times, completed 8 passes of 10. Not great, but to fair to him, this was more about what was happening behind him, which gave him fuck all to work with. He worked hard without the ball and was always showing for it. I think he's looking more like proper Kane lately.

Value your thoroughness but you really undermine the issues our club have faced in a time where we have to really grind it out for the greater good.

No home advantage

No pre-season for the majority of our first XI

Ten important players missing at key moments so early in the season already - Lloris and Vorm - at the same time it needs to be said, Aurier, Rose, Vertonghen, Wanyama, Dembele, Dele, Eriksen, Lamela has missed a couple and is in form & Son, let alone the lack of form from key players when they have been fit and available.

No transfers during the summer

And did I mention we still have no home advantage and experienced a very deflating moment when we were told our return home was further delayed?

We cannot judge until we are back at Spurs, back in the rhythm, back to feeling like we have a place to generate such a swagger and with the lack of ins & outs, stadium disillusion, tweaks and knocks and nowhere to stamp your home turf mark it really has been a boost in the arm and all the fans should see it like that, even if we know the football hasn't been champagne football like we experience 12-24 months ago.

With all of these things well and truly in play for us recently results have been the only thing that has mattered and that's what we have mustered.

We all love Spurs, we want to see them do well and do it in style but at the moment it's purely about keeping with the pack, pure grit and grinding is all that's required until we get all things settled and smoothly moving along, possibly for another month or two in my opinion dude

 

[bus-conductor]

Really dont get your comment... ‘grow some fucking bollocks Poch and give us a midfield back soon.’ Used to reading deluded posters who think they know better than a top quality manager but to imply his selections are wrong due to lacking bravery is a new one.

I think Pochettino has lacked courage when it comes to some of the decisions he's made, which have been heavily "safety first" options and in Sissoko's case a "play the guy I insisted we play 30m for" options rather than be braver and more creative with his use of other players, including academy ones, which I think needs some courage to play but would be worth that gamble.

 

[bus-conductor]

Value your thoroughness but you really undermine the issues our club have faced in a time where we have to really grind it out for the greater good.

No home advantage

No pre-season for the majority of our first XI

Ten important players missing at key moments so early in the season already - Lloris and Vorm - at the same time it needs to be said, Aurier, Rose, Vertonghen, Wanyama, Dembele, Dele, Eriksen, Lamela has missed a couple and is in form & Son, let alone the lack of form from key players when they have been fit and available.

No transfers during the summer

And did I mention we still have no home advantage and experienced a very deflating moment when we were told our return home was further delayed?

We cannot judge until we are back at Spurs, back in the rhythm, back to feeling like we have a place to generate such a swagger and with the lack of ins & outs, stadium disillusion, tweaks and knocks and nowhere to stamp your home turf mark it really has been a boost in the arm and all the fans should see it like that, even if we know the football hasn't been champagne football like we experience 12-24 months ago.

With all of these things well and truly in play for us recently results have been the only thing that has mattered and that's what we have mustered.

We all love Spurs, we want to see them do well and do it in style but at the moment it's purely about keeping with the pack, pure grit and grinding is all that's required until we get all things settled and smoothly moving along, possibly for another month or two in my opinion dude

I think some of these mitigating issues are completely valid. But not all. It doesn't matter where you play ultimately, you still want to see a decent coached ethos. And I don't mean or expect us to play like Guardiola's Barca circa 2012, I just mean some cohesion to what we are doing with and especially without the ball. We've gone from being a very proactive type of team to one that spends big chunks of the game being reactive. And I'm not just talking about the games against teams like Liverpool or ManC.

Some injuries to key players is definitely a factor, and the WC and pre-season, but even before we lost players like JV, Alli and Eriksen, Poch was making some odd selections, constantly switching between formats, against Cardiff he selects Son, who's done a season, a WC, an asian games then straight into a season over Lamela who's fresh as a daisy and bang in form. Continually playing Moura as a CF, Kane as a kind of 10. There's three kids who all equipped themselves really well in pre-season against decent opposition, they are dynamic, industrious, tenacious, technically good and metronomic. Not one of them gets a look in, and we watch Dier trundle through game after game, Sissoko...

All of the things you mention are a factor, but some (not all) of this goes back further, to last season and a little beyond.

We've gradually changed from being a really intense, pro-active, about the collective, to being a more risk averse, slightly reactive (at times), individually reliant team. But it's not like we are Conte's Chelsea, or Simeoni's Atletico, suffocating the opposition and countering with a bit of elan, we are just a bit of an incoherent and at times incompatible mish mash of tactics, formats and personnel right now it seems to me.

 

[Dr Rocktopus]

I think some of these mitigating issues are completely valid. But not all. It doesn't matter where you play ultimately, you still want to see a decent coached ethos. And I don't mean or expect us to play like Guardiola's Barca circa 2012, I just mean some cohesion to what we are doing with and especially without the ball. We've gone from being a very proactive type of team to one that spends big chunks of the game being reactive. And I'm not just talking about the games against teams like Liverpool or ManC.

Some injuries to key players is definitely a factor, and the WC and pre-season, but even before we lost players like JV, Alli and Eriksen, Poch was making some odd selections, constantly switching between formats, against Cardiff he selects Son, who's done a season, a WC, an asian games then straight into a season over Lamela who's fresh as a daisy and bang in form. Continually playing Moura as a CF, Kane as a kind of 10. There's three kids who all equipped themselves really well in pre-season against decent opposition, they are dynamic, industrious, tenacious, technically good and metronomic. Not one of them gets a look in, and we watch Dier trundle through game after game, Sissoko...

All of the things you mention are a factor, but some (not all) of this goes back further, to last season and a little beyond.

We've gradually changed from being a really intense, pro-active, about the collective, to being a more risk averse, slightly reactive (at times), individually reliant team. But it's not like we are Conte's Chelsea, or Simeoni's Atletico, suffocating the opposition and countering with a bit of elan, we are just a bit of an incoherent and at times incompatible mish mash of tactics, formats and personnel right now it seems to me.

I think we’re desperately missing Eriksen and Dele. They’re our most unpredictable players.

Hats off to Pochettino and the team for still churning out good results though. It’s not always been pretty, but we’re putting points on the board.

 

[bus-conductor]

I think we’re desperately missing Eriksen and Dele. They’re our most unpredictable players.

Hats off to Pochettino and the team for still churning out good results though. It’s not always been pretty, but we’re putting points on the board.

Let's say everyone's fit. What's your best eleven? and what format?

 

[Park Lane Mark Twain]

I think some of these mitigating issues are completely valid. But not all. It doesn't matter where you play ultimately, you still want to see a decent coached ethos. And I don't mean or expect us to play like Guardiola's Barca circa 2012, I just mean some cohesion to what we are doing with and especially without the ball. We've gone from being a very proactive type of team to one that spends big chunks of the game being reactive. And I'm not just talking about the games against teams like Liverpool or ManC.

Some injuries to key players is definitely a factor, and the WC and pre-season, but even before we lost players like JV, Alli and Eriksen, Poch was making some odd selections, constantly switching between formats, against Cardiff he selects Son, who's done a season, a WC, an asian games then straight into a season over Lamela who's fresh as a daisy and bang in form. Continually playing Moura as a CF, Kane as a kind of 10. There's three kids who all equipped themselves really well in pre-season against decent opposition, they are dynamic, industrious, tenacious, technically good and metronomic. Not one of them gets a look in, and we watch Dier trundle through game after game, Sissoko...

All of the things you mention are a factor, but some (not all) of this goes back further, to last season and a little beyond.

We've gradually changed from being a really intense, pro-active, about the collective, to being a more risk averse, slightly reactive (at times), individually reliant team. But it's not like we are Conte's Chelsea, or Simeoni's Atletico, suffocating the opposition and countering with a bit of elan, we are just a bit of an incoherent and at times incompatible mish mash of tactics, formats and personnel right now it seems to me.

I completely understand that the verve isn't there at the moment but balancing the squads fitness with the duration of the season, it could well be that there are more intricate reasons behind changes and shifts in formation and player position. It could be that Kame has dropped deep to ensure he doesn't knacker so the use of Lucas up top gives his body the needed wind down period whilst not losing him for long periods.

It's all hypothetical and believe me I do see what you're saying but until Pochettino is given his key players back, possibly able to shift a couple and bring a couple in and until we have that booster of the home advantage and th adrenaline of the 12th man I honestly am just happy to see us soldier on.

The change in formations, the questionable position and player usage I get but I genuinely think we are doing remarkably well seeing as we kind of had our guts ripped out with player quality, new incomings, our home, our already discussed non-existent pre season and the heaviness that can come with, not to mention the psychological implications getting so close to winning a World Cup for 8 of our first team players and the time it needs can take to get over a bitter so near, so far moment I think we've plodded along pretty well. I just think it's far better to be positive towards the club at the moment than it is to pick holes when the foundations to the beginning of the summer had fragile elements. I've been impressed with the professionalism whilst we have lacked a bit of zip

 

[Dr Rocktopus]

Let's say everyone's fit. What's your best eleven? and what format?

Lloris
Aurier——Alderweireld——Vertonghen——Rose
Dele——Wanyama
Lamela—-Eriksen——Moura
Kane​

 

[SpiderSpurs]

Sissoko - By his standards he was decent enough first half. His decent is well below what a club of our level needs though. Credit where it's due, he did really well for the assist. Second half was pretty rank though.

IF you must write these ratings posts then at least wipe your eyes before you watch the game.

Sissoko was one of four possible MOTM players today in my opinion (I rate my opinion higher than yours BTW).

Hugo / Sissoko / Winks / Lamela - could all have cases made for them to be MOTM.

 

[BangkokSpud]

I think we’re desperately missing Eriksen and Dele. They’re our most unpredictable players.

You're just becoming an apologist for your fellow SC reject ... we've in the middle of our best EPL start ever, we've dropped just 6 points in 9 games ... we're not 'desperately missing' anyone, we're 'coping magnificently' despite having an injury ravaged squad ...

Was it some sort of pre-requisite on SC to always be glass-half-full or were you two just two of the most negative posters on there?

Personal agendas against Salah, Noble, Tery, Baton, Fellani, Costa any Woolwich player ... that's fair enough ...

But to continuously dig-up the players you claim to support? what the fuck is that all about?

This is Bus-Conducters latest verbal diarrhea:

"Sissoko, his technique is atrocious, his passing is clunky, a ball rarely glides to its recipient"

Yet the Evening Standard's professional football reviewer, who isn't even a Spurs fan, said:

In a sluggish first half, it was Sissoko who drove Spurs forward from midfield, starting and very nearly finishing the best move of the opening period when his first-time effort from Lucas Moura's pass was deflected over the bar. And then came his assist, a fine step inside a flat-footed Anderson onto his weaker left foot and a perfect cross for Lamela to nod home. Sissoko is unlikely to ever be anything more than a squad player for Spurs but this performance has come at a good time.

"Dier isn't much better. It's like watching Frankenstein on a sherbet enema" no it's not, but it is like reading illiterate drivel from a twelve year old ....

I could go on but that would be giving you both to much attention ... attention which is so obviously what you both desperately seek ... no wonder SC gave you the boot ....

Maybe I'm doing you a disservice linking you with Bus-Conductor ... not sure

 

[Dr Rocktopus]

You're just becoming an apologist for your fellow SC reject ... we've in the middle of our best EPL start ever, we've dropped just 6 points in 9 games ... we're not 'desperately missing' anyone, we're 'coping magnificently' despite having an injury ravaged squad ...

Was it some sort of pre-requisite on SC to always be glass-half-full or were you two just two of the most negative posters on there?

Personal agendas against Salah, Noble, Tery, Baton, Fellani, Costa any Woolwich player ... that's fair enough ...

But to continuously dig-up the players you claim to support? what the fuck is that all about?

This is Bus-Conducters latest verbal diarrhea:

"Sissoko, his technique is atrocious, his passing is clunky, a ball rarely glides to its recipient"

Yet the Evening Standard's professional football reviewer, who isn't even a Spurs fan, said:

In a sluggish first half, it was Sissoko who drove Spurs forward from midfield, starting and very nearly finishing the best move of the opening period when his first-time effort from Lucas Moura's pass was deflected over the bar. And then came his assist, a fine step inside a flat-footed Anderson onto his weaker left foot and a perfect cross for Lamela to nod home. Sissoko is unlikely to ever be anything more than a squad player for Spurs but this performance has come at a good time.

"Dier isn't much better. It's like watching Frankenstein on a sherbet enema" no it's not, but it is like reading illiterate drivel from a twelve year old ....

I could go on but that would be giving you both to much attention ... attention which is so obviously what you both desperately seek ... no wonder SC gave you the boot ....

Are you drunk? I’m guessing you’re drunk.

 

[BangkokSpud]

Are you drunk? I’m guessing you’re drunk.

You drink at 7:43am ... now that does explain a whole lot ................

 

[Dr Rocktopus]

You drink at 7:43am ... now that does explain a whole lot ................

What the fuck are you on about? I drink two nights a week, in the evenings.

Is this going to be one of those weird online ongoing arguments because two people don’t agree on one issue? I don’t agree with you on Brexit, but there’s plenty of other things you’ve said that I agree with. To be brutally honest, I can’t be arsed with yet another online cunt-off. Let’s just agree that we might strongly disagree on stuff and move on from the bollocks. You’re opinionated, I’m opinionated...meh.

 

[Clynelish]

It's 8:02am in Bangkok

 

[BangkokSpud]

What the fuck are you on about? I drink two nights a week, in the evenings.

Is this going to be one of those weird online ongoing arguments because two people don’t agree on one issue? I don’t agree with you on Brexit, but there’s plenty of other things you’ve said that I agree with. To be brutally honest, I can’t be arsed with yet another online cunt-off. Let’s just agree that we might strongly disagree on stuff and move on from the bollocks. You’re opinionated, I’m opinionated...meh.

Not at all .... it was 7:43am in the morning here and you're saying I'm drunk .... that just made me laugh

We can agree / disagree about many things isn't that what posting trash on the internet is all about? ... I won't pretend I don't enjoy the odd cunt-off it's so easy to wind people up especially the ones who don't know what they're talking about ... you're not one of those obviously, but you do like a row ... lol

Bus-conductor's never ending negativity just pisses me off ... the fact he posts constantly during games with every single post being negative? ... really what's the point off that?

I'm sure there are things we'll be in blinding agreement on ... I just wonder what they will be ....

 

[The Multi]

What the fuck are you on about? I drink two nights a week, in the evenings.

Is this going to be one of those weird online ongoing arguments because two people don’t agree on one issue? I don’t agree with you on Brexit, but there’s plenty of other things you’ve said that I agree with. To be brutally honest, I can’t be arsed with yet another online cunt-off. Let’s just agree that we might strongly disagree on stuff and move on from the bollocks. You’re opinionated, I’m opinionated...meh.

The one positive character trait the sex-pat has is honesty concerning his own depraved character: he openly admits that he is a drug-addicted pervert who uses underage sex workers. Aside from that, he is a thoroughly despicable cunt

 

[Joe Clash]

Gutsy FFS. We were playing West Ham at the fucking Olympic Parking lot, not fighting Rommel in desert armed with a camping spoon.



Shut up you pretentious fuck trumpet.

You haven’t a clue. Really, not the slightest inkling. And Wiggy and Fidel are nothing but a pair of moaning old cunts. Best start to a league campaign since you were doing your national service you silly old cunt.

And me pretentious? I’m not the one giving my unwanted pseudo analysis to an audience that doesn’t want to listen. You’re all a fucking disgrace. You actually hate football because you never had the body shape to play it without falling over - and this is your revenge. You should have become a referee - that’s what most of your ilk do.

 

[Joe Clash]

Gutsy FFS. We were playing West Ham at the fucking Olympic Parking lot

Gutsy in the context of a sporting context. You know? As opposed to caving in when you’re about to go under?I could give you far more ‘gutsier’ examples of fighting Rommel btw. A ‘pure’ campaign with barely any civilians involved in which we never advanced a foot without overwhelming firepower. Why are you so keen to take the gloss off our wins?
Everyone can see we’re not playing breathtaking football - we don’t need you to point it out, but we’re winning and that overrides any concerns about 6’s and 8’s or any other of the drivel you post. You were even posting in the other matches thread yesterday, watching a match half an hour after everyone else had seen it finish and commenting on it. Are you fucking mental?

Edit: I appear to have coaxed Fidel Castro down from his capitalist tractor of hate. Keep ploughing away you old madman. Those old biddy’s won’t just give you their savings. At least you’re providing them with a reason you sickening old hypocrite. It’s sad that you believe (cough) that you’re actually providing a service. You make me sick.

 

[rusty]

Sissoko had a good game for him, but that's not saying much
Toby has another solid game, Levy just give him a good contract, we will need him when we bed in a new Left CB,
when will Trippier learn give himself a bit more room so he can knock ball into his path and move forward in stead of receiving it and kicking it back to same player

 

[iz futbal]

Without Sissoko we dont score or win. Bit weird to still not acknowledge how important he was yesterday.