West Ham v Arsenal, 17:30, ESPN

gandalf

Jaysus that is some possession statistic for the second half so far.

Arsenal 80% West Ham 20%

Stevecw

Haha great text on BBC site:

From Ben, Durham, on text: "The wife knows exactly how Avram feels, I gave her until the end of the day to sort herself out or else I bring in a younger, yet more experienced replacement"

Our man in Havana

Bye, Bye Grant! Don't let the door hit you in the arse on the way out!

Frisbee

We really need a 3rd goal now, I can see West Ham nicking one.

OPENROAD

:D:D:D all the West Ham fans asleep

Minstrel27

Thumbs up from Theo

M5

Nightmare debut for Bridge

Johner

BridgeLOL

Frisbee

Two goals should do the world of good for RVP, you can see he's just about back to the top of his game.

Souless

Johner wrote: »

BridgeLOL

+1 not hard to see why Man City let him go now 3-0 Feel a bit safer now

Frisbee

Also, time to get Cesc, Nasri and RVP off.

iMuse

shud have let cesc take the peno, for FF circumstances:(

Fuzzy_Dunlop

The only thing that woulda made this better would be if I had picked RvP as my captain in FF instead of Nasri, ah well.

SK1979

Why didn't Fabregas take peno (FF reasons)?

Mars Bar

Fuzzy_Dunlop wrote: »

The only thing that woulda made this better would be if I had picked RvP as my captain in FF instead of Nasri, ah well.

Snap!

Minstrel27

Fabregas off for Denilson

Souless

Van Persie's 1st choice when he's fit for penos. It's just as bloody well we're 3-0 up with this gombean coming on!

Fuzzy_Dunlop

SK1979 wrote: »

Why didn't Fabregas take peno (FF reasons)?

Cause van Persie is the no.1 peno taker, it's just that he never plays that Cesc usually takes them.

iMuse

lol @ commentator saying that wenger reckons arshavin is fatigued, dont know how

OPENROAD

iMuse wrote: »

shud have let cesc take the peno, for FF circumstances:(

Transferred RVP in today

That said would have preferred Djourou to take it

Souless

Good result even against a very poor West Ham side

M5

Looked like goodbye handshakes...

cson

M5 wrote: »

Looked like goodbye handshakes...

Yeah it was pretty sad actually.

M5

cson wrote: »

Yeah it was pretty sad actually.

yup, threw the scarf into the crowd too, humiliating for the chap.

sonic85

great result today. really needed the 3 points to keep in touch after man city won today. united have 2 games in hand though which is sh!t but hopefully spurs do us a favour tomorrow!

Lukker-

Poor Avram

blueser

Lukker- wrote: »

Poor Avram

I was going to say he had the look of a condemned man. But he always looks like that!

efb

Avram left in the lurch...

KeithAFC

Wilshere was outstanding.

Het-Field

I cannot be angry at Avram Grant tonight. I simply cannot be. When you look at what he had at his disposal, it becomes clear that an Aresnal team with such talent was going to give my beloved Hammers a roasting.

Tonight West Ham were missing 12 players. The players they were missing, and subsequently lost would comprise the following team (with one player too many I know).

---

Kurutz

---

Jacobson

---

Da Costa

---

Ben Haim

---

Illunga

Dyer

---

Behrami

---

Noble---Parker

---

Hitzelsperger

---

Collison

---

Stanislas

---

---

Piquionne

---

Save for Rob Green, Carlton Cole, Wayne Bridge, and Matthew Upson, the Hammers were expected to play with youngsters and dead wood. A midfield of Jon Spector, Zav Hines, Luis Boa Morte, and Radoslav Kovac was never going to be capable of taking down Nasri, Fabregas etc. Equally, the big sides will always have too much for small lads like Fred Sears (notwithstanding his two well played balls across the box).

I was impressed with Carlton Cole's work ethic. He harried wilfully, and caused some difficulties. Equally, James Tomkins had another decent game. Sadly, Grant is being forced to play with the dregs of the squad, and youth players. The fact that so many players are injured must be more then a coincidence. Either the medical staff are failing hopelessly, the facilities at the Chadwell Heath training ground are conducive to injuries, or the players are not being properly instructed as to how to prevent injuries. A year ago, the likes of Frank Nouble, and Fred Sears were around the squad as the threadbare team couldnt handle the injury situation. Many players were signed during the summer,, but one year on, the names Nouble and Sears reamin on the teamsheet.

Grant is a gonner. However, I believe it is unfair. The dice was stacked against him when the club was expected to take on Villa, United and Chelsea in three of its first four games of the season. Mental weakness has not helped, but that was a persistent failing of many of these West Ham players prior to Grant's appointment.

I really dont know !

cson

You're home form is generally top notch and is what tends to save you. Upton Park is [was] a tough place to come - ask ourselves last year or United. You'll need to get that back to survive. As for AG, I would say come out after the match and resign as a two fingers to the ****ers but he's as well to let them pull the trigger and pick up what he's owed under the contract. Nothing short of disgraceful.

the untitled user

Het-Field wrote: »

I cannot be angry at Avram Grant tonight. I simply cannot be. When you look at what he had at his disposal, it becomes clear that an Aresnal team with such talent was going to give my beloved Hammers a roasting.

I don't particularly like Grant, but you can't help but feel sorry for the situation he's at at West Ham.

Het-Field wrote: »

The fact that so many players are injured must be more then a coincidence. Either the medical staff are failing hopelessly, the facilities at the Chadwell Heath training ground are conducive to injuries, or the players are not being properly instructed as to how to prevent injuries.

You're not the only club though. Wenger has had to deal with that level of injuries at some point in the season for the past 3 years running. I used think it was the medical staff we had at Arsenal and the loss of Gary Lewin (to the English national team) but it's becoming a lot more common throughout the league. I'm beginning to think the ever increasing pace of the English game coupled with the relative lack of protection players get there in comparison to the continent might be the driving factor.

Still, when you look at the WHU squad, they have some decent talent there, it's a shame the way the year has gone for them because they have the capacity to play football.

cson

the untitled user wrote: »

You're not the only club though. Wenger has had to deal with that level of injuries at some point in the season for the past 3 years running. I used think it was the medical staff we had at Arsenal and the loss of Gary Lewin (to the English national team) but it's becoming a lot more common throughout the league. I'm beginning to think the ever increasing pace of the English game coupled with the relative lack of protection players get there in comparison to the continent might be the driving factor.

It's 3 fold imo;

1. Number of games being played - if you start most games for one of the top clubs you're still looking at turning out 50 times which takes its toll.

2. The refs give less protection in England compared to the continent.

3. Equipment; have you seen the latest boots? You may as well be wearing a slipper for all the protection they give you.

the untitled user

cson wrote: »

It's 3 fold imo;

1. Number of games being played - if you start most games for one of the top clubs you're still looking at turning out 50 times which takes its toll.

2. The refs give less protection in England compared to the continent.

3. Equipment; have you seen the latest boots? You may as well be wearing a slipper for all the protection they give you.

Agree with the first two, not sure on the last though. Lightweight boots don't stop Walcott's ankle getting trod on, Fabregas's hamstring going, Bendtner's groign caving in, Ramsey's leg getting sledgehammered, RVP being made of matches etc. Still, it's probably behind the ever increasing number of knee and metatarsal injuries all right.