General Premier League Thread 2023-24 Mod Note in op 27/6/23 And 21/05/24

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121753559#Comment_121753559

It's mental, are they real fans at all? Stay and voice your opinion at half time at least!

Pipmae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121753582#Comment_121753582

I hope they have the comeback of all time. It would serve them all right.

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121753582#Comment_121753582

Soulless stadium, hosting an increasingly soulless club.

They'll tell you they are "proper" fans.

golfball37

Bye bye Moysie I’d say

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121753636#Comment_121753636

It's one thing sitting watching 'Moyesball' when they are winning, but when they are being hammered 4 at half time, and being bullied by Arsenal and conceding from setpieces which should be Moyes teams strength.... Well I wouldn't sit for another hour watching that sh1te either - let me out! I couldn't even leave the telly on that channel after the first goal tbh

~Rebel~

6... and an irritating non-celebration celebration from Rice to boot.

ShamoBuc

Thought West Ham would put in a performance after last week, but they have been truly awful. Lucky they have points in the bag.

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121753758#Comment_121753758

And there's no West ham fans there to notice if he celebrates anyway. 😂 he should have taken the opportunity to go all put with it. I wonder will he do the same non-celebration if he scores against Ireland.

noodler

Statement victory all the same.

klose

Stats for this game are insane, Arsenal with 25 shots and 12 on target, nearly 50 touches in West Ham’s box and 3/4 of the possession

theoneeyedman

Is West Ham having c. 25% possession that unusual? They seem to deliberaly shun having possession under Moyes, it's their thing really.

klose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754142#Comment_121754142

Quick google says an average of 40%, assumably more while playing at home I’d imagine but couldn’t find that stat.

NITRO95

If Utd end up going down to 10 men here because Casemiro gets a second yellow card I'm assuming there will be an apology issued for that yellow he was given for his "foul" on Cash

klose

Decent game, Villa very much in it.

NIMAN

West ham need to get rid of Moyes asap.

~Rebel~

Bloody hell Villa doing everything but scoring here!

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754419#Comment_121754419

They've had a bad month - but they're still in 8th, still in Europe, and it's still only a bit over a month since they beat both Arsenal and Man Utd, and were talked about as having one of the standout seasons. They were also missing a few key players (Kudus especially) for a lot of that time at AFCON, who aren't back long.

klose

Can’t say that wasn’t coming for villa

~Rebel~

Villa finally making the breakthrough, been coming all half, been playing much the better football.

eagle eye

Pity Bailey was taken off, he's such a pleasure to watch.

castletownman

If Pat Reilly and Gary Neville had a kid somehow it'd look like Emery

~Rebel~

McTominay saving the day again. Will be a big result if they manage to get a win from this after a poor performance

TitianGerm

McTominay is a fairly average player but by god does he love to pop up with a big goal late in games.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754488#Comment_121754488

If you wanna be selective, you can make them sound good.

Their last handful of games AFTER they beat Arsenal and Utd:

West Ham 0 0 Brighton

West Ham 1 1 Bristol City

Bristol City 1 0 West Ham

Sheffield Utd 2 2 West Ham

West Ham 1 1 Bournemouth

Man utd 3 0 West Ham

West Ham 0 6 Arsenal.

Nothing to worry about here.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754696#Comment_121754696

7 league goals, and all of them in wins by 1 goal. Decisive!

klose

For a bit part player uniteds season would be a lot worse off without Mctominay, Villa will definitely be kicking themselves after that one.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754729#Comment_121754729

That's exactly the point I was making... that they've had a bad 5 or so weeks. And yet they're still in 8th and still in Europ off the back of a really strong first half of the season. So it would be a totally unnecessary kneejerk decision to fire him after a period where they were missing their best attacker and their best defender, while still totally safe.

After the strong first half of the season, monstering their EL group, and winning the EC last year, he deserves the chance to turn it around since there's zero chance of relegation or anything.

NIMAN

You'd be a very understanding chairman!

I'd probably go through managers like Abramavich.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754759#Comment_121754759

I just believe in looking at the bigger picture. The last thing you want to do is fall into a culture of just sacking people if they've a bad month, regardless of the context around that. He's won their first trophy in donkey's years, and has already had them getting massive results this season - such that they could go the rest of the season without getting another point, and still comfortably stay up. Sure they're only 4 points off last seasons total already, with 14 more games to play.

Football's mad enough that he actually could get sacked - but imo he really shouldn't. Kudus, Antonio, Aguerd, and Paqueta were big losses - 2 of them are back, 1 more will be back soon, and Paqueta should be back in around 2 or 3 weeks I think. Would expect an uplift after that.

pjohnson

Moyes has been badly hamstrung with Antonio's injury most of the season. Paqueta's more recent one basically killed any offence they had unless Danny Ings suddenly goes back in time 5 years.

Now theres a disclaimer that if Moyes was the main person responsible for the addition of Phillips then I can see how his job might be in danger.

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754777#Comment_121754777

Yep its the same as Palace fans currently. Charlton post Curbishley are the perfect cautionary tale of trying to get a better only to crap themselves into oblivion. Bolton, Blackburm and Portsmouth similar but they all had added financial issues rapidly tanking them.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754803#Comment_121754803

Yup, and even West Ham themselves, dumping Moyes for Pelegrini - before eventually having to come back to Moyes.

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754754#Comment_121754754

The only way is down for West Ham under Moyes.

They are maxed out at 7th or 8th in the EPL. That might be as high as they ever get, because they'll probably never have 100m extra to spend as they've had this year after the sale of Rice. They have to either Stick or Twist - stick as a mid table or twist and gamble on trying to break into the tip 4/5 and maybe Champions League. They twisted a few years ago, lost their nerve and went back to Moyes, remember?

6th or 7th is about par nowadays for West Ham, given how rich they are. The sweetheart deal for the new stadium has elevated them past where they were traditionally when they were in East Ham. It's no great achievement in real terms, and it's tripe to watch which is pi55ing off what is quite an unreasonable fan base anyway.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754816#Comment_121754816

It's not pretty, but that's never mattered to anyone as long as the results are there - of course since January the results haven't been, but there are understandable reasons for that. In reality no matter who they have, they're always gonna be in an uphill battle trying to get - and stay - consistently ahead of any of Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, United, Chelsea (whose money trucks will start working sooner or later), Spurs, and Newcastle.

If you're in or abouts the top half, that's decent - and plenty of other managers may not achieve that (Moyes first came in after Bilic had them in 18th, and then again after Pellegrini had them in 17th).

He's far from bulletproof, but imo a brilliant half-season of results in the league and in Europe buys you more than a bad month missing most of your best players.

NIMAN

I also think Moyes tactically is a boring manager.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121755098#Comment_121755098

oh yeah, for sure. They've played some nice stuff this year with Paqueta and Kudus, but his natural managerial instincts are definitely pragmatic and conservative.

CSF

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121755098#Comment_121755098

I’m worried if anyone tries to argue you on this. Easily the least progressive manager in the league (not that this necessarily means worst manager)

theoneeyedman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754836#Comment_121754836

I'd argue it's not a brilliant half season though, it's just par for the course given how big West Ham are nowadays, the resources available to them. They should be 6th or 7th, and with a bit of style too.

While they won't be able to surpass the mega clubs or the oil clubs long term, they ought to be able to give them a bloody nose now and then, and at least try to provide some entertainment. Being a boring team is fine if you're a Brentford or a Bournemouth or a Forest, but the Hammers should be better than that nowadays.

It's up to themselves as a club what they want I suppose,but it's a bit rich of some on here to condemn the fans for leaving early rather than sit through another half of Moyesball being played poorly by a traditionally neighbouring team.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121755367#Comment_121755367

On Jan 1st West Ham were in 6th place, with a game in hand, and had beaten Man Utd, Spurs, Chelsea, and Arsenal twice (in league and cup). That's excellent. Especially when you add in topping their group in Europe.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121754816#Comment_121754816

So there's City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, United, Spurs and Newcastle. All of them have way bigger support and finances than West Ham.

That's seven teams right there. If they finished eight they are overachieving. The reason I say overachieving is because, believe it or not, Villa and Everton are bigger clubs.

theoneeyedman

According to the DeLoitte rankings in recent years, West Ham are bigger/richer than the likes of Newcastle, Everton and Villa. There is potential obviously for Newcastle in particular to be bigger, but they're not there yet, even if their owners are mega wealthy.

Im saying like 6/7/8th for West Ham isn't over achieving, it's just par: just OK but neither overachieving nor underachieving. The fact that it's being done playing possibly the least progressive style of ball in the league, while having several highly paid and talented attacking players makes it less of an achievement than if they were actually giving their fans something to enjoy.

West Ham have a big fan base in what's now a relatively wealthy area in the outskirts of London, with a massive stadium they are getting in the cheap without any major debt. The potential is massive there.

McGrath5

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121755510#Comment_121755510

Completely agree, an 8th or 9th finish for a club like West Ham is about where they should end up. Just because they have a nice stadium (which they paid a pittance for) doesn’t give them a right to be mixing it up with the top 6 or 7 clubs in the league.

NIMAN

"No easy games in the epl", they keep telling us.

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121755134#Comment_121755134

of maybe he's a tactical innovator. Nobody else is playing the way Moyesie is at the moment:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/feb/10/david-moyes-west-ham-exotic-cultural-antagonist

eagle eye

Moyes has done a great job there.

It's very tough to battle on the Europa league front and stay consistent in the EPL when you have a squad that's not that great beyond the first 14 or so. Injuries destroy the team when the depth isn't great.

Bleating Lamb

Jefferson Lerma after scoring a cracking goal to put Palace 1 nil up on Chelsea.

Chelsea passing the ball to death around the back 4 and midfield for half an hour without looking dangerous at all.

Caicedo was robbed of the ball on edge of the box in buildup to the goal.

He has really struggled to impose himself with Chelsea the way he was with Brighton last Season.Maybe his huge transfer fee is affecting his performances.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121759786#Comment_121759786

Chelsea are awful in the final third. Caicedo is like a square peg trying to be fitted into a round hole. It's not his fault, it's the system he's playing in.

TitianGerm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121759786#Comment_121759786

Palace missing Eze, Olise, Doucoure and Guehi as well.

Chelsea are fecked. Loads of lads with six/seven years left on their contracts and some of them will need to be moved on but will take huge losses.

dmigsy

Big second half for Poch coming up. Wouldn't be massively surprised if Poch gets the boot and Mourinho is in charge for the league cup final.