WHUFC vs Everton -- March 30th, 2019

well...

we're looking a little better... and if this had been the first 15 minted of the first half and not the second and if the score were 0-0 instead of 0-2 then things wouldn't be quite so shitty...

so every minute that ticks by without a goal for us is just another nail in the coffin...








corner to West Ham

pressure is making the opposition make mistakes... who'd have ever thought that?

we win a corner but do nothing with it...

Everton break

only 29 minutes to pull off a miracle...

chances of it happening...

pretty much none based on what we're seeing...

Third substitution coming up... fortunately not Noble...

Diangana is gonna come on to replace Arnie...

is that gonna produce a miracle?

have to say there's nothing to make anyone think that...

but we live in hope, right?

Boos greet the substitution... looks like the fans' favorite is no longer...

we have Chelsea then Man Utd as our next two games... we really need(ed) to have banked as many points as we can...

Arnie might have taken a bit of a knock... but he's done nothing - he's frustrated with himself... slamming his water bottle into the ground...

our players can score in international games but can't do fupp all in their regular jobs...

15 minutes to go... nothing to report... all huff and puff and no substance...

we're dropping back into the bottom half of the table - where we truly belong...

Everton are jumping into the top half because they want it more.






we haven't had a single shot on goal in the 2nd half... and that's with three attacking substitutions.

what everyone has to realize is that the comeback against Huddersfield was the outlier... the exception to the rule...

the shitty first half against Huddersfield... the abject capitulation against Cardiff.... THAT is what we are as a team this year... THAT is the the standard we are at...

anything and everything else is just delusion...


honestly... without Fabianski.... wed be Huddersfield.


this is Everton's first win in London in 2 years... we are the fupping charity jokesters...

Everton hit the bar...


West Ham get a throw... that's really the height of our expectations and achievements today

this pretty much sums it up...

86 min: A lot of empty seats in the London Stadium now, as disgruntled Hammers chip off home in a hot funk.

three minutes of additional time - I guess just to see if any other Everton players want to score their first goal for the club...

well that was a whole pointless (literally) waste of time...


90 min +2: On the touchline, Manuel Pellegrini wears a look that redefines pensive. And well he might, because his team have been awful this evening. A defensive dog’s dinner, and not a whole lot tastier in attack.

Why can't we put a cross in?
Why do we need so many touches before taking a shot?
Why is 7th place so elusive?
Why are we so indecisive in midfield?
Why was Arnie so pissed of at being subbed?
That is all ...........

Jiggs wrote:

Why was Arnie so pissed of at being subbed?
That is all ...........

honestly... I think the answer to this is that he knew how poorly he'd played and wasn't happy with himself. That's how it came across to me watching it.

Jiggs wrote:
Why can't we put a cross in?

That is all ...........

Because the only 'winger' we kinda have is Antonio and he is off his game... Snoddy doesn't play regularly and Lanzini is only just back from injury. Anderson is too lazy and Cresswell is slacking a bit after his injury lay-off.

Oh... and it might result in chances or goals - neither of this we seem to want.

Jiggs wrote:

Why do we need so many touches before taking a shot?

That is all ...........

Lack of confidence and movement by other players. We can and have played nice one-touch football. It's when we succeed... but e seem to have a mental block about wining or competing.

Jiggs wrote:

Why is 7th place so elusive?

That is all ...........

unfortunately with a win against Chelsea and other results going in our favor - there's a mathematical possibility of us rising to 7th place again this weekend.

I don't understand why we're being given so many opportunities to achieve...

and have even less idea why we bottle it every time...

we've been 'switching off' in the Jan-Mar part of the season for years and years... so it's not just this line-up that is guilty, it's not even Pelligrini's fault - it's his fault and the team's fault that they haven't changed this but this isn't the first or only time it's happened....

Even when we're battling relegation we slump in this period and then maybe pull out a couple last gasp wins to save ourselves... so maybe there's something in the fabric of the club (or fumes from paint in the dressing room) but it's been a long term issue that no one has managed to solve.

Jiggs wrote:

Why are we so indecisive in midfield?

That is all ...........

same reason as all the above... it's one of the great mysteries of West Ham.

I mean, truth be told we don't actually have any decent midfield players, so there's no decision making to be done.

Noble whatever you think of him isn't a quick thinker. He might be local and all that but in terms of a midfield general - he's nothing.
And we have no flair midfielder... I know Anderson is suppose to be that but he's too fupping lazy and inconsistent. When he bothers to play, we do well... but those games are getting fewer and farther between.

We're the club f Brooking, Devonshire, Brady, etc...

We don't have that - and it's one of our biggest problems...

Yes, the defense is mis-firing on all cylinders... but we have pretty much zero midfield, so our game goes from attack... straight to defend because there's nothing to hold things up in the middle.
Our game then goes from defense to... kinda nowhere and back to defense - again, cos there's no midfield to hold the game, direct the game or boss the game.

Lanzini and Anderson might be too similar to be useful together... Lanzini has the excuse of a long injury lay-off but he's still a 6 out of 10 even at his best.
Anderson is marginally better but definitely needs someone to grab him by the scruff and kick his arse into shape because his lack of effort is getting very very boring.

so just to finish this off...

both teams immediately above us had games today... both won...

one team relegated Fulham, the other defeated Man Utd...

yup... they both did exactly what they're supposed to do.

Now we can't go 7th if we win our next game and they both lose theirs...

Tony P wrote:

westhamonkey wrote:

Jiggs wrote:

Why is 7th place so elusive?

That is all ...........

unfortunately with a win against Chelsea and other results going in our favor - there's a mathematical possibility of us rising to 7th place again this weekend.


Only if they change to 5 points for a win and we win 8-0 at Chelsea

I didn't check the fixtures list to see that Watford and Wolves were gonna play before the weekend... but let's not let that stand in the way things...