Chelsea vs WHUFC -- Nov 30, 2019

End of the road or glorious new beginning?

A defeat could (should) spell the end of Pellegrini's reign as West Ham manager... a victory cold (who the fupp knows) spell the beginning of a glorious resurgence, flatter to deceive, just perpetuate the inevitable slide towards relegation... I mean... it's West Ham... you can get a tasty 10-1 on us winning... what odds would you get on things remaining pretty much unchanged?

The good news?

Well... Iron Maiden and West Ham have done a tie up deal for a maiden influenced strip... so something to get the kiddies for xmas...

okay, okay, SO I can't post pictures... what about tema news?

Well, if you believe the Guardian... this is their suggested starting XI

Roberto
Cresswell
Ogbonna
Balbuena
Fredericks
Noble
Rice
Snodgrass
Fornals
Antonio
Haller

subs from:
Martin, Cardoso, Diop, Reid,
Masuaku, Zabaleta, Sánchez, Coventry, Anderson, Yarmolenko, Ajeti,Holland


Pellegrinin claims the best XI will start the game... but who's the best out of that shower of underperforming idiots?

Our best defender is suspended - Diop has picks up 5 cautions...

Lanzini is out injured, so is Fabianski... Wilshere... who cares...

Will anderson get a chance to pull his socks up or be left to rue his lack of ambition and effort on the bench?

Following his picture posing with Iron Maiden, will Zabaleta get the call up to the first team?

The only real no bargainer should be that Antonio starts and hopefully his attitude and commitment rubs off on the rest of the team.

Reasonable 7:00am kick-off tomorrow morning, so not the 4:30am nightmare of last week.

Chelsea are unbeaten in 13 league games at home to West Ham since a 3-2 defeat in September 2002 (W9, D4).

The Hammers have won just one of their last seven league matches against the Blues (D3, L3), with that coming under David Moyes in December 2017.

The Hammers are winless in seven league games (D2, L5).

They have lost their last three matches, conceding three goals in each defeat.

West Ham have lost 99 Premier League London derby matches, more than any other side.

Michail Antonio has scored in each of his last three Premier League London derby appearances.

West Ham goalkeeper Roberto has, on average, conceded a goal every 41 minutes this season - compared to one every 72 minutes when Lukasz Fabianski plays.

Sebastien Haller scored three goals in his first three Premier League appearances but has netted just once in his subsequent nine.


So, nothing to get your hopes up from the stats... we'll see how the reality shapes up.

See ya in the morning.

I`m at work today so I won`t be watching or listening to the game today but to be honest I can`t see us getting anythink but a heavy defeat today as Chelsea are looking good under Lampard and we are looking doomed for relegation the way we are playing at the moment.

Hopefully a heavy defeat may be the end for Pellegrini and the start of a new chapter under Eddie Howe Possibly going by all the papers etc who seem to say that Howe would be interested in taking the West ham job if it become avaliable in the near future.

Arran wrote:I`m at work today so I won`t be watching or listening to the game today but to be honest I can`t see us getting anythink but a heavy defeat today as Chelsea are looking good under Lampard and we are looking doomed for relegation the way we are playing at the moment.

Hopefully a heavy defeat may be the end for Pellegrini and the start of a new chapter under Eddie Howe Possibly going by all the papers etc who seem to say that Howe would be interested in taking the West ham job if it become avaliable in the near future.

Can't say I disagree with you at all Arran... have a good ay at work

sometimes it feels like people just want to end it all or at least not be where they currently are... and sometimes all you can do is watch helplessly or maybe give them a helping hand on the way...

I mean... we've seen the 1 player up top not work at all for us (as I've bored the pants off everyone pointing out over the year)...

so Antonio comes back from injury... puts in a short... so we have two fit forwards... and Pellegrini decides.... to drop Haller and play Antonio on his todd up to...

honestly... you can't make this stuff up.

we're a minute not the game and this is how we line up...

holy mackerel....

Maritn starts in goal... well at least that is an attempt at doing something positive.

ooh... chelsea's first attack... the shot gets deflected so Martin doesn't need to prove or disprove whether he's the right choice or not...

Balbuena comes in to sub for Diop... uh oh...

Ogbonna keeps his place...
Fredericks is still in there
and Cresswell...

then the world's worst idea of a midfield duo... Noble & Rice...

then you get the almost forward line of

Snodgrass
Fornals - yeah... that guy.
and
Anderson... which just goes to show how stupid the selection policy is... if you're going to sub a player because he doesn't put in a shift... exactly as happened last week with Anderson... what's the point if they just then get automatically selected the next game...?
where's the incentive for them to pull their socks up?

and then... all up there on his lonesome... Antonio...

as exemplified by our recent attack where we hurriedly cleared the ball out of defense and hoofed it upfield to Antonio who was the only West Ham player in the Chelsea half of the pitch...

7 1/2 minutes gone.. Chelsea slice through our midfield, defense... everyone...

Martin goes down... kinda fumbles the shot but no one is close enough to worry him as he scoops up the bobble...

the last 5 minutes have been pretty much all Chelsea...

oooh.. header over the bar.

fornals is down... it's an interesting defensive ploy... lay on the ground so the game is stopped as Chelsea put the ball forward...

all he did was mistime a ju and clatter into a chelsea stacker but to be honest, it's one of our more effective tactics thus far...

it's so sad watching Antonio up front all alone... it's like he's been ostracized by the rest of the team - probably for showing up their lack of commitment and effort...


we've seen this so many times in the past decide or more... even when we get the ballot of defense... where does it go?

our 5 mane midfield/attack/defense combo can't do anything and all the balls up to the 'front' just get swallowed by the opposition who know how to play properly...

it's honestly how you'd decide to play if you didn't want to win a game.


chelsea's probing ball is just too quick and their 'unmarked in 6 yard box as usual' attacker can't quite get to it in time.

Martin has to pull off his first real 'save' and doesn't fight Chelsea a goal - so he's already a better keeper than Roberto...

according to the stats that just went up.. we've had a shot... I honestly don't remember it... and it's not listed as 'on target' so anywhere towards the end of the pitch might count...

18 minutes gone... we're down 7-1 in attempts on goal...

how can you have ten of eleven players back behind the ball and Chelsea still get to it every time and seem to have no problem playing it among themselves???????

bit of luck there... long chelsea cross from the wing actually hits the outside of the post...

fortunately the glancing header from the resulting corner goes way wide...

god damn... that should have been a goal...

broad sweeping move from midfield across the park... long swift ball in for Antonio to get down and head... but it's straight at the keeper...

makes the save look more spectacular than it really was... but would have been a fine goal - especially against the run of play...

half an hour has gone by... we've had a lot more of the ball in the last five minutes or so but we're not doing anything with it


we definitely do complain a lot... as soon as we possession or anything happens... arms go up, players stops running... it seems or only strategy these days is to hope the Ref blows the game in our favor...

Snoddy is unhappy about something...

noble is getting tactical instruction form Pellegrini

Ogbonna is down on the ground holding his bum... well... lower back i guess...

Fornals comes over for a hug form Pellegrini and gets sent away...

according to the stats chelsea have had 67% of possession...

36 minutes gone as Ogbonna trots back into the pitch...

another West Ham "attack" comes to nothing... but despite being the furthest forwards layer receiving the ball... antonio is still back in our own half to help defend ahead of at least there other Hammers who were not as far forward as he was...

I'm surprised the rest of the team don't murder antonio in his sleep... he makes them look even more clearly shit than they do themselves...

I think Anderson's top speed is 'saunter'

if he moved any more slowly he'd be... Mark Noble.

fortunately Chelsea have no cutting edge up front otherwise we'd be dead in the water by now.

please don't take the 40 minutes of clean sheet to be any improvement on anything we've been doing...

wow... is Noble pisseed off... of course he is... he finally (after ten years or so) decides to play the ball forward....

but no one runs for it and so it sails embarrassingly out of play...



oooh... that'll help...

Martin is forced to make a save... long range shot... he fluffs it... but the onrushing Chelsea attacker can only play the ball against his legs and Martin smothers/gathers before the next Chlsea player can get to it...

so he'll feel a bit more confident... but yes... two Chlsea players (almost) got to the ball before any of our ten defenders did...

2 minutes of added time...


Noble gets bundled off the ball...way too easily...

Chelsea on the attack...

we get the ball into the chelsea half but our classes are too slow, too short and it all comes back at us...


7 west ham players in defense and there's STILL an unmarked Chlsea player in the middle of the 6 yard box (how many times have I typed that this season?)

fortunately the ball goes out of play...

Half time is called... everyone trudges off...

we're still in the game - but more from luck than judgement.

LOL... not sure if it's a new philosophy form the broadcaster or an indictment of how dull the game is...

but there's no highlights form the first half... it's called "Moments from the Match'



192 passes to Chelsea's 300+

nice piece in the break about 'Club Heroes' - this week they show Paolo DiCanio...

for a moment you're all filled with the feels, then you just get this horrible empty feeling realizing that we've not had anyone like that in a long long time (no not even Payet) and just how much we miss that...

West Ham trot out for the 2nd half...

playing from right to left if you really want to picture this n your mind.

Chelsea kick off...