terryefc
Player Valuation: £10m
It was a really poor team performance - but one we're so used to seeing.
A dreadful and weak referee did not help us.
My observations from yesterday were - O'Brien was roasted - Myko isn't vey good at footy, Tarky too slow, Gueye tired, Garner ill-disciplined positionally, Grealish swamped and fouled consistently, N'daiye aimless, KDH not sure of his position and Beto / Barry anonymous though limited service.
Keane played well and Dibling showed promise.
So how do you blend these into a winning team? A couple of decent full backs and busy no. 9 would help. We need to play tighter as a unit too. Grealish needs to shoot more and we definitely need to move the ball much much quicker. Set pieces take ages - even throw ins take 3-4 minutes. Ball boys should be busy throwing the ball back to get it in play.
I also thought we were over run in midfield and let them break too often. Gueye's engine seemed to give up and transition / forward play much too slow. Needs shooting practise too. Crucial part of any game. West Ham were allowed to settle - whilst constantly fouling and wasting time.
It's like our crowd expected us to win - and everyone wanted to be the one to score or assist - instead of holding their position and taking control. Panic seemed to set in and we looked incoherent in the last 30 mins. I can't remember Beto or Barry even getting a touch of the ball. Weird considering the default distribution is a massive hoof upfield from Pickford.
I also think we have to get used to the size of the pitch. It's apparently a lot bigger than Goodison and means you can't necessarily build intensity when legs are tiring.
Crowd are different from Goodison. Our snarl has gone. Someone said it's like they're all sitting at the pictures.
A dreadful and weak referee did not help us.
My observations from yesterday were - O'Brien was roasted - Myko isn't vey good at footy, Tarky too slow, Gueye tired, Garner ill-disciplined positionally, Grealish swamped and fouled consistently, N'daiye aimless, KDH not sure of his position and Beto / Barry anonymous though limited service.
Keane played well and Dibling showed promise.
So how do you blend these into a winning team? A couple of decent full backs and busy no. 9 would help. We need to play tighter as a unit too. Grealish needs to shoot more and we definitely need to move the ball much much quicker. Set pieces take ages - even throw ins take 3-4 minutes. Ball boys should be busy throwing the ball back to get it in play.
I also thought we were over run in midfield and let them break too often. Gueye's engine seemed to give up and transition / forward play much too slow. Needs shooting practise too. Crucial part of any game. West Ham were allowed to settle - whilst constantly fouling and wasting time.
It's like our crowd expected us to win - and everyone wanted to be the one to score or assist - instead of holding their position and taking control. Panic seemed to set in and we looked incoherent in the last 30 mins. I can't remember Beto or Barry even getting a touch of the ball. Weird considering the default distribution is a massive hoof upfield from Pickford.
I also think we have to get used to the size of the pitch. It's apparently a lot bigger than Goodison and means you can't necessarily build intensity when legs are tiring.
Crowd are different from Goodison. Our snarl has gone. Someone said it's like they're all sitting at the pictures.