[Archived] 2010/11 Match Report: West Ham v Rovers

[Andy]

Hanley should have started at CB. We should have gone into this game with Hoilett and Olsson on either wing.

I don't think that would have been a good idea, defensively.

Hanley hasn't shown yet that he's Premiership quality and is prone to mistakes (see Fulham away for several, in a game that we could have won) and I felt much more assured by having Gael Givet in there yeserday.

As an aside, I actually felt that Martin Olsson did just enough to get in Keane's line of sight for the open goal miss and just about put him off.

[John]

Givet played really well I thought (along with the rest of the defence).

[Hughesy]

Sambas block that saved us the point.....

Original replay early on, and then again from another angle around 55 seconds

Once again for those that missed it!!

Hanley should have started at CB. We should have gone into this game with Hoilett and Olsson on either wing.

If Hanley had started at CB then West Ham would have won.....yes he's a good young centre back but he is nowhere near as advanced as our other 3 centre backs - Samba, Givet or Jones. He would have been picked on by Cole & Ba.

Having Andrews back was depressing!

[Gav]

Just seen West Hams goal again, 2 players stood in an offside position centre of the goal

[Mattyblue]

That Samba block, that's what it's all about! When he's on his game, I wouldn't swap him for anyone.

[cesus]

Hanley was NOT the answer yesterday Givet/Ollson had good games and we were solid yes we missed Ollson attacking but Hanley had howlers at Fulham and Villa

[cn174]

If Hanley had started at CB then we would have won.....yes he's a good young centre back but he is nowhere near as advanced as our other 3 centre backs - Samba, Givet or Jones. He would have been picked on by Cole & Ba.

Do you mean would not?

because I wouldn't have liked us to play Hanley at all!! As it was for the most part defensively we were very good. I think when Roque come on we stopped defending from the front - cos he cant be arsed to run around - which starts to build pressure on the rest of the team.

[Hughesy]

Do you mean would not?

because I wouldn't have liked us to play Hanley at all!! As it was for the most part defensively we were very good. I think when Roque come on we stopped defending from the front - cos he cant be arsed to run around - which starts to build pressure on the rest of the team.

Fixed - thanks

No I meant West Ham would have won....he isnt ready yet. Agree on RSC....id have rather we brought Formica & Rochina on for Roberts & Hoilett - at least it would add something different and also abit of uncertainty for West Ham on what they were facing.

[Al]

If United beat Chelsea tomorrow. Maybe both us and United will settle for a draw. Únited winning the title. They have much better goal difference than Chelski.

+38 each does not look like a 'much better goal difference' to me neophox.

[RIML]

Hanley was NOT the answer yesterday Givet/Ollson had good games and we were solid yes we missed Ollson attacking but Hanley had howlers at Fulham and Villa

And Sunderland

[92er]

.

He removes Roberts with RSC who was poor. But when the choice was either RSC, Formica or Rochina I think on paper there was only one choice to make.

Kean gets abuse.

Why wasn't Benjani an alternative?

[BRFCS Content]

Parsonblue's match report is now published (see here). Please continue discussion in this thread until a technical matter has been sorted.

Thanks,

Wen Y Hu

[PAFELL]

It wasn't the referee who delayed the substitution. Very few managers will make a change when their team is in a defensive situation. As West Ham had a succession of corners and free kicks Steve Kean was holding back until the ball was in a 'safer' area.

Not sure if anybody at the game noticed but West Ham operated a multin ball system but only in the corners. I'm sure this was to get the throw in taken quickly in attacking situations and catch us out BUT it is direct contravention of Premier League rules.

I noticed they switched the balls at the corners.

On another subject were venkys at whu yesterday. Noticed no comments on the board about them fro yesterday.

[Glenn]

Test

[Guest roverite1991]

Test

Quiz

[USABlue]

Normal (Big Sam dare I say) season, that'd be a disappointing result. However given our circumstances and form, you have to be very happy with a point. Only Samba, Emerton and Roberts stood out for me today, with Samba being our best player by a mile. But at the end of the day we did enough to keep ourselves in the driving seat. Well done Steve, you haven't disgraced us for 2 games in a row!

Really? Based on what?

[Iceman]

it was the wrong time for substitutions no question about it, but the players were also to blame. with 10 mins to go, there needed to be a few cool heads. instead, we had players who just hoofed it back to West Ham. all our players had to do, was hold onto the ball, slow the game down, and run the clock down. we failed to do that, and we paid for trying to be clever

[thenodrog]

it was the wrong time for substitutions no question about it, but the players were also to blame. with 10 mins to go, there needed to be a few cool heads. instead, we had players who just hoofed it back to West Ham. all our players had to do, was hold onto the ball, slow the game down, and run the clock down. we failed to do that, and we paid for trying to be clever

Indeed. Never going to be easy post the likes of Bentley, Warnock and of course the maestro Tugay. Not all down to our current footballing visionary thinker though cos that particular failing was my biggest criticism of Sam Allardyces teams too. Our Achilles heel in fact. It's an Ok tactic in the lower leagues but handing the lions share of possession to some of the worlds best players frequently proves suicidal in the Prem. Maybe why SA's record was so good against the poorer teams but so poor against the top teams I suggest.

[den]

all our players had to do, was hold onto the ball, slow the game down, and run the clock down.

We had someone who could do that exceptionally well, but the manager decided he was better off at Rangers.

Crazy decision.

[Gav]

We had someone who could do that exceptionally well, but the manager decided he was better off at Rangers.

Crazy decision.

He didn't want to play for the club anymore, so was shipped out, correct decison Den.

[Hughesy]

We had someone who could do that exceptionally well, but the manager decided he was better off at Rangers.

Crazy decision.

But he didnt want to be here!!

And had he played, Emo wouldnt have been down the right supplying a cross for a goal....

Just how well has EHD done in Scotland?

[47er]

But he didnt want to be here!!

Just how well has EHD done in Scotland?

Nothing to do with it. He was playing well for us till kean stopped picking him and that's all I care about. Good crosser of a ball too, Emerton is usually held up as poor in that regard on this Board. In any case Emerton was playing right-back!

[OJRovers]

A few of my views of the game:

Emerton - SO much better at right back. All the fans can see it, I don't know why BS or Kean can't see that this is his best position. Put better crosses in than when he plays as a winger.

N'Zonzi/J.Jones - was impressed with these two. It looks like we're finally trying to pass the ball in triangles rather than just hoof it forward.

Roberts - yes he scored, but again was useless in holding the ball up.

Mama D - tracked back really well and stopped them attacking down that side. Still a bit of a headless chicken in attack.

Andrews - credit where its due, thought he did ok when he came on. Won the ball then made simple passes.

Kean - can't really blame him for the result. WHam were out of it until they got the goal from a good shot. This lifted the crowd and we were always going to be under the cosh for the last 10 mins.

[John]

Consdiering he has not been on the scene recently, I thought Diouf did well - attacking wise, the lack of quality within our side is there for all to see, however he can make things happen, is direct, and his pace/power is useful.

Thought along with the rest of the team, he put a good shift in.

[den]

But he didnt want to be here!!

EHD was fine until Kean decided to take Neil Warnock's position and criticise him in public Hughesy. Apart from that, it was 100% the managers decision to ship him out to another club until the end of the season. Kean didn't have to do that, but I don't think he gave it enough thought. Just as he didn't give it enough thought when he decided to inform the media that Samba had been previously unsettled.

Listen. For a club of our size to continue being a Premier League club, we need to have everything going for us. The manager has to be right, the owners have to be right, the Chief Exec has to be right and the playing staff has to be right. Since 1992 we have pretty well done that under the stewardship of John Williams - and that's what has kept us where we are. If Kean had supported EHD after Warnock's outburst, then maybe, just maybe EHD might have given us enough posession and kept Wham at bay for longer than we did. Having the best player for retaining posession available in this one single game, never mind all the other games he's been at another club, could have been the difference between one point and three. It might just have been enough for us to be safe now.