West Ham United v Aston Villa Match Thread

[eastie]

Question is, do we want this enough?

Question is can I stay awake if the 2nd half is as bad as the 1st.

[PaulWinch again]

We actually need to give Benteke service.

[VillaAlways]

Talk Sport saying Benteke awful. Cue a second half hat trick

[pauliewalnuts]

I think the main problem is lack of quality in the squad. Guzan and Benteke are very good players. The rest of them, though, are pretty mediocre.

[Mister E]

Boring half of football- real lack of quality from both sides .

Hopefully, though, our second half will be the good one that we seem to have (i.e. we're seemingly incapable of stringing two good ones together in the same game).

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I'm tempted to watch another game second half.

Fuck, that was boring.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I think the main problem is lack of quality in the squad. Guzan and Benteke are very good players. The rest of them, though, are pretty mediocre.

That's mighty generous of you, Paulie.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'm tempted to watch another game second half.

Fuck, that was boring.

I've actually just put Hull Sunderland on for a bit.

[Jimbo]

This is quite incredible. A team that can't defend for shit (us) against a team that can't score for their lives ('ammers). It's like watching a drunk trying to poke someone's eye out with cooked spaghetti.

What worries me is that not long ago, we were saying that we couldn't defend for shit, but we'd always score.

Now we've started defending a bit better - a bit - but stopped scoring.

Frightening isn't it? Ironically, we've brought in strikers, presumably to ensure this didn't happen, when what we actually needed was a midfielder or three.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think the main problem is lack of quality in the squad. Guzan and Benteke are very good players. The rest of them, though, are pretty mediocre.

That's mighty generous of you, Paulie.

I didn't want to come across as overly negative.

[eric woolban woolban]

I'm tempted to watch another game second half.

Fuck, that was boring.

I'm tempted to watch the washing machine cycle.

[CJ]

KEA was reasonably good at the start of the season - he looks like a little boy lost today

[Matt Collins]

Not watching the game. How is our formation faring against their 460. I have to say it seems a very strange way to play. Three centre backs against no centre fwd. two wing backs against their wingers who can presumably afford to play right up the pitch and stay there with all that cover in midfield.

Not sure how to change it though. None of our bench options have convinced up to now. Maybe switch to 433 but maybe the one good thing so far is our defensive aerial dominance w the three centre backs?

I don't like this constant changing of formation. I don't think it can help the cohesiveness of our play.

I expected us to be a pleasing on the eye passing side this season. We've really not seen that at all.

We do look a lot more resilient defensively though.

I bet benteke is feeling rather frustrated.

[Legion]

I'm tempted to watch another game second half.

Fuck, that was boring.

I'm tempted to watch the washing machine cycle.

This paint drying is ace.

[eamonn]

What Have I Done To Deserve This? by The Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield has been earworm since I heard it on Heart FM in the office yesterday (it was the one ray of light in a beacon of shit...like a Benteke winner this afternoon hopefully).  I spent the first half learning to play it on guitar. It's my new Villa song.