West Ham v Aston Villa Pre-Match Thread

[lordmcgrath5]

6 straight defeats? Only 1 goal scored in 6 games? Villa's best striker suspended? Villa playing away in London? West Ham riding high in the table and scoring for fun?
Nailed on away win. That's the West Ham way - turning over the top teams and then surrendering meekly to the strugglers.
Hope you all have a good day out. Try and get time to see the poppies at the Tower - worth the time.

Always a pleasure to hear from Sendo.

[simon ward 50]

Villa to win easily (cough, splutter, ahem)!

[Boz]

Another loss. I imagine Downing will score just to make it that little bit worse.

Now this was a game where we could of done with Hutton to rattle Downing from the off. We could do with him hiding very early. On form he will cause damage but as we all know once he's bottled it he's out the game.

That's what's wanted, dump him on his arse a few times in the first ten minutes. Perhaps Lambert could put Keane in the team. 

[Fin Feds Dad]

---------Guzan---------

Lowton vlaar baker cissoko


Richardson Westwood Cleverley Grealish

       Weimann.    Nzogbia

[supertom]

If Senderos and Hutton are fit: (Replace with Lowton and Baker if not)

---------------Guzan---------------

Hutton, Senderos, Vlaar, Cissokho

---------------Sanchez------------

---------Cleverley----Richardson--

-----------------N'Zogbia----------

-----------Bent--------Weimann---

Zog to float. Weimann to work the channels and do the donkey work for Bent.
Sanchez to do 60 minutes and see how is legs hold up. Replace with Westwood if needs be.

If need to up the creativity a bit I'd slap Grealish on for Bent and switch to a 4-2-3-1, putting Andi through the middle. Gabby to replace Andi if he's run himself in.

However we'll stick with the 4-3-3 knowing Lambert with a midfield adrift of the isolated, non moving forwards (aside from Andi running around like a maniac, bless him).

[sendô WHU]

Welcome back Sendo - always like to hear what you have to say - so what do you reckon to the Allardyce-revolution of attacking football?

I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Too much rests on the form of Downing and the pace of Sakho and Valencia. 2 injuries to those three and we'll be back to unimaginative punt it up to Carroll once again.

Credit to Allardyce to listening to the criticism and changing his playing style, although I suspect he didn't have much choice.

In all honesty, the biggest criticism from most West Ham fans last season wasn't so much the style - we all recognised that we had a limited squad and we had to try and get the best out of what we had - it was more that there was no plan B. Plan A was sit deep, keep it tight and look to hit teams on the break (with no pace) or score from set pieces. The problems came when we inevitably went behind because we offered next to no attacking threat.

Anyway, positivity reigns this season - so as long as we can keep the attacking players fit, rotate the midfielders, and the full backs don't get found out, I'm hoping for a good season and top half finish.

You lot look like us last season - for that you have my sympathies. Still, Carlton Cole might be available in January. He's got two goals to his name already this season.

[Dr Butler]

Welcome back Sendo - always like to hear what you have to say - so what do you reckon to the Allardyce-revolution of attacking football?

I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Too much rests on the form of Downing and the pace of Sakho and Valencia. 2 injuries to those three and we'll be back to unimaginative punt it up to Carroll once again.

Credit to Allardyce to listening to the criticism and changing his playing style, although I suspect he didn't have much choice.

In all honesty, the biggest criticism from most West Ham fans last season wasn't so much the style - we all recognised that we had a limited squad and we had to try and get the best out of what we had - it was more that there was no plan B. Plan A was sit deep, keep it tight and look to hit teams on the break (with no pace) or score from set pieces. The problems came when we inevitably went behind because we offered next to no attacking threat.

Anyway, positivity reigns this season - so as long as we can keep the attacking players fit, rotate the midfielders, and the full backs don't get found out, I'm hoping for a good season and top half finish.

You lot look like us last season - for that you have my sympathies. Still, Carlton Cole might be available in January. He's got two goals to his name already this season.

great to hear from you Sendo...then you had to go and spoil it

UTV
The Doc

[supertom]

To be fair to Carlton he's probably done more this season and last season than Gabby. He's looked, dare I say it, almost useful as a backup option since you let him go and re-signed him. He's also in better nick than the artist formally known as Darren Bent. (Now known as Darren Bolt because he ate Grant Holt).

That said, you can keep him Sendo.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Welcome back Sendo - always like to hear what you have to say - so what do you reckon to the Allardyce-revolution of attacking football?

I'm enjoying it while it lasts. Too much rests on the form of Downing and the pace of Sakho and Valencia. 2 injuries to those three and we'll be back to unimaginative punt it up to Carroll once again.

Credit to Allardyce to listening to the criticism and changing his playing style, although I suspect he didn't have much choice.

In all honesty, the biggest criticism from most West Ham fans last season wasn't so much the style - we all recognised that we had a limited squad and we had to try and get the best out of what we had - it was more that there was no plan B. Plan A was sit deep, keep it tight and look to hit teams on the break (with no pace) or score from set pieces. The problems came when we inevitably went behind because we offered next to no attacking threat.

Anyway, positivity reigns this season - so as long as we can keep the attacking players fit, rotate the midfielders, and the full backs don't get found out, I'm hoping for a good season and top half finish.

You lot look like us last season - for that you have my sympathies. Still, Carlton Cole might be available in January. He's got two goals to his name already this season.

Fans like you make it really hard to dislike West ham as much as I want to. Thanks for the comments, funny how clubs seem so different when you are a supporter versus looking in from the outside. 

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Fans like you make it really hard to dislike West ham as much as I want to. Thanks for the comments, funny how clubs seem so different when you are a supporter versus looking in from the outside. 

There's plenty more clubs to dislike before you turn to West Ham. Out of all the London clubs they're easily away and above the rest in every aspect. Great little traditional ground, strong local support, they sing (yes, I know) and travel in decent numbers all that and they've been shit for over the last 30 years. Even their forum KUMB is one of the best around (if you ignore a couple of Danny Dyer types) and the Hammer fans I've met on my travels have been great blokes. In fact, thinking about it, I've met loads of West Ham fans, they're like bloody Italians, no matter where you go, how off the beaten track you find yourself, it's more than likely you'll bump into Italian tourists and West Ham fans.

Obviously it's hard to like any club where Porndwarf and Brady are and the "West Ham way" is bollocks but I guess it's just like our "Proud History Bright Future", it gives you something to cling on to. They do make claret and blue look cheap with their horrible kits but overall, even after the fun and games down there in the 80's, I find it hard to dislike them.

That be said, looking back over the years they must have had the ugliest players ever to grace the league, with the possible exception of the Rags. You really have to be pig ugly to play for West Ham. Maybe that's what they mean by The West Ham Way.

[Monty]

The only thing to dislike about West Ham is something which isn't really their fault, namely the disproportionate coverage they get simply by virtue of a) being from London, and b) providing the England captain and final goalscorers from 1966. Apart from that they seem okay enough to me.

[Clampy]

I do quite like the look of Supertom's line up mainly because Westwood isn't in it. I do think he's a weak link. He's not a bad player, i'm just not sure he's good enough.

[Rigadon]

In all honesty, the biggest criticism from most West Ham fans last season wasn't so much the style - we all recognised that we had a limited squad and we had to try and get the best out of what we had - it was more that there was no plan B. Plan A was sit deep, keep it tight and look to hit teams on the break (with no pace) or score from set pieces. The problems came when we inevitably went behind because we offered next to no attacking threat.

[/quote]


Hmm, that does sounds familiar....

[eamonn]

Sendo's return has been my highlight of the past 6 weeks of Villa. Shoot me now (no offence, kid).

[silhillvilla]

I do quite like the look of Supertom's line up mainly because Westwood isn't in it. I do think he's a weak link. He's not a bad player, i'm just not sure he's good enough.

Hutton is definitely out though