Lucas Digne

[PaulWinch again]

Yep he looked completely at sea there and it had a double impact of making our left hand side weak.

[eamonn]

Apparently he recently said that he fancied himself at CB if necessary so I guess with that attitude and Emery's preference for a LCB and RCB together, it kind of made sense. No more, please.

[brontebilly]

He tried his best, thats all you can say.

[danno]

Heck of a scream from him early in the second half. Probably the best thing he did after moving to central defence.

[Footy-Vill]

Lacked the composure at left centre back and was not using his 5 senses to the maximum which Emery required.

[eamonn]

Heck of a scream from him early in the second half. Probably the best thing he did after moving to central defence.

Yeah, that was a bit embarrassing.

[AV82EC]

I thought he grew into it and was surprisingly dominant in the air when West Ham decided to start pumping it long. That said we may need to gloss over some of his passing out from the back.

[Ozzjim]

He got better as the game went on. Give him a few weeks there he'd probably end up being pretty decent, certainly in a 3 on the left.

[rooboy316]

Can’t blame him for being uncomfortable as a makeshift CB. Strangely though, for a player used to having the ball at his feet and generally being a good user of it, seemed to forget how to pass a ball for a while!

[dcdavecollett]

It always strikes me as odd that Lucas is such a good crosser of a ball, yet his free-kick sail harmlessly over the bar.

[Dave]

It always strikes me as odd that Lucas is such a good crosser of a ball, yet his free-kick sail harmlessly over the bar.

I still don't really understand why professional footballers aren't better at direct free-kicks in general. I'm not saying they should all be able to ping it into the top corner every time, but they can usually move a ball broadly in the direction they want it to go in, at pace, the rest of the time.

Why is extra time and space the thing that means they balloon all their free-kicks in the Upper Holte?

[Brend'Watkins]

It always strikes me as odd that Lucas is such a good crosser of a ball, yet his free-kick sail harmlessly over the bar.

I still don't really understand why professional footballers aren't better at direct free-kicks in general. I'm not saying they should all be able to ping it into the top corner every time, but they can usually move a ball broadly in the direction they want it to go in, at pace, the rest of the time.

Why is extra time and space the thing that means they balloon all their free-kicks in the Upper Holte?

Whatever the reason they are and have been pathetic this season. They also take an inordinate amount of time to be taken.

[Drummond]

I reckon it's supporters trying to suck it into the net, causes turbulence and lifts the ball too far.

[LeeB]

It always strikes me as odd that Lucas is such a good crosser of a ball, yet his free-kick sail harmlessly over the bar.

I still don't really understand why professional footballers aren't better at direct free-kicks in general. I'm not saying they should all be able to ping it into the top corner every time, but they can usually move a ball broadly in the direction they want it to go in, at pace, the rest of the time.

Why is extra time and space the thing that means they balloon all their free-kicks in the Upper Holte?

I kind of agree, but then they're not trying to hit their target in general, they're trying to do it at maximum velocity as if they take anything off it will sail into the keeper's hands.

Same goes for hitting the first man at a corner, it happens so much because they're aiming for an inch or two above him or else it has the same outcome.

[Sexual Ealing]

Agreed. I can barely run from a bailiff but I'm spectacularly good at free kicks. It's got to the point that I've stopped even contacting the club to tell them.