West Ham (A) 27/9 Build up

[Norman Deeley]

Adama and Nelson running at their left hand side should be fun. Let's have a couple of their players on yellows after 20 minutes

 

[Jinky]

No sign of Podence in the training video from Thursday, wonder if he’s injured?

I thought I saw this confirmed yesterday? I saw online that he had suffered an injury in training. Nothing official from the club, though.

 

[Johnny75]

I agree. If we have aspirations of improving our points/league position again, these are the games we need to be winning. West Ham aren’t great. Look at the two sides -

Patricio > Fabianski
Semedo > Fredericks
Boly > Balbuena
Coady > Ogbonna
Saiss > Creswell
Vinagre/Masuaku
Neves > Soucek
Moutinho > Rice
Neto > Bowen
Jimenez > Antonio
Traore > Fornals

Apart from possibly LWB, we are better than them in every area of the pitch IMO. Of course, anything can happen in a game of football, but we should be looking to pick up all three points.

What an odd way to compare two teams playing one another.

I'd certainly make our forwards and defenders in one on ones against their opposites (forwards against defenders and vice versa) but that's not our greatest strength.

If Podence isn't playing I'd start with Neto and Traore and go 3-4-3. Big ask of Neto to drop deep and do the link work on his own. Ideally Traore should be an impact sub but needs must.

If Nuno were brave enough to play Silva and Raul up top with Neto in behind then I think we'd batter them from the off, that's not Nuno's style.

 

[sycophantia]

I never 'expect' to win but man for man on paper we look better than them ( even allowing for my Wolves bias), but football isn't played on paper, there are lots of variables during a match. I'll be surprised and disappointed if we lose but hopeful for a win

 

[Carrotdude]

I thought I saw this confirmed yesterday? I saw online that he had suffered an injury in training. Nothing official from the club, though.

Hadn’t seen anything about it but then again the club never communicate very much about injuries so I guess he’s probably out. That would be a blow.

 

[Tony Towner]

I never 'expect' to win but man for man on paper we look better than them ( even allowing for my Wolves bias), but football isn't played on paper, there are lots of variables during a match. I'll be surprised and disappointed if we lose but hopeful for a win

Yes, we are the better side man for man and as a team, but with our strategy at least up to this season of managing games rather than putting teams away we will always be susceptible to a mistake or a ropey penalty

 

[Tony Towner]

Hadn’t seen anything about it but then again the club never communicate very much about injuries so I guess he’s probably out. That would be a blow.

Nuno said there were a few players carrying knocks that weren't in full training. Decision to be made on Saturday

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

He didn’t mention Podence in any way shape or form and this solely comes from him not being seen in a training video? Hardly cast iron evidence

 

[Boozad]

Few people on Twitter have said he’s out with a knock but that’s about as reliable as the Track and Trace app.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Absence of proof is not proof of absence. And all that. Just because he isn’t in the video doesn’t mean he isn’t there.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Podence was in the Semedo video, just not in the training game they showed. But I didn’t see Neto in the training game either.

 

[Boozad]

I don’t know if it’s people being dumb, aching to be proved right and ‘in the know’ or a mixture of both.

 

[Jinky]

What an odd way to compare two teams playing one another.

Not really. It just shows we have better players.

 

[Johnny75]

Not really. It just shows we have better players.

The defenders aren't up against defenders though, they're up against forwards.

Maybe you have it wrong?

 

[Norman Deeley]

We're going to be wearing that bloody awful away kit tonight aren't we? That and Fletcher/McManaman on BT Sport might be too much for me...

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Won't be McManaman, he's been on the Sheff Utd game.

 

[Jack Regan]

We're going to be wearing that bloody awful away kit tonight aren't we? That and Fletcher/McManaman on BT Sport might be too much for me...

They were on the Leeds game so no worries on that score. Will be Darke and Keown most likely as a result (please not Chris Sutton).

 

[Tredman]

Urgh, thought we were on Sky today. Annoying.

 

[sycophantia]

We're going to be wearing that bloody awful away kit tonight aren't we? That and Fletcher/McManaman on BT Sport might be too much for me...

Great, be good to see it in the flesh (tv flesh anyway) it'll make me and Tredman happy too

 

[Gonby's Games Gone By]

i would be disappointed as well, but being a bit realistic it could just be a draw. We have too good record against them to win again i think...so we must slip a bit now..draw

Gambler's fallacy, as alluded to in the fourth sonnet here: https://gonbys.com/west-ham-united-1962/