now the new season has begun in earnest here is the new current season link
Okay okay, International Break time again. So here it is back by popular demand, new and improved for 2023 after many many years away.....
What are your favourite colour pants.............?????
The interviewers a bit of a Knob but loved this interview.
New that post headline would raise a few hackles on here! but this is my point a Kaneless spuds after a terrible season and playing shite football suddenly play fast attacking flowing football that has them currently second in the league and the poor dears fans dreaming of winning the league as they have no European football and only one game a week until the F.A. Cup in January.
Now we have not started badly at all but we dont do free flowing we are more methodical and well at times for me negative, We have players more than equal to the spuds and yet we play with a leash on and it is annoying for me because i feel it is holding us back at times.
Look at how the spuds manager uses his subs he hauls off so called untouchables and they don't whinge or throw a hissy fit they get off and the side does not back away from going forward still yet we dither over when a sub clearly needs to be made and lets face it unless we have a bad injury during the game we all know who is going to be subbed in and out of nearly every game and the time it will happen.
The low block they say draw teams on they say hit fast on the counter they say well i say why not play on the front foot have more faith in our ability to put most teams to the sword playing that way then concentrate on defending our lead if you will.
Methodical it gets results they say and yes that maybe the case but we can be so much more but this Sunday against the barcodes expect to see every player including Ants inside our own half from the off because the poor dears played Thursday evening and had to go allllllllll the way to Germany and back. My point being we give the initiative to our opponents week in week out and we are more about stopping the opposition playing than letting them worry about us.
Football for me should be about enjoyment and appreciating good performances and whilst we have done well so far this season we are never easy on the eye to watch and we can be so so much better if the man in charge let the players show us that but he never will.
So the media will say things like West Ham a tough place to go and get a result and in the same breath talk about the Spuds in the title race and playing attractive free flowing football so if they can do that why can we not?
Spuds win the league of course not but it is funny we are never mentioned in that way.
Freiburg(froderick)next been watching them play this afternoon and if we apply ourselves properly we should win...yeah yeah jinx it you say but its West ham we will do whatever we are going to do lol....listening to the commentators the side have not had the best of starts and sound like us when he said you do not know what freiburg side will show up...but watching the game they do look open at the back and set pieces they do not look great at defending.....So Ants with the right application could well fill his boots here they have a couple of tricky widemen but coufal(Kehrer?)and Emerson more than capable dealing with them....no official hammers fans allowed so the players need to quieten the crowd early doors for me and put a lot of doubts in there minds.....COYI lets have another great european night abroad but remember Don't mention the war!
So here we are the season started better than we thought it would and we hoped but did not expect much from the games against Citeh/bindippers and that turned out to be the case but i am rather optimistic as to how the season will go now.
Relegation dogfight i do not see that happening top 8 finish will be tough but it is most certainly achievable. The team are playing well and although i understand when fans say we need to do more than sit back and counter and be more proactive in games and yes we certainly are more than capable of doing that but against the bigger teams it would seem to be the safer option but of course when we go behind that gameplan goes out the window and that really is the one area that Moyes and his coaches have to work on.
Aguered has come in for some stick which is harsh IMO yes he has made some mistakes but the level of player that we buy at that is always going to be the case but look at Manures new GK and that howler in the champions league so i will not dig Aguered out and with Mav now ready to step in the challenge is there.
We have a squad now that Moyes has to utilise a little better but one area he really needs to look at is the striker look at that appalling header Ants had yesterday and back to his diving to the ground as soon as he is touched is not good, Mubama the answer? not for a while yet IMO yes use him this week in the carabooo cup and bring him on slowly at the end of matches if we have the game done and dusted but seriously this is one area we need strengthening badly.
As a team i think we are doing well and yes we tailed off some yesterday but that had nothing to do with players being tired if that was the case sack the fitness coach because it is an argument i cannot accept we played at home the bindippers were away midweek so its an argument that has no grounds for me the players need a little more belief and mental toughness in what we are capable of Derren Brown available?.
All in all i am pleasantly surprised as to the start of the season but after the blunts on Saturday it is the barcode game at home that will be the yardstick for me as to where we will finish this season and a game that Moyes has to show that he is the manager that he thinks he is.
A few years back, just after my daughter died in a 'traffic incident', I was so busy that I did not renew the Org's registration and as a consequence it was purchased by someone else. Once they heard of my circumstances they sold the domain back to me at cost price despite being able to ask a massive premium, I have never forgotten their act of kindness.
They recently got in touch and asked if I would review and possibly feature a link to their Football Quiz Site, which of course I am more than happy to do. So if you want to take a look please follow this link.
No card details etc are asked for, so it is just a bit of fun, hope you enjoy. -Ed
Kudus/Benni/.....which of these players getting familiar with the bench?if you accept that the following will if fit be starters,
Nipps/Coufal/Zouma/Aguered/Emerson/Pac/Alvarez/Soucek/Bowen/Ants.
given Moyes cautious approach and considering the next two fixtures i dont see Kudus getting a start i expect him to start Benni but of course to sub him at the usual 65/70th minute and put Kudus in and eventually replace Benni with Kudus starting after the next two fixtures done.
Fornals will not get the playing time he deserves so expect him to be off in January and Benni well it may be the final straw for him.
Ward-Prowse the latest to fall foul of this scourge and the club keeping tight lipped over the injury just a slight knock apparently well we have all been here before have we not.
the most inspirational speech ever given