Thought we were pretty decent. To be honest I don't really know how strong of a West Ham team that was (have been following the Premiership less and less since 2007), but we were at least equal to them and created some decent chances. Most players had a good game. Ba looked good in midfield, and I've been very impressed with Bauer at all the pre-season games I've been to (Welling, Dagenham, West Ham). Still not sure about Makienok based on the few games I've seen, but hopefully just a question of developing an understanding up front - if Igor is fit, would probably rather see him and Watt starting with Mak to bring on when we feel the need to have a giant in the box. Agree that TWWW looks a bit off the pace still, but with the ball at his feet he's still easily our most exciting player.
Main concern with that starting XI is that Diarra just isn't a centre back. He was good in the air, and passing out from the back, but his positioning caused problems more than once. As others have said though, I'm confident we'll be bringing in at least one more CB before QPR, and I don't imagine that Luzon is thinking about having Diarra as first choice at the back.
MOM was probably Solly, who looked close to his best - just a shame he's not going to be able to play in every game.
The big disappointment for me was the condition of the pitch - anybody know what has happened to bits of it?
It was actually in better condition v.Bournemouth than it looked against west ham. Perhaps the 'score at the valley' delayed the re-laying?. It just doesn't seem to of settled in properly.
When superb analysts like Seth Plum say Makienok is "a HUGE improvement over Dagenham," you wonder just how low our standards have dropped. Even at 6ft 7ins, Makienok missed the headers today, and then the easy tap-ins. Then he started fouling the opposition. Yet he has a robin tattooed on his upper thigh.
Is he Carl Leaburn is disguise? We need far better than this. Diego Poyet played 20 first-team games, mostly as sub, and passed sideways if not back. "He's worth 15 millions pounds," you plead. May I remind you that at the age of 20, Lee Bowyer was passing, sprinting, receiving and loping through the opposition - and scoring.
I never once saw Diego Poyet cross the half-way line. Every single club in the Championship has a talented academy: they all play for England youth, or for Angola, Ghana or Mozambique. And yet Wolves, Bolton and Blackburn, Fulham and Leeds: they have supremely talented young players. That is patently evident. Their first teams had us on the brink of relegation last year.
We need central defenders who can win a tackle - and midfielders who can advance. At The Valley last season we were routinely outplayed. At half-time, we in the Covered End would look at each other and shrug: "We haven't had a single accurate attempt at goal."
QPR, Derby and Hull are coming up, all in the same week. Don't you think it's about time we stamped our authority on this game?
Bad night?
On the contrary, seemed a well thought out post to me.
Comments
Main concern with that starting XI is that Diarra just isn't a centre back. He was good in the air, and passing out from the back, but his positioning caused problems more than once. As others have said though, I'm confident we'll be bringing in at least one more CB before QPR, and I don't imagine that Luzon is thinking about having Diarra as first choice at the back.
MOM was probably Solly, who looked close to his best - just a shame he's not going to be able to play in every game.
Perhaps the 'score at the valley' delayed the re-laying?.
It just doesn't seem to of settled in properly.
Would imagine that the unexpected heavy rain on Friday saturated it , and as soon as the players started on the pitch it just cut up.