GDog07

Had no enthusiasm for this season, all very flat in the transfer market, nothing ever to get excited about. Ralphs management doesn’t help, tactically inept so it seems and never makes a sub before 80mins that could make a massive impact in the game, yet Rafa turned the game on its head come 45mins. Definitely not the first time we’ve been tactically outclassed after taking a lead. Think it’s time for a new gaffer that can read a game and make the changes, might actually stand a chance this season, we have the players to stay up but quite a few were sat on our bench today with the questionable line-up.

But, England being England, neglected to select the best English set-peice taker, not just from their starting XI, but the entire Euro 2020 squad.

Possibly, I don't know if there is a stat for that, I don't have enough time to keep track of every single professional football match all over the world, lucky if I can watch one in a week. He may not have started, but he'd be a better option than anyone in the current squad for set peices. I am sure, however, that there are teams in many professional football matches all over the world that will be selecting a player in their starting XI solely based on their outstanding set peice ability.

Keep on seeing these free kick chances just outside their box. Does make me feel for JWP, knocking those in with no effort at all, all season.

First time I’ve been back on this forum in four months. Unbeliveable start to the season and then it became soul-destroying to watch, could have been where West Ham are now in the league if we hadn’t taken a handful of points in 15/20 games, not enjoyable at all and lucky again to have three teams who were far worse off than us again this year.

We’re paving the way for West Ham to clinch a Champions League spot keeping Tottenham at arms length for them, Chelsea their next game and a fairly gettable 15pts afterwards Crazy to think they could be CL material, I’m just jealous and wish it was us lol. They’ve got us last day mind, we could spoil their party and let our good pals Liverpool sneak into 4th.

Exactly. FA Cup being completely seperate to the league pyramid. Not really fair, if say, a League One or Two side magically found their way to an FA Cup final, beaten by a Man Utd, but the european place that used to go to the runners-up, gets thrown back to a middling EPL side. Definitely stunts any opportunity for a smaller club to get their chance at glory and maybe only opportunity at Europe that they'd ever have, for doing so well in a cup competition, even if they did fall at the last hurdle.

I know it used to be that if the winner was already guaranteed an European place, the runner-up was awarded it. I knew the changed it to something like that, shame really, felt more of an achievement that way rather than throwing it back to the league which doesn't have anything to do with the cup.

Is the FA Cup still a backdoor for Europe with Chelsea surely going to secure a spot through the league? I remember it always being as such years ago, but somewhere in the back of my mind i'm telling myself that i'm sure they done away with it and revamped the pathways into Europe and it's not how it used to be.

Who is this guy? Where have we been hiding him? Redmondo.

Armstrong been having a word in his ear, eh? Not that he was going to get anywhere near the England set-up unless he started bagging goals for fun. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/6826982/southampton-che-adams-commits-scotland-call-up/amp/

Anyone got a stat on any other team in the EPL era, top of the league after 15-odd games and relegated by the end of the season. Could be a first. How did we become so abysmal?

I enjoyed watching us a few months back, but now it’s agony and I hate it, so much so that I forgot this game started at 6pm. Nice surprise though, to see we are still free falling and absolutely atrocious, when I thought we were going to have a comfortable season when we sat top, all those weeks ago, sigh.

Just the 8pts now and four away games on the trot; Leeds, Everton, Sheff Utd & Man City. Could easily lose three of those, four would be a catastrophe. Safe to say I’m worried until we bag another win, not sure where it’s coming from yet.

I think we’re definitely going to be safe, well, I thought that was a banker in December that we were, still, here we are.. We could easily finish this season 17th if we continue on a bad run, I would be gutted if that were the case after how good we were, I mean, top of the table ffs! I can’t see us ever being dragged down into a battle to stay up, two or three more wins and we’ll be good. Sheff Utd and West Brom look too far adrift - I do fear that dreaded 18th, but I hope we’ll see a few more good performances before the end of the season to keep us safe.

I agree that’s probably correct. I really like Hassenhuttl, I think he is doing a tremendous job - he certainly has not had the backing that Pochettino had the luxury of back in 2013/14 and could quite well imagine that Hassenhuttl would be equally as successful with us as Mauricio was, if the same sort of ambition was still in motion now.

Both, only within the last 7 years too and to now be managing Barca and PSG. Shows the sort of calibre we attracted and ambition we had back then, in comparison to present times.

Sheff Utd or Bournemouth at home then? Yes, please, could do with a wee FA Cup run and back-door European football..

Don’t think he ever lost it, he went through a crap period and got labelled as our worst-choice goalkeeper after being sensational for us. Since then, been treated to Gunn & McCarthy and they’ve not been half the ‘keepers Fraser ever was for us, still think he’s the best we’ve got and wasted him these past few seasons.

Don’t reckon we’ll score against 9 either the way our last few weeks have gone. Nah, probably will, and get it chalked off for a dodgy VAR call.

Got to be massive offers for JWP in the summer, just for the free-kick specialist aspect. Handful of players like him around at the moment, big clubs will pay big money for dead-ball specialists.

Wow, that is utterly abysmal. What is wrong with us?!

God help us, I hope Hassenhuttl isn’t giving up on us. Its far from his fault, a talented manager who’d be doing well with us if he’d been backed by our awful backroom. Now he has two 9-0’s to his resume in as many seasons, he really must feel let down by the non-existent transfer policy.

Please god, do not finish 8-0 or 9-0. We’ve heard about 9-0 for over a year and that was just Leicester. We’ll hear about this for the next three years since it’s Man Utd.

Just it’s bare, ravaged bones I think. Nothing new there.