Can't always win the pretty way. Ralph's containing tactics would have worked to perfection if we had a bit more luck.
Yep, and I think one of the reasons for that is because Djeneppo has been very good defensively, in front AND behind him.
Elyou, Redders and Djenepo were all equally quiet. Perhaps should give credit to West Ham's defense. then again, none of their attacking players seemed up to much either. Bowen a bit of a nuisance, but not much else. Two good defensive displays. Classic bore-draw. I'll take it!
Fine margins. If West Ham had scored a late winner, we'd all be complaining bitterly about the lack of ambition etc. You know how it goes, haha.
Maybe the most pleasing thing is how our subs actually made a positive impact. So often under Ralph they've come on and been anonymous.
And the post. The run, hold up, well timed shot, and beating the keeper from Broja really deserved a goal
We've got five or six guys on the bench who should arguably be in the starting eleven. It's a strong bench we've got right now.
He always works hard and puts in a shift. We just need to see an end result from him at the top of the pitch. Defensively he has improved greatly, in my opinion. Tino looked a little uncomfortable at times, under pressure, but he had no one to shield him in the way Moussa shielded Perraud.
I've said for a while that Djenepo offer far more defensively than in attack. Had an excellent game in that respect home to Chelsea last season.
Broja was another level, completely turned the game on its head from the instant he came on, unfortunately for us slightly too late. Redmond and Djenepo extremely wasteful today, Armstrong isolated and anonymous. Overall good play all the way up until the final third and then it fell apart. Pretty boring spectacle aside from the last 15 mins. Credit to the ref for completely destroying a golden chance for us late on and bringing play alllll the way back to red card Antonio, then adding no extra time on for the delay it caused. First time I’ve seen a crowd unite in being pissed off from a red card.
The stats are starting to look very Long-esque for Djenepo. 49 games and only 2 assists. A great couple of goals way back when he was a surprise package, but it's only 1 in the last 45 games now. I just think defenders at this level know what he's all about. That coupled with the fact that his crossing and passing around the area is pretty woeful. Much better as an impact player from the bench.
A big difference this year will be that we can bring Broja on. Last year it was N’Lundulu. Light years difference
His game in a nutshell was the moment he got the overlap and then proceeded to run the ball straight out of play rather than cross. There is a promising player in there but at the moment: decision making: 0.
3 points from 4 games. Could have been better, but looking at the corresponding fixtures, last season, we are 2 points better off from the four. I said a couple of weeks back that I thought Salisu would be a better defender than Vestergaard, but I would really like to see him work on his distribution of the ball, as in passing it forward sometimes. Not sure how much our shape change made to the way we played. With JWP pushed further forward and Redmond playing deep (4-1-4-1) it looked as though they didn’t know how the system worked, and our passing was dreadful. 78% accuracy, I think, but that will have been boosted by the hundred or so passes between Stephens and Salisu. So many passes, when we tried to make things happen, were either inaccurate or under/over hit giving West Ham the chance to nick the ball and hit us on the break. Still, I am sure we will get it right for next week.
One of the best 0-0 draws I seen. Two good sides. One with flair; the other with a physical presence. Ref let the game flow first half but got dodgy as the game went on. Salisu tackle that earned the yellow card was not even a free kick IMO. Also, he could have sent Antonio off at the next break in play rather than stop it when we were 2 -v- 2 at the other end. Salisu and Stephens were solid throughout. Antonio kept switching sides to try and find a way through but without success. Other MOTM candidates were Perraud (best game yet), Broja (obs) and Ely (who looks like a new signing). Tino MOTM for me though. His first touch is superb - pushing it into space so he can move instantly. Djenepo was good defensively but can only assume he was under strict instructions to not get caught too high up the pitch. Felt Tella would have been a decent sub for him. Overall pleased with the point. Spoke to a couple of hammers on the way out and they were not happy with their team at all.
Should have played the advantage & then gone back to book / red card. A ref with common sense / balls …..
