I disagree. In this particular game, I think we were a bit lucky. But over the course of the season so far, I don't think we've been lucky. And, once we got our slice of luck, we still had to take it. And we did. Eventually we won the game because we had great spirit, and that is not luck.
It annoys me when fans says we were lucky to win. Do they regard Villa's win and Cardiff's draw as lucky for them? No, they'd tend to look at our set-up, etc. So, every time we win, we are lucky? Jeez....
I was so positive after winning I am feeling it this morning....... One to many whiskeys last night to celebrate! I hope the boys and Hughton take heart from this result and really kick on! Yes there was a bit of luck but don't all teams need a slice of it every now and then. OTBC!
Unlike some fans, your opinion on Hughton does actually change. After Man City, Man Utd you understandably are very dissatisfied with him but when we win you at least give him some of the credit due. Some fans still want him gone and can never be pleased by him and say that we were lucky: 1) We were lucky that the game turned entirely in our favour and a penalty paved the way for us to win by a convincing scoreline after a dire first half performance 2) We were unlucky on the balance of play to get nothing out of the Chelsea, Villa and Cardiff (as in a win for the latter) games Therefore when people say 'we were lucky to win' yesterday we were also unlucky to not have won more games, you can't have it both ways.
supers he was bang on the money Confidence is everything! We had none in the first half We needed a goal desperately and got one with some Luck
one thing i didn't mention in my post was to give a little bit of credit to hughton for making a tweak at the break. yes we were a bit fortunate that the keeper made a mistake to help us gain confidence and get back into the match but we made the game far more compact from the start of the second half by pushing the defence up and the attackers dropped off a little, and this meant west ham didn't have the space they had in the opening half to run with the ball and the freedom to pick a pass at will. it may have gone unnoticed by some but plenty around me spotted it and it made a difference
Luck plays a huge part in football.In general it does even up but occasionally it plays a pivotal role.Yesterday's 94th minute penalty for Chelsea for example.And it can get bigger than that in a crucial promotion,relegation or championship match where one decision can swing it one way or the other.In general I agree that yesterday we got a bit of luck but were not lucky to win.Jaaskalienen won't drop a ball like that one time in a hundred.
Good discussion this. My take was that a slick passing 6 man midfield is the last thing you want to come up against when you're low on confidence. Add to that Pilks pulling up with an injury when he was marking Morrison, who then scored. An element of luck about that as well. The significant thing for me was the reversal in the second half: 43% possession turned into 53%, in spite of West Ham's midfield advantage, 2 shots in the first half against 12 in the second. It wasn't the goal that turned things for me, as City were a different side from the start of the second half. The goal gave a boost that helped to sustain that but it was the pressure City put on (which was missing in the first half). CH has to get a bit of credit for the turnaround in performance. The goals will also give Hooper, Snods and Fer a lift for upcoming games, but Howson is looking better and better. Great win for me.
Yes, it does. And that's why I love football compared to most other sports. In most sports, the better player or team will win maybe 95 or even 99% of the time. In football, the ratio is much lower. It makes football infuriating at times but it also makes it pure drama at others.
I said this at the time on the match thread, that he was playing a higher line, led to more possession, as all around were slagging the inept tactically unaware CH. It drives me round the fecking twist that people are unable to give any credit.
On that line I once remember hearing someone say that football is like the best thriller you have ever watched and each time the ending has a different twist.
I think you are being a little unfair LS, as at half time, it was impossible to see anything other than CH having little or no idea about what to do to change things. Cast our minds back to the Cardiff game - Malky did not wait for the HT break to make a change, where as CH did. Why did he not give instructions to press the ball sooner? I am really not sure why he waited, the consequence being, everyone was pissed off with what they had witnessed, and rightly so. He did give the appearance that he had no way to counter-measure what West Ham were doing, at the time.
I would just also add, that as much as some of us could be accused of looking through our green and yellow specs at every situation, some people on here seem to have packed theirs away for the foreseeable future. And yes, Hughton deserves SOME flak (not the lorry-loads he´s been getting) when things go badly, but he also deserves SOME praise (far more than the teaspoonful he´s been getting) when things go well. It´s always been a fairly common trait amongst some supporters to praise the players when things go well and blame the manager when they don´t - seems a bit one-sided to me.
I've been reading through this whole thing and I was amazed no one pointed out the tactical change at half time until now. In the first half Fer and Howson barely moved from our penalty area when West Ham had the ball and that meant they just camped on the edge of our area. It was appalling and I spent most of those first 45 minutes questioning why we were sitting so deep. Second half the defence and Fer and Howson all pushed about 10-15 yards further up and it completely nullified West Ham's midfield. Fer and Howson started getting out to the man on the ball quicker and everyone was getting more stuck in in the tackles. Confidence probably played a big part in this but surely Hughton must have said before the match to sit that deep which was frustrating no end. That half time rollicking will probably have included the demand to get tighter to the opposition and higher up the pitch. I've been on Hughton's side for most of this season but that first half was making me question his place at the helm. Fortunately he sorted it out second half and the players did him proud on the pitch (With a little bit of luck, but you have to make your own). I can only hope he sees the second half performance and says to the players take that spirit and energy into the rest of the season. 4 points from the next 2 games is what I'm hoping for, Newcastle away will be tough but I'm still not convinced by the Toon, even after their win against Chelsea. Palace at home is where the real judging will happen. Anything but 3 points there and the questions over CH will be raised again.
Sorry but I am going to get excited over a win, because it doesn't happen a lot lol. I'm not fooled though and thinking everything will be ok now, yesterday was far from perfect, we didn't play well majority of the game. But it is as you say a relief and maybe a bit of hope.
