West Ham v Newcastle United - Official Build Up / Matchday Thread

Krul is out for the next 3 weeks but Colo, Saylor, Tiote and Riviere could all be back.

Personally I'd rather have Colo playing than Krul if given a choice.

 

I saw this in the Gazette about Krul but Pardew didn't even mention it. Most other sites are just reporting Eliott to be on standby rather than certain to start. Most are simply reporting he'll have a late fitness test.

Colo, Saylor, Tiote and Riviere have returned to light training. I don't think there is any suggestion any will be ready for this week. He seems to suggest they are working their way back and will be available very soon. Aarons back in light training next week. Santon is training three times a day but they refuse to put a timeline on him. De Jong is back in light training. Obertan no return. January for Raylor. Abeid is looking like a week on Saturday.

I reckon we need to give the players the best possible rest and chance to get properly fit before slinging them in. We have been doing ok. I'd normally want Colo more than Krul, but Krul has been quietly in fantastic form. I think Elliott is a liability. The centre backs seem to be doing ok since the confidence went up. We've only conceded one in six games despite a wide ranging selection in the defensive ranks.

One thing for sure, when you have 13 players out and still winning, the manager deserves a lot of credit. Even his most hostile critics would have to concede that.

 

Elliott is dogshit. Krul may have ****ty distribution but the saves he can make compensate for that. Elliott has fantastic distribution, but is just a bog standard League 1 pile of **** keeper when it comes to the crunch.

 

This is pretty much the standard view of Elliott. I am always a bit surprised by it. While he is obviously a step down in quality from Krul, he has had some good games and I can't recall any particular goals that have been let in because of an error by him. Has he made a series of howlers that I'm forgetting ?

 

Personally I just don't think he inspires much confidence. I don't think its a string of individual howlers costing goals. I just think we look a lot more shaky with him behind the defence. He is absolutely awful on crosses which he has got away with on a number of occasions. When everyone was declaring Mignolet the best keeper in the PL while at Sunderland, I just didn't get it. He is good keeper but the best are commanding. Keepers like Mignolet and Elliott are very good at distributing which appeals to many modern managers. Mignolet is a fantastic shot stopper to be fair to him, I think Elliott is pretty average in this department. He doesn't make masses of howlers, but he doesn't make many saves he really shouldn't like a Mignolet or Krul does.

This is how I see Elliott and why we have problems with him:

Distribution - Good
Dealing with crosses - Awful
Shot stopping - Average
Command of box - Poor
One on one - Average
Inspiring confidence in the back four - Poor

I don't think he is dog s**t, but he is a middle of the road championship keeper for me at best. Hopefully Darlow will bring a lot more to the table. Yes its only back up, but I think he is a fair bit worst than quite a few 2nd PL keepers.

 

I personally think this is a case of supporters being intimately familiar with the weaknesses of their team and, by virtue of not paying the same level of attention to other teams' relatively rarely seen players, assuming they're much better. Elliot is about what I expect from a second string keeper. Having a Steve Harper waiting patiently behind a Shay Given with a young Tim Krul hovering just off screen spoiled us.

 

If the latest news is to be believed then Krul could be out for a month with an ankle injury. Here's hoping it's wrong as Krul with all his faults is a mile ahead of Elliott.

 

source ?

 

Darlow looks quality from what I've seen.

 

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/tim-krul-could-miss-month-8187689

 

Chelsea - Cech ad Schwarzer
Man City - Cabellero
Southampton - Davis and Gazzaniga
Man U - Lindegaard and Amos
West Ham - Jääskeläinen
Swansea - Zabret and Tremmel
Arsenal - Ospina and Martinez
Everton - Robles and Stanek
Spurs - Vorm and Friedel
Stoke - Butland and Sorensen
Liverpool - Jones and Ward
WBA - Myhill and Daniels
Sunderland - Pantsniffer
Palace - Hennessey
Villa - Given
Hull - Harper
Leicester - Hamer
Burnley - Gilks
QPR - McCarthy

I don't know much about Hamer. Other than that I'd rate every one of those reserve keepers above Elliott. Certainly at least 13 or 14. So I'm not sure it is not knowing enough about other teams. They have weaknesses but they bring a lot more to the table than Elliott. 4 of the bottom 5 have a better reserve keeper than us. We just seem a bit cheap. I understand Pards will want to send his budget elsewhere, but it suggests the budget is too tight.

 

Elliott is better back up that any of the Saints keepers, Brad Jones, Hennessey (he is god awful), Given (was over the hill two years ago so god knows what he's like now, Harper (see Given), Gilks can't get in ahead of a very poor Heaton (everything you said about Elliott applies to Heaton). He's a middle of the road back up for me.

Elliott made some great saves away at Southampton last season, he was the only player to come away with any credit. I think's he's a good enough back up for the level we are at.

 

Disagree. Gilks, Harper, Given all far better than Elliott. Given and Harper are getting on which has its down sides, but both are bring way more than Elliott. You can point to that Southampton game only. Flappy also had his bad moments in that game too!

I'd rate Jones above him too. I can't really comment on Gazzaniga. Haven't seen enough of him. Davis is getting on now but was better than Elliott. I think Elliott is Hennessey sort of standard. I can't name a reserve keeper who I'd take Elliott over with any sort of confidence except maybe Hennessey. That is not middle of the road, its poor and we should be aspiring to a hell of a lot better.

All opinions of course but for me we are lagging behind. We should have went and got Alex McCarthy in the summer.

 

Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit's match dayyyyyyyyyyyy!

HOWAY THE LADS!

I'd be happy with a point in this one. Going for 1-1.

 

5-1 ayoze hat trick a og and a moussa special

 

Draw

3-3

Sammy, Cisse, Dummett

 

Some big scores there. I think it will be tight.

I'm just hoping Nolan and big Andy don't ruin our winning run.

 

Allreet fella. If that happens my fat ass will be in Fenwicks window.

 

Reports of our fans being body searched for booze by the police at central station. The train Nazis treating our lads like pigs. Will Chelsea get searched on their way up?

Like **** the will.

Arseholes.

 

Blah, blah, blah.

If that scoreline actually happens then I will turn your ass over to JOF to do with as he pleases.